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Thank you both!

Digressing slightly onto the 6-compartment 3rds, John is correct that the vast majority were withdrawn or converted in the 1940s. According to the diagram 86 listing, 73 of these 6-compt thirds passed to the GSR in 1924. However, the listing shows that after the purge in the 1940s a handful survived into the 1950s. Late survivors were: Withdrawn in 1958: 649, 654, 660 Withdrawn in 1960: 558, 614, 624, 655 Photos of these in CIE days are very hard to find and I suspect that these seven carriages may have spent their final years before withdrawal forgotten in a siding. One photo showing a 6-compartment third in CIE livery is this one by Ernie at Harcourt St around 1951, and I do think it's a GSWR coach: Until yesterday, I thought I had another photo of one in Cork in 1955, also by Ernie: But then Ernie posted this photo, which shows a 6-compt 3rd of GSWR style with only 4 wheels rather than 6. Looking at the photo above, I think that is also a 4-wheeler, likely the same one. I haven't yet worked out whether this is a GSWR 6-wheel coach converted to a 4-wheeler, or whether it's a CBSCR / CMDR oddity. Anyway, I have other plans for my kit for a 6-compartment third, involving some replacement sides. It is likely to become a full brake. There are various options which may spawn a separate thread as they seem to have been modified significantly over their lives, but I'm thinking of something like the nearer one here:

Are you Brian Torrens?

Worth enquiring with the National Railway Museum York Sharp Stewart loco drawings (most likely GAs) are included in their North British Locomotive drawing collection https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/objects/co27933/north-british-locomotive-co-ltd-drawings. The 7mm Narrow Gauge Society published a book of 'Irish Narrow Gauge Scale Drawings" which includes CVBT No4 and CVR Railcar 1 https://7mmnga.org.uk/sales/publications/publication_details.php?ref=NLE06. The drawings are in simplified diagram form rather than general arrangement, as far as I recall the drawing of No4 includes CVR modifications.

Splendid research again - don't think anybody will mind a bit of modeller's licence being applied, plus you could always back date the layout a little further!

Enjoyable seeing the big stuff - everything has real presence, particularly in close up.

This update is the worst-case scenario: they all look great. Now I have no idea whether to go for 800 in GSR, CIÉ, or as-preserved livery...

I'm happy enough to call them 800s! (B1a class sounds a bit nerdy!)

These look absolutely fabulous. I believe they are holders for some sort of cabling (from train to cab?) See here, Mikemorant collection All three are probably more accurately described as 'Deities', with both Maedbh and Tailte are considered representations of Goddesses themselves.

Where would I get drawings for Clogher Valley Locomotives? Thank you

Following on from my Japan experience, I stayed a few days in Frankfurt (the main reason being that's where the Lufthansa 747-8 from Tokyo dropped me off!). Photos from Day 1 in Germany, covering Frankfurt and Köln with some retro locos around Köln Hansaring. Click on the photo below to view them all Regards, Kieran

8 x Revolution Trains FNA-D wagons. All have different running numbers. New and unused. €30 each or €220 for all 8 wagons. Postage extra if required. Payment by cash or Revolut on collection or Revolut only if posting. PM if interested.

They're neither "Queens" nor "goddesses". They were all different. Maedb was a queen. Macha was a goddess. Tailté was the wife of a High King of Ireland. The dark green with "G S" is the livery she carries now, since 1994 or so. She arrived in the north in standard CIE lined green, which she still carries, but without any markings. In her thirty-year stay in Belfast, she remained without markings. It was only once she entered the UFTM in Cultra that she acquired the "G S"; this variation of the livery was never, of course, carried in traffic - in fact she has never so much as turned a wheel carrying this lettering! So, IRM are simply giving another "fun" option in providing the model in what might be called its "Museum livery", in the same way they're offering it in the works grey it carried simply to have a photo taken when new. With the real thing only every having two operational liveries, it's a nice - and unique - additional option.

It being the Season of Goodwill, I will say that the CIE version of the 800s looks very nice and is tempting. I am unsure of your reference to these ladies as "Goddesses", my understanding was that they were ladies from Irish history? I'm sure that our resident Gaelic-speaker @WRENNEIRE can give me the Chapter and Verse?

The Class 50 on freight duties.

Really look the part, enjoy.

Operations returned to Tara junction today when 075 worked the 07:30 Heuston-Cork and 086 worked the 06:00 Heuston-Cork passenger/mail which was looped at the station to allow 075 overtake.

A box of AccuraJoy arrived the other day…

Looks like I need to renew my subscription... Many thanks for all your efforts - at least the links will still be on the thread!

I must have a look for some details I have somewhere on W & L stock. They only had six bogie coaches, one of which was the beautiful but deceased saloon which they used as a Director’s Saloon too. W & L stock, like DSER stock, suffered a large clearout in the late 1940s and early 50s, and very little of either passed into the 1960s.

It's interesting that there are also 3 diagram 69 coaches numbered in the 900s: 928 to 930. I guess these would also have been WLWR vehicles. Diagram 69 shows flat ends, which would be correct for the majority of that diagram representing GSWR vehicles. Diagrams aren't always 100% accurate of course, and it may be that 928 to 930 had the same arrangement of compartments as the GSWR vehicles but WLWR features like curved-in ends and steel channel headstocks. I haven't found any photos that definitely show any of these three coaches but they survived until 1955-1958.

Very nice build. I’d no idea that the NCC had its own Exmouth Junction style concrete works! Mountmellick in Laois had a similar structure which is still extant. Image courtesy late Fred Dean

The photo captioned 105 must be either 905 or 916, there weren't any others like this. Looking closely at what we can read of the number, and comparing the details with the other photos, I believe it is 905. All three images have the half compartment at the first class end (four images if you include the extra one in my last post). The other carriage of this type, 916, was withdrawn in 1953, so I think it's less likely to be the vehicle seen in 1954 or 1961.

905, 916, and 931-3 were Waterford & Limerick coaches rather than GSWR. The tell-tale clues of W & L / WLWR stock are: 1. Curved in ends. While common on several British companies (GWR, Somerset & Dorset, Midland, early LMS and at least one Scottish company), they were unique to the W & L here. 2. When the WLWR was swallowed up by the GSWR in 1901, their carriages were numbered in the 900 series usually. For anyone interested W & L / WLWR stock was painted a burgundy maroon with gold lining while independent, and repainted in the very much darker GSWR colour after 1901.