Mayner

The enthusiasts were not impressed! Drew wrote of the locos being incapable of steaming for a few minutes at a time and the two drivers having to open and close the regulators of the two locos in sequence to physically move the train, he described it as the most humiliating treatment he had ever seen dished out to a steam locomotive that a few years earlier were the pride of the system. To get back to Wexford 70s original question about what coaches and configurations. With no suitable RTR coaches and few suitable kits available it would require a lot of determination and time to build a suitable rake of coaches to run behind an 800 in normal mainline service. For someone wanting not strictly accurate 'layout coaches" to run in a long train behind an 800 Class the Hornby LMS Stanier coaches are similar in general outline to the Bredin coaches introduced during the mid-30s and the Bachmann early LMS corridor coach broadly similar to late GSWR/early GSR coaches which often ran mixed in the same train and the late GSR livery not dissimilar to LMS lined Crimson Lake. Someone modelling the CIE era would need to repaint their coaches, though Bachmann-Murphy Models early LMS stock may be occasionally available on the second hand market. Studio Scale models produce Bredin and GNR coaches (as used on the Enterprise) in kit form which take time and determination to assemble, 6 wheel stock particularly Brakes are likely to have run behind an 800Class. Vehicles like TPOs (Travelling Post Office) & other Non-Passenger Stock than ran on the Mails are likely to involve scratchbuilding, the GSR built on 'modern" Bredin Full Brake to run with the Steel Train, Full Brakes were earlier GSR/GSWR Stock. Perhaps IRM may produce a rtr rake of Bredin or early CIE coaches to run behind their 800 Class or even a late GSWR/early GSR side corridor coach.

Drew Donaldson wrote about 800 Class working in a "Decade of Steam" published by the RPSI in the early 1970s. I have mislaid the relevant pages but the 800 appear to have performed at their best hauling 12-14 coach trains during the Summer 1939 timetable with its fast timings and didn't steam(perform) with the lighter train loadings of the early 1950s. Its possible that the GSR initially used its recently introduced Bredin "Steel Train" complete with matching Luggage Van & re-panneled early GSR/GSWR Dining Car on the Mail behind 800, but more likely to have used a mix of Bredin, GSR & GSWR stock in normal service, the Mail would have included Travelling Post Office (TPO) & Mail Storage (Parcel Vans) in addition to passenger carrying stock. The 800s sometimes worked the short lived Amien's St-Cork section of the Enterprise during the early 50 which appears to have loaded to 8 coaches, the GNR and CIE each supplying a rake of coaches. The GNR a uniform rake of "Flush Sided" modern stock, the CIE Enterprise a mixture of "modern" CIE & GSR Bredin and vintage GSWR coaches. Its unlikely that the 800 Class hauled Park-Royal or Laminate stock in regular service the 4-6-0s were withdrawn from top-link passenger service and some withdrawn following the introduction of the A Class in 1955 before the introduction of the Park Royals. Drew Donaldson wrote of the afternoon Dublin-Cork Perishable (Passenger Coach, Non-Passenger Stock fish meat vans, horseboxes etc) being the only reliable way to travel behind steam from Dublin to Cork in the late 50s. The train was sometimes hauled by an 800 Class, on one occasion the train engine was steaming so poorly a second 800 Class was borrowed off a goods to double head the Perishible. The passengers were transferred to a following diesel hauled train, the crew "politely refusing" the enthusiasts request to remain on the double headed Perishible, who watched the double headed 800s departing barely capable of steaming for more than a couple of minutes at a time, Drew commented that both locos were in poor mechanical condition and the crews too inexperienced to operate a large complex loco like an 800. The general comment was that in their final days the 800 Class were relegated to working 'featherweight" Beet Trains so possibly an 800 with a short rake of Bulleid Opens.

Poor Harry, IRM an announce a rtr version almost as soon as you have completed your beautifully finished 3D printed version combining Killian's 3D prints and a rtr chassis, perhaps IRM are poised waiting for you and Killian to complete your MGWR Celtic Class 4-4-0 . I was in much the same situation when I modeled the BR steam era about 20 years ago when I assembled a series of large locos from DJH kits including several Austerity 2-8-0s, an 8F, Black 5 and Rebuilt West Country Pacific, Bachmann or Hornby released a highly detailed rtr version soon after I completed each kit, but each kept me occupied for 3-6 months. My West Country was mistaken for a Hornby pre-production sample during a Milton Keynes MRC club night, the give away that it was built from a kit was that it was EM gauge. An 800 makes perfect commercial sense from IRM/Accurascale perspective, although only 3 existed and were restricted to the Dublin-Cork route, just like the Hornby Dublo pacifics of the 50s a lot of people hanker after and will buy a prestigious Express Passenger locomotive. I'd probably change scale and change to some obscure prototype in order to model something different, Irish 4mm is becoming over-run with high quality rtr models, but too heavily invested in 4mm to change, I guess I still have my Irish narrow gauge IRM are unlikely to release a C&L 4-4-0 or T&D 2-6-0T maybe

