Mol_PMB

Fascinating history and beautifully presented in the maps. Thank you for sharing!

I think this looks like a great idea. It could easily be compressed to a manageable size without losing the functionality. And loads of scope for modelling al those little details to bring the scene to life.

This is not my area of expertise. However, I know that there was a modification needed to the wiring in the A class to make some lightling functions work - I think that may have only affected the cab lights though? @Fowler4f knows more and may be able to advise? Also, is the function mapping on your new chip matched to the A class functions? It ought to be possible to re-map the functions on any/most chip types - again, not my area of expertise. You shouldn't have to buy an IRM chip. On the other hand, an IRM chip should come set up correctly in the first place, so it may be the easiest solution. But at present, only sound chips seem to be available for the A class: https://www.accurascale.com/collections/cie-a-class Sorry this isn't as helpful as it might be.

Thanks John, those are nice clear shots. I suspect these buffets had mostly ceased being used in railcar sets by the time the B4 bogies were fitted - I haven’t found any photos of B4-fitted examples in railcar sets. According to the list I’m working from, none of the side-corridor coaches on triangulated underframes and commonwealth bogies were through-wired to work with the railcars. It was only some of the older batch with conventional underframes. I do have plenty more types to cover in future posts. I’ll probably be looking at some of the suburban types next.

Hence why I asked for a verbal update at Derby - see previous post. I was also told that they will have a lot more Irish samples/models to see at the Dublin show, but there might be a bit of a wait until the next IRM new tooling announcement. I think the AS side of the business is very busy at present - must be all these people buying badgers

Agreed, I enjoyed my walk along the Fenit greenway because the bus service now provided from Tralee is 10 times better than the rail passenger service ever was - and that mostly ceased nearly 100 years ago! But the infrastructure for routes with future rail traffic potential should be protected for rail. Incidentally on the Fenit route I was surprised how users were really discouraged/prevented from leaving the route mid-way. I was hoping to stop off half-way to visit one of the village pubs/restaurants but the signage and fencing was so forbidding that I didn't. Is the local opposition to these greenways so great that they don't want the tourists' business?

CIE buffet cars 2419-2422 A further batch of 4 buffet cars followed in 1956. These had similar bodies to the previous group, but were mounted on triangulated underframes and commonwealth bogies. This 1960 photo by Roger Joanes shows a railcar and buffet car probably both in the lighter green introduced in the late 1950s: Other images of this small fleet in railcar formations are as follows: https://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000305513 https://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000306045 https://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000305041 Diesel Dawn (Flanagan) p62 Diesel Dawn (Flanagan) p101 Distinctive features of these coaches' bodies are the same as described for the earlier buffet cars. However, the underframes adopted the new triangulated design. The welded trusses were set behind the solebar, with the battery boxes and some diagonal braces in front of them. Commonwealth bogies were fitted, and originally the underframes and bogies were painted silver. Even looking in the distance down the train, this extract from one of the NLI photos linked above shows a clear contrast between the older underframe and bogies of the nearer open third, and the new design of the buffet car beyond: It's worth noting here that while CIE built large numbers of carriages on the triangulated underframe with commonwealth bogies, not many of them were through-wired for railcar operation, and most of those were Park Royals. More to follow in due course...

CIE buffet cars 2405 to 2418 In 1953/4 CIE introduced a batch of buffet cars, intended to run with the new railcars and in loco-hauled trains. As well as the buffet counter they seated 39 passengers. All 14 vehicles were through-wired from new, and photos indicate that they commonly used with the railcars on longer-distance trains. They soon displaced the motley collection of GSWR and DSER catering cars which had been through-wired for the first few years of railcar operation. (I'll deal with those in a later post in this thread) The construction was very similar to the coaches described above: a conventional wooden-framed body clad with steel panels, on a conventional welded steel underframe riding on GSR-type bogies. The earliest photos showing them in service in railcar formations date from 1954. The IRRS Journal no.184 page 66 shows a typical railcar express formation of the period (5th September 1954), including one new buffet car which is clearly a lighter colour than the other carriages and railcars. This correlates with a statement by Kennedy (in the IRRS journal for June 1965, Issue No. 37) that these buffets were painted in an experimental lighter green livery. On the other hand, the buffet in this 1955 photo by Ernie seems to be the same colour as the other vehicles. Perhaps only a few were finished in the light green livery? Note that the buffet does not carry a snail or class designations. Here’s another in the darker green without snail, seen in colour: https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53449371036 Later the fleet received the standard light green, and in this livery the toilet window was usually painted green rather than white, as seen here in 1961. They also gained a snail, but did not have a class designation on the doors: https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54419498281 That livery is also shown nicely in colour in IRRS Journal no.181 page 325. ‘Irish Standard Gauge Railways’ (Middlemass) page 59 also has a very clear photo of 2407 in the light green livery with snail. Finally they were painted in black and tan, as seen here in the mid-1960s. https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53511770454 However, by this time most long-distance services were loco-hauled and the railcars were increasingly used on secondary and suburban routes which did not require a catering service. The buffet cars were transferred to loco-hauled trains. There are some other photos of these coaches in railcar sets: https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53498712396 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53498866628 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/51907327499 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53511297176 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53511798629 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54252072952 https://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000305183 https://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000305580 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53511772699 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54256773881 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53446886101 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishswissernie/51981716040 Book references of photos showing these carriages in railcar sets are as follows: Rails around Dublin (Murray) p53 Railways in Ireland part 4: GS&W (Bairstow) p15 Railways in Ireland part 4: GS&W (Bairstow) p17 IRRS Journal no.61 p71 Railways in Ireland part 3: DSE/MGW etc (Bairstow) p37 Irish Railways 40 Years of Change (Boocock) p23 The Railways of the Republic of Ireland (Baker) p44 IRRS Journal no.182 p348 Irish Railways in Colour (Ferris) vol.2 p13 IRRS Journal no.185 p162 Distinctive features of these coaches are an underframe with welded trusses directly beneath the solebar, and some large vents on the roof. The bodysides are asymmetrical with different arrangements each side. From left to right, the kitchen side has a door, 3 large windows, a door, then a blank panel, 3 narrow frosted windows, 2 large windows and a door. The other side has a door, 5 large windows, a door, 3 large windows and a door. The right-hand full-size window is frosted/white, later painted green.

