reemgee

Hi All, As secretary of the club I joined bout two years ago now, I was wondering what sort of contact base there was with other like minded modelers in Ireland in RM Web our Club; Midlands Model Railway club is based in Abbeyliex in County Laois As a hobby there seems to be very few model railway clubs in Ireland but, I am sure there are a lot of railway modelers in Ireland? Is there a particular part of RM Web which relates to modelers in Ireland? I see there is a part for Irish Groups but just wondered if there was a club/society part for contact. We are looking into a video stream link and it would be interesting to find out if there are like minded modelers who are too far away from clubs but would like to share there interests in one way or another. I am open to suggestions Reemgee Reemgee

Hi all, It's been an age since I posted anything and that is somewhat lazy on my part! I think by the time I keep up with my clubs requirements and the house/maintenance chores!! coupled with my own layout which I have started on again after some absence, there is not much time left! Club wise, we have had a good year traveled/exhibited to a number of model rail club shows here in Ireland and been asked to exhibit at agricultural shows and Diorama diecast shows as well! We are not a large club so, we will have to prioritize this in 2014 I think, as we are limited in what shows we can go to overall. Club wise we are well under way with our 00 Gravel quarry Layout, this will be a handier size to transport about to shows this year! From my own point of view my layout is progressing ? that's all I can say, The canal basin is coming along and the far end station is beginning to come together, hopefully, over the holidays I can get the biggest part of the track work completed? we will see! I am fitting automation in a simple PLC format to the club quarry layout right now but, my old laptop is too old and my new one is too new so, I have the usual 232 coms linking problem! 232 adaptors are not doing the trick for me right now!!! I have purchased DC driver starter kits from Sainsmart in China with Arduino and this will be the end format of control via the Ethernet cards produced, but that is long term, I would just like to program the Mini PLC right now, no doubt I will find a way with something. I have the basic route program written, I just need to link between PC and Plc! This type of auto operation is useful for Exhibitions as, it will control the layout eventually with just one person to keep an eye out for derailments etc. So team wise, we can do shows with two people now! our large layout needed 4 minimum to cope with full running! As we all know members have only limited time available, due to work and family commitments so, the fewer required for shows the better!! We still have our modified original layout up and running in the Heritage hall where we are based and this has proved very useful to the Center as it attracts children in, they can operate this layout via push button for a designated time period, This is only DC just now but will take DCC probably in the spring, when we get a bit of spare time! We can operate this layout normally on club running nights so members can run their older stock on this layout. Our larger exhibition 00 DCC layout is still around and we can assemble this for running nights as well. I would think many of you are members of clubs, both large and small, I would find it hard to build what I have built, if it were not for the advice and help received from club members. So to end I will say to anyone reading this, happy New 2014 when it comes and may it be a good one for you Reemgee

Hi guys, Not posted for a while as I spent the New year in hospital, the dreaded heart attack followed by multiple by pass surgery, a hard way to bring in the New Year!! On the mend now thankfully and getting back into the hobby both at club level and at home! Heading off to my first show for a while on Sunday as the club is exhibiting our revised scenic 00 gauge layout for the first time this year. I think I have convinced my fellow members as to the value off scenic drop in sections, instead of the traditional way of board to board layouts. Using this method. means that the scenery can be changed around over say a weekend show, without the track work/wiring altering. The guys have added a little more fiddle yard space, as we were a wee bit short on that and if I get the chance I will post a few photo's next week . I have only seen photo's so far myself, but can't wait to see how the finished product looks We are experimenting with sound cards at present and will incorporate these soon on our permanent layout and at a later date the exhibition one. We hope to automate the permanent layout this year with infrared sensors etc. This layout can then be operated with mimimum staff at our home exhibitions all going well! We have made good use of Led's on the exhibition layout as we have a circus now incorporated and a building on fire scene, plus the garage welding mock up. We will be extending this use and I am building in sound cards to my own layout, I already have the church bells etc and station announcements on basic sound card format. Anyway I will close now and update you after the show with hopefully a few photo's!! Reemgee

Hi there, I thought when I retired last christmas that I would get back to my long time hobby too and I have to a certain extent!! but like the guys say time just dissappears!. I have been able to join a model rail club here in Ireland at last , there are not that many over here! So far I have three base boards up, these baseboards were built a number of years ago! I have reasonable good ideas as to where I am going but getting there is very slow, due to a complete lack of free time, being retired does not mean endless days of relaxation you can forget that!! Anyway, all the best with your endeavours and if it does not get done tomorrow, there are plenty of other days, you will get there eventually! All the best Reemgee

