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Great value, and even moreso for our younger members who may have slightly less financial independence. Excellent way to build a nice freight train.

The 1950s is an interesting period in terms of rolling stock. The recently formed CIE had inherited everything from modern steel side coaches built during the GSR period to ancient six wheelers of the MGWR, GSWR, and DSER. A train in the late 1940s or early 50s could be made up entirely of coaches, no two of which the same. Any layout based in the period would need to cover this diversity. The GSR and CIE period coaches have kits available from SSM, Worsley Works, and overlays from JM designs. Some coaches, such as the PRs, have been covered by IFM in the past and a full RTR model will be available from IRM in the future. Hattons produced generic irish six wheelers before going belly up, and these are again decently covered with kits from various kit makers and 3d prints.  The big omission is GSWR and MGWR corridor stock. At some point in the future, I'd like to commission prints of these, but for now, scratchbuilding, kitbashing and repaints will reign if someone wishes to model these! Back to the present, I'd purchased some of JM designs overlays for the laminate coaches. Straight away hacking into the donor. Looks like something getting cut up. Tried conserving the strip of clear plastic for the roof plugs, but didn't work out. Will probably cut the bottom out and glue the roof on, as the outer body has a lip for the roof to slot onto. Given a light spray of black so the plastic won't pop out. Looks like the victim of arson! Overlays added Painted, roof dry fitted. Roof vents modified, roof painted Needs filling on ends, detailing, glazing, lining, numbering, and interior painted. New buffers too, secondhand coaches always seem to have missing buffers! Onto the less modern, perhaps this thing could be dressed up to look like something vaguely GSWR? Body and roof loose fitted. On the way is a hornby clerestory and southern corridor composite.  Not a million miles off GSWR corridor coaches?

Many thanks John, very useful.  Interesting to see the different arrangements of vestibules and toilets on the two types, and the high proportion of smoking accommodation. Photographic evidence indicates that the 1429-1448 type were delivered in 'silver' (unpainted aluminium) but the the 1449-1496 type were green from new.   Edit: there's a nice close-up view of one end of a 1429-1448 type coach in the book 'Bulleid and the Turf Burner', page 65. This photo dated October 1957 shows some interesting details: The small window in the toilet compartment was frosted, as one would expect, but the adjacent one above the handbasin was clear. The large windows in the saloon had curtains on their lower part, which were hung from a rail just below the opening vents.  The panelling and beading of the sides and roof is shown very clearly, also the door furniture. Some of the autumn 1957 tests of CC1 used a full train of these coaches (with a tin van on the back) which must have looked shiny!

Funnily enough the Blue Sliding Tarp wagons reminds me of the wagons that run through our neighborhood on a 125mile journey between a steel mill and port. Strictly speaking HO scale/gauge is incorrect for 3'6" narrow gauge local  modellers tend to use Scale on HO track (Sn3.5) while some Aussie. (Queensland) modellers use HOm although the gauge is out by 3".  Being independently minded Australian States with 3'6" narrow gauge systems each tend to use a different scale/gauge ratio🦘

I posted a set of Laminate Diagrams in the Resources section of this Newsgroup and will post further CIE diesel loco, coach and wagon drawings when I have the time. IE may have disposed of drawings of withdrawn/scrapped stock as they are no longer of relevance to Irish Rail, when I requested the Laminate & Park Royal drawings some of these coaches were running on the system in RPSI service.