Erritt Lodge Works

18/10/2025

Following from the previous post, the recently converted DIY firebox glow locos had a running session. Due to the long running time,I've uploaded it to YouTube. Enjoy!

As model railway technology progresses, one of the details I've always loved are working lights, particularly steam locomotives with firebox glow included. I...

07/10/2025

An easy enough modification to do to locos. I picked up a packet of orange LED bulbs recently that are rated to run at 12 Volts. A quick drill through the firebox hole, wire the two terminals to the nearest pickups to either the motor or the wheel pickups and you have a fairly effective firebox glow!

(Don't mind Who Wants To Be A Millionaire on in the background 😂)

15/08/2025

Yet again, the page went inactive for a while. A lot of holidays and things got in the way over summer.

The most recent conversion is one that is a big topic of discussion in the Irish railway modelling world: what's the best conversion for a NCC WT Class tank (AKA a "Jeep")?

A friend was selling a LMS Fairburn tank at a good price, so couldn't pass on the offer. There are still differences from the Fairburn vs the Jeep, but on the whole it's a pretty close match.

There's still some lining to finish on the rear of the bunker and minor detail bits, but it was in a good enough condition to start pulling a few trial trips thos evening on the layout.

18/06/2025

A project a little different from usual. While I have repainted 3D printed models and kits before, this is the first time to be heavily involved in the designing and printing of one from scratch.

The idea of the 3D model is by Richard Brown to print cattle wagons and box vans loosely based on a Great Northern Railway design. The models you see below were originally just to be various test pieces by Adam Geraghty, but I decided to keep them all with the idea any rough prints could pull off as heavily weathered, delaminated wood effect and aging wagons. As I had recently ordered a batch of CIE transfers, this also helped with the weathered look, as these wagons would be in the latter days of their life. If in GN condition, surely they would be more pristine.

Still some tweaks to do. I had a number of buckeye style couplers spare, so trialed using them with some success. However, this would mean these wagons would have to run as a fixed set as they're not compatible with other tension lock couplings fitted across the collection, so will be changed in time.

When all modifications are finished, final weathering is complete and so on, an official running session will be shown.

28/05/2025

A restoration job this time of two locos of a friend of mine from his family's childhood days. Researching the service sheets, these Triang models first went into production in 1952 and were withdrawn from production in the mid 70's. So these models are technology from up to 70 years ago!

First model was a repainted Jinty into an Irish guise as No. 560, a Midland Great Western E Class tank engine. Of the two this started out as the most promising to get running again. First clean up of all the pick ups, on the test track and was running fine. However, onto the layout after a few laps, a strong smell of burning and then very visible smoke....
Back to the workbench to take it apart and turned out one of the brushes literally burnt out (or disintegrated, exploded...who knows). Luckily, I had an old dud Triang motor that had given up the ghost completely, so one of the brushes was robbed from it. Cleaned up again and now runs a treat.

Second loco was a repainted L1 loco as CIE No. 329. The model was a bit starty-stoppy but did run fairly hassle free once cleaned up, only issue was it ran the opposite way as it should. Turned out the magnet seemed to be fitted upside down. Took it out, rotated it 180 degrees, a thorough clean of the pickups and runs very smooth now.

Just goes to show, despite the age of the models, with the right amount of TLC they can run forever!

27/05/2025

First complete model from the Wexford show purchases: conversion of a British Railways 08 Class to a CIE D(301) Class No. 1004.
As I don't run DCC, first job was to remove the DCC innards and hardwire DC.
(Hence the line up of models beside the soldering iron - they all had various jobs (big and small) carried out on them.)

I opted to go for the lesser known numbering series for two reasons.
1: to paint it into CIE early green livery, and,
2: I have eau de nil (the fade green colour) number transfers but couldn't find anywhere that does the eau de nil lettering.

While not a perfect likeness, as the prototype D class has a lot more grills on the bonnet and battery boxes along the running board, but is a very close approximation and seems to look the part.

25/05/2025

I had mentioned the few bits I had picked up from the Wexford Model Railway Club exhibition. These were as follows:
- British Railways 08 Class diesel shunter, purchased from the Mid West Model Railway Club stand.
- Ratio LMS open wagon.
- two of the fantastic 3D printed CIE vans from Enda Byrne. The detail for a 3D print are superb!
- and a 3D printed body of a CIE plough van.

The two vans obviously will be left as is.
The 08 shunter is in the process of being repainted into a CIE 301(D) Class shunter, the open wagon will probably be going into CIE grey too and the plough van is also in the process of being painted into it's CIE permanent way yellow.

24/05/2025

From Southern to Northern...

If you're ever looking for a handy Irish steam locomotive conversion, converting a South Eastern & Chatham Railway Wainwright C Class to a GNR(I) AL Class is by far the easiest. Albeit, to get a C Class second hand are starting to creep up on the expensive side.

By request of the owner, I was asked to add a nameplate (as some A/AL Classes were named) and Ulster Transport Authority stencils to the buffer beam and tender rear (as some A/AL Classes were transferred to UTA ownership). So the final product is AL Class No. 60 'County Down'.

While it was on test, got the GNR and NCC locos on shed prior to a running session.

23/05/2025

Earlier in the year, I picked up four Ratio 4 wheel coach kits and had started painting them into the relevant liveries... all just so happened to be some sort of crimson/maroon colour. Since then, painting is now complete, decals are added and, for added detail, figures have been glued in.

Also at the sale, I picked up a slightly damaged Hornby 4 wheel ready to run coach in London & South Western Railway livery. The damage was fixed (a missing coupling and spare buffer added), so decided to have a go adding lighting.

I picked up some LED's with an Amazon gift voucher I kindly got from my godmother for my birthday. These are diode LED's so only work in one polarity. Rather than just having the coach only run in one direction to allow the lights work, I've fitted five units. 3 will light in one direction, and two will light the opposite way. The pickups have been soldered together. The pickups will need to be fixed, but for now, they're staying in place by friction.

Will give all the above coaches a test runand post a running session video soon!

22/05/2025

Bit of a backlog of bits, trying to catch up what updates I had posted and which I hadn't.

While I sort through projects, a quick highlight video from the recent Wexford Model Railway Club annual exhibition held over the May Bank Holiday weekend. Always a good show and a nice day out down the sunny south east!

A few bits were picked up of course. Details to follow in a later post.

Enjoy the video!

21/05/2025

After several weeks of fiddly assembly and learning from my first 4mm scale brass kit, a crown jewel emerges.

Finally I can say the Studio Scale Models brass carriage kit of Great Southern Railway Bredin corridor No. 1335 is now complete. Repainted in CIE late green livery as I would remember seeing it in preservation. (Photo provided on a railtour, credit to B. Pickup).

Suitable couplings will be found and attached amd should be ready to run in it's first train!

16/04/2025

While in the background I work through the backlog of repaint projects (happily, a lot are coming to a close!), I thought I'd post a running session. This time using my full fleet of London Transport models.

This includes:
- London Transport Panniers L92 (Ready to Run, Bachmann), L95 (repainted 57XX) and L99 (repainted 64XX);
- Metropolitan E Class No. 1 (repainted and modified Southern Railway M7 tank engine);
- Class 20 No. 20158 (repainted);
- Metropolitan electric loco No. 12 'Sarah Siddons' (Ready to Run, Heljan).

Enjoy!