Forums

There are some strange and interesting proposal drawings from the early CIE era in the IRRS archives, including a fixed-formation DEMU or push-pull train for Dublin-Cork services.  There’s a huge detailed blueprint drawing for the WCR railcars, but I didn’t see any narrow gauge carriages. 

Correct - used for carriage-heating in the cold mornings. All stock still had steam heating till the late 1960s / early 70s.

A further thought; even when modelling a small rural terminus, of the "fit-in-the-corner" type, it's always a good thing to try to imagine a scenario where two companies met, or where stock from several companies would all be seen. Primarily, the reason is that many of these out of the way places rarely had anything other than the very same six-wheel coaches that they had when they opened in the 1890s, and same locos. Take Kenmare; the very last train was hauled by a loco already over a decade in traffic before it opened, and which type almost monopolised the line for much of its life (J15). Likewise, until its last few years, trains were always standard GSWR six-wheelers.  Thus, a strictly accurate model of many locations will have but one or two different types of everything! Much more variety, therefore, if the place (be it real or imagined) could conceivably have Midland stuff alongside GSWR stuff - which itself could be a combination of "original" Inchicore designs with also ex-WLWR stock. Go to the likes of Collooney and you've all three of the above, plus SLNCR stock (stop drooling, Galteemore!) and a lot of GNR goods stock and coaches on "pilgrimage" days. If we are in the Connemara area, your Maam village terminus might see GSWR stock (if the line came from, say, a junction at Ballyglunin or Tuam), GSR-ex-WLWR stock, like a G2 2.4.0, and Midland stuff too. Between the various designs of goods stock for all of these, plus locos and coaches, already you've a bewildering variety of prototypes/ Loughrea was on the Midland, obviously, but not far from Athenry. For some 20 years, two ex-WLWR G2 2.4.0s (291 & 293) were the regular engines on the line. Ballinrobe, on the other hand, despite proximity to "The Crewe of the West" at Claremorris, seems to have have had an exclusive diet of MGWR J18 0.6.0s for most of its life. Just some rambling thoughts. Personally I am a big fan of actual prototypes, with every detail as it was in real life, but (plausible) "might-have-beens" undeniably have a massively greater potential for the modeller.

Me too.

Re that GSR committee, I believe my grandfather had some part in it but I don't know any details. All I know for certain is that a whole lot of recommendations resulted re the J15 class in particular, and he was tasked with doing the design work for a number of hopefully standardised ways forward. Mind you, by the time the last J15s were withdrawn, hardly any two were identical in every detail, an issue with any numerous and long-lived class. Family folklore suggests that the main bugbear was money, as a result of the lack of which, serious attempts at all sorts of standardisation were curtailed or never properly completed, and even where attempts were made, it was too little. They had similar thoughts on standardising passenger stock, which would have included replacement of most 3ft gauge passenger stock with a GSR standard, had money be available. But it wasn't. The "standard" GSR passenger coach for 3ft gauge would have been bogie vehicles of 35-40ft long, broadly based on Cavan & Leitrim types, with end balconies (possibly enclosed). I would love to see a drawing of a thing like this, as many PROPOSED locos, wagons and coaches DID have drawings made - but again (through family folklore, anyway) it seems this vehicle was not even drawn. There just wasn't the money.