Mol_PMB

OK, so having been succumbed to temptation I've had a quick lunchtime scan through Flickr and found the following relating to the black and tan full brakes, and other late survivors. They were not all the same type. There was a group with a high elliptical roof and square-cornered panelling. These included 79, seen here withdrawn at Mullingar in 1969 (post-withdrawal) in black and tan: TAD_GSWR_79_Mullingar_14_April_1969 | [Photographer: Tom A D… | Flickr These two photos from Ernie show 71, of the same type, in light green livery in 1961: 69 at Downpatrick was originally one of these, though it is undergoing significant modification. Interesting history on this page: GSWR 69 - Downpatrick and County Down Railway Then there was another type that was distinctly different in appearance, with arc roof and round-cornered panelling. 1077 of this type was on a major railtour in 1964 and there are lots of photos of it; the 3 below are from Ernie on Flickr: Here's sister 1078 in green, a livery which shows the panelling more clearly: There was another of this type in black and tan, number 18 seen in these photos by Ernie, in Cork in 1962 Based on the height of the orange on the waist panel, I think this is the same van in Tralee in 1963: Searching back on the forum, this is a very useful thread: This lists the GSWR full brakes withdrawn post 1960 with 3 in service post 1964 the last withdrawn in 1970 the oldest lasting longest in typical GSWR fashion. Strangely 1077 isn't on the list, but the other vans illustrated above are all there: No.18 1905-1964 No.69 1888-1968 No.71 1911-1966 No.72 1898-1962 No.79 1887-1970 No.116 1887-1962 No.1070 1908-1961 No.1073 1908-1961 No.1078 1908-1963

I'm delighted to see that those 7mm scale GNR items have found a good home!

I have weakened as well, and ordered just one. It will no doubt need widening in both body and wheels. Now I need to do some research into how many actually received black and tan livery, and how different they were from the Genesis model. Should have done that research before purchase really, but as you say it's a case of grab it while you can.

Just imagine a whole fleet of them, maybe interspersed with a few twin-engined Sulzer monsters! Some of the planned smaller turf-burner variants with B-B wheel arrangement for the branch lines. And a fleet of Drumm battery trains for the suburban services. Everything painted silver!

That's interesting. Equally I have seen IRM posts in subsequent years that have declared Project 42 'complete'... I've ordered some Cambrian bogies and I'm going to have a go at grafting in some IRM wheelsets complete with rotating axle ends.

It seems one of the dropside wagons survives (or survived) at Dunsandle. Based on the buffers I'm guessing this is a GSR or GSWR built one. I don't suppose IRM measured it up on their visit to the corrugated wagon? Photo by Fred Dean on Flickr:

Nice view of an Irish Ferryways 20' box here at Loughrea; I don't think there were facilities for lifting containers here so presumably it was unloaded at the end dock? I'm presently looking at options for modelling an Irish Ferryways container, either 20' as here or 30'.

The book on CC1 does give details on testing and the loco must have been instrumented with manometers and pyrometers to provide that data, which were presumably read manually and jotted down on paper. There’s no indication of measurements of drawbar pull, or of the continuous recording of data on a chart recorder, as would be expected with a dynamometer car. They seem to have been more interested in the enormous quantity of oil needed to replenish the motion, and the number of carriages set on fire by the exhaust!

More likely giving it a good kicking for nit-picking the details on their models! Which are still streets ahead of what was available before, and are responsible for getting me back into the Irish modelling hobby. I am gradually demonstrating how to address them; I've just ordered a batch of replacement bogies...

Indeed, there's no evidence of any instrumented vehicle in the description of the turf burner tests, which would surely have been a perfect opportunity for one to be used.

I do think the preserved kettles have a better chance than others, purely because they can appeal to people modelling the diesel era as well as the historic periods. 186, 4, and 171 are probably the front runners on that score, but who could resist a model of 'Uranus'? 461 would be a bold move, being a very small class with geographically limited operation, but it's a good-looking loco!

Part of me is hoping that once IRM have got through the busy period of deliveries this month, they might tempt us by announcing something new... I'm also hoping that there will be some dregs from the deliveries of bulk grain vans that I can get my hands on, having missed out on the pre-orders for those. Believe it or not a single pack of the Bulleid flats turned up on the website this week, which is now hopefully winging its way to me.

I'm glad someone picked up on that reference!

Your post has got me thinking about what facilities there were in Ireland for testing locos quantitatively. Was there a dynamometer car or equivalent - perhaps as part of the Inchicore trial train? This vehicle looks like it's more than just a dead weight, but I've no idea if it had any instrumentation on board: https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53509446540 The answer may be in the book about CC1; I'll have to have a look when I get home later.

Very nice indeed. Perfect for comparing the performance of a V and a VS on the Enterprise? Or seeing what speed a WT is capable of? Santa brought me some of your kits and some of John's as well, which have been keeping me entertained.

Or if you’re into 7mm scale this GNR 0-6-0 may be of interest: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/356461487147?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=1CFIlaF6R9G&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=PWnBnL0RQpq&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

When I spotted it and linked it here, I thought it would sell in no time!

