Mol_PMB

I've only watched the first few minutes and already seen some excellent container photos, particularly the early 'silver' (unpainted alloy) Bells. For example, from around 4:55 there are some good shots of the flush-sided type which I represented with a simple repaint of one of your boxes, top left here: In the early days of Bell, there were several subsidiaries including Bell Ferry and Bell Lines, and some of the early containers were lettered as such. I chose a Bell Ferry example that I found a photo of in Ireland; some of the photos in that youtube link show the Bell Lines equivalent. Nice to see some good photos of some of the sheet and post alloy types used by Bell in the early days too. Most of the images do seem to be in the Netherlands.

I’ve not yet stumbled across definite evidence of ACT boxes in Ireland but I expect it did happen. ACT was strongly into the refrigerated / insulated container trade of meat from Australasia to Europe, so these white 20’ insulated boxes were a big part of their 1970s fleet. In the mid-1970s they had offices across GB including Manchester and Liverpool, but none listed in Ireland. They probably relied on Irish Sea feeder services.

I think this might have been associated with the migration from IRM to AS website?

I’ll look up more info on ACT tonight or tomorrow when I have my copies of Jane’s to hand. I’ll see if they had an Irish office. These ACT boxes certainly appeared on early Freightliners and at the terminals in Manchester. In the late 60s and early 70s they were common. Seeing the circles printed on the end of the box representing the chilled air connections, you could do the same for a Manchester Liners chilled container (white, with red and black lettering). I have a copy of the original painting and lettering diagram for them.

How rich are you feeling? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/406011253132

ACT was formed by a consortium of British shipping lines and primarily traded between UK, Europe and Australia. I would expect that some of their containers would have been seen in Ireland. Certainly, containers of some of their parents (e.g. Ellerman Lines) were seen on trains in Ireland, there are some Ellerman Lines boxes here: This thread: Looking for bell line pics - UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS / OLD TIME LORRIES, COMPANIES AND DRIVERS (INTERACT - Trucknet UK includes this image: where there are a couple of early ACT containers amongst the Bells. But I'm not sure this photo is in Ireland.

Ah, wonderful - many thanks!

Very nice work on the buildings! They look like two different incidents to me. 560 and 555 appear to be opposite ways round yet each off the track in the middle of the road. 560 is on my list to build (in post-W&T condition) and I do like a loco that's been in a bit of an incident!

Most interesting, many thanks!

Mine aren't for sale, I use them for reference. Others can be found on eBay quite often, both public and WTT.

That raises an interesting question of track gauge!

Probably not legible on the pic, I have just realised. I have: - CIE summer 1961 - CIE summer 1967 - CIE winter 1968 - CIE summer 1973 - CIE winter 1975 - CIE summer 1978 - CIE Dublin Suburban summer 1983 - CIE winter 1985 - CIE winter 1986 - IR summer 1990 - NIR summer 1976 Happy to scan specific bits for others.

The red confidential branding seems to have been a 1960s/early 1970s thing, though the later WTTs have an equivalent statement that is perhaps less obvious. For what it’s worth, these are the ones I have (and arguably should not have, if they are confidential!):

https://ebay.us/m/gktWWE if you haven’t found one yet

That's an impressive and ambition programme! I keep thinking I need to stop detailing wagons and start building baseboards and track.