StevieB

Thanks for that bit of information - I was beginning to think that the gremlins had struck again - keep up the excellent work. Stephen

The three pack of ballast wagons went for £89, approx €101. Quite how he can afford to sell at such a discount. Stephen

There's a six page article about this in the current issue of The Railway Magazine - a very good read on a sad topic. Stephen

I picked up a copy of the 1960 reprint of the 1949 edition of the Ian Allan ABC of Irish Locomotives the other day in Cheltenham Model Centre, for a mere £2.50. What a little gem, packed full of goodies. One thing I learnt was that the GNRI effectively ran the BCDR, being in charge of both traffic and engineering matters. Stephen

The 071/141/181's are all in the IE livery incorporating the tippex lining, whereas the 201's are in as delivered livery. Stephen

I have been reviewing the era I am modelling and have decided to concentrate on the 1970s. As a result, I have the following IE locos surplus to requirements and which I am offering for sale. Murphy Models 071 077 078 £140 each incl p&p to UK and Ireland Bachmann 141/181 171 177 184 187 £130 each incl p&p to UK and Ireland Lima 201 216 217 £120 each incl p&p to UK and Ireland Preferred method of payment PayPal. Many thanks. Stephen

It gets even better if you click on 'see other items'. Stephen

A lovely collection of photos that evoke memories of when we were young, even though I have no firsthand experience of Irish railways then, or now for that matter. This has made me realise that my plans to reproduce trains in the 70s, 80s and 90s are overambitious, so my collection of IR/IE 071's, 141/181/s, 201's and Cravens is open to offers so that I can concentrate on the 70's when the old order was coming to an end and the new was just beginning. Stephen

This guy is still trying to sell http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LIMA-205159-IE-CIE-IRISH-RAILWAYS-CLASS-201-LOCO-216-RIVER-DODDER-MINT-BOXED-nc-/331422674305?hash=item4d2a54ad81:g:BNMAAOSw8cNUSoU4 Stephen

Nenagh in 21mm P4 by 21mmP4. Stephen

Once again, some lovely shots of the railway going about its business. As has been said before, this layout is worthy of appearing in the model railway press. Living where you do, does Model Railroader ever feature non American layouts? Stephen

Thinking a bit more about the latest photos, you've had to apply a degree of selective compression with your dolomite train, which isn't such a problem with your average pick-up goods. The consist of 12 hoppers looks fine compared to the real dolomite train at 1:55 on this clip which has 24 hoppers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okOsw4W0CbA. I think your problem will be with the oil and magnesite trains, which seemed to come in the three variations possible. You'll have to decide whether a train with 2/3 oil wagons and 9/10 hoppers looks the part, or whether you should run separate oil and magnesite trains. Irish Freight Models do a passable magnesite wagon, if you accept the incorrect chassis and body proportions. The latter is easily cured with a razor saw and a good eye. Stephen

Now all that's needed is a mixed rake of oil and magnesite wagons to complete the railway scene. It occurs to me that it's possible to use the mineral wagons as ballast wagons as well by just modify the lettering on one side. Stephen

The Maunsell S15 appears similar to the Bazin 500 class - wait for the rivet counters to point out all the differences. Stephen

Just to look at this from alternative position, Nigel Burkin, well known modeller and contributor to magazines, advocates attaching couplings to the body of bogie vehicles so that they behave just like the real things, with the bogies simply carrying the body. I guess this would fall down if the curves are too sharp, a position many will find themselves in. Stephen

I meant to include this photo showing the station before the major reconstruction work for. The excursion platforms http://kieranmccarthy.ie/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/852b.-Youghal-beach-and-Railway-Station-c.1910.jpg Stephen

Thanks for those bits of information. Does anyone know where I might obtain a drawing of the station building - almost all of the photos I have come across are not clear enough to count bricks and so produce a drawing that way. Many thanks. Stephen

What's the history of the excursion platforms at Youghal? A search online has revealed the following photos: https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=youghal+railway+station&client=safari&rls=en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjj8uGC_PPTAhVWF8AKHV56DS0Q_AUIDCgD&biw=1337&bih=1240#imgdii=J7Dx0P4kJzgOfM:&imgrc=3Y7J4pwuUePYoM: https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=youghal+railway+station&client=safari&rls=en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjj8uGC_PPTAhVWF8AKHV56DS0Q_AUIDCgD&biw=1337&bih=1240#imgdii=TdDzQIaF6VjQTM:&imgrc=6nxVcRHUtv4ZJM: https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=1962+storm+damage+at+youghal&client=safari&rls=en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjig6Omm6vUAhWiKMAKHWpDAVcQ_AUICygC&biw=1337&bih=1240#imgrc=zSlwGYah23jh6M: From these it would seem that they were constructed in the second decade of the 20th century and lasted until the storm damage in 1962 was repaired when the seaward side was removed. By then, though, I would have imagined that the traffic had declined to a level where the main platform plus the remaining excursion platform were sufficient, or as the latter just used as a siding? Stephen

Let's try again https://sites.google.com/site/sleafordmrc/ Stephen

This may be of some interest, in particular the photo of Bantry station. Stephen

It may sound an obvious thing to say but it is not how fast, but rather how slow, you go that determines journey times. In both our countries railway operators have settled for the semi-fast train, and have forgotten about the non-stop train. To get the best journey time between Dublin and Cork, or anywhere else for that matter, elimination of speed restrictions is the answer. Without allowing for acceleration and deceleration, 100 mins would be the minimum time achievable, say 2hrs in reality. Stephen

The June issue of Rail Express carries a report that Model Irish Railways is relaunching its 4mm range, good news indeed. Stephen

The May Railway Magazine carries a story that Cork Chamber (CC) has submitted a proposal to the Government recommending that journey times between Dublin and Cork be reduced to one hour, as opposed to the current average of 2hr 35mins! Stephen

Your arrangement with the leading axle effectively makes a Co-Co into a 1Bo-Bo1, although in reality the 1 indicated a non-powered axle. Stephen

The programme of closures didn't have a more sinister reasoning behind it, namely the separation of the two nations of Ireland. I've probably stepped onto forbidden territory here by mentioning politics, for which I apologise, but, hey, politics gets everywhere, like it or not. Stephen