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Just finished this one. Interesting history behind it too. Will updaye later.

Brilliant Jason- 146 looks stunning there. Excellent all round

I once thought of modelling the Irish Broad gauge to 8.57mm scale on Gauge 1 track to run on my Large Scale(1:20.5) scale garden railway (45mm gauge). Like Sam Carse moellers of the NZ 3'6" gauge tended to chose a proprietary track gauge and vary the scale to acheive the correct scale/gauge ratio. With few kits and an absence of any broad gauge Irish RTR Gauge 1 is essentially a scratchbuilders scale for the G1 modeller. One of the main differences between modelling in larger scales like Gauge 1 and the smaller scales is that large scale modellers tend to bring locos/stock to run at club/group meetings and each others railways https://www.g1mra.com/joining-g1mra/local-groups/. In the end I did not pursue the idea of modelling the Irish Broad gauge in 8.57mm as I already had more than enough 4mm modelling projects than I could manage and instead decided to focus on American 3' gauge using proprietary 1:20.3 scale in the garden. At the time I would probabably scratchbuilt or used etched brass/laser cut ply to produce locos and stocks, these days I'd probably use 3D printing for chassis, bodies and mechanisms similar to some 9mm Scale NZR modellers

OCD? We know of the A, B, C, D, V and Vs classes. But when will IRM do an "O" class?

Works for me!

Those are all rather late in the alphabet. Wouldn’t they have to start with the A class and work up through B, C etc to soothe your OCD?

My OCD would have me place them in order for that photo - 800, 801, 802 Maybe that'll happen when IRM announces the S class, VS class and Jeeps......

Locomotives (to be added) Rolling Stock Hornby R4966DRS Mk2F 2nd Open Coach (4 available) 25 Hornby R4967ADRS Mk2F Brake 2nd Open Coach (2 available) 25 Bachmann 39-001BR MK1 SK Coach Twin Pack - Works Test Train Blue & Grey (Weathered) 80 Bachmann 39-000KBR MK1 Twin Pack - BG Express Parcels & BSK Blue & Grey (Weathered) 60 Buildings and Structures Hornby R9679 Traction Shed 45 (note the is a hairline crack just under the window - see photo) Hornby R9719 National Mercantile Bank 25 Bachmann 44-173 Brick Servicing Unit 80 Bachmann 44-0017 Double Track Rail Over Road Bridge 45 Bachmann 44-204 Low Relief Bonded Warehouse 45 Bachmann 44-214 Low Relief Railway Hotel 45 Bachmann 44-008 Red Brick Water Tower 25 P&P is extra is required. Cash on collection or Paypal if posting required. Based in Galway but can arrange for collection in Dublin. Check out my listing of Irish locos (071s) and coaches in the Bargain Watch section.

GNR(B) cement van, early 1950s; treated as a "common fleet" later by CIE with their essentially-similar "H" vans.

They do indeed, and I had thought it was. However, I was fortunate enough to acquire one of the cast numberplates (which the three Tramore ones kept, as opposed to haveing painted numbers) about thirty years ago, and it was still in original condition. The rim & numerals were what would be expected, a very pale faded nondescripot creamy-pale-yellow colour, but when scrubbed, the background was unmistakeably very dark grey. Would you believe, at the time I was unaware that 560 had originally been "Achill" (115), so I ended up selling it some years later when finances were tight... pity, I wish I had it now. Anyway - it seems to have been a bit like the famous West Cork tank No. 464, so often seen in colour pictures of that last finale gricer's express in 1961 (it arrived back at Kingsbridge just about in time for the youngest participants to claim their pensions) - very definitely looked black, but wasn't. What often happened was they rubbed them down with oily cloths, which made soot stick to them. The dark oil also tended to colour them. The matter has, of course, been discussed many a time! What we DO know, though is that in its very last 12 months or so, No. 90 actually WAS repainted black! I think I've mentioned it before, but in the last conversation I had with the late Bob Clements before he died, he gave me details of what engines hye claimed were actually black. It was a case of ("none of class X, Nos. A & B of class Y, about half of class Z", and so on.....) Naturally (if you saw the state of my study), I've long since lost that list! Having four steam locos myself painted in actual colour matched GSR grey, and heavily weathered (you'll see them on the Dugort thread), they actually look like weathered black. So I suppose if a model was initially black, and covered with seven layers of gunk and filth like they had when they ended their days, for all a viewer of either the model or the real thing might know, underneath it all they could be painted in pink, lime green and gold, with red and white spots!

All the more reason to model it. By 1963, of course, some photos suggest it had gone black rather than weathered grey....

Mine would have to be 115 “Achill”; not only named after my favourite branch line, but which worked the line regularly in its first few years. After 1925, 115 became the famous 560, the last of the class in use. Right to the end of steam in 1963 it was the Tralee pilot, far away from home, and making the odd trip out to Fenit, and (even rarer) to Castleisland. During its career it had also worked on the Tramore line and as such, was one of a trio of the class which had an extended cab to increase coal capacity. Between its sojourn in Waterford and Tralee it also spent a couple of years in and about Wisht Caark, boy!

@declan64private message sent to you

I have one on the way, a McGowan Kit, though I haven't seen it in a while, I think the attic fairies snook it away! https://irishrailwaymodeller.com/topic/6358-gsr-class-551-j26-ecmbuild-in-7mm/ Eoin

Savage prices compared to what they go for on eBay, @declan64! Can’t see them hanging around too long. And, if that’s just the clearout stuff, I can’t imagine what the actual collection is like.

Truly beautiful models! The CIE dark green looks fabulous. If I was to give a tiny bit of critique it'd be that the smokebox dart protruding from the handwheel should be blackened, and the handle should be brass/same colour as the wheel. AFAIK the handle was painted black at Cultra for some reason, they were never black (aside from with dirt perhaps!) during their careers. See above regarding the dart being black.

Thanks - first effort at lining a loco! Hopefully some day it will appear at a show alongside Mr Hs! . @Northroadermade one too, so there’s a few about!

What a little beauty!

GNR 12 ton van.

In my notes I have 14 A class in green with waist line (including A46 in dark green), and 24 in plain green. For the C class, 8 green with waist line, and 12 in plain green. So the plain green was a bit more common, but not by much. There may have been a few more which I haven't found photos of in the relevant era. Some locos in each class never carried green, going straight from silver to black or black and tan. The more significant missing livery from the IRM A class models was black with roundel and small numbers at the base of the sides. Fortunately, not too hard to produce from the A55 model in the early plan black scheme.

Picture of A1 and 800 together please

After my brief volunteering at Downpatrick I noticed this wagon. Anyone know what it is? nevermind, after going back through the thread I found it! to make this post worth it, I’ll add this one, at Kildare

just seen IRM updated there Facebook header, will probobly be a press update in a few minutes. But another fine example of CIE loco green seen here!

My theory back in the day was IRM were holding this livery for a 2nd run, if that ever was to happen. I always thought the waistline was more common then not on this livery, but perhaps that was on the C class fleet rather then the A class which I’m more used to looking at! I also note a grounded 6 wheeler, I assume of GNR origin

Indeed - light green with waist line was one of the A class liveries that IRM didn't do, but was moderately common. Looks like it's hauling a block train of cement vans in that photo. A short container in an open wagon is just visible on the left too. Several photos show these loaded at one end of the wagon, which is what it looks like here.