Hi All, Still working away without much to show however, after my 4th visit to my new club, idea's are beginning to come back to me, a little help from friends always brings results, it can be a lonely hobby at times as we all know, club life does make a difference! At the club we are building an extension to the fiddle yard at the back of the layout, to allow more train storage for exhibition running, hopefully this will be ready to fit to the layout after the clubs next show which is the end of October. There are a number of ideas being floated at the club for adding to the main layout and that is always good for the future. I think from my own point of view, I know where I am going now, over the next few weeks time permitting, I wiill complete some of the running bases for track laying. I am also on the lookout for what buildings to install and how I want the overall layout to look! It has been a difficult task to know what the overall look should be other than a branch line, which has to have a canal that, is as far as I have gone, but now I know where the pub and the church is going to be, where the village will be off layout, it is beginning ot fit!! Will keep you posted and I promise at some point photo's!! Reemgee

Hi I don't think my carpentry skills are up to yours, very nice and well thought out ! I am strating agin after many years away and it is amazing how much you forget ! I will follow your blogs with interest,I admire the use of 0 Gauge internally it's a big task ! All the best Reemgee

Hi all, Went to new club for second time last night, all round good bunch of guys really, one of the founder members invited me up to see his own layout, what an eyeopener! it must have been the biggest private layout I have ever seen, it was very good, like all layouts of course a work in progress! What really suprised me was that he had real water, lakes, streams, working mill with water wheel, the lot! don't know about you guys but I have never seen this in any layout, very well done, with ruined church on the lake, when the water is up, you cannot get access by road etc, he has cleverly used varnish and undertreated this so, even if the water is not running it still looks very effective. He has a disused canal with dumped bicycles, prams etc also very effective, night time lighting, also very effective in the dark! I think next time I am up, if he does not mind, I will take some photos if I can find my camera! I have a camera on the phone if I am stuck but, would rather use the normal camera for photo's As far as my own layout is concerned not a lot of progress, other things get in the way! Point motors still on the agenda for next week!! Volunteered to do a bit of base board extension work for the club next week and will hopefully get a bit done on my own if the weather is poor, if it's good then the garden has first priority next week, I also have a bit of finishing work to do on the new kitchen ! That's my lot for now, let me know if you guys have seen real water on a layout? All the best Reemgee

Hi All, Noted the comments in Blog re website, living in rural Ireland as I do, our web service is nothing short of awful and the site and MRL TV works fine with me, no complaints! Anyway went to the local MRclub show here last Sunday, it was the Midlands clubs first show and it was very good with an overall surprising attendance, got chatting to some of the guys as one does and decided to give club membership a try. Went along last Thursday to see what the club is into and got a very warm welcome, not a big outfit but has all the essentials. I have said before that , the model railways scene over here is not as big as UK by a long way and outside of Dublin, there are not that many clubs, as it is limited by population/interest etc.It is nice for me to have something within 30mins or so travel. I'll be back again this week and we will see how it goes, they are guesting at a show in Dublin in a few weeks so, it will give me a better view of the modelling scene over here. It is a long time since I have been a member of a club, work/time has always got in the way so to speak! Still on baseboards although, I have made a start on trackwork which reminds me I will have to do something about point motors, I have rod kit for the local stuff but will still need motors for the mainline etc Will update as we go!! Reemgee

Hi all, It's September already and not a dish washed so to speak! I keep trying to start but something always gets in the way of time! Reading the blogs, it would seem that I am not alone, some of you guys seem to push on in all areas and some like me are restricted in time and end up taking two steps forward and three back. I have managed to build a couple of bridge kits to my credit and a crossings house/cottage,not very well I hasten to add, as it has been along time since I built kits! I keep saying that I will take some pictures and always seem to be waylaid somehow, some time I will, but there is not much to see yet, just the bare bones of baseboards in what will be the layouts permanent home! I was just looking at how much work there will be to covert my old stock to DCC operation, it does not look too bad, so I might try one next week! Spare time will be a bit more available over the winter as all the major house tasks/alterations are now complete! a bit of painting and door resizing for carpets etc. but these are minor things, compared to what has gone on since the beginning of the year!! It is a hobby after all, we are under no time constraints, it is for pleasure after all, I am hoping to go to a local show here in Ireland this weekend, there are not many over here believe me! you guys in the UK are very lucky!! due to the costs, it is not possible to get over to the UK very often, I did get to the Scottish show earlier this year as I mentioned before, but I think that will be the only one for this year. Anyway guys hopefully, I will have a bit more to say in the near future whio knows! Reemgee

