Mol_PMB

I think green RPSI Mk2s would look good with 800. It’s a hypothetical combination because neither 800 nor the Mk2s are currently running, but it’s not a big stretch of the imagination. The buffet car is a unique vehicle only made by Accurascale. The RPSI’s real Mk2s are a mixed bag from various sources and of different types. Your idea of looking at their stock list and choosing appropriate models to repaint is a good one. You may also need a ‘Dutch Van’ for your rake.

Being very busy recently but needing some relaxation I wanted a few simple projects rather than grappling with models that had to work. So I raided my small stash of road vehicles and containers for a bit of kitbashing and repainting. These aren’t quite finished yet but the new transfers have brought them to life.

Two from eBay, one from a member on here, and one from Rails of Sheffield. You need to be patient, but they will come.

The A class do come up for sale secondhand fairly frequently, at prices comparable with their original sale price. Like you, I missed out on them first time round, but I now have four, each of the four liveries I wanted. There is definitely a market for pre-Bulleid wagons, but it's been largely met by a combination of Leslie, John and Enda, many of which have been available in limited RTR runs as well as kits. There are also several British wagons that are pretty close.

I was searching for a container image on the Kennelly Archive and stumbled across some photos that hadn't come up in my previous searches. https://www.kennellyarchive.com/page/18?per_page=50&search=train Admittedly, when you search for 'train' you get a load of stuff about sports teams, but amongst them are a couple of hundred railway photos. Silver G602 when brand new, one of several images showing it shunting various wagons: https://www.kennellyarchive.com/media/e9d3e2ac-e593-47e4-8ad7-9a6e851516be-cie-goods-depot Nice view of the brake gear under a goods van: https://www.kennellyarchive.com/media/08ae083f-9c15-4884-9c01-d9997c995f68-train-derailment I've heard of cattle wagons with roofs, and without, but this is half rice half chips: https://www.kennellyarchive.com/media/dfce24aa-2fa8-4453-8813-42e10b795dd0-valentia There are also a good selection of images of weddings where the happy couple set off on their honeymoon by train, and some of these give some useful closeups of carriage details. In each case there are several different views. Compartment compo 2124 in 1955, with some MGWR 6-wheelers beyond: https://www.kennellyarchive.com/media/413087e0-3568-42e7-9fd4-39dccbcca2e7-the-train-for-renard Here's a detail view of compartment second 1352 in 1956: https://www.kennellyarchive.com/media/d1567468-f269-413d-a492-08833973d8b9-a-wedding Laminate open second 1433 in 1960: https://www.kennellyarchive.com/media/2e3527c8-d519-4c30-9e2f-d61042e5d582-the-o-brien-wedding 4 years later and 1433 again, with a coat of paint this time: https://www.kennellyarchive.com/media/d5936a45-049b-4e95-a56c-3dc0ec27df96-a-photo-of-newlyweds-on-a-train Closeup of the cab of an AEC railcar in 1960: https://www.kennellyarchive.com/media/e90330b3-5c8b-4452-9ff7-f3631f263bfd-padraig-kennelly-junior And an even closer look inside, four years later: https://www.kennellyarchive.com/media/6dcf8e97-e9bb-4a9e-a890-1a6cb2c41ecf-a-cie-train-driver-in-casement-station-in-tralee GSWR compartment third 1311 in 1956: https://www.kennellyarchive.com/media/6d7ff800-8305-41b6-8ba3-a27b138f0884-locke-sheehy-wedding I think this is a GNR elephant van in Tralee in 1956. It wasn't just pigeons that sent bogie vans far afield! https://www.kennellyarchive.com/media/c71a26c1-a025-4c38-80dd-b934ae418461-chipperfields-circus This must be the interior of a special saloon of some sort: https://www.kennellyarchive.com/media/2f43eee3-704b-4150-9815-ce5f9247ccc3-the-festival-of-kerry-rose-tour And for the sports team images I kept scrolling past, their training must have paid off because they got to have a train trip too! A useful interior view of a more typical carriage: https://www.kennellyarchive.com/media/7c862063-3a6e-4512-800f-6ccdccc8e5d3-the-all-ireland-senior-football-semi-final I even found one of my GSWR gangwayed open thirds in the background of one image: The Kennelly Archive has much more than railways, but there is a good deal of railway interest within it. Mostly Co. Kerry. It's worth a look.

It’s always a treat to get a new sheet of transfers from Precision Decals. This will keep me busy for a while! Some will be used on the Park Royals when they arrive. There are a few 7mm scale transfers in there too, but not for me.

I like the ferry idea. I’ve sailed across the Irish Sea on at least two train ferries, but both were the wrong gauge for Ireland.

Interesting to revisit this after 6 years, and some of the projects now being delivered have been nearly as long in gestation. I agree that the C class, 80 Class, BGSV and AEC railcars / push-pulls should be high on the list with wide appeal. With the Park Royal snack cars we do at least have some sort of catering car, though they were fairly short-lived in that form. The same underframe and bogies could be used as the basis for the third batch of CIE buffet cars. For wagons, the 3D printed developments initially by John and now by Enda are expanding the possibilities greatly. I had thought that the 20’ wagons not yet produced by IRM (pallet cement, container flats, double beets, zinc, barytes etc.) would be a natural family for IRM to do next, but some of those are now already in Enda’s range and it may only be a matter of time before more are added. Other locos? Well Accurascale have said that no range is complete without a shunter*. I think a G611 or an E421 are the more likely options, on the basis that some still exist. For any future steam loco it would make sense to choose a preserved class in the RPSI or DCDR fleet as that would suit both historic and modern modellers. J15, Jeep, or GNR 4-4-0? *in their publicity for the class 08 model

That's a very good approach - and they look like excellent models. At the very least I need to regauge mine before I can run them. But I always like to make my models a bit different, even if it's just renumbering, adding class designations etc.

