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Those were the days.........

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heirflick

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The next change was to be the advent of the "Castle" class, as they were then inevitably called, rather than "450" class. These appeared in an all over cream livery with maroon and orange stripes.

 

There's a good picture of one in that livery as part of a great feature about the BR Thumpers in this month's Traction mag.

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With the AECs, it's more case that the valance was added than removed. You'll notice the buffers as well, originally they had normal sized ones as delivered (like the GNR sets) but CIE butchered them to fit those larger and unsightly types, think it was so they could match up when coupled to hauled stock. The valance appeared in the early 70s, but the buffers had been done from the early 60s onwards.

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In CIE days, Park Royals would often turn up as intermediates - even wooden ex-GSW coaches also could be seen in AEC sets in the 50s. The GNR and UTA also used ex-loco hauled stock as centre coaches in AEC sets.

 

That's what made these railcars sets so unique,the variety of stock that could turn up.The UTAs MPDs were classic as they almost all were different from each other!!

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In CIE days, Park Royals would often turn up as intermediates - even wooden ex-GSW coaches also could be seen in AEC sets in the 50s. The GNR and UTA also used ex-loco hauled stock as centre coaches in AEC sets.

 

I saw a picture somewhere - I think it was Des Coakham's carriage book - of a clerestory restaurant car between 2 railcars. It looked a little... unusual.

 

Alan

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Unusual indeed! Anyone who has Brian Baker's absolutely superb DVD of the West Cork system will see the Bantry train consisting of two AEC cars either side of a Park Royal on one oc casion, and in another shot a four car set has an old 1902-vintage GSWR open third (same as 836 at Downpatrick) plus an early laminate in between; in yet another an AEC set is hauling a Midland Great Western 6 wheeler from the early Pre-Cambrian era... and I've seen a pic of an AEC set somewhere near Killarney with two cattle trucks in tow. Ideal stuff for modellers.

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Yes! And I have heard (from a reliable source) of someone seeing one in the early 60s with a wagon of beet behind it, possibly on the Limerick - Sligo line or North Kerry, but (a) it hardly matters, and (b) I don't recall. But I also know of them hauling horse boxes and standard "H" vans from time to time.

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The CIE AEC railcars would also venture north with a couple of 4 wheel heating vans in tow carrying mail to Portadown,with NIRs AEC railcars then taking the said vans to Belfast.

NIR tended to use their railcars as mini locomotives as they were regularly used to convey freight,particularly the MPDs that would take the Derry goods from the CIE loco at the changeover point at Lisburn and also freight and parcels to Larne harbour.

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I saw a picture somewhere - I think it was Des Coakham's carriage book - of a clerestory restaurant car between 2 railcars. It looked a little... unusual.

 

Alan

 

There is a similar/possibly the same photo of the 8:10 Waterford-Dublin at Portarlington in Anthony Burges book "Chasing the Flying Snail", the railcar set has a 6 wheel van tackedd on at the end.

 

The photo seems to have been taken in April 53 days after the direct Dublin-Waterford trains were dieselised, this was the first service to be dieselised and its possible that the first batch of modern CIE buffet cars may not have entered service.

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Here are three from my own collection. I didn't have the best quality camera back then! Quiet a bit of variety' date=' a 80 class, a 121 hauled push pull and CIE liveried 141s. My summers as a kid were spent chasing and photographing this type of stuff.

 

<img src="http://irishrailwaymodeller.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6611"/><img src="http://irishrailwaymodeller.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6612"/><img src="http://irishrailwaymodeller.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6613"/>[/quote']

 

Welcome to the site Paul,love the 1980s photos of Claremorris,your photo collection would make an excellent book.

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