colmflanagan

Hello Dave, Now, that's interesting, I hadn't realized there were ferries that size on Buttermere or Crummock Water. I look forward to seeing Heb in due course, but don't put her at the front of the layout as I did at Stranraer - my heart skips a beat any time anyone stands within a couple of feet of my model Caledonian Princess! (from the same Carl Fisher shipyard. Colm

Well done indeed. Many years ago a friend of mine tried to bash one of these from a cut down Tri-ang LNER B12 (honestly!); it was surprisingly effective but a rotten runner. I look forward to seeing the finished loco. Colm

There's a thread in "kitbuilding" on this site, also on my railway's thread on irsh railways group - just search for caledonian princess - and i didn't buld it! The ship was broken up in turkey in 2009, having spent more years of its life as a floating nightclub than it did as a ferry.

So D2574 will be produced. I am really surprised -and dead chuffed. I model the Glasgow & Sou'west part of BR in the early/mid sixties - specifically Stranraer Harbour - I may be the only ever to do it in this way ! Picture attached with a Bachmann (incorrect) Class 03 and Derby lightweight in the station. Two 05s,Nos D2574/5 were allocated there and I have a blurry photo of one at work. Thanks Heljan! Now, what about a Class 126 "Ayrshire DMU" set then? I can always dream. Colm Flanagan

Any room on the new layout for a big Calmac ferry? Is Hebridean Isles sailing south? Colm

Hugh has gone a great job, but just in case any of you are wondering, some sections (for example, the "modelling" section) are far from being completed and still need a good bit of work done, so be patient!. WE hope to add more material as we have time. But I hope everyone will enjoy it. Colm F

Hi Andy, Keep at it! The devil's in the detail - ballasting, platform edging etc., they can be a tedious business but well worth the effort in the final look and "feel" of a layout. I expect GVS is a "fixed" layout so for many folk your photos will be their only chance of seeing it. Now that you;ve got the hang of photos, what about putting up a few of your NIR stock ones on the irish group area? Colm

That's a lovely station building model and fully does justice to the "real thing" ! Colm

No, most were scrapped at the end of the spoil contract, some were retained by NIR and used until replaced by more recent ballast wagons in the mid 1980s. None remain now. Colm

I wonder if anyone knows where there might be an archive of drawings from the Cravens Companay of Sheffield, who built coaching stock, DMUs' etc., until taken over by Metro Cammell, itself now part of Alstom. I am trying to find out if any drawings exist of 70 "spoil wagons" which were built for the Ulster Transport Authority in 1966-1967. These 4 wheel wagons, carrying 30 tons approx, were used in trains of 20 for the last main line hauled steam trains in the British isles, which carried spoil from a site near Larne to provide the reclamation land for a new motorway north of Belfast. The contract ended in 1970. I attach a picture for info of one of them as delivered to Larne Harbour in February 1967. If anyone has any "leads" that might be worth following up I'd love to hear from them. Colm Flanagan

Here are a couple of pics of the modification I have made to the Hornby model of 123. For now, I've left the issue of lamps to be decided later! This basically involved removing the coupling (easy), then cutting away the front of the bogie (taking care not to damage the pickups or fixing screw holes!), adding plastic card "frames" under the front footplate (trial and error!), then adding detail like vacuum/steam pipes. I think it imrpoves the front end look of the model. The coaches can be tweaked too but I haven't done anything about that yet either - where do you stop? After all, the set was just an impulse buy becuse I remembered a friend having the loco many years ago! Colm Flanagan

Hi, That's a neat job, I am not really modelling the "Caledonian" but I just fancied the set. I had thought of doing the coaches underframes and adding interiors but haven't yet decided...my work on the loco involves cutting back the front bogie, adding pipes/scale screw coupling, and making a "dummy" frame over the bogie wheels to fill that huge gap. I will post a pic here when I get done. No doubt there would be much more could be done. I also replaced the tender wheels which are truly horrible old Triang style things with continuously variable back to back..... Colm Flanagan

Many thanks for that helpful reply. Clearly there are quite a few "possibilities" here! Colm

I've just recently bought one of the Hornby ltd edition 2007 sets which feature this loco. It has a lovely paint job but oh, the front end - huge air gap over the bogie, huge old style coupling etc., I'm not a "collector" so am embarking on a bit of detailing, removing the coupling and fitting a screw link one, fitting a new frame under the footplate to fill that huge gap and adding vac pipes etc. I shall probably fit lamps - does anyone know what colour Caledonian lamp bodies were, or know where there are any photos of the loco with them on? The pics I have seen from the Glasgow Museum show a blue bodied lamp attached to the cabside (one side only?) and the route indicator arms central on the buffer beam, but no lamps on the front at all. Any info welcome from folk who are more knowledgeable about the Caley than I am. (PS yes I know the coaches aren't right too!) Colm Flanagan