This old panoramic photo of Albert Quay / Rocksavage in August 1910 sold on eBay recently. 1911 RP Panorama Cork City Railway Road Bridge Real Photo Cork Ireland Scarce | eBay UK Some interesting roof detail on the wagons, ideal for modellers.

I'm going to develop my plans once they have arrived and I've taken one apart - at present I don't know how easy that will be. Things like whether the roof is integral with the sides, how easy it is to extract the window glazing etc. Some of my work will just be changing details, swapping bits around and partial/full repaints. I have an idea to draw some etched sides and ends for alternative bodies that could go on the same chassis. The laminate seconds built immediately after the Park Royals are an obvious candidate because their interior layout was identical to the Park Royals, so the interior could be re-used too. Another option would be one of the 1953 composites of traditional construction built just before the Park Royals, but those would only use the bogies, underframe and some detail parts. It would be great if those could be made available separately. I don't know whether IRM themselves have any other carriage projects in gestation that would use the same chassis/bogies. There are plenty of prototype options but few lasted beyond the early 1980s, and some were extensively modified during their lives. I suspect most types would be a bit too niche, and there are higher priorities like a BGSV. But maybe they'll surprise us.

Absolutely. Some of mine are destined to have new bodies etc.

I think I’ve read of Inchicore having labs too, possibly of a different style. Vague recollection is that they tested fuel samples? I’d have to look it up later as I’m away from home.

I’m sure I would have got better value if I’d ordered them all together. But my interests have evolved over the years that these have been in gestation and I’ve kept adding dribs and drabs.

Superb - many thanks! I like the double-deck sheep/pig wagon? They would not all have been grey - the vac-fitted wagons would have been orange-brown.

I’m fairly sure a Hunslet hauled a Cravens set on part of an ITG tour. A Park Royal, either CIE or RPSI, would be possible on a railtour. True, but they had vac brakes as well.

Since they should be arriving in close proximity I'm now idly wondering whether an NIR Hunslet ever hauled a train of Park Royals. Unlikely but not impossible.

Eeek!

A couple of photos from Ernie, I could find better ones given time. 8' type (most common in Ireland) had an equalising beam prominent on the outside of the bogie, so the vertical damper is also more obvious: 8'6" type has the equalising beam tucked inside the bogie frame, and vertical damper tucked in a bit: The BR type is slightly different again (image from John Turner on Flickr) both in suspension (prominent external swing links) and headstock shape: Modifying one type to the other will be a challenge. I'd say either leave them alone, or replace entirely. That's why it would be very helpful if IRM would provide the 8' type as a spare part. A couple more useful links to IRRS photos of bogies. A nice clear closeup of the 8' type: https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53508990164 And a couple of views of the rare Irish 8'6" type: https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53505734292 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/54251290771

Or keep leaning on IRM to make spares available from the Park Royals. There are more differences than just the wheelbase.

8ft As far as I’m aware it was only the coaches built at Inchicore in the early 1960s that received the 8’6” commonwealth bogies from new.

Super! With other pressures in life I'm struggling to find much modelling time at present, hope to get back to it soon. Models like this are inspiring.

Later this year, probably November, I will be giving an IRRS talk on CIE's AEC railcars. Initially to my local Manchester branch (also on rather flaky zoom); if it's popular I might do another performance in Ireland. My talk in Manchester will nearly coincide with the 75th anniversary of the delivery of the first CIE AEC railcars to Dublin. Here's the bodyshell of 2600 outside the Park Royal factory in late 1951, photo from brindale.co.uk: To top and tail the presentation I'd like to finish with a couple of slides on the last surviving vehicle - 6111 at Downpatrick. I was wondering if there are any long-term plans/hopes for this vehicle? If so it would be nice if I could give them some publicity. If not, I don't want to stir up enthusiasm for an impossible idea! Also I was wondering if it is feasible for me to look at the vehicle, maybe take some photos? I fully appreciate that may be impractical if there are safety issues, I just thought I'd ask. I'm visiting for the diesel gala in August but could easily extend my visit by a few days and come at a quieter time. If it's not practical I will try to use photos already in the public domain. On that topic I plan to approach a few other forum members for permission to use other selected AEC railcar photos in my presentation. I'll make contact in due course once I've worked out which images I'm interested in. Cheers, Paul

There are some strange and interesting proposal drawings from the early CIE era in the IRRS archives, including a fixed-formation DEMU or push-pull train for Dublin-Cork services. There’s a huge detailed blueprint drawing for the WCR railcars, but I didn’t see any narrow gauge carriages.

I enjoyed that. Have you got any more? P.S. Did pilgrimage specials ever run from the BCDR? P.P.S. this is a very poor attempt at a Knock Knock joke.