leslie10646

Yes, you can have both as digital copies. I'll PM you. Leslie

Swindon, 7 March - I was about to put it in the diary, but that's the date of the huge Abrail exhibition which is pretty unmissable! Do these exhibition managers not liaise? The two venues are about twenty miles apart?

Hi @Ironroad. You poor man having to commute on "The Push Pull"! BUT, you have to salute the management of CIE that they gave you these things as "trains" complete with their kitchen chairs! The management said to themselves "In no time at all, the passengers will be writing to their TDs saying "have you seen what we have to travel in?" "Then we get what we want, an electric commuter railway - The DART! Guess what, it happened!

My dear @Mayner - read my post above (which involved a half hour's research - I TOLD YOU WHICH SETS THERE!!!!!! I never actually the Avocet, but it was indeed a pretty iconic piece of kit. I remember Modern Railways reported how it just took off up Shap with a heavy test train. One of the advantages of being middle aged before you lot were born is that this stuff was just part of the scene. Has someone mentioned that they were used on the Cobh branch as well - again see reference in my earlier post.

Sorry @Ironroad, you would have missed these trains, as they weren't along your route! My memory was that IR had sets on lease for several years - the Journal showed that my ancient brain cells hadn't failed me - thank the Lord! From the index to the IRRS Journal giving a reference in Volume and Page. From 2 November 1987 until 25 November 1990, Class 80s were used by CIE on The Greystones Shuttle - namely sets 68, 69 and 86 initially. 80 class sets at Connolly 16/422 80-class set on Drumcondra Link Line 16/160A (back cover) 80 class set at Greystones 19/66,67 these are two colour photos of sets 80 class at Kilcoole 20/157 80 class DE set at Newcastle Co Wicklow 13/259 80 class No 69 on loan to CIE at Cobh 17/148 80 class No 86, near Leixlip 19/228 80 class No 89, at Malahide 20/418 80 class No 99 at Cobh 17/358 80 class No 99 at Malahide 18/283 what's Latin for IRRS Strikes Back?

Commiserations, Andy. I hope that the damage isn't too bad. Haven't seen the North British layout, so I did miss out regardless!

Just to remind everyone (again) that here's another reason for being a member of the IRRS - it has a bound run of at least fifty years of these weekly notices. They're in the Holy of Holies upstairs at the back of the library - with the same documents for GSR (GSWR? - not sure) and GNR. They are remarkable record of what was going to happen each week - the livestock section could run to 20/30 pages alone! Of course, the working timetables of the railways are there too. A perusal of the GNR weekly notice by my son (12 at the time) resulted in our house name "Pettigo Fair' - it was on the day his mother was born and my Dad could have been there, being a young constable in the RUC at Garrison on Lough Melvin.

Sorry John, you won't. I'm struggling back to health after a bad couple of months and have done very little walking - so lente, lente ..... A pity as there are good layouts and traders there, but getting fully right comes first. I hope that you enjoy it. give my best to @Colonel and @Andy Cundick.

For now, the idea is that I sell in UK and Enda sells in RoI (Europe if you like!). I have small stocks of CK Prints stuff here already (see my website)) and will carry more in due course - for example the forthcoming Ranks wagons. That said, you all know how to make God laugh? Tell him your plans ....... Or as Napolean said, the plan of a battle changes the moment the first shot is fired.

From my website: As of January 2026, I am ceasing to produce kits of several of my wagons. However, as three share the same 9ft wheelbase, it is my hope that we can recreate these through the medium of 3D printing and provide customers with an almost Ready to Run vehicle. The wagons are the GNR cattle wagon, its close cousin the SLNCR cattle wagon and finally the GNR 9 ton van (which, while sharing the same wheelbase, is slightly longer). A fourth wagon is also planned, the Railway Clearing House (RCH) 10 ton unfitted van, as it would have run on CIE. I have previously made a kit of this wagon in its GNR form, but the GSWR, GSR and MGWR produced wagons to the basic RCH pattern, with minor differences as they would have used existing components commonly used on their railways. There is photographic evidence of some of these vans being still in use in 1970, and probably later on CIE. I would intend to produce some in GNR livery also. Also, although maybe for 2027, now that drawings have surfaced of the GSR horsebox, courtesy of @Mol_PMB, at last this gap in the wagon stock might be filled. (I haven’t forgotten the GNR one, which would be more up my street, but we’ll see how 2026 pans out!). In this project, I am working with Enda Byrne of CK Prints, who already sells my kits and wagons in the Republic of Ireland. I heartily recommend his excellent wagons to you. See: https://ckprints.ie/page/wagons

I must say that these look very nice. I'll have to sell the rest of my King and Country tanks, etc and quickly!

When did you get Charles Friel to pose for you?

I think that the NER one is actually shorter and of course has vertical planks (a thin Plasticard overlay might hide it?) where the SLNCR one has horizontal ones. Also it would need doors - more Plasticard ...... Brake Van No.6 is a remarkably large-looking (sturdy even) brake and looks like the SLNCR looked after their guards - at least when they were sent out in this one!!!!! What do the experts think?

