leslie10646

I have heard that the Casserley negatives were offered to an 'organisation' for £20,000 which sum was somewhat beyond their means, but it will give some idea of their expected Auction value. Yes, Ernie, I suspect that that would be a figure for "the lot". As he (they? for Richard was a prolific photographer also and as Jon has said, very helpful to authors) took double figures of thousands of non-Irish topics, the Irish element, if the collection was split, should be at a manageable price. Again as young Jon has said, they have been widely exposed in print and many people have prints from the collection - Henry certainly sold copies during his lifetime. Getting back to the possible figure for the total collection, I cannot think of any society with that sort of money to spend on a collection - most photographers leave their collections to a club they had been a member of.

My giddy aunt, John, it's not the foreground that made my jaw drop it was the neat "filing system" of drawers for this and that behind. I wouldn't DARE post a picture of my railway room, or the dining room table where I am typing this.

Spot on Lambeg re the Brain Boru visit to Limerick. A memorable tour (for a lot of wrong reasons). The tour was the first since No.171 was overhauled, but unhappily she blew a gland on the way to Dublin (although not without doing 70mph before that happened). So, No.4 (straight off working on the spoil trains) ran solo to Cork, where she contrived to derail her pony truck in the shed yard. 171 worked to Cobh and back, having run Dubin to Cork light engine. Next day, we returned via Limerick as already reported and guess what? No.4 lost her pony truck again in the shed yard - trapping No.171 inside. So there we were with no loco for the trip onwards to Dublin and Belfast. The Inspector, the late Paddy Gannon, simply asked our rail tours officer ( the late and estimable Drew Donaldson) - "What do you want to do"? Now Drew once famously threatened to lie down in front of an ailing 400 class on a tour, to ensure that the tour did not continue with a diesel loco, so not surprisingly asked Paddy to muster a team and rerail the offending truck. A bunch of local pw men did it in double quick time using the most modest tools (including a few sleepers!) and we were back in business after an hour. Well done the Limerick men! No.171 set off on her own, but very weakly, due to that blown gland. At Ballybrophy, while she took water, it was discovered that No.4 was right behind her on the block, so she came forward to pilot. What followed was a piece of folklore - for that meant driving her over a facing crossover from the down line (she had running bunker first because of the dodgy pony truck). The CIE driver declined to have the honour of taking No.4 over the crossover - who could blame him with the Sunday rush hour about to begin and the possibility of blocking both main lines? As it happened, the NIR inspector, Frank Dunlop, was on the train to advise the CIE guys on the handling of the tank. So he volunteered to edge her slowly over the points and in front of No.171. After that, it was relatively plain sailing - I've forgotten how late we were back into Belfast! Wouldn't have missed it!

Very nice job, Tony. Keep it up. You'll need an awful lot of wagons for that shed! Come to think of it, I know a guy .........

Nope!

Never a truer word, David. The Fleischmann stuff I bought for a German layout which was never finished would fetch VERY little these days - fortunately, most of it was bought in the days when the D-Mark was 4/5 to the pound! As Noel says, don't speculate, enjoy them. I have a glass case full of locos which have never / will never turn a wheel - but are happy mementos of trips in many a foreign land (anyone want a Hungarian Electric, or a Chinese one, come to think of it?)

Hi Ken He's been sent the link, but may be away from the Internet, having a real life away from railways! If he doesn't bite the "fly" quickly, I'll use a different bait! Leslie

To my shame, I must admit that this is the first time I've noticed this thread. Really terrific, skilled work Ken. To say "Well done" doesn't start to give you the credit due. Thanks for posting the photos of the locos and rolling stock in native brass - I have always thought it showed off a model really well. When I had a Class AL built from the Northstar kit recently, I particularly asked the modeller to photograph it for me in brass, before painting it - a bit like the "real" railway works who photographed their locos in "Workshop Grey". Great to see the DSER modelled - i'm only aware of one other person doing it - and I'm about to send him the link!

No, nor can I. As far as I know, Eoin doesn't put outside couplers on his sets (oops, sorry, that's the DART!!!!!).

IF No.85 is the only available loco, then I understand that she is too heavy for the Waterford - Limerick line.

I particularly liked Mayner's photo of the Celtic class coming out of Broadstone (am I right?) where Luas now runs!