I've found some time for the next chapter, covering the most numerous group of AEC railcar trailers: CIE open thirds 1356-1371 In 1953 CIE introduced a batch of open thirds specifically intended to run with the new railcars. All 16 vehicles were through-wired from new, and photos indicate that they were the most common type of trailer used with the railcars. This CIE official photo shows one of the open thirds when newly-introduced in July 1953: Ernie also has a photo from September 1953: These coaches were delivered with their green livery enhanced by an eau-de-nil waist line, 2” wide and 1.5” below the unpainted window frames. The railcars themselves had a similar waist line, but had shallower windows so the lining was about 6” higher up on the railcars than on the open thirds. Colour photos indicate that the green shade matched that on the railcars, which may have been a slightly different shade from the green used on earlier CIE carriages. As first built, they did not carry the snail logo or any class designations, though 2 was added to the doors after 1956 when they were reclassified as open seconds. This photo from Roger Joanes shows a typical 3-car set with one of the open thirds: And this IRRS photo shows a similar set in colour: https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53511728190 These two colour photos from Ernie also show them in lined dark green: By the early 1960s some had acquired a snail logo on their dark green livery, while others may have been repainted in the lighter green livery (it’s hard to tell in many monochrome photos): https://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000305399 In the mid-1960s they were repainted in black and tan, and carried that scheme until withdrawal after the railcars had been converted to push-pull sets: https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54257011769 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53508120562 There are many other photos of these coaches in railcar sets: https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishswissernie/53853633474 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53498866628 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/51907327499 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53511297176 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishswissernie/50193815228 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53498866623 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53511798629 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53511297171 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54252073207 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54253212404 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53813452669 https://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000304738 https://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000305041 https://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000305284 https://www.flickr.com/photos/110691393@N07/11400376815 https://www.flickr.com/photos/110691393@N07/11400431675 https://www.flickr.com/photos/110691393@N07/11400441724 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54253392935 https://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000305513 https://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000305580 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53511183996 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53511252101 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53511620953 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53511772649 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53511772684 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53511772694 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53511886465 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53569647147 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53569647147 https://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000306045 https://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000306086 https://irishrailwaymodeller.com/uploads/monthly_2015_12/__3-20-1.jpg.9ae2e802cad805469ad9216c29a02039.jpg https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53449371036 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53511453276 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54255514105 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54256773881 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54257011844 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54419477551 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53445962742 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54418616292 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53446886166 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53447019408 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53447203244 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53506625071 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53447019273 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53505734222 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54257199340 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53570446526 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53507047915 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53511468903 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53527604884 Book references of photos showing these carriages in railcar sets are also very numerous: Rails around Dublin (Murray) p53 The Cork, Bandon and South Coast Railway Vol.3 (Creedon) p25 The Cork, Bandon and South Coast Railway Vol.3 (Creedon) p35 IRRS Journal no.61 p71 Rails around Dublin (Murray) p14 Railways in Ireland part 3: DSE/MGW etc (Bairstow) p37 Irish Railways 40 Years of Change (Boocock) p23 Irish Railways 40 Years of Change (Boocock) p23 Railways in Ireland part 3: DSE/MGW etc (Bairstow) p23 The Railways of the Republic of Ireland (Baker) p44 West Cork Railways - Birth, Beauty and Betrayal (Larkin) p100 West Cork Railways - Birth, Beauty and Betrayal (Larkin) p101 West Cork Railways - Birth, Beauty and Betrayal (Larkin) p131 West Cork Railways - Birth, Beauty and Betrayal (Larkin) p92 Diesel Dawn (Flanagan) p101 Railways in Ireland part 4: GS&W (Bairstow) p45 The Waterford, Limerick & Western Railway (Shepherd) p29 Diesel Dawn (Flanagan) p62 IRRS Journal no.182 p348 IRRS Journal no.186 back cover Cork Bandon & South Coast Railway (Shepherd) p76 Irish Railways in Colour (Ferris) vol.2 p13 IRRS Journal no.181 p325 Rails Through North Kerry (Beaumont/Carse) p75 Rails around Dublin (Murray) p16 Diesel Dawn (Flanagan) p101 Rails Through North Kerry (Beaumont/Carse) p59 Rails Through North Kerry (Beaumont/Carse) p96 Rails around Dublin (Murray) p53 In Colin Holliday’s list, 1364 and 1367 have a note that they were compatible with the GNR AEC railcars. I suspect this was a later adjustment as when these vehicles were built the GNR was still a separate company. Distinctive features of these coaches are an underframe with welded trusses directly beneath the solebar, and the body has 8 large windows alongside the seating bays in the saloon. One door is at the end, but at the opposite end of the carriage there is a full-height white toilet window between the door and the end of the carriage.