In this thread, Leslie posted a photo of a container that looks like the Tardis, loaded into a wagon: Well here's another Tardis-like container, though not quite the same, in a corrugated open wagon: https://www.kennellyarchive.com/media/730d4686-b00b-442e-940c-8dc46c88082a This is a BR insul-meat container that has ventured as far as Tralee: https://www.kennellyarchive.com/media/39c56ad9-d5c2-4fcd-953e-c6112f4cf106 And some miniature Jacobs containers also on a CIE lorry in Tralee: https://www.kennellyarchive.com/media/c048e730-dd69-4c1c-89d3-a3df79c41335 Then, in the background of a pigeon release, some nice closeups of more BR containers in Tralee: https://www.kennellyarchive.com/media/af458547-4b99-4cff-8bdf-6f9ab9a75dd6 https://www.kennellyarchive.com/media/4e6c2451-1832-4873-bc2f-b2bf24f391b1 https://www.kennellyarchive.com/media/ba9cf93b-07b7-4dd5-a1fd-1045d8472d57 https://www.kennellyarchive.com/media/01043e76-b155-4e24-865a-9346b038bc33 On the right, I think these are some of CIE road freight division's Livestock containers. I expect these were used as swapbodies rather than containers. as I can imagine that lifting a container full of cows could end badly. https://www.kennellyarchive.com/media/037e5e44-9cd4-4ffb-a6c4-94a0e9aa5113

A nice closeup view of an early alloy Bell container, in 1969: https://www.kennellyarchive.com/media/462aef0d-846b-4ca5-94ce-a67d7fd63275 Note that this one is lettered BELL FERRY. Others in this early period carried BELL LINE or just BELL. This could be done quite effectively on Arran's 20x8 flush sided box. I believe the BELL FERRY lettering was in petunia - note that the FERRY is in outline letters. Plenty more of them here seen more distantly: This link has a rather nice selection of Bell containers too: https://www.trucknetuk.com/t/looking-for-bell-line-pics/104367/31 I think the boxes on top of the stack on the far right are the same as in the Kennelly Archive picture linked above, which gives us an idea of how the lettering was arranged on the door end. Early Bell containers seen in colour here in the IRRS archive: https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53527508288 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53570895910

These photos in the Kennelly Archive nicely show some of the PW dropside wagons in use near Killarney in 1969. https://www.kennellyarchive.com/media/85465dd2-b161-4a18-9a8d-7d17955fa3e6 https://www.kennellyarchive.com/media/9903c0e4-3717-421f-ba82-d6bf79b167b1 https://www.kennellyarchive.com/media/e293adf6-8c61-4576-ba2d-e62179d4423c https://www.kennellyarchive.com/media/78fdfa00-285c-4667-8ae3-5ded7c82386d Wagons with visible numbers include: 24078, of the 1949 batch built by CIE 24465, 24466, 24469, 24512, converted in 1964/5 from 1953-built cattle wagons A variety of liveries are visible, some very pale, some very dark, some mid-coloured with roundels.

On the subject of Elephant transport, here's a shot of Chipperfield's circus at Tralee in 1956, with a very similar-looking van: https://www.kennellyarchive.com/media/c71a26c1-a025-4c38-80dd-b934ae418461

Anyone for a J15? £305 buy it now. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/116444558104

This film is also a good watch and shows some of the prototype wagons as well as various developments of fertiliser wagon. There's another variant of door seen at 14:41. And for those who like early containers, fast-forward to 29:00 and we see some of the early 42'9" flats in use amongst a lot of 4-wheelers. Other treats are the Burmah tankers, and an E class in action around Cork.

There are some interesting photos of newly-built wagons at Inchicore in the IRRS Flickr archive too. Here's brand new 30030: https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53511746390 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53527754500 The same underframe type was used for the fertiliser wagons, of course. The protoype (and perhaps some of the early production wagons, given that one of these photos is captioned 35017) also had the Ride Control bogies, and mesh doors: https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53526421817 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53570775949 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53511313966 The June 1973 IRRS Journal says: ...The other 22ft 6in flat is a prototype fertiliser wagon, and a 42ft 9in bogie flat No. 30085 has been similarly modified. A prototype 60ft Sundries Van has also been completed. These three vehicles are now on trial, and all three bear the designation "EX" but the 22ft 6in fertiliser wagon and the Sundries Van bear no other numbers. The second series of 50 of the 42ft 9in bogie flat wagons is now in progress, and it is understood that these will be built specially for fertiliser traffic... This film shows an early fertiliser wagon (maybe the prototype) with mesh doors and ride control bogies being unloaded, and then standard ones with ply doors and Sambre et Meuse bogies being built. The other two prototypes mentioned also make an appearance:

A little light relief for a Sunday morning - another container. This is based on a C=Rail unpainted 20' ribbed box, which I have altered to represent a CIE bulk grain container. With a coat of orange paint and the CIE 'BULK FREIGHT' lettering on the side it should provide a bit of variety in the liner train.