Hunslet 102

Another great video Kieran, thanks

Nice job Kieran

Great job of the wagons and great video. You can’t beat the GNR section for variety down through the years

Thanks Mick. Yep there is good insulation, and despite the varying range of temperatures in Scotland between the season’s, I have never had a problem with any layout over the last 20 years! The problem that you rightly mention is as the older one gets, it doesn’t do the back much favours! But it is worth it, as the alternative is no layout at all!

Thanks Pat. Yep I built the station from scratch with card which turned out ok but not great. In hindsight I would have got a better finish with plasticard, but it suits my needs and is a reasonable representation of the original building. The footbridge is a card kit that looks very similar to the original footbridge at Adelaide and at many other GNR stations. The other platform will have the iconic GNR shelter, which is an Alphagraphix 00 kit I still have to build

Thanks Kieran, you will have to make do with photos for now as your tutorial for uploading videos went completely over my head!

Lockdown at the end of March gave me a chance to make some progress on the new layout build as per the above photos! Returning back to work at the beginning of June soon put a stop to that! So, below are a few photos of the small slow progress made since then. They show the new area for Adelaide station, which has been extended to handle a 4 coach BUT set and includes the original station building that was demolished in the early 70s , in a rundown state, and the platforms will be converted to the original wooden type. The houses represent Great Northern Street, where many railway workers lived as Adelaide housed the GNRs locomotive works up to the mid 60s. The photos are a mock up just now, with plenty of work and tidying up to do, but at least it is some sort of progress!

Great info JHB, thanks for sharing

Looks the part Kieran

Fast progress indeed Steve, the layout has taken shape nicely and always good to get a background of detail on the area being modelled. Certainly a lot of operating potential. Great work with the coaches also, they will certainly add to the stock already on display

Just had a good read about Kirley Junction tonight in the September edition of Railway Modeller. Well done Kieran, your layout is worth being in print and it was good to see the revised layout plan.

As the old saying goes, it’s your layout! With 112, you need the generator coach as David explained earlier. If you have room for 6 coaches, model the buffet coach, if not just convert one of the standards to the mini buffet. You could justify it by claiming it is a rugby special to Dublin, although I think the mini bar would be dry by the time it reached Adelaide!

Pat- not really my era, but the Hunslet service to Derry was not used for very long unfortunately. I am not sure if a main buffet coach was ever in the formation, I would doubt it but I’m open to correction , but the rebuilt mini-bar coach 821 was used. This was the standard open with seats removed and a small bar fitted and the final window on the right hand side plated over, an easy conversation if you don’t alter the interior, which is barely visible anyway!

Well done, superb modelling of those iconic railcars in the best livery they ever carried, which has been captured to perfection

The original NIR Enterprise service that commenced in July 1970, my era, had the 3 Hunslet locomotives, buffet car 547, first open 801, driving brake standard opens 811 and 812 and 4 standard opens 821-824. The intention was to run an 8 coach summer service with a Hunslet top and tailing and the other Hunslet in reserve. The winter formation was meant to normally consist of 1 Hunslet with 5 coaches in push/ pull fashion. Unfortunately, the DH class that had been purchased a year earlier for shunting and PW duties proved wholly unsuitable, forcing NIR to use the Hunslets on other duties. They started to use 1 Hunslet with a 6 coach formation, which put a lot of pressure on the locomotives. They also realised, that if the first class coach was out of commission for any reason, they had no first class accommodation on the prestige service! So, in 1972, they purchased a driving brake first open 813 and 4 more standard opens 825-828. All these coaches were in the attractive maroon/ dark blue livery before changing to the grey/ blue stripe livery around 1978. If modelling with the Hunslet locomotives, these are the vehicles in use up to February 1981, when the 111 class locomotives and the other coaches, like generator coaches so well clarified by David above, arrived to take over the Enterprise. Pat- a buffet and first class would generally always be in the service.

Top drawer modelling

Great modelling Kieran, you have certainly captured a rare beast, which is what they became from the original comfortable units

Superb layout and modelling, nice 80 class

Thanks Kieran, yes great to run an Irish train again! A couple more photos below, one showing where the freight yard is in conjunction with GVST station and the second looking across from Platform 4 towards Murray’s tobacco factory, the iconic building that dwarfed the station

Great video Kieran, nice locomotive and stock. I will need to pick your brain again as to how to upload a video to the site again and how you cut yours into wee sections

So the layout continues to develop, with all the track now laid, apart from the siding to the turntable. All electrics have been tested and been ok, so it was time to get some of the stock back out from their boxes! Below are a couple of photos. Above is the new 6 road Grosvenor freight yard, with a CIE goods waiting to depart for Dundalk. Below is GVST throat, with Belfast North signal box and water tower with a DH, a couple of Hunslets, a BUT and a 141 departing with the CIE Enterprise

Great video Kieran, layout looking as good as ever and great Sulzers

A lot of work, but looking the part already

Hunslet looking good Kieran

Thanks Kieran, as of tonight, all of the old layout has finally been dismantled with little destruction apart from the RUC station ironically! One more new baseboard to be built and then the rest of the track can be laid and the good news is all the track that you gave me will be enough to complete the whole layout so happy days