Spot on, David, while the Class WT was called a "Jeep" by one of the shed foremen because of their go-anywhere, do anything nature; the name was not commonly used by railway staff. In the 1960s when I began timing trains (and travelling with your esteemed Dad), we always referred to the WTs as simply "Tanks" or the longer "Mogul Tank" - for that is what they were - a tank version of the LMSNCC 1932-built Moguls. Of course there was another very numerous class of tank (only a few by 1960) on the GNR(I), but they were usually referred to by enthusiasts, at least, as "Glover Tanks", after the CME who introduced them. I never heard of the GNR Class V being called anything but "the Compounds" either in speech or in the literature, nor had I heard of the LQGs being called anything but "LQGs". The SG3s, thanks to their prodigious power most certainly were always referred to as "Big Ds". The ENGLISH often erroneously) refer to the 800s as "Queens" but my understanding of Irish history is that they ladies honoured were simply ladies in Irish history, or mythology. I won't go on about "Whippets", "Woolwich's" (again Anglice "Woolworths"), Kerry Bogies (Jon Beaumont will tell you?), "Cattle Engines"; "Bandon Tanks" (self-explanatory); "Scotch Engines" ......... Now the diseasels - known by enthusiasts as "Bullets" because of the silvery livery. To this day, you occasionally hear an older enthusiast say that there is a Bullet on the front! Sorry, Jon, but "Lambeg Man" is right about the Class 70s - I remember them often being referred to as "Hampshire Units". The fun we had?

Hi Kevin (and friends) My colleague, Richard McLachlan, is soon to digitise the TRA book. However, he is of the view that if you want drawings suitable for modelling that it will be of only modest use to you. It does not include dimensions. The IRRS drawings catalogue includes several books on GSR (and GSWR) coaches. These DO include dimensions and are much more useful to the modeller. I can attest to their quality - even though I hate to say nice things about Richard! Well, not too nice. I suggest that you use the contacts referred to in the on-line catalogue which you will find at - http://irishrailarchives.ie/index.php/archives/maps_drawings/ For those of you in Dublin, you can see many of these books if you approach Anthony McDonald at a Tuesday IRRS "Library Night" in the former Good Manager's offices at Heuston. Leslie

He has no shop and sells them through outlets like Hattons and Marks so how pray tell do you buy them from the man himself - Just Ask? Good point, George! I simply can't remember WHO I bought my 141s from! My 201 was a swap for wagons with Seamus of Toymaster, the CIE 071 from that well known gent the former Garda Commissioner and NIR 112 from Gareth. Isn't life strange? (to quote the Moody Blues). Hhmmmm

I hate to say it but the Kranz shot of B132 is very dark and gives no real idea of the true colour. Lance King's almost identical shot has been properly exposed and shows a much brighter grey. How do I know it's a better exposure? - you can make out the Midland 2-4-0 at the shed quite clearly - it's dark blob in the Kranz shot. No Photo Shopping, by the way, it's a direct scan from the Kodachrome (or Agfa - he used both) slide. Lance, God bless him, would not have known what software was! I'd upload it, but the file is too large!I

Hatton may be offering it to you, but if you buy it from Paddy who has taken all this work on himself and his team, it maximises his income. Dare I say it - we all owe him?

Cars for the ferry WERE indeed taken out onto the pier on flats for many years and craned onto the ship, as you say. Oliver Doyle had photos of it when he gave a talk on the Railways of Wexford to the IRRS in London a few weeks ago. If my memory serves, they were six wheel coach chassises with suitable decking - so two cars to a "wagon". The same process was used for a while with moving new cars from the Ford plant at Cork. I see that Oliver wrote a paper in IRRS Journal Volume 8, so I'll have a look when home and see if I can extract a picture.

