Galteemore

That was my thought, Jim. Just ready to sweep across Bleach Green. In my youth I thought the NCC was simply the best, having seen photos like that. That view was educated out of me at home, where blue and and teak were the colours of choice...

It does give a nice impression of speed ! Can just picture that gleaming red

Nice tutorial Noel

Should be well pleased George - I find styrene hard enough to score and snap in straight lines !

And indeed it almost looked like that in the days before the closure, when serious consideration was given to keeping EKN to Omagh open as a long siding for cattle trains.....

Great work David - nice example of the ‘Jenkinson technique’ in practice

Nice work George - what material is gun tub made out of ?

Because it was thrashed. The 1951 IRRS journal shows that SLNC engines took an absolute hammering from operating over such an undulating and curved PW, not to mention other issues such as water. Immense strain was put on loco underpinnings and the gradients meant that boiler water could be surging all over the place - the gauge glasses were not always comforting to look at ! A careful examination of SLNC photos towards the end shows that the locos, once sparkling clean, were filthy - even on the ceremonial ‘last train’. IE there was little spare capacity available to do anything more than maintain the basics as the line ran down. Between 1951 and 1957 the three ‘large tanks’ all went to Dundalk for overhaul, leaving the 2 Loughs in almost constant use. The UTA doesn’t seem to have done much to them - they don’t even seem to have been cleaned before being put into use. 27 was beautifully painted up in the late 60s as seen here but I don’t think much mechanical work was done. The SLNC’s best loco at the end (which worked the very last steam empty stock positioning run in Oct 1957)was apparently ‘Enniskillen’ which was overhauled in 56 - although you wouldn’t think it from her external state at the end. 27 pics from David Cooke on Flickr.

Yes - I get a few bits from them via eBay. Not as easy to search as Graham’s site was.

He was a top bloke as you say David - very helpful to me. His buffers adorn much of what I’ve built. Lots of nice tributes to Graham across the modelling forums. As you say, also a big blow to scratch builders.

Nice one Ernie. I think it’s D16 532, ‘Wolf Dog’ - just coming off Mr Holman’s workbench as she was in happier times - look at his mail train thread Withdrawn 1949 or thereabouts and on washout duties at Broadstone till 57. Only scrapped in 1960 apparently after three years on a siding.

Also known as Eastleigh Works Green or Maunsell Green. My first ever brass 6w coach was painted this colour ...just after this photo I glazed it and next day sold it to Rails of Sheffield to buy Irish kits ! Rather crudely finished but building it taught me a lot - not least that 6w coaches need some kind of forgiving chassis !

If you fancy one I’d get it now if you can. OO Works locos are very hard to get hold of when they run out and they only do short production runs....

Makes the UG look like a bargain !

I knew the Duchess was going to do voice overs etc for Netflix and Spotify but I must say I didn’t expect her to work in this market.

Yes the scale to gauge ratios look like that. Looks like an old Farish Compound chassis underneath the loco

Lol my wife is from near there! @LARNE CABIN may be able to help...there’s a Facebook group called ‘memories of Larne’ which may offer some help if you ask.

We had one of these when I was a kid and I well remember the inky ribbon. Yes letters were available as well as digits. Preserved railways on the Big Island use them so I imagine some form of consumable supply is in place. Might be worth asking some of the bigger concerns like Severn Valley etc. BR stopped using them c1990.

Here’s a DWWR one Leslie ...and a GWR one!!

Suitably green after that west of Ireland dampness. Nice work.

Great stuff Ernie. Isn’t this the railtour working to Ballaghadereen when the steam loco allocated failed ?

That’s correct. Guinness were well aware of the practice and there was a certain brand of biscuit tin which could be used to draw off just enough ‘overfill’ in each cask without diddling the customer. Story is in here I think https://www.amazon.co.uk/Round-Ireland-Gear-Eric-Newby/dp/0007367929/ref=nodl_ Just to keep vaguely on topic, Newby’s book also includes a few snippets on what it was like travelling with a bike on CIE trains in the 1980s - I remember his account of an ex Rosslare train.

Some might say this one was even more important, Noel....

Cracking pics today Ernie. Downshire was my station for school - amazing to see what called in that day in 1968!

Hopper isn’t a million miles out.....https://www.steamtrainsireland.com/rpsi-collection/41/8309-ballast-wagon all looking good!