GSWR 90

This update is the worst-case scenario: they all look great. Now I have no idea whether to go for 800 in GSR, CIÉ, or as-preserved livery...

We recently took delivery of some new 3D enamel badges, which are now available on our online shop. These are based on the celtic-style roundels seen on the GSR 800 class loco nameplates. I'm a big fan of these since they look good to both railway and non-railway people!

Well-placed teaser in a class 73 post

Whoops, wrong thread... Looking for 800s, not 101s. Too much excitement going on!

It wasn’t vandalism. It happened in the middle of the day, I think when they were running trains

We’ve recently restocked the DCDR online shop with our popular mugs and Christmas cards, as well as new enamel badges of the DCDR logo and DCDR teddy bears. In addition, we have a few copies left of our 40th Anniversary Brochure and our book about the history of the DCDR, “Back in Steam”. You can easily order online at https://downrail.myshopify.com/

I saw these photos on the news/social media. Horrible to see the signal cabin go up in flames and sending best wishes to the great volunteers at Maam Cross. No doubt they will build back better, and a horrible day like today will be nothing more than a memory in the not-too-distant future. https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/breaking-horror-fire-engulfs-entire-36397136 You can donate on the Connemara Railway Project Gofundme page.

This is a photo of 800 in grey. Interesting that the GSR logo seems to be on a raised bit (wood?) rather than just a transfer on the body. It also seems that the logo doesn’t fill up the whole of the raised part – was this varnished wood? It doesn’t seem to be the same shade as the grey. And was it raised like this in GSR green?

More 80 class madness – a bubble, an A class, a 141 and G617. And shunting steam engine No. 90 into the shed. It can’t shunt in the rain right now as the rear end is a bit exposed

184 will look great when finished. The paint on it is based on a swatch taken from No. 90, which is in turn based on a swatch taken from a model in the Science Museum in London that has original GSWR paint. Always nice to see some inter-society cooperation! We are almost at the point where every 5'3" Irish steam loco will be in restored condition apart from Lough Erne

Whistle on 90 in the 1990s was a BR one. Stolen while it was stored in Tuam. The RPSI made a replica of 186’s original GSWR one, so 90 will sound like it did 150ish years ago

Following on from another thread about locos that CIÉ painted green, here’s one about locos that UTA painted green. Generally when the UTA repainted locos, they painted them black. There were some exceptions – apparently a Jeep, a W, and a U2 painted in experimental apple green, Brunswick green, and olive green This Jeep, No. 5, is apparently painted in “apple green”. You can clearly see that the lining is very bright and the tanks, cab, wheels, and boiler are much brighter than the black smokebox and chimbley This W, 98, is apparently painted a darker Brunswick green This BCDR loco, No. 21, is apparently pictured after overhaul in 1953 – it seems to be in kind of an olive green, and to me that doesn’t look like BCDR lining as it’s more white/green than yellow, especially compared to the yellow numbers. An experimental livery…?

A back-of-the-napkin count suggests that around 1/3 of our volunteers (and 1/3 of our directors) are under the age of 30. But we'll take anyone as long as they're 16 or older – our oldest volunteer retired relatively recently at the age of 90!

A return trip from Cork to Downpatrick solely for the pleasure of working on 90 – nobody on the island on Ireland can say that they live too far away to volunteer with us!

Not quite tail traffic but not far off. 90 shunting an AEC from the inbound road to the outbound road at Albert Quay, 13/10/1961 – faster turnaround than the railcar driver changing ends three times. Photo from @Irishswissernie’s archive

This is a fantastic resource, well done for putting it together. Since your list mentions the date 146 was moved to Downpatrick (and doesn't mention the other locos being removed from the West Clare Railway/Moyasta), for completeness, it might be worth adding the following: 190 moved by road from Moyasta to Downpatrick 1/6/2025 152 moved by road from Moyasta to Downpatrick 8/6/2025 142 moved light engine from Dublin to Whitehead 28/4/2010

And it says (GNR)I instead of GNR(I)!

Commotion about some little green injin Commotion about some little green injin

A classic – No. 90 (then known as "C") in as-built condition, with attached first-class compartment and guard's/freight van. Some time between the 1870s-1900s approx.

I am always quite tickled when I see a photo/video of a preserved loco/railcar/carriage/etc. when it was in service. Please feel free to post any photos like this below. To get the ball rolling, here are some DCDR locos before preservation CSE Thurles No. 1 in the 1950s. 146 and 190 near Kildare, March 2008. Photo by Dylan Kinsella. GSWR 90 (then Castleisland Railway "C") in as-built condition, probably when it was built in 1875. B124 being unloaded in Dublin, the first GM loco to arrive in Ireland. Photo by Jim O'Dea, 1961.

A few years ago someone showed me some GNR carriage records which showed the numbers of the GNR third class six-wheelers which were sold to the BCDR (like the one at Downpatrick). However the register also showed two of these U3s being converted into “aeroplane trucks”. Anyone have any idea about these? Just an underframe like a carriage truck, but for carrying aeroplanes, perhaps as part of the war effort? How do you fit an aeroplane on a carriage truck? I’d be fascinated to see any photos

The Broad Gauge Society (the 7’ broad gauge, not our one!) recently posted this on their excellent Facebook page, accompanied by the photo attached: “Taken at Cheltenham shed in the late 1840s. On the left, 'Star' class 2-2-2 Polar Star has not yet had its frames and boiler lengthened by 2'0", which happened in 1849. Second is 'Pyracmon' class 0-6-0 Alligator. On the right is 'Sun' class 2-2-2 Javelin. The photo was possibly taken by GWR employee Hugh Owen, a close friend of photography pioneer Henry Fox Talbot, and is among the earliest railway photographs ever taken.” So the earliest British railway photos were likely from the 1840s. Does anyone know of any contenders for the oldest Irish railway photos?

This graphic produced by IRM last year might be helpful for anyone deciding how many to buy The discount for buying in multiples is pretty generous – only about £320 if you buy five of them, which seems to me like a very good deal for a good rake of niche top-of-the-range models

Apologies for the brief interruption. We now resume normal programming. The engine shed was damaged during the flood, so we weren't allowed to access it or the locos inside. Work on repairing it is progressing fast, and last week we were able to remove 90 from the shed and moved to the workshop at the other side of the yard. Yesterday we had about a dozen volunteers working on the loco at one time, so we were able to do a huge amount of work in just one day: Cab front removed Cladding and lagging removed Boiler fittings removed We're now in contact with boiler contractors and are working on a fundraiser for 90's overhaul. Our volunteers come from across the island – from Dublin, Belfast, Kildare, Meath, and even Derry~Londonderry. If you want to learn new skills, meet new people, and play your part in preserving our shared industrial heritage, please send me a message to ask about getting involved.

That was quick, thank you! Email sent.