Iarnrod Raille Liath

Hello, my name is David though my EB name is "Iarnród_Ráille_Liath" which means grey rail railway in Irish. My first LEGO railway set was blue rail level crossing 146 when I was 3. When I was six I got the trainset 7710 which I still have, albeit without its box. This was electrified with 12 volts conductor rails a couple of years later. In time I acquired other 12 volt (and a couple of 4.5 volt) accessories such as the remote controlled points (7858 & 7859) and level crossing (7866). Perhaps my best buys were locomotives 7755 and 7760 which I bought in 1992 and 1995 for €20 and €25 respectively. Though I take a passing interest in 9 volt trains and what followed that my loyalty is to 12 volt. My interest would be in operating and maintaining my 12 volt system. I am 35 next month and have fond memories of browsing for 12 volt LEGO when I was a child. I remember these being readily available north and south, especially in Dublin when I was a child. Indeed I recall when I electrified my 12 volt railway and I thought that I had 3600 instead of 1800 of conductor rails. My parents tried in vain to get a second box of rails but to no avail. As luck would have it we visited Mullingar in the mid 1980s, 80 kilometres west of Dublin. Though Mullingar would be regarded as being "down the country" or "outside the Pale" there were curved conductor rails on sale in a shop there. These were promptly purchased and 12 volt electrification was completed. Like any enthusiast I have ideas for my railway like converting scissors crossing 7996 for 12 volt operation. I will add that I am also into building HO scale models of Irish trains. I have met a couple of members of this forum in Dublin.

I got the push along unpowered 7710 trainset for Christmas when I was six. There were other unpowered items produced by LEGO such as set 7715 and loco 7810. Where do these come into the equation? I classed my 7710 as battery powered to begin with as it used the same track as those trains. Although I am staunchly 12 volt I am all for supporting 4.5 volt enthusiasts in their activities.

Fantastic models. Unfortunately I will have to decline your invitation as I am still in university and won't be finished for at least another month. However otherwise I would love to see it. I presume that both models are trams, as one section does not have any rails. Your photos remind me of trams of the Dublin United Tram Company (DUTC) which operated from 1897 until 1949. Nelson's Pillar was the hub of the Dublin tram system. The Spire is there now. One thing which I find interesting about Sweden is Dagen-H, when Sweden switched to driving on the right. These photos were taken I reckon twenty years before this.

I am also new to this site, though I have had LEGO 12 volt trains for more years than I care to remember. My first LEGO was 7710 which I still have. I also have 7745 InterCity train, 7813 Shell wagon and 7823 container wagon. In 1992 I bought loco 7755 for about IR£13 while in 1995 I came across 7760 in a local toyshop in Dublin and bought it for IR£20. I bought set 4541 in Vienna, Austria. In the past couple of years I have bought four wheel carriage 7818 and mail van 7819. While I have the aspiration of acquiring and building more stock and infrastructure, my main interest is keeping my 12 volt grey rail system going. When I consider the diabolical pancake motors in Hornby and Lima locos in the 1980s, the LEGO trains were quite reliable giving stalwart service. I would like to build a 12 volt Irish 071 class loco.

I enjoyed this thread. May be it was a bit of a "disappointment" to discover it was an April Fool's prank, but great craic all the same. I am looking forward to buying 7812 on Bricklink sometime. lol