Galteemore

More common in NI perhaps

About 68 years before the second!

Ironically it’s the Anglos and the English who have actually invested significantly in Irish preservation - the Guinnesses at Straffan, the Cosbys granting access at Stradbally, Lord O’Neill at Shane’s Castle, David Laing at Giants Causeway - and it was English enthusiasts who kept money rolling into the 70s-80s RPSI tours. A few more eccentric peers might actually have been a good thing for Ireland’s preservation scene ….

It’s probably no coincidence that railway preservation in GB coincided with unparalleled levels of prosperity - Macmillan and ‘let’s face it, most of our people have never had it so good’ etc etc. That epoch is now gone. In the USA, for instance, the amount of disposable income spent on essential services has now jumped from 27% to 37% (slightly puzzled on relationship between ‘disposable’ and ‘essential’ but I get the point). The generations growing up now in all likelihood will not have the time or money for this kind of stuff in the way that the postwar generation did. I suspect the UK preservation movement is going to hit a demographic and financial cliff edge. Fact is - and it is fact - most preservation volunteers here are 50 plus males. I am now the age at which my dad retired - I can’t even begin to think of that, and fully expect to be working up to 70. Wealth disparity in the developed world is growing - more money concentrated in fewer hands - and the cohort of people with time and money for things like steam railways is shrinking . And that’s in a country which actually loves the things.

Also worth adding that running trains, however full, on a preserved line often doesn’t cover costs. What makes it sustainable are all the incidentals such as cafes, shops and family events. RPSI steam is largely funded by Dublin families taking their kids to see Santa, and buying lots of assorted nick-nacks. Similar story in GB.

Nicely put. Another big issue in the mix - as well as Northern Ireland and its economy - was RIC pensions. For some unaccountable reason DeV objected to using Eire funds to pay ex-RIC men (inc my great grandfather)resident in the 26 counties… eventually Westminster agreed to pay. One worthy individual managed to accumulate pensions from Eire, the Dublin metropolitan police and MI5, who gallantly paid him despite him being an IRA double agent!

That railcar looks terrific

Yes. Apparently a trade deal on barter terms

No definitely deserves a wagon of its own with spotlights and a theme song. Beautifully done

He means the pic of No 90, JB. Is it a Sulzer?

Careful what you wish for! Making up that curved footplate was ‘interesting’

Only met him once but left an impression of a really decent man. Influential outside modelling too https://dublin.anglican.org/news/2026/06/30/death-of-david-j-wynne

Arguably you could start with a Bachmann J71 if you want a quick conversion. Better sized driving wheels and DCC ready https://railsofsheffield.com/products/bachmann-31-069-ner-e-j71-68260-br-black-early-emblem-steam-tank-locomotive

Absolutely. Easiest tank locos of all to to play around with are when the tanks and wheels align. When you have footplate splashers to accommodate it can get a bit messy. I think an expert could tweak the print to fit within reasonable limits. Some of my own scratch and kit locos contain all manner of cutting and shaping where it doesn’t show, simply to accommodate the mech

LNER J52 is better for wheel size, but wheelbase is about 4mm too long