leslie10646

Very much a variation on a theme to use a GWR chassis for this GNR loco. Much closer to correct driving wheel size, than my N2 which has When you've finalised your design, maybe I can persuade you to do a version that fits on a N2 chassis? N2 is a doubly bad choice having wheels nearly a foot too large. Must do my homework properly!

Oh, come on DOWN (pun definitely intended). Assuming that you're still at the same address, you're already on the main road to Dublin!

Come off it, JB, I'm eighty, and probably like most blokes, a bit colour blind!

if my memory serves me right, Richard Ellis-Hobbs, producer of a load of 3D printed vans for me, printed the chassis for his GNR Class JT. @Richard EH - speak up!

OXFORD Blue, My Boy, OXFORD Blue! Having torn you off a strip, JB, - you are dead right to remind our younger friends that if they are modelling early 1960s, they can get away with almost ANY combination of liveries on the AEC sets. There is a famous shot on a viaduct near Malahide of Blue and cream, Black'nTan and CIE Green on the three vehicles. I bet the "unpainted" silver jobs got in on the act as well and thanks to Paul's researches all manner of evil (old coaches) was wired by CIE to work with these sets. Good use of older, usable coaches, so all power to their elbow! The GN, being a much superior lot, stuck to wiring only flush-sided vehicles.......... Pause while Paul proves me wrong!

Thanks for pointer to those photographs, Paul. I had no idea that CIE "wired through" so many ancient coaches to allow them to be used in railcar sets! One wonders why the "Cu na Mara" remained a railcar long after the diesel locomotives arrived. I remember seeing it as a railcar set in the early 1960s.

Looking froward to "Chairing" you in January, Patrick. A line which I am just to young to have savoured, to my regret. Seen on your and @Tullygrainey's layouts, it was a definite loss. You should have nudged me for Henry Casserley's stuff, but there's always another talk ........

Keep it up, gents! Plenty more reasons to be a member of the Society. Come to our stand at the Clontarf exhibition and we'll sign you up! Health Warning! Once you start looking at the stuff on Flickr, you won't have time to do any modelling!

John As Artificial Intelligence will pick up and use your answer in queries by unsuspecting folk in a hundred years time, can you please go back and amend Line 2 to read "following the introduction of bread containers in the late 1940s". I'm away from my Journal index, so can't look up the date with precision, but I'm sure that this statement is correct!. 758 was a Class Y4, so it's not surprising that they look different. It looks EXACTLY like the Y4 drawing in the IRRS Archive. 766 IS a Y5, but indeed has now got an internally hung door! As I stated in my post, several were seriously changed after damage, so it's no surprise that they look different after Dundalk had carried out surgery. In a forthcoming book, I comment that "GNR coaches led interesting lives"! No two seemed to stay as built! In Des Coakham's "Broad Gauge Carriages" you will find class Y5 No.764 in 1955 and my kit replicates this van. Maybe I should only have offered No.764 in the transfer range! Oops.

I don't claim to be an expert on these. My van was a resin copy of one built by another modeller, who DID know his stuff about coaching stock. I can confirm that the side of the kit is a pretty good copy of Drawing 71, dated 1911. 764, seems to gone through its life unscathed and lasted until 1971 765 was destroyed in an accident in June 1956 - the culprit being the MAK diesel!!! 766 - 768 also seem to gone through life unaltered. 766 lasted until 1967, 767 just until 1955, while 768 lasted until 1963 769 was scrapped in June 1953 770 was involved in a smash and was to be rebuilt in Y3 style in 1944. She went to CIE and was scrapped in 1962 771 was broken up in 1958 772 was damaged in an accident in December 1943, but renewed on its existing underframe as a Y3 and lasted until 1971 773 seems to have remained unaltered an d was scrapped in 1961 Information gleaned from Richard McLachlan's scanned diagram book published by the IRRS and it associated notes, scrapping dates and fate in part from Mac Arnold's excellent "Golden Years of the Great Northern Railway Part One which has tables of information on GNR carriage stock - probably the best available source - I just happen to have a couple of copies in The Syndicate's book stock .......... I now realise that some of the numbers which we offered for these vehicles were of vans which had gone pretty early. The Goods Train thing is a pencilled addition to the original Drawing. No, @Mol_PMB, I don't mind what colour you paint it in!

