The doors, as far as I'm aware, are the same design on Irish Mk3s and our 442s, so a 442 kit might be an option.
I'm one of these people who is a stickler for accuracy. That goes as far as wanting to model accurate formations, something of which there is plenty of information for the UK (and that includes Northern Ireland I add), but for the Republic it's surprising how little info there is online unless you ask the questions yourself in the right places and even that isn't enough.
I had to obtain a set of IRRS journals to actually find out exactly how the Irish Mk3s developed from introduction to withdrawal; that information is simply not online that I can see.
It's very much a pipe dream right now though as I said, BR ScotRail is definitely the first thing to be modelled, Ireland would at the rate things take easily be decades away from modelling because of the issues with obtaining/creating accurate stock.
In the meantime it's more a case of building up as much information as I can which I can then put to use in due course, which is pretty much perfect to be getting on with at the present time anyway!
I think if I made out a list of Scottish and Irish stock I require I'd likely have a heart attack toting up sheer volumes!
Did you ever make out a list of stock requirements or did you just obtain what you fancied to give a flavour of things?
That’s the thing about modelling railways, it’s entirely down to you how far or in what direction you go with it...
I’m modelling a real location in a scale that I’ve not really worked with before and I’m just really enjoying the challenge. There’s no rush to get it finished so I just dip into it now and again to relax.
Re choosing stock - I was originally going to do Seaton Junction set around 1988, so I started buying a few things for that (a 33/1, and a triple grey 47/0 plus some coaches), in the end though I changed locations but what I’d bought was perfect for Lapford in the era I was doing.
I’ve since bought things that are perfect for what I’m doing though but then that’s quite straightforward when you’re doing an actual place and I’ve loved doing the research on it.
My biggest investment so far has been this Dapol class 50 - 50032 ‘Courageous’, originally 50037) which I bought through TMC (The Model Centre). They have a customising service and I sent them a file of pictures including the one below that was taken at Barnstaple by our very own
@Ash Bridge. They then weathered the hell out of it for me.
I’m waiting for Farish to release their refurbished 31/4 at before I buy another loco. Currently I’ve got a 108 DMU, the 33, 50 and 47, and also a Dutch 37 which are all appropriate for the line.
Well the 2 sets I ordered have arrived and I've given them a test run and programmed them and I'm impressed by both locomotive's. DCC sound makes the 20 feel like driving the real thing, you really have to think about what you're doing, such as applying the brakes.
I've ordered some buildings, some kit buildings and a couple of other kits.
Baseboards need to be my next investment, but I'm waiting on a measuring tape being delivered before I commit to anything. I've got spare floor space of around 18 foot by 2 foot and the width at running level could be increased to 3 foot, which should be adequate for an out and back layout. Looking online the prices look high. I'm hoping my local DIY shop can do it at a more reasonable price, but it's not exactly an essential journey under the current circumstances. I think I'd have to do it 3 6 foot by 2 foot sections. Can anyone advise on what a decent price would be for baseboards with legs?
I don’t know about buying a baseboard ready made. I’ve made my own out of 2” x 1” timber (for the frame), topped with 6mm ply which I got them to cut at B&Q when I bought it.
Unfortunately it’s difficult getting hold of anything at the moment, but the way I work things (generally in life) out is: The price of the materials plus the tools and time needed to make it, vs me just working a day and getting someone else to do it.
Unfortunately this means that I nearly always end up having to do it myself...
It sounds like you’ve got a decent amount of space to make something really good though. So that’s going to be great.
I’ve listened to a few clips of the sound fitted 20 on YouTube and they’ve really captured it well. It’s a shame I can’t upload a video from my phone because I’d love to show you a clip of my friends 0 gauge sound fitted class 25 that he sent me yesterday. It completely blows me away whenever I hear it running.
Here is my current (and first) project that i have very slowly been doing over the last year and a half. Currently unnamed it is a modern image 4 platform terminus along with some carriage sidings and a small shed for light maintenance for the local units. Eventually I hope to have 3 main TOCs which are:
GWR - Long distance London services operated by 800's and the odd 2+6 HST and the sleeper service
XC - Extensions to the core service bring Cross Country service up to 3 times a day (220 or 221)
EMT - Local services provided by 15x's, 170's and 2+4/5 HST.
I have also got a tanker train to bring the fuel which is operated by a GBRF 66.
The images below show the station area along with the small shed as well as the lines coming into the station. I am currently working on the wall which will run alongside the staff footpath which goes to the carriage sidings before adding more scenery on both sides.
View attachment 75827 View attachment 75828 View attachment 75829
That’s amazing considering it’s your first project! You’ve got lots done as well considering how long you’ve taken so far.
I do love a terminus station, there’s something wonderful about seeing a train pulling out at the start of journey...