leslie10646

Getting back to the topic as raised by David ...... Mayner is right to point David at Mac's NCC Saga and JHB was on the button regarding the nature of Mac's work - you are told on the Title Page of the Saga - "Where the Enginemen were the Heroes and the Villain the Diesel Engine. Anyway, David, if you're tempted you can get a copy at a sensible price on ABE: see - https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/SearchResults?sts=t&cm_sp=SearchF-_-home-_-Results&an=&tn=ncc+saga&kn=&isbn= in fact The Syndicate may have a copy - I'll PM you. The "Crackerjack" book mentioned by BSGSV above is an interesting volume as it looks at the NCC's timetables over three separate periods in its history. Finally, David, the line did see some hefty trains from time to time. In the 1930s, the celebrated Malcolm Speir used to run FIREWORKS trains to Portrush on mid week evenings - for about half a crown return - if there were too many takers, one of the specials ran over the Derry Central from Macfin to Cookstown Jct to free paths on the mainline. Clever guy, old Malcolm, for I believe he set up the fireworks displays in POrtrush, probably underwritten by the LMS, and then ran the trains there to see them. Talk about making your own luck!

Don't worry, Jon, I'll send you the tapes from my security cameras and you'll be able to pick him out - mind you you'll have to remember WHEN you came, otherwise about 20 hours of viewing! Leslie

Well, I may use part of my three month lock-down to put Syndicate stuff on eBay and get a younger neighbour to post things for me. Over the years The Syndicate has raised tens of thousands for Irish Preservation. That's if I have any tine from trying to get back the money on a load of train travel in Europe planned over Easter! Still taking orders for Provincial Wagons - never a better time to try one of my kits! Keep well, folks. Leslie

I'm with Dave on this. Code 100 Peco, but probably because I had so much of it from pre-Code 75 days. Noel is right that the Setrak points give too big a gap between rails, but the Peco Setrak sure saves a lot of cutting of Flexible track lengths. They made a "Special Curve" to go with their Y Point - little thinking that I would have about 30 of them on the layout to save difficult joins on some of my curves. That said, the Proxxon tool with a cutting disc gets a lot of use. Time spent track-laying is well spent (finding the patience is another matter!), especially if like Noel and I you like running long trains effortlessly!

The entire Cork - Bantry service was worked by one AEC set - a necessary RTR thing, by the way, for the entire CIE and GNR systems, and a lot of the UTA & early NIR.... All too true, Jon. When I was researching that timetable to do the talk on Lance King's slides, I was initially taken in by the two trains a day, until I realised that most branches had a single train - by connecting into those trains - to or from Cork each day! A pity the line didn't survive, as Dick Fearn would have had five trains a day on it and, I suspect with the popularity of West Cork these days - well filled. ICRs to Bantry? Or to visit The Lady from Baltimore (yeah, I know it was the US one, but it was a great song). By the way guys, thanks for the comments on photos - I'll see they get passed on

Not an official IRRS statement, but from member working in this area: Fair comment, Kevin, I think I can say "we are working on it" - meaning the NUMBER of images there. However, is it SO unreasonable that images collected, scanned and maintained by The Society should be exclusively available to those who support it through their membership? A couple of us are looking at ways of making low-res versions visible, with a high res print available to buy.

Jon You're right about your choice of locos / stock, as Lance King's photos show exactly that selection. For the Tramway to Courtmacsherry, you can add a MGWR 0-6-0T - as Andy Cundick shows on his layout. The other loco, not so easy to source, would be an Ivatt 2-4-2T tank, but only for the trip working between Glanmire and Albert Quay through the streets! Lance took a super photo of one crossing the River Lee two weeks before the End. Mick, I was about to tell you to go to a library night at IRRS Dublin and visit the Holy of Holies where you'll find not just the WTTs but also the Weekly notices which would give you a heads up on beet and fair specials. Then I remembered where you lived!!! Ernie has done a good job above, but if you want other years, I have some CIE WTTs here and consulted them when putting my recent talk on Lance's stuff together.

Getting back to the original post (!). Richard pointed me at a photo in the GNR history and at first glance, the proposed Oxford crane is the spitting image of the GNR's No.2 crane. There is a book, I believe on Cowan's, which should confirm that the GNR crane was the same, or similar to, the Oxford one. I'm starting a "Book" on the exact date that Oxford have them on sales here - starting, say, two years from now? A Euro a bet? Good news, though, for those with space in a siding on their GN layouts!

Come off it, Noel, it's not as if my kits of the Bulleid corrugated open, or the H van are that difficult to build! See: http://www.provincialwagons.com/cie-wagons/ and the price remains the same, even though some eejit thinks the Pound is worth 5% more than when I set the price! Leslie (aka Provincial Wagons)

Good Man for reminding the folk about this. Tim and Dick will be delighted to see you there - AND you get a free drink on the Society! Leslie

As an aside, I know the IRRS website states one can obtain back issues for reasonable cost, but does anyone know how you actually go about doing that on their website or am I missing something? For fairly recent Journals, you could go along to a Dublin "Library Night" and talk to one of the guys, who should be able to point you in the right direction. For earlier Journals, The Syndicate (the Irish preservation fund raising vehicle set up by the late Lance King and now continued by Robin Linsley and I) have some Journals for sale right back to the 1950s. If any of you has a specific want, send me a PM. Expect to pay at least a fiver (Sterling), but we do discount for volume. If Dublin is "out of reach", I'll put you in touch with the right person.

