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Out of storage - some of my old UTA and NIR stock


33lima

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The local railway bug is biting again after a while away, so I've started uncrating my models from the 1990s. They're nearly all just RTR conversions; if I can get RTR standard, equivalent to older Hornby (or even Triiang-Hornby!), that'll do for me.

MED power cars are rebuilt Hornby Cl 110 DMU bodyshells with new cab fronts and other detail; underframes are modified from the same source. The MED centre car is a slightly re-worked Grafar suburban. The WT 'Jeep' is a much-modified Hornby early Stanier 2-6-4T, it's in need of some cosmetic repairs and maybe some new axles.

The NIR MPD is one of my early efforts, basically repainted Hornby Staniers with added underframe detail, made as a set of 2 power cars and one 'mule'. Power is a Tri-ang Hymek power bogie with filed-down sideframes and coach bogie frames stuck on!!! After a bit, I re-worked this MPD slightly, adding recessed sliding doors and some extra windows to the powered car, and replacing ribs and other roof detail with more realistic fittings using photo-references, scale couplings and buffers at outer ends, rubber corridor connections etc.

The UTA MPDs are a later effort, again from Hornby Staniers but with more realistic re-working of coach sides as well as roofs and other details (same modified Hymek power bogie tho!) to resemble a set in close to original standard, but with the wasp-stripes added after the Bellarena collision when a brand-new MPD - 58 IIRC, it was in light 'Catherwood green' livery - hit a car on an accommodation crossing, circa 1961, and the UTA was found part to blame as greenery hadn't been cut back enough. The near upside-down car was burned out when cutting gear used during recovery set light to upholstery and efforts to fight the fire with water from buckets brought from the nearest house failed!

The Hunslett and Metrovick are scratchbuilt from plasticard, chassis and all, again Hymek-powered. The Metrovick was another early effort and done from photos before I got hold of drawings; Hunslett has MIR nameplates and NIR logo.

My UTA 70 Class 3-car set and an NIR 'ribbed' MED are currently being refurbished, photos of that and my suburban and corporate-livered 80 Class sets from the 1990s will follow.

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Hi Ivor

 

Some great pieces of modelling there!

 

The MPDs and MEDs look very good,with some great detail,but for the Hunslet and C class to both be scratchbuilt,they are absolutely amazing with the prototypes fully captured by your models.

 

Glad you dusted these down and shared them with the forum.

 

Look forward to seeing your 70 and 80 classes along with the ribbed MED.

 

Andy

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Couple more pics, these taken ex-works back in the 1990s, of my plasticard scratchbuilt 'ribbed' MED (on Hornby Cl 110 DMU underframes) and suburban 80 Class DEMU (hacked Lima Mk2 coaches):

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Next, front and rear views of my second 80 Class set, in the corporate livery which replaced the suburban and intercity liveries, which was just the latter without the 'Intercity' labelling (again, converted Lima Mk2 coaches):

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Onto GNR(I) metals this time, I'm grateful to Steve Rafferty for sending me these pics of the other models I'd made for him back in the day.

 

First, a view of a mixed-rake BUT set, combining cars from both UTA & NIR sets, and the complete 4-car UTA BUT set:

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Next, the same BUT sets, from the opposite ends. The maroon and grey set had power cars made from hacked Tri-ang-Hornby Mk2a coaches, and IIRC a modified Hornby Stanier for the brake coach and possibly a Tri-ang Mk1 for the other trailer. The green set was mostly from hacked Tri-ang Mk1 coaches.

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Next a another view of a mixed-livery BUT set with a single-ended BUT car leading and a double-ended car behind, both in UTA Brunswick Green; and the full NIR maroon & grey set, with a double-ended car nearest the camera:

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Finally, UTA (ex-Mk 1) and NIR (ex-Mk2) double-ended BUT power cars side by side, with reasonably accurate underframe details (in the UTA example, behind a mesh 'skirt' made from car body repair alu mesh with plastic strip framework overlay). UTA crests were hand-painted onto spare decal film. The white windows are where the toilets were, IIRC...

...and just to keep the 'steam mafia' happy, UTA-era ex-GN(I) 4-4-0 171 Slieve Gullion, converted from a Tri-ang-Hornby L1:

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Couple more pics, these taken ex-works back in the 1990s, of my plasticard scratchbuilt 'ribbed' MED (on Hornby Cl 110 DMU underframes) and suburban 80 Class DEMU (hacked Lima Mk2 coaches):

 

Great job on the MED and the suburban 80 class,the suburban livery is a hard one to do and you have captured it well.The MEDs looked far better in the maroon and grey than the drab overall green of the UTA.