Superb work! The open window is a nice touch.

My resolve is weakening with all this badger talk. I always preferred the HST styling of the class 89 over the angular shape of other electric classes. I need more patience and willpower!

It's the one I would have gone for, too. I always preferred Executive over Swallow, on HSTs as well.

A very neat idea. Over time, I suspect that slight flexing or warping of the lever may cause problems in getting both sets of switch blades seated properly at the same time. So one set of blades will seat while the others are still in mid-position. You might need a way of making fine adjustments to the central pivot position to correct this.

OK, just as long as its not

I’m sure you will badger us with plenty of photos of yours!

What I need is for AS/IRM to announce something that fits my existing interests, so I can throw money in their direction without being distracted by another new whim of the week. Anything for my Swiss Om theme is highly unlikely, but I would settle for one of these in O gauge (perfect follow-up to the 88DS): Or I’d have at least three of these in 4mm scale (a natural development of the A class): I really have no use for a badger, despite my youthful memories of it, which are quite striking.

Are you STILL badgering me? I have not yet ordered one, though the shiny quartered buffers keep looking at me... In the dim and distant past, I recall that I had a cab ride in it, up and down a siding at Brush Loughborough. I was on a technical visit of some kind, and it was probably there for repair. My current line of defence is that they're out of stock at AS, and if I were to order from Rails I wouldn't get the AS loyalty points. There is also the small issue that I have nowhere to run it - I have only 21mm, 22.2mm and 32mm gauge track.

It was supposed to be backed up before - they were let down by their third-party storage provider, it wasn't the fault of those running the forum. It's still pretty common for RMweb posts to randomly disappear!

RMW certainly isn't an example to quote for good picture storage! There was a massive data crash a couple of years back and over a years' worth of missing images.

Yes, that’s basically what I did though I used very thin plastic (about 5 thou) and embossed the detail of the nails holding it on. In reality the cladding seems to have slightly different sized panels on each van. My impression from photos is that the GNR nailed on thin sheeting, while the GSR replaced the planks with boards. Some of the GSR ones have a different arrangement at the edges of the roof, with no overhang. There are many different variants to go at!

This weekend I have made some more progress on several wagon projects. Three IRCH goods vans from @leslie10646's last few kits of this type (GNR 10 ton van) I am building the left-hand one as an MGWR 'convertible', the middle one as a GNR vac-fitted, and the right-hand one as a GNR unfitted, with the sides covered in thin sheeting nailed on. They all have a variety of different details added to them. I'm planning to use etched W-iron assemblies to make these suit 21mm gauge. I'm also waiting on a few bits from Wizard Models to complete them. Also the Walrus has reached the paint shop stage, though I have yet to tackle re-gauging the bogies. I know it doesn't suit the time period of the others! I also know I need to add some more black paint on the solebar, but I've mislaid my lining pen so I've had to buy a replacement.

It's all about the badgers with you this week, DJD! Have you got yours yet? (with apologies to LNWRW1 for the thread drift!)

Good to hear from you, and there's really no need to apologise. Though I do like the style of an official notice from the management of your railway! Great to hear that you have been working with some like-minded people at Stradbally and have found that helps you. Keep at it! You might even find that working on the real thing is so satisfying that the models take a back seat for a while - that certainly happened to me. But good to hear you have some model projects in the pipeline and I look forward to hearing about them. Also, it would be interesting to hear what you've been working on at Stradbally. Even shovelling sh!t seems more rewarding when you're working as part of a team towards a bigger objective.

Very nice subtle weathering there. The grime seems to depend to some extent on traffic levels - busy lines get heavier doses of brake dust etc. Also of course there's localised deposits where locos stand still for a while. I think you've got it spot on.

Now that is looking superb! Very nicely designed, drawn and built.