If any of you missed my talk - WITH LANCE KING IN IRELAND - 1958-1963 - to the IRRS London Area in December, I am repeating it to the READING TRANSPORT GROUP on Wednesday 5th February 2020 at 1945. The meeting will be held on the first floor at Church House, Church Street, Caversham, next to Waitrose Address for SatNavs is ; Church House, 59 Church Street, Caversham, Reading RG4 8AX If any of you are in the vicinity, come along and see some super photos f the end of one era and the beginning of another. I can send more detailed location info. By the same token, I am available for talks on this (and other subjects at your local Railway Society - just get in touch! Leslie

I've had a quick look through the JOurnal Index and no article has come to light on the Mark 3s. There will be references to them in the News sections of Journals, but I haven't come across an article on these coaches. PLenty on OLD coaches - like pre-1960! As you say, young man, there are usually "interesting snippets" in the JOurnal, no matter what era is your thing. Dare I say it - why not join and go along to a library night - as far as I know, you can then reference the full set. Good luck with your research. Leslie (IRRS LOndon)

It will be up to our brothers on the mainland methinks. Thanks, Dave, we'll have to consider our position in more ways than one! I'm not surprised that you guys are still recovering from your efforts in 2019, it's hard work. Anyway, I hope to see you at Raheny! As for Warley, Andy is showing his Welsh layout this year, but plans a Co Donegal layout the following year.

You'll all think I've got daft, bringing this up so early, but I do have a good reason. Are any of you aware of any Irish layouts planning to be there? If so, which one(s)? Please. I ask, as the Warley Club has given me an early opportunity to say where I want to be with the IRRS stand and it's useful to say "near xxxxx Irish layout". I know Andy Cundick is attending with one of his layouts, but are there others? Thanks Leslie

John M, I don't know where to start - the Class 52 build is looking terrific - the late Drew Donaldson would have wept tears of joy, for as we oldies know, the great 7mm modeller had a great affection for the GSWR's locos. Then, just to rub it in, TWO Midland 2-4-0s! Always a treat to see these locos coming together in the hands of a great modeller. Happy New Year (in Maori) Leslie

Get your DJs and black ties out lads and your shoes shined. Good luck!

Nice work Phil. Don't engines look terrific in unpainted state? The little CB&PR tanks were pretty little things. When I showed the late Lance King's piccies of the C&L recently, it was 10L which was on the connection he used from Dromod to Ballinamore and back again in the evening.

Dare I say it but Provincial Wagons have done both vans. The GNR one is one of the 130-odd 16 ton bagged cement vans built in 1954 for the Drogheda cement factory. It was my first wagon and I had to double the order (to 200) after the first night I put it on my website. I bet Mr Bracken can help you with one, but not in bauxite - there are 350 of mine around in various grey liveries. The H van is still available as a kit from me, so those of you who don't have an aversion to kits know where to come! As it's Christmas, I'll let you have them at €28 (£24) until the stock runs out. Another Euro off for each additional kit bought. Leslie

Greetings, Patrick. I think that's the longest train of my corrugateds I've seen. Who makes the sugar beet models? I have been shown such sold by "Ten Commandments" here in the UK. Like the storage system. I have the same problem and will investigate your solution further. Happy New Year.

Ditto, Lads, thanks for the Card. Super picture - not too often you can photograph Irish railways with in a decently snowy scene (thank goodness!). Merry Christmas to you all from a damp Surrey! Leslie

Good evening MAK I'm 99.99% sure that is not a H&W loco. They only built eight and four were for NI (BCDR and NCC) , none of which looked like that, in fact the H&W machines had a certain family likeness, quite unlike this loco - see - http://www.theyard.info/engineering/trains/trains.asp At a guess, it's a British industrial of some kind - where was it taken?

There's quite a bit on the Internet about the current status of 50.007 and 50.049, so I won't bore you all here, just have a look at websites like the Fifty Fund, or the Fifty Alliance. GBFr paid for the repaint and have trained some drivers to drive the locos, which appear to be based at the Severn Valley Railway.

During my talk on Lance King's travels in Ireland, I showed a pic of Phoenix on the CDRJC. A scholar like you, David, will recall that when the CVR was in trouble, Henry Forbes was one of the "helpers", helping himself to the Atkinson Walker tractor for a hundred GUINEAS, re-engined she outlasted the CVR by a couple of decades. Still, I suppose if we have pubs called Dick Turpin here, why not a pub in Ireland after a corporate asset stripper? (Only joking, you CDR men - he was a man with an eye to a bargain!).

Health Warning - taken on a handheld mini-camera by a rank amateur simply enjoying watching trains and in very windy conditions, so turn sound down! Anyone like Hoovers? 50014 and 50049 in GBFr livery pass Pangbourne with two barrier wagons on a wagon move from Kidderminster (SVR!) to Reading Traincare depot today. A one-off working. They came back about an hour later LE, but I messed up the focus! MVI_1649.m4v The Class 60 on the oil tanks is a regular working around 1400 from Theale Murco sidings. Sorry about the wind noise, you can just about hear the 60 purr through. Those bogie tank wagons might make a nice model, lads? MVI_1651.m4v