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The single and double end BUTs look very good,the capture of the detail of these units is fantastic.The roof detail is great,what product did you use for the vents?The underfloor detail is also very good,something I need to look at for my own models.Overall,these models are a great representation of the originals,a credit to your workmanship and a credit to the originals,that were actually retired a bit before their time.

 

Great work,thanks for sharing.

 

Andy

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Many thanks for the very kind comments Andy!

 

Re the roof vents, for vehicles with torpedo vents, like the maroon and grey restaurant car in the BUT set, I probably used MTK whitemetal ones, part 2940, here:

 

http://www.dartcastings.co.uk/mjt/2940.php

 

I have just ordered some more, along with some wipers to replace the missing one on my Hunslett and some buffer heads.

 

For the vehicles whick had the vents which look a bit like a streamlined, transverse shoebox with two holes either side, I just used short rectangular strips of plasticard - I've seen whitematal versions but they look overscale to me and I don't think they're worth the extra.

 

I am rather relieved at the moment having found my collection of railcar and coach drawings in the loft, I thought perhaps I'd left them behind, plus I found the pics I took as references for the DEMUs and of other stock in the 1990s.

 

Are there many decent railcar pics in 'Irish Traction in colour', if you've seen it? Is it worth buying, do you think, for a railcar nut like me?

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These are the kind of rectangular vents I mean, tho they're not very visible in the pic (MPD trailer 532, on an ex-GNR underframe, at RPSI Whitehead in the early 1990s); they seem to have been the most common type on all kinds of railcars.

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Have nearly finished tidying up my UTA 70 class 3-car set so here she is. Power is the same Hymek bogie that's under many of my other models (was all I could get cheaply, then!) this time with the coupling cut off and some cosmetic additions to the sideframes. Power car body is a chopped Tri-ang-Hornby Mk2a coach, flushglazed. Trailers are much-modified Hornby Staniers (battery boxes removed from underframes and round buffers subbed for oval, new ends with rubber corridor connections, side panels re-worked to approximate prototype layout, rooves sanded smooth and new 'box' ventillators added etc).

The A Class in the background is one of Stephen Johnston's old models awaiting detailing (cast resin body and bogie frames, Hornby Ringfield bogies).

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And a view of the full 3-car NIR MPD set from both ends. This was one of my very first conversions, starting as a minimalist re-work of 3 Hornby Staniers. Later I did some reworking to rooves mainly, and the power car got turned brass buffers and a new end and rubber corridor connection, which work will be extended to the dummy power car and driving trailer at some point. Jeep in the background is hauling a repainted Replica 57' LMS corridor coach.

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A couple of pics of a project started about 15 years ago and now likely to be revived!

 

It's a ribbed [coach] 'Conversion B' MED (new-buid side panels but a conventional trussed underframe and a high, eliptical roof, not the flatter roof of the new-build 'Integral' or 'Lightweight' type).

This one is based on a 'cut + shut' Tri-ang DMU. All added detail is from plasticard, apart from the exhaust pipes from thicker florist's wire and grab handles from thin florist's wire.

 

I hated to do this to a Tri-ang DMU, as I have had a soft spot for these from the early 1960s. At that time, they were the closest thing you could get to a UTA railcar set, and I was most miffed when they disappeared from the catalogue before I got one! I had to wait till they were re-catalogued in 1971, tho by then in Rail Blue with no centre car. I have since re-accquired a c.1960-production 3-car green set and a c.1971 2-car blue set. This time I won't be repainting the latter in NIR maroon and white/grey, like I did last time!

 

The set will probably end up in UTA green with wasp-stripes, possibly with a Grafar suburban for a trailer, or maybe a ribbed scratchbuild, if I'm feeling industrious (rare!). The plan is that she will be joined by a NIR maroon and grey 8-13 set, like the set in the first pics but with trailer 526 or 527, as in the former seen below at RPSI Whitehead c.1992, complete with railcar cable ducting, unlike MPD trailer 532 next to her, sitting as she is on a GNR(I) coach underframe.

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Once again some more great modelling there Ivor.

 

The class 70 looks brilliant and the flush glazing really adds to the model.

 

The MPDs look great also,as does the A class,is it an MTK or Q kits model?

 

Your models certainly capture the feel of the originals from the 70s and the early days of NIR.

 

Sorry,cant help you with the book as I dont have it,although I will dig further to see if I can get anymore info on it.If it has some good railcar shots then I will invest in one myself.

 

Your latest MED project looks interesting,an update on progress on that would be good.

 

Keep up your high standard of modelling and keep sharing.

 

Andy

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Hi,

I recently acquired a copy of Irish Traction in Colour – there’s about 8 or 9 (quick count) photographs of DMUs in the book. Examples are, UTA/NIR No 49 and sister No 53 in green livery – NIR Railcar No 63 in maroon/grey and UTA No 28 Multi Purpose unit in green livery, a single car in the photograph. There’s also examples of AEC units of the GNR(I). Not sure if that means there’s enough for a “railcar nut†though.

