Glover

The final coach in the excursion set is an old Ian Kirk LNER kit. It is intended to be viewed as an ex Great Northern Railway (Ireland) coach and therefore relevant to the GNRs Bundoran branch. I bought it many years ago in the now gone Kings Cross model shop. I used to travel to London quite often and used the original Ryanair service from Dublin to Luton; the noise of those BAC 1-11s ! The train ran to a then rather shabby St Pancras. I always tried to create ten or fifteen minutes at the end of the day, to visit the Kings Cross shop. I am sure you will be impressed with the fine scale reproduction of a broken window........ I've no idea how it happened (house move perhaps) and the roof is firmly glued in place. Cheers, Glover

The CIE excursion set is completed by two relatively standard kits, intended for British railway companies. This is the Ratio Midland Railway 3rd class coach. The Ratio bogies gave up the ghost many years ago and were replaced by Bachman LMS bogies. It is finished in the then new 'black and tan' livery, which actually suited these old vehicles quite well. It is too short to be what it pretends to be; it should be a sixty footer. I think it would be relatively easy to build it to the correct length , using two Ratio kits. I imagine that if you bought three kits, you could build two coaches. Cheers, Glover

I now have a five coach set of wooden bodied, non corridor coaches which I view as an excursion set. The (then) Irish railway company, CIE, operated such a set on Dublin suburban services in the late 1960s/early 1970s. They feature quite often in the photographic albums of Michael Baker. Given that my layout is set in 1963, this represents a form of 'back to the future' modelling. This brake/third uses the body panels from the Ratio GWR 4-wheel coach kits. As before, the sides are heightened slightly and the ends widened. It is finished in the green livery used by CIE from the mid 1950s until the advent of the 'black and tan' livery introduced in 1962. Note the logo known as the 'flying snail', which I omitted from the previously detailed brake/composite; its use wasn't absolutely universal. I hope these notes and photos might be of use to anyone attempting to model Irish railways in the early 1960s. Cheers, Glover

I hadn't realised it was so long since I added to this thread but I can say in my defence that I was busy; judge for yourself whether that' busy-ness' was productive. I started this thread with a relatively straightforward conversion of the venerable Hornby GWR clerestory coach, to create a near likeness of the wooden bodied, non-corridor stock built by the Great Southern & Western Railway and its successor, the Great Southern Railway (Ireland). The key differences versus the GWR coaches is that the GSR ones were longer (60') and wider; Irish track gauge is 5'3". This coach is intended to represent a GSR composite and is a fusing together of the passenger sections of the brake 3rd and those from the other Hornby coach, which has wider compartments. The sides have been increased slightly in height while the ends are from the Ratio 4-wheel GWR coach kits; these kits were used to build the 6-wheel luggage van featured earlier. Note that the guards look outs are at the end of the coach, as per standard GSR practice. The roof was formed using the oft recommended method of heating the plastic and curving around some suitable former. Can't say it ever worked for me but I kept this one in my scrap box for years, until I found a use for it. I could say that the coach would have been very old at this stage ( my Pettigo layout is set in the summer of 1963) but in fact, the GSR built two brake/composites specifically for the suburban Harcourt Street line in 1931. The biggest part of the project was reducing the amount of panelling on the sides; GSR coaches were not as ornate as those built by the GWR. This helps I suppose to mask somewhat its Hornby origins. Cheers, Glover .

Very many thanks Kirley; an obvious (or in other words, ingenious) solution! Cheers, Glover

Nice job Kirley; I built one many years ago although the Ratio bogies gave up eventually and I had to replace them with Bachmann LMS bogies. Can I ask about those L shaped blocks you have used in the first photo? They look like they could be a very useful replacement for that "three hands needed" stage of joining sides and ends. Many thanks, Glover

I really do hope you stick with this project Paul. I got the impression that the "rules" were rather loose and therefore capable of accommodating situations such as yours: modelling in a (forgive me!) odd ball scale such as S. This is,what, roughly 20% bigger than 00 ( and all its variants)? Best, Glover

Merciful hour! That's some modelling. Railcar B is on my list but I'm waiting for someone to come up with a simple solution to all the many challenges that this vehicle presents. It did look well in CIE black 'n tan but has anyone ever seen a photo of it in CIE green? Very well done. Regards, Glover

Allan, What a brilliant idea! You have spoken about your current state of health on another thread, so this has to be viewed with a certain sadness but that is lightened by your unceasing cheerfulness and the sheer beauty of your work. You are a craftsman, Sir and, perhaps more importantly, one who shares his work with us in a very human and humorous way. Thank you, Glover

That's a very neat piece of modelling Patrick; using signal box windows is a great idea. I needed such a shelter for my Pettigo layout and intended using the Grand Junction LNWR timber panels, available from Parkside. I used them for the station building. In the end, and given that only the rear is visible, I used the Alphagraphix card kit. Cheers, Glover

Good to hear that your project is still alive Paul. Two observations : Worsley Works do a very comprensive range of GNR coaches, as "scratch aids' . That is, sides, ends and basic chassis only. They offer them in a range of scales but unfortunately not S. However, Allan Doherty appears to be an obliging sort, so it may be worth having a look at his site and making contact. You should also remember that railcars (never DMUs in Ireland!) were used extensively on the line from the late 1950s until closure in 1965. Secondly, do you have the book " Farewell the Derry Road"? Written by Eric Challoner and published by Colourpoint in 2010, it's pretty much the definative work on the GNR line to Derry. I'm fairly certain I saw a copy of it in Foyle Books shop (Derry) a couple of weeks ago. Regards, Glover