For what it is worth, mine is built on a 9ft wheelbase, copying my GNR one. When we did it, Richard had not scanned the SLNCR wagon book. We used photographs available to us. The wagon IS shorter than any of my vans (on 9ft6in or 10ft wheelbases), even the 9 ton one is larger. I think, from memory of photos I've seen that large cattle wagons didn't make an appearance until the CIE 1948 ones which seem huge beside the tiny GN one. In one of his writings, the late Kevin Murray remarked on how tiny and box-like were Irish wagons in general.

Available, subject to stock, in this form!

Wow, after that shot of Colm's at Cork, I'll expect a rush to buy my Brown van! A pigeon special? Quite a fiind, as are the shots of an E Class on the docks. Thanks @Westcorkrailway

I'm glad that you guys enjoyed it. My thanks to the two Davids. If you weren't there, you missed one of the best talks we've ever had. One attendee said that he knew nothing about the SLNCR, but he did now! That perfectly encapsulates the quality of David Richardson's presentation on the "real" railway, I learned a lot and I've sat through a lot of SLNCR presentations over the years. The Colonel offered many practical pointers on how to go about modelling not just the SLNCR, but Irish railways generally. Thanks to you both @Galteemore and @Colonel!!!

My limited research into GNR horseboxes (which are still on my list of things to do) shows that the 1885 version looked very like what I took to be a DSER one - complete with the Pagoda on the roof. If I continue with Provincial wagons, I still have an intent to do a GN one, for obvious reasons to those who know me - although it would be more sensible to do the later 1938 version. The earlier ones APPEAR to have gone by the end of WW2. @Mol_PMB, I salute you for this terrific thread and the considerable work which has gone into it. Maybe a GSR one makes more sense from a point of view of sales numbers? Hhmmmm........

We DO record the meetings, but not for general distribution, more to ensure that there is a RECORD. If you miss some of it, contact me and I'll check what our policy is - I should know, but can't remember! AGE!!!!!

Tonight's the night to hear our two SLNCR experts @Galteemore and @Colonel speak on modelling their favourite railway! I look forward to welcoming lots of you there - only on ZOOM, so you don't even need to leave the house! At 6pm. Details above. If you have difficulty registering, send me an e-mail and I'll send a link directly to your inbox. lesliemcallister@aol.com Thanks Leslie

Good luck with the build of them. Mind you, they are probably the easiest to build kit we did! They'll look great behind one of Paddy's B Class!

Come to the talk on Friday and you'll see a lot more. A terrific set of illustrations!

That is me, YES!

Well done, @dropshort105 - more and better scenery than I have put on Portadown Junction over a period of fifteen years!

We've just finished a rehearsal for Friday's talk and I think I can promise you a great evening's entertainment and, indeed, education! David Richardson aka @Galteemore will describe the 12 inches to the foot SL&NCR in some detail in the first half, illustrated by many super photographs, many of which I hadn't seen before. In the second half, the two Davids - Richardson @Galteemore and Holman aka @Colonel will share their experiences of not just modelling the SL&NCR , but indeed of modelling Finescale 7mm Irish Broad Gauge generally. An opportunity to hear two masters of The Craft. We'll have time for questions afterwards when you can seek advice, or share your own experiences. Register NOW! This is not a meeting to miss! ONLINE MEETING ONLY FRIDAY 16 JANUARY 2026 @ 18:00 - 20:40 "Sligo Leitrim & Northern Counties Railway – Real and Modelled" by David Richardson and David Holman David Richardson and David Holman share their love of this little railway and their modelling of it. The SL&NCR was perhaps the quintessential Irish railway. Engines bore names and not numbers, archaic rolling stock, and a gradient profile that a rollercoaster engineer would shy away from. It attracted plaudits from Hamilton Ellis for its aesthetics, and from R N Clements for its engineering. On a journey down the line, the two Davids tell the story of how the railway defied the odds, only finally collapsing when its larger neighbour took away its raison d'etre, and tell what it took to recreate the Sligo Leitrim in 7mm scale. The meeting will be held online by Zoom only, please register by clicking the following link: REGISTER HERE When you double click on this it will give you a "URL" - paste that into your browser and follow instructions to register. You will need to fill in your name and email address only. Zoom will immediately email you the link to the meeting and will also send a reminder about an hour before the meeting starts. Alternatively, open Zoom on your device and enter the following : Webinar ID: 839 0871 4883 passcode: 682482 Those watching on Zoom are invited to make a voluntary donation to support the activities of the London Area. Click here to donate. We suggest £3/meeting or you may prefer to make a single donation to cover the whole season. The exact sum is at your discretion. Payment is by GooglePay, credit or debit card. You do not need to register or set up a Square account. Any last minute changes to the meeting arrangement will be communicated to those on the London Area mailing list only. Should you wish to be added to the London Area mailing list, please email london@irrs.ie. It is ESSENTIAL to check whether your Zoom app is up to date before logging on to the event. If the Zoom App is not up to date, the link may not function correctly.