If you’d like more details let me know.

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Thanks for the encouraging comments Andy! I'm just finishing repairs to my green UTA power car and will post pics of the 3-car set when it's done. I'm not sure of the origins of the A Class but as it appears to be cast resin and theMTK and Q Kits were etched brass and whitemetal, I don't think it's either of those.

 

Thanks for the tip on the book, Turnout. Yes that's probably enough colour railcar pics to justify purchase; having bought 'Irish Railways in Colour' to find there was precisely one UTA railcar, a small pic of an MED at Whitehead that probably only got there as there was a 'Jeep' alongside, I'm a bit more cautious these days :( At least there's 'Diesel Dawn', 'the UTA in Colour', and 'Along UTA Lines'; even the 2nd edition of 'Irish Railways Traction & Travel' has a decent selection of MPD and MED pics.

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Ivor

 

What sort of railcar pictures are in 'The UTA in Colour' and 'Along UTA Lines'?Just wondering as to whether to make an investment in them,as I am more of an NIR modeller than anything earlier.One book I would highly recommend you get if you dont already have it is '35 Years of NIR',which has devoted sections to all the railcars along with a great history of NIR.It has been out of print for a few years but somewhere like Amazon normally throws some up.

 

Thanks for the link for the torpedo vents.

 

Turnout

 

Does 'Irish Traction in Colour' cover the railways all over Ireland and is it mainly photos in the book?Also,if you are the same person that ticks 'like this' on photos posted,then thanks for all the ones that you have posted on my couple of threads.

 

Andy

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Hi andy

 

funny I forgot all about '35 Years of NIR'. I just grabbed it off my bookshelf and I'm surprised that I'd forgotten how good a selection of railcar pics it has, in colour to boot! The MED set led by 9 on page 44 is the second coming project I'd mentioned above.

 

'The UTA in colour' I would highly recommend. It has many colour pics of railcar sets; nearly all are in green but among those in maroon and grey are several superb studies of the 70 Class, a newly-repainted MPD car at York Rd works, and a suburban MPD car (49) in original un-gangwayed, slam-door configuration (of all things to be seen in maroon and grey) in 1967. Nearly all the AEC and BUT sets pictured are in green but there are a couple in UTA 'sector' blue and cream. An essential purchase for any fan of any of the older railcars, even if not of that period.

 

'Along UTA Lines' is essentially about railways stations - it features pics of (must be about all?) of them, each with a good layout/track diagram. Most pics are B&W but there is also a good colour section. Trains are incidental and absent in many cases; a few are railcars, mostly green with wasp stripes, some in maroon and grey. As the coverage is from the 1960s, it's equally good as a reference on the network in early NIR days.

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Thanks for the info on the books Ivor,'The UTA in Colour sounds particularly interesting,seems like a good investment.A book on the stations would be a good read and reference and it would be nostalgic to remember how some of them once were but the system was decimated.

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Hi Andy,

Yes I'm the "clicker" - I'm really enjoying seeing the photos of your models (and those of Ivor too). Always enjoyed making models, but they've always been kits - never altered them as you have from RTRs. The book "Irish Traction in Colour" has some 96 pages (half a dozen or so being taken up with the introduction and contents etc). Each of the photographs has descriptive text. The areas covered are: NCC, Narrow Gauge, SLNCR, Great Northern, Midland Great Western, Great Southern & Western, Dublin & South Eastern and Cork, Bandon & South Coast. The time period covered, as explained in the book's introduction, "is representative of the 1950s/1960s".

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OK here's the green 'intercity' MPD set from either end (just two power cars and a 'mule'), alongside some of the others - three generations of UTA railcar, side by side!

 

As usual, the MPD set is based on Hornby Staniers, all compos this time. With this set, I took a little more trouble to get accurate window layouts and roof detail, including rainstrips and nameboard brackets, plus some buffer beam detail. Still a bit of work needed, including seating for the powered car, and replacing plastic buffer heads with turned brass. It's a long time ago but the UTA green is I think car spray British Racing Green, which I think is close enough. The finish can be a little coarse but I like the convenience and durable finish semi-gloss of car sprays. I'm quite happy with 1970s-1980s RTR-standard models, with stuff lke the odd ecthed screw coupling and some other buffer bean detail to lift it a bit..

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Fantastic collection of Railcars ‘33Lima’ and thank you for putting up these additional pictures. These models are too good to have been stored away. I’ll watch with interest on your revived project. One question –where did you source your transfer of the NIR Coat of Arms?

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