Arthur, you had me confused for a moment but I now see that Kalidon and Spinalonga are more or less the same place ; the former place of exile for those suffering from leprosy. I found it an interesting and rather inspiring place, particularly the story of a man living there who campaigned for better treatment for his fellow sufferers. I would recommend to anyone visiting that part of Crete to visit the island. Elounda also looked interesting ( and expensive: the wife discovered an art shop!). DDolofin: I suspect you were staying very close to where we were in Agios Nikolas; the view looks familiar. Cheers, Glover

I've been there a number of times Tony, most recently in April of this year. It's quite a big island, so the first question is: where are you flying from? That will largely determine whether you fly into Chania or Heraklion. We flew into Chania, stayed there for 4 or 5 nights, then 200km down to Agios Nikolaos for a few nights and finally back to Chania for a further few nights. We went to Knossos this year. I wasn't overly impressed. The restoration work undertaken by Arthur Evans in the early to mid 1900s is, shall we say, a matter of opinion. Overall, an interesting island, although not a classic picture postcard Greek island. Glover

Superb modelling Jeremy. Can you tell us more about the GNR railcar A please? Regards, Glover

Paul, Did you know that Enniskillen loco shed was built on a curve and was itself curved? It might actually suit your plan although I'll leave it to you to figure out how to build a curved roof! Cheers, Glover

It did occur to me to mention the large shirt factory Paul but I see that you have done your research. Derry was famous for shirt making. If you enter those words into Google, you'll get many references and photos, which may be useful. The back scene could also pick up on various key reference points including the spire of St Columb's Cathedral . Regards, Glover

I certainly wish you the very best of luck Paul; the world needs more GNRI modelling! There were three stations in the north-west of Ireland which were broadly similar, in terms of their layout for handling passenger traffic: Derry/Londonderry Victoria Road. This was the terminus for the County Donegal narrow gauge railway. it was directly across the Foyle river from the GNRI station. Letterkenny, County Donegal. Narrow gauge terminus, with the Londonderry and Lough Swilly narrow gauge station along side it. All three, including the GNRI Foyle Road station featured an island platform, with a canopy covering part of it. Given space constraints, it might just be worth having a look at Victoria Road. It was a sort of miniaturised version of Foyle Road, with a siding connecting into the dock railway. I have modelled Pettigo on the Bundoran branch and intended also modelling the terminus at Bundoran but now I'm thinking of an imaginary terminus in Sligo, with a layout based on the above three examples. Regards, Glover

Does anyone know when the Reus-Salou line closed? This was perhaps 20 years ago but I seem to remember some narrow gauge track at Salou station, possibly including a wagon turntable. I also thought ( or just imagined it) that you could make out parts of the old track bed between Reus ( a lovely small city) and Salou. Many thanks, Glover

I'm afraid you've come close to loosing me Al but these numbers might help ( only ones I can put my hand on right now and they are from 2015): the UK exports to the EU27 were valued at £230b while EU exports to the UK were £290b. The point I was making is that the UK represents circa 17% of the EU28 GDP . In other words the EU27 GDP is approx 5.9 times bigger than the UK and therefore EU27 sales to the UK are a much smaller part of the, much larger, EU27 GDP. I hope that helps. Glover

You know that old saw about looking through the wrong end of the telescope? I'm reminded of it every time I hear the comment : "They (EU27) sell more to us than we (UK) sell to them, therefore they need us more". I would suggest a moments thought would suggest that there is mathematical nonsense in this. UK trade with the EU27 represents 53% of UK trade while trade in the reverse direction represents 16% of EU27 trade. (Source: Financial Times) Who has more at risk? Glover

I love the photos taken around Barcelona, especially around Sitges and Vilanova I la Geltru. My wife and I had two apartments ( not at the same time!) for about 15 years around this area. The first was in the hills behind Sitges ( Pete 75C is correct: property prices are very expensive in this somewhat bohemian town) while the second was closer to Vilanova. In fact, part of the development can just be seen top right in Frutigen's second photo in post number 11. The photos below, which are photos of photos, were taken at Sitges station in April 1999. Both locos are (were?) preserved at the railway museum in Vilanova. The steam loco (properly adorned with Barcelona FC flags!) is I understand a replica, possibly built in 1948 to celebrate the centenary of the building of the first railway line in Spain, between Barcelona and Mataro, to the north-east of the city. I remember the electric loco making the lightly laid siding groan under its weight! Sorry!! Photos are up side down! Glover

There is a mention in the original article and plan to the Harborne railway in Birmingham. Google it: fascinating grubby,grotty,grimy railway line! Quite feasible to model the full branch, although you would need to produce buildings on a mass scale. Glover

That panelling is superb Nelson. Believe me, that is the benefit of being young and having steady hands! Glover

I'm fascinated by Australian railways, although my only experience was a few days on the Sydney suburban network. One of the finest model railways I've seen ( on the 'net) is James McInerneys' Lambing Flat, set in rural New South Wales. As an Irish person, I'm interested in the railways of Victoria; they are of course built to the Irish gauge of 5'3". Also, Walker railcars ran in Ireland: on the narrow gauge (3') County Donegal and the West Clare plus a single example on the Sligo Leitrim & Northern Counties Railway (5'3" gauge). Best of luck with your project. Glover

Magnificent !! That's a serious amount of modelling. The GNR cream and blue takes me back to when I was a very small boy and seeing the GNR trains in Amiens St ( now Connolly) in Dublin. I also like the CIE green; can I ask what actual colour you used? Regards, Glover