Hi There If you have not got the space just keep it simple, I started in the hobby at high school many many years ago, but have only just gone back to it again seriously, since I retired ! it is amazing how much I have forgotten and space is the same age old problem it has always been! very few of us have large spaces to run all the things we would like! One thing I have learned is, it is not worth making a rod for your own back tried to fit too much in, it is always better to keep it simple and spend time on the detail to get a bit more from any project? That's certainly going to be my approach when I get to the nitty gritty of my next project, I don't have the space for double track main line, so it will be country branch with a canal insert as I have always wanted to build a canal into a layout ! Over the years I have been in the hobby, with many breaks for bringing up kids, work projects abroad etc I have always had a lot of enjoyment in the detail, not just running trains, we all like to do that!! The hobby caters for all so, if you can't do it one way do it another! You don't say what gauge, so I am thinking you are doing 00 gauge one suggestion would be to drop to N gauge or similar if you want to do a lot, in a small space. I've not long been doing the blog thing either! but the information which is out there now is great and the members have all been helpful with comments, everyone is in the hobby to enjoy and that is what it is all about! All the best in your endeavours! Reemgee

Hi There, It is a good many years since I travelled on the west coast main line up and down to London on the sleeper etc however, even though I would agree that Branson is PR through and through, I think the stock and service on the line now is a vast improvement. I was lucky enough, through a friend who worked with British Rail to travel on one of the test runs for the British Rail tilt train which had an alarming habit of sticking in tilt position and was eventually scrapped !! The virgin version which I have only travelled on once, is a vast improvment, competition is fine, but having been in business for many years, competitive tender is a mine field as there are so many things which have to come together to make a less expensive bid work! I don't live in the UK now but I will watch what happens with interest, something, in my experience, has always got to give when a lower tender is proposed and accepted especially, against a competitor who has been succesfully operating the contract for a number of years! All the best Reemgee

Hi there, Read your mail, as you were referring to canals etc,what are you doing on your on layout,I am back to modelling since I retired and want to incorporate canal scene etc. I picked up some info from other members re where to look for canal kits etc and I bought the one from scalescenes, I have also looked at many canal photographs to get an overall idea of where I want to go, There does not appear to be many layouts which have canal scenes about? I looked on the MRL TV at several of the layouts and I did find one with a lovely country canal scene but for the life of me I cannot find it again. I was just wondering if there were any grey cells I could tap into from your point of view? All the best Reemgee

Hi there, If I get my first attempt at a layout for many years, looking like yours, I will be well pleased !! Same weather problem as you even though we live in Ireland ! same problem with the garden etc!! this will make it three rubbish summers over here ! I am just at the bare baseboards stage as we have been having builders in etc over the last few months doing alterations !!! Moved rooms for layout etc and just getting settled in, long way to go, after so many years away from the hobby due to business and family commitments, I am discovering that I have forgotten many of the things I used to do without thinking, still it is all part of the enjoyment as there are now, a lot more ways of doing even the basic tasks! Will look in again and see how you are getting on, no help on bogies for Loco I'm afraid as I never got past standard rolling stock buildings an layouts! All the best Reemgee

Hi all Haven't posted for a while since not much to report really, house change round done now as well as most of the decorating, so can get back to planning and construction? In the model room I am fitting cupboards that I used to have in my workroom/office, these are now surplus to requirements office wise since my retirement! I am mounting as many as I can above the baseboards and intend experimenting with light effects when the cupboards are fully in situ and the layout constructed whenever that might be!!!! they will also be usefull for storage. My thoughts are to create sunlight and moonlight operation which might or might not be effective when it all comes together. I will use the bottom underside of the cupboards to plan out the lights when I have decided on the village ends on the layout. Hopefully in the next week or two I will get the digital camera out and post some photo's, at the moment things are a bit all over the place as I only moved the baseboards in just before going on hols and finishing the decorating so there is just a mess for now! Will post more later Reemgee

Hi There Nice to see someone else starting although, you have a good head start on me from what you fhot's show! I am just returnng to the hobby for the umpteenth time ! Since I am now retired there is no excuse now for not sticking with it, I went to the Scottish show in Glasgow earlier this year with a friend of mine and that really convinced me to start again, Since many years have passed since my last go I have forgotten many of the tricks of the trade but there is much more information and of course this wonderfull site and helpfull members to fall back on !! Let me know how you are getting on and I will do likewise? All the best Reemgee