If this post doesn't make sense it's because I've been driving all night from Holyhead and then sleeping most of the day away. The loco is not mine, of course, but was Judith Edge's kit of UTA No.22. Very similar to the BCDR one pictured above, except with coupling rods! Quite a bit of interest and we sold one of our personal kits there and then! I'll post full info within the next few days. The BCDR "version" looks eminently "do-able" and we hope to persuade the Edges to do it next. The new vehicle was, of course, the long-promised Y5 van. Again, I'll post piccies of it here of it in a few days - a lot of family things to do in the next few days and it IS Holy Week. Thanks to those who did call by - always nice to meet old friends. I even paid Fran and Pat for my A Class - no prizes to discover that mine is a SILVER one - I saw them when the were pretty new - at Bray, while on hols. Thanks to the Derek and the NDMRS for organising it. Leslie

I shouldn't get involved with discussions on Diseaseals, but as the Class 66 is a freight loco, every HP produced goes to pulling things - there's no provision for head end power? If memory serves, it was the provision of HEP which was the downfall of the 201s on the Enterprise and resulted in many of the failures. I assume that the new generator van has improved matters? You guys don't know how blessed you are with nice comfy trains, not the ghastly, rough riding (possibly dangerously so - they haven't got the "damping" right yet), hard-seated (Hungraian wooden seats were better in the 1970s) Jap Crap we are having foisted on us over here.

Almost packed for my second run to my staging post pre Holyhead Boat at 3am Thursday. Amazing how many wagons you can get into a Smart Car - 300 if I believe my stock spreadsheet. To the young men at IRM - almost as young as we were when we founded the RPSI - congrats on the Yellow Perils. I guarantee that my new vehicle has NO working interior lights, NO working tail lights (although you could fit them - tempting?); can be built for 16.5 up to 21mm gauge. Noel commented on the number of 21mm folk out there - I believe I have supplied to over a dozen modellers using 21mm track. There must be quite a few, as the Scale Four Society makes a W irons/axlebox etch with specially lengthened spacer. Ask Richard McLachlan on Saturday at Bangor how to "stretch" my kits to the correct gauge. I look forward to seeing some of you at the weekend. If there's a particular kit which you want, e-mail me, or send a PM and I'll set it aside for you. Leslie

Just home from Wakefield and thanks, Eoin, we had a great show - signed up a new IRRS member (massive Brownie Points from our bosses in Dublin!); sold a fair few of Richard's ever more numerous and amazing drawings and had great craic with a load of friends in the modelling world. You'd be amazed at the folk with an interest in Irish railways who pop up all over the place. Thanks to the good people of the Scale Four Society in the North, who ran a fine show and were very hospitable. Just over two days now to pack up ready for the boat early on Thursday morning to Dublin, en route for The Black North. Haven't even had time to see if we're still in Europe, or whether Leo has erected a Wall yet!!!!

Just to say that while my Provincial Wagons is shown as Irish goods models, I'll be breaking new ground with - My first passenger vehicle kit (they carried a notice which said, quite clearly - "Not to run in Goods Trains"!!!!) A new Irish loco (not mine - just making it visible to the Home audience, close to where it was built!!!!). I'll be taking orders for the producers, whom I met at Scalforum North this weekend Of course, I'll have my old favourites like Bulleid Corrugated opens and H vans (mentioned in another thread), Brown vans, and a new run of the Spoil Wagon. I look forward to seeing you there - you'll find me in the Atrium sandwiched between Nelson building kits and Richard bashing brass (and showing off his brilliant drawings from the IRRS Archive. I look forward to seeing some of you there! Leslie

Please thank Richard for the issue of brass sheet a few weeks back, though unfortunately I have not had a chance to cut something out of it yet, but I do have a plan!..... With pleasure, Eoin! L

A real treat for any of you living within an hour or so from London. This Thursday, 4 April, “Classic Irish Steam” by Ciarán Cooney IRRS Photographic Archivist, Ciarán Cooney, has skilfully restored the classic photos of Bob Clements, Denis Morris and J Macartney Robbins. Enjoy stirring shots of 400s, 500s and 800s hard at work annostalgic photos of rarely-seen places like Clara Midland and Inny Junction. Then high-wheeled J5s on the Midland doing everything from cattle trains to excursions, and 2-4-0’s in the west,with much more to come such as the SL&NCR, the GNR(I), the B&CDR, and NCC moguls, mogul tanks and 4-4-0’s. This is a veritable feast of classic Irish steam with memorable and classic photos from the cameras of the great IRRS photographers of the past. It is similar to a show Ciarán gave to the RPSI in Belfast where it received the highest acclaim. Don’t miss it this time round. 19.00 in the Function Room, Calthorpe Arms, Grays Inn Road, LONDON WC1X 8JR Fine ales, food available from our excellent landlord, Adrian. Hope to see some of you there - be sure to say ""Hallo"! Leslie