Mol_PMB

The Michael O’Leary of the joinery world?

I think only D304 carried BnT when in service, and then quite briefly. Photos from Ernie dated 1965: D302 was also painted in the scheme in 1963, probably while 'stopped', but may not have re-entered normal traffic afterwards. The tan band on D302 was not as deep, as shown on these IRRS images (you'll need to be a member): https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54255284994/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54419865305/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53527323881/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53526421872/ All five locos ended their lives in black livery, though there were variants even then! The records are confusing, and I have read that some D class were retained to provide backup power to the port facilities at Rosslare long after they were actually used as shunters.

What a distinctive house and a beautiful model!

The sun's shining and I've managed to finish off a couple more stalled projects, so the photo plank is being deployed again! The Tar Bitumen tank is based on a Bachmann tank with Rumney Models etched chassis widened for 21mm gauge. Also finished off this week with glazing, couplings and final detailing is a JM Design 20t brake van, seen here with the tanker: Together with my Murphy 141, this makes a complete train for the last years of the Quartertown Mill branch: I have plans and parts for another traditional bitumen tanker, also for a bitumen tank container than can be loaded onto a flat wagon. But I have more half-finished projects to complete first!

My tar bitumen tanker model has been hanging around 90% complete for a few weeks, but I've now finally got it over the line. This is a representation of the first batch of Charles Roberts wagons, in 1960s condition. A modified Bachmann tank on a Rumney Models etched chassis widened for 21mm gauge. Also new ladders and catwalks. Heavily weathered as was typical for these. Quite a lot of effort for one wagon!

Very niceI You got further than I did.

There’s an exception to every rule! The GNR used a reddish-brown colour on its vacuum-fitted wagons, lighter and more orangey than the later CIE colour. A handful of GNR wagons were outshopped in this livery with the snail logo around the time of the dissolution of the GNRB in 1958 I modelled one based on photos, there are also photos of a couple more. Also, some CIE engineers’ wagons, including a few dropside opens and some crew mess vans, were painted shades of red-brown in the 1950s, and some of them also had snails. Photo from Ernie: So a snail on a red-brown vehicle is possible but very scarce and only on specific vehicle types.

not a model but a photo. We’re all familiar with the American locos in Ireland, but the American freight cars at Haulbowline, opposite Cobh, were very camera-shy: https://ebay.us/m/hZEkMT The IRRS archive has a couple more images of the freight cars here: https://flic.kr/p/2pwBEbH https://flic.kr/p/2pwDhL2

Some of mine were paid for in December 2024, when I (wrongly) thought delivery was imminent and wanted to avoid a surprise bill in January! I think I got a good price on them though, so I'm not complaining. I haven't yet been asked to pay for my recent extra order - though the payment due date is shown as 31st March.

I thought it was strange that the WW range of 6-wheelers almost exactly matched the variants available from SSM when there were so many other prototypes to choose from. Perhaps it was governed by the availability of drawings at the time. You’re right, the centre luggage composite is another missing type in the SSM range and in fact I have since discovered that many of these were converted into sleeping cars - including the one I have modelled. So they didn’t survive into my modelling period in original condition. JHB mentioned 30-footers and that is indeed how they are described in the official documents. I’ve got another newer 30-footer on my workbench at the moment - one of your kits.

Many thanks for the info - that explains it then. I'm glad I've got my orders in! Are there still plans to follow up with the 'main line' types, perhaps with options of the guards' and ambulance conversions, or have you all had enough of the Park Royals?

To be clear, they're not my items and I have no connection with the seller. I was just trying to be helpful - there are some less commonly-available sets amongst them which may be of interest to some forum members who missed out the first time round. The seller has also just added some Taras, more ferts and some coaches. There may be more to come. By all means get them more cheaply from Leslie if he has the ones you want. From a different seller, NIR 8113: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/397732024596

This seller presently has a lot of IRM wagons for sale : https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_dkr=1&iconV2Request=true&_blrs=recall_filtering&_ssn=model-railway-emporium&store_cat=0&store_name=modelrailwayemporium&_oac=1&_nkw=irish There are several sets each of ballasts, gypsums, fertlisers, magnesite (including the 1-off farewell wagon), 42' flats with kegs and with spoil boxes. UK-based so the prices might work out a bit steep for those in Ireland.

The sleeping car is now complete apart from the interior, so here are a few photos showing it on its own and with the other 6-wheelers: The three 6-wheelers based on SSM kits with my own additions: Hopefully there will be some Alphagraphix MGWR coaches to join these in due course. Adding in a Hattons Genesis for comparison: And finally a direct comparison of the two full brakes: I've still got 4 half-finished projects on the workbench so I'll try and get another one or two over the line this weekend.

The model is now complete, apart from an interior. It's a representation of 238A, usually based at Mallow, in its early 1960s condition. Here are some shots in the spring sunshine: I only have one cattle wagon model, and it's not really in the right livery to go with the sleeping car, but since it is a natural companion I posed this shot too: I'm hoping to find out more about the interior arrangements of these sleeping cars next weekend.

