GSWR 90

They had some in stock yesterday! Hope that this story provided some good advertising for them. I’m confident they’ll make more at some point, we’re talking to them about printing some other stuff for us too

Based on the drawings that we do have, I think only the wagons had UR plates (see bottom pic). However, we are after Joseph Wright works plates to either make resin replicas of or to scan for 3D printing.

We got ours from Titan Forge 3D and you can buy them on Etsy. The older version is a replica of one supplied by the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum

Harland & Wolff are currently constructing an underframe for the Downpatrick & County Down Railway's oldest coach, Ulster Railway 33. When we got 33 in the late 1980s, it had been out of use as a railway carriage for about 60 years. The interior fittings had all been removed, it suffered badly from various forms of rot, some idiot (not me) had hit it with a digger, and it didn't have an underframe. It was wrapped in tarp and used to store seat cushions for a long time out the front of the yard, until about 2013 when the old horrible-looking fence was replaced by the current brick frontage. One of our volunteers designed a metal frame so it could be very carefully lifted onto a donor brown van underframe which was built by Harland and Wolff in the 1940s. Volunteers removed the cushions and started to carry out some remedial work so it didn’t fall apart. The more they pulled out the fittings from its life as an office and on a farm, the more original panelling they found, and the more they realised that they had something special on their hands. With most of the bodywork restoration completed between 2018 and now, the main problem became getting an underframe sorted. Although the original drawings for this particular coach didn't survive, one of our volunteers along with two master's students from Queen's University designed a new one from scratch, using other contemporary drawings in the hands of Birmingham City Council for guidance. They spent hundreds, if not thousands of hours measuring the coach and the parts we have, and creating and testing CAD models. I wonder what the craftsmen who built 33 in the 1860s would have thought of that? We thought we'd be pushing our luck by asking H&W to fabricate the underframe, but the opportunity couldn't have been more perfect for both of us – they have over 100 apprentices who are constantly looking for projects to work on, so this is a perfect opportunity for them to learn unique new skills. It should hopefully be delivered for Downpatrick in the next few weeks, where the wheels, brake gear etc can be added. This is the first time that a new underframe has been constructed from scratch for a preservation project in Ireland (and we even got 3D printed H&W works plates) – and hopefully not the last...

Here’s a test piece based on the sample of UR paint found on the coach

That was quick! Exactly what I was looking for, thank you so much!

Hello, Does anyone have any photos of any other bilingual/Irish language signs used by the GSR/CIÉ? I’m looking specifically for a relatively large metal one that the GSR might have used. Thanks

Someone mentioned to me that the English font for GSR running-in boards is Gill sans or something very similar to it. The Irish is in bunchló GC, which seems to have been a pretty standard + very gorgeous seanchló from the 19th century. It, or something similar to it, seems to have been used in at least some CIÉ carriage signs until the 1950s. You can download it here at gaelchlo.com, along with keyboard extensions which allow you to use poncanna séimhithe and other interesting things – e.g. ṁ, ı, and ⁊. There are several stylistic sets included in the font, including new and old versions of the tironian et, as well as new and old versions of 's' (ſ) and 'r' (ɼ). You don't need a licence to use the font to write in a Celtic language. Here are some samples:

Thank you, good idea. Will see what we can do

Found some of what is hopefully the original livery on the coach

Thanks – they were able to provide the colours for our BCDR and GSWR coaches, not sure whether that was because they provided paint to them themselves or because they have the records of another company. I emailed them a while ago and I think their records only go back to the start of the 20th century

The people at Downpatrick are thinking of colours for the Ulster coach... does anybody have any ideas on specifics? We know that it was 'brick red' but that's not very helpful! Would anyone happen to have the RAL numbers for e.g. the Indian Red on the Manx or Furness locos?

Would anybody have any details of the interior of 900? There was a photo online I think of it after withdrawal but I can't find it. GSWR 69 at Downpatrick is being rebuilt to a configuration similar to 900 and I'd be very interested to see some photos of the inside of the original for inspiration.

Hi all, To what extent was the Irish language used by Irish railways in their signage/tickets/etc before the creation of the Free State in 1922 and the GSR in 1924-5? Does anyone know of any railways that had a bilingual policy prior to this period? I'd be particularly interested to learn about the use of Irish on railways in what is now Northern Ireland. Thanks

We have held a few autism-friendly events before at the railway at Downpatrick, e.g. events with no music, reduced passenger numbers, and dimmed lighting. We're looking into doing more in the future, as well has having ear defenders, a quiet space specifically for neurodivergent people, and calm bags for both adults and children.

Don’t suppose anyone has a list of the letters in English and seanchló/Irish used by the GSR on its running in boards, or know the name of a similar font?

Very well done to IÉ and the IRRS for making this possible. I’m very tempted to go on the IRRS railtour, but I can’t afford a hotel in Cork! Táilte Tours put up a great article about the 2600s a few weeks ago – you can read it here

Well, 90 was running railtours on the mainline not so long ago…

Unfortunately I was unable to go due to a personal commitment and my replacement had to pull out at the last minute due to a medical emergency, so we were unable to attend. Hopefully the run-up to the next model show won't be so unlucky!

If they do release an 80 class, and if they do a DCDR version, I hope it’ll be 69+749 rather than 90+752. It’d be hard to get the graffiti on 90 and the rust on 752 exactly right.

It’s alive! FullSizeRender.MOV

We have a table booked. We’ve been to a few model shows before accepting donations and selling stock from our shop

Can we get back on topic please?

It’s useless to us and it originally worked in Britain for BR, so I’m not going to lose any sleep over it.