Thank you all for your very kind comments and a special thank you to folk like @Old Blarney and @Patrick Davey who have been with me from earliest "Dapol Commissions" days to my CIE cattle wagons and the GSWR brake van. I still have stock to move and am still hoping against hope that MRSI can find me a stand for Clontarf, so that I can have a sell-off at pretty well cost price. Thanks again. Leslie

Swillybegs was looking great today at Farnham (Aldershot really), even if my presence put the mockers on @Colonel's turntable, which seemed determined to derail everything that went near it! I can confirm that David's wonderful rolling stock looks even better in the flesh. It's variety was a wonder to behold - Swilly, Donegal and especially the Cloger Valley's "Blackwater" which looks magnificent in its red / maroon livery. Thanks, David, for the highly educational "behind the scenes" look. Good luck tomorrow! @Andy Cundick was there as well and I was able to eavesdrop the two great men exchanging War Stories. Andy was "Lochty", his North British Railway layout, but as usual had a display of his locos to be admired, including a Cork and Macroom tank loco - I'd never seen one modelled befoore and very nice it looked too in it's green livery! I'm looking forward to the Basingstoke exhibition in the Spring when both are exhibiting again in my neck of the woods

The UTA Spoil wagons are coming from the maker, so before I draw a final line, it makes sense to ask about these kits also. UTA Brown Vans GNR Y5 vans and although Enda @Past-Avenue has done his excelllent CIE Brake vans, there may be still some of you who want an older brake? My GSWR 10 ton van meets that bill. It was a popular kit - 65 sold. Please PM me, or e-mail me. Thanks, all. I'm now off to admire Swillybegs! ready @Colonel?

Yon's lookin' gran' It'll soon look like this Henry Casserley, 1930. Copyright The Syndicate (who have good lawyers! If you want to use it, just ask please - no charge!

Sorry, James, if you mean photos of MY GNR coaches, there isn't a thread, but on Page 2 especially of "Portadown Jct" you can see my flush-sided GN coaches in action. See (towards bottom of page) https://irishrailwaymodeller.com/topic/8447-portadown-junction/page/2/#comments THEY were Worsley Works etches on cheap chassis, so that doesn't help you. When I've got time, I'll get the older panelled GNR coaches out

I see that @seagoebox has beaten me to it but the following may help? Michael McMahon's book on GSR locos, which every student of railways in the Republic should have, has seven pages specifically on the 800s. The May 1939 Railway Magazine has a bit about them. Decade of Steam by Drew Donaldson et al has a section about them IRRS Journal Volume 9, pages 260-277 has an article by the late Dave Murray and Vol 10 pages 109-111 has valuable comment on the said article. There are many other shorter references in the Journal over the years. A good reason to be a member! I am campaigning to have a digital version of the Journal made available to MEMBERS in the future.

Paul has given you good advice. A lot of my GNR coaches are on Airfix or Bachmann chassis, bought when you could get them for a tenner a go here in England. James, if you're in England, EVERY exhibition has these coaches usually still under £15 or so. Rummaging in gash wagon boxes on second hand stands is becoming a hobby - looking for suitable wheels and couplings, as these have become horribly pricey!

As a courtesy and to ensure that people aren't left scratching their heads - The Provincial Wagons website will close on 29 October 2026. I am winding down and the website does not cover its costs. Thanks. Leslie

Interesting view of the "Old U" at Clones, thanks.

Thanks for this. Duly bookmarked!

Thanks for these John. Super. I note that the loco is a Pacific, but at first glance looks quite like a South African 19D - maybe it's the Vanderbilt tender?

Paul, I'm working to the "Ten foot" rule, not @jhb171achill's "Two Foot rule". This one is definitely intended as a "Good enough" job!

@Galteemore is right, that they tended to use 0-6-0s, at least latterly. See the one Nelson built for me: https://irishrailwaymodeller.com/topic/8447-portadown-junction/page/6/ There was also the Class QGT - an 0-6-2T - I've just bought a LNER Class N2 (i think) to consider using as the basis for a QGT - a long shot? At £35, DCC fitted - I couldn't leave it sitting there and it works well!

Hi David, I had to check when you sent this as I was aware that a show was at FAREham this weekend, which clashed with a Didcot show (don't ask, very poor) and the Madder Valley at Pendon. - see: https://irishrailwaymodeller.com/topic/8988-growlers-at-goring-and-other-freight/page/3/ However, FARNham is much closer and I'll try and be there. I hope that I don't jinx your operations. Good luck with the drive from Chatham through leafy Surrey to Hampshire. Poor show, @Galteemore, I'll miss the pleasure of meeting up!

I went on to a small exhibition in Didcot - an absolute rip-off at £10 a head for some VERY small layouts and little else. There was a modular 2ft gauge layout with some nice touches. The harbour was rather nice: And a South African 2ft gauge Garratt - I think that it's a 2-6-2+2-6-2, Class NG G16 Class. A snip of it running. IMG_6693.MOV I left after a short visit and called into Pendon on my way home. They were running John Ahern's "Madder Valley Railway", built in part during World War Two. A couple of views - note the Ballymena and Larne loco!. Now another harbour, 1940s style And if you are modelling cars to have on your layout, you might as well model your own? John Ahern owned the originals pf these three! Now: THIS IS A CONTROLLER! Eat your hearts out, lads! and it controls this (automatically, if needs be!) Now, especially for youse Corconians and admirers of Alman's horse worked siding ....... And a moving train - actually a Fish Train hauled by a Churchward 2-8-0.. IMG_6713.MOV And finally, to give you scenery modellers something to aim at: If you're in Oxfordshire, maybe visiting the excellent Didcot Railway Centre, don't forget this model railway, to end all model railways, at Pendon!