Elf was also the MGWR 2-2-2T. 'Pixie' would seem suitable. A search for the existing names (sprite, fairy, elf, imp) in Celtic methology led to this website, which also also mentions Selkies and the Sidhe: https://celticanamcara.blogspot.com/2009/03/pixies-fairies-elves-and-other-wee-folk.html 'Sidhe' would be a more unusual name than 'Pixie' (which has been used elsewhere on a steam loco) and is 'Sidhe' perhaps more specifically Irish. https://irishpagan.school/sidhe-irish-fairy-folklore/

Many thanks JHB! I completely agree that there were many factors affecting the appearance of the paint, and even more variability in how well that colour was captured on colour film of the period. I think I mentioned to you when were in Malahide the other week, that I've been compiling a list of colour images showing contrasting shades of CIE green in the same photo. Comparing two greens in the same image helps to reduce the influence of the film variables, and often the sunlight/shade differences, but the variables in the paint application and weathering remain. One of the big challenges is that reliable good quality colour film was almost unavailable in the 1940s, and scarce/expensive in the 1950s, so there are relatively few good colour images from this period. More colour photos from the 1960s are available, but by then most stock in the older dark green livery had been withdrawn or repainted, and the survivors were heavily weathered. It's also worth noting that while the colour of the dark green paint remained the same for a decade, the style of the livery changed around 1950 and there were several variants of lining, class designations, application of snails etc. There's a clear pattern to these livery variants on new-build stock, but repaints of older stock show more variety. There is some documentary evidence from an article in IRRS journal No. 37 (June 1965) by Mr. D. Kennedy, which refers to the liveries applied to new-build stock in the 1950s and early 1960s. This mentions a period in 1953/54 when several shades of brighter green were trialled on batches of new coaches, before settling on the standard 'light green' in 1955. The article indicates that the shades of brighter green trialled were unsuitable, and therefore must have been somewhet different from the 1955 light green. Now, an article published in 1965 is more contemporary than today's memories, but it was still 12 years after the 1953 period being described. It would be interesting to see if there were truly contemporary accounts in the 1950s IRRS journals mentioning the trial liveries. Unfortunately I don't have copies of the journals for that period to check. I would like to write a thread on the evolution of the green livery and I have a lot of photo references to support it, but I feel that I need to check the contemporary journals (IRRS and IRN) for more information. I don't want to perpetuate myths. Anyway, to compare with JHB's model photos, here is a wonderful selection of colour images from Ernie's collection dating from a sunny late April 1956. These two coaches appear to be in plain unlined dark green with no 3 or 2 class digits or snails (a livery applied to new-build stock from around 1950, and also to some older stock), with some weathering: Stepping to the right a bit, the same coach is visible to the left of the image, but the main subject is in a much brighter green with a fine EdN waist line, but no class digits or snails. It's 1956, and it's a sunny day, this could be standard light green. Alternatively, this may be an example of a 1953 experimental shade of bright green. Given all the vagaries of colour reproduction we may never know which. But there's no doubt it's a lot brighter than the plain dark green coach beyond. Same day in April 1956, same place, probably the same photographer, perhaps the same roll of film. The sun is still casting strong shadows so the lighting is similar. Here are three coaches in green with a fine EdN waist line, but no class digits or snails. They look quite clean. Is this light green or dark green? It's somewhere in between the two shades in the photo above. One interpretation is that the ones below are light green and the one above is 1953 experimental bright green. Or are the ones below in dark green but looking bright in the sunshine? Some new-build coaches were painted dark green with a fine EdN waist line in the 1951-2 period so it's possible. Trying to work this out makes my brain hurt, especially since I want to model this coach! Same day, the sun is still shining and I think the same photographer has taken a train to Youghal to capture this lovely image. The old GSWR clerestory is in plain dark green, heavily weathered and looking almost grey. The coach beyond it appears to be freshly painted in standard light green. This photo is from a different collection and doesn't have a confirmed date, but just look at the dramatic colour contrast between the freshly-painted AEC railcar and the weathered old plain dark green coach behind it! By the 1960 date of this next photo we would expect that most stock would have been repainted in the light green livery which had been introduced in 1955. These coaches also all have '2' class digits on the doors which were introduced in 1956, and the leading one has a snail. The leading coach is undoubtedly freshly painted in standard light green. My gut feel is that the others are also painted light green, but with several years of weathering accounting for the duller, darker colour. But I can't prove it and other interpretations are certainly possible. I'll stop now as I'd better get back to some modelling!

I was thinking the same. I’d take a couple of damaged ones for half price as the basis for conversion projects.

Many thanks for the update, I fully agree with your course of action and now i have an understanding of the situation I am happy to wait until the packaging is redesigned and tested. I appreciate that this must be extremely frustrating for you, thank you for persevering to achieve the top quality. From what we can see in that image, the model looks superb.

Wonderful progress and no doubt a unique model! I look forward to seeing this develop.

If it’s any consolation, I’ve given up on a lot of kits in a fit of frustration! But everything I build is a learning experience and over 40-odd years my skills have improved, and I’ve been able to afford better tools too. There are still many people whose skills I can only aspire to match, but I’ve reached a level I’m happy with after a lot of learning. The SSM GNR brake van is quite a challenging kit to complete well, even now!

Development of the artwork continues. The body is nearly complete, just a few more detail parts to draw and then I need to finish off the tabs: Meanwhile the underframe is catching up. This will be a separate etch so that it can potentially be used with other body variants. There's still a fair bit to draw on this, and then I need to configure it all onto an etched sheet:

I'm aware of several smaller Swiss preservation outfits that have recently transitioned from operating under the wing of their host railway, to being a TOC in their own right. There's a lot of work to achieve that, but once the approvals are all in place it makes things easier and less reliant on goodwill. Having said that. the RPSI have always been very professional - it must have been about 15 years ago when I audited their maintenance policy, practices, and the condition of their locos and rolling stock, and they came out of that very well with only a few minor observations.

Superb presentation of the layout - I love the red and cream finish. Sorry I won't be there - I'll be in Cork next weekend instead.

Ah - an Optimist!