E421 Returns to service in OO! I originally assembled E421 using a Shapeways "Valve Design" body on a custom built 21mm Gauge Bull-Ant chassis about 15 years ago, not satisfied with the surface finish/level of detail of the Shapeways FDM material I used the model as a guinea pig for my exercise in designing/manufacturing etched detail parts and achieved a reasonable surface finish on the 3D printed shell with automotive techniques using sandable promer fillers lots of sanding and an enamel top coat. E421 spent most of the past 15 years in a display case until I decided to dust it off and convert to OO gauge about 18 months ago for use as a shunter on a minimal space (by my standards) shunting layout. The initial conversion turned out to be a disaster as I simply pushed in the existing wheels to OO gauge without dismantling the chassis bending/distorting two of the axles. I eventually managed to get E421 to run but it turned out to be a wobbly runner with a tendency to de-rail so back to the workshop to try and turn E421 into a less wobbly runner less likely to de-rail as my MM B121s are a bit of overkill for an early 60s shunting layout. Bull-Ant bogies primarily intended for narrow gauge have a layshaft drive similar to that used in theOO9 Minitrains Baldwin of the 1960s with a 2:1? step down drive from motor to layshaft and worm and gear final drive to the individual axles. Bull-Ant use a modular system using nylon gearboxes with removable cover/keeper which bolt to a channel which forms the main chassis and a system of wings which locate both the pick up mounts and the body. The Bull-Ant wheels are a direct press fit to the axle on one side, with an insulation bush on the opposite, I managed to distort two of the axles when attempting to press the live wheels to OO gauge. Although only 2 axles were distorted I ended up replacing all three axles with 28mm steel axles supplied as part of a bulk order by Markits, I pressed the live axles to gauge using a small vice and 2mm ID brass bushes I had in stock (not sure their intended purpose. The Bull-Ant motor mount had began to work loose from the chassis and gearbox and dismantled and re-assembled the assembly using threadlock to the securing bolts to minimise the risk of the assembly working loose. E421 chassis is fitted with a large can motor complete with flywheel and only securred at one end vibration may have lead to the motor mount working loose from the chassis and gearbox, I will probabably mount the "loose end" of the motor on silicone to reduce vibration at the final commissioning/detailing/decoder fitting stage. E421 on test on DC at North Wharf, the tank wagons are from the IRM Weed Killer Train on my own 3D printed chassis and similar to Bitument Tank wagons used by CIE (but without the lagging!) Des of SSM supplied E421s decals as a special order, E421 is now fitted with Kadees with Bachmann coupler pockets fitted into slots cut in the buffer beams, I am not sure what coupler I intended fitting when I originally assembled the loco. Riveted bufferbeams, cab roof, side window frames, engine compartment doors and grills are all etched nickle silver as the original 3D printed parts were just not up to sanding. One touch was to produce rebated and see-through radiator grills. The running no on the cab have partially worn off on one side as a result of handling during re-building , my G Class G617 has almost completly lost its cab numbers because of the same problem

The final batch of 20 Bandon opens were "Standard Irish" Open Wagons added to a 1920 GSWR order of 200 opens placed with Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon. The "Standard" Irish Railway Clearing House (IRCH) open was introduced during WW1 and used by the CBSCR,GN, GSWR & Midland and basically the Standard open wagon up to the introduction of the Bulleid opens in 1956. The majority of 'Standard opens" appear to have been built on a steel underframe (with variation in axleguard detail), though the GN and some GSR opens had wooden underframes. Main spotting difference between Irish and LMS 5 plank opens were the Irish wagons were had six plank sides and ends and Irish single lever brakegear quite unlike the LMS wagons in appearance. My version of the Standard Open based on drawing of a GSWR wagon was my second best seller after the CIE 20T Brake van was 21mm convertible. One customer bought the chassis separately to convert British Outline to Irish Outline wagons. To follow on from Lesley, JM Design produced 3 variations of the CIE 20T Brake mainly in RTR format, GSWR/GSR/CIE Standard Open, CIE LMA Covered Wagon (1952) CIE 1946 H Van, GSWR/GSR/CIE Covered Van Planked & Sheeted Body, GSR/Ranks Bulk Grain in RTR & Kit format between 2021-2024. No l;onger produced but may show up on seccond hand market. Leslies large GNR van Covered Wagon is the same design as Vans built for the MGWR & GSR, the Midland being the Midland built roughly 1/2 of its IRCH Standard Covered Wagons as Convertibles with a removable canvas cover to the centre of the roof, but the same profile as a H (hard topped) Van. Those that hanker after an old style arc roof Convertible SSM produce white metal kits of both the GSWR & MGWR versions some of which survived in to the late 50s. One of my favourite photos from this era is of a Mail Train being made up at Sligo a mix of almost new Bulleid 4W Heating & Luggage vans topping and tailing a MGWR 6w TPO dating from the 1880s and a MGWR Fish/Meat van from the early 1890s, most likely hauled to Mullingar by a Silver A CLass

I have a number of sets of Comet coach sides etches stashed away for the past 40 years with the intention of building a Rosslare 12 wheeler, as JHB commented the window sizes/spacing of LMS & GSWR pannelled stock don't match. While etched coach sides would be a good option its uncertain whether there is enough interest/demand among Southern modellers to make it worthwhile for someone to produce a set of etched sides for a GSWR coach let alone a rtr model. Its telling that Worsley Works produce scratchbuilders parts for 11 Types of NCC, 12 Types of GNR, 4Types of DNGR coaches, 3 different types of railcars for GN/UTA modellers. "Southern" models are restricted to 7 GSWR 6 wheelers (partially duplicated with SSM), a Pullman Coach, CIE era Laminate (2 coaches) Park Royal & Cravens (the last two duplicated by RTR stock)

Battery trains returning to Dublin suburban services 93 years after Drumm Battery trains A&B entered regular service between Dublin & Bray in 1932

Haven't had time to do anything on the flats during the past few weeks, but planning to review and update the artwork during the next four weeks. On the plus side Ivan has provided info on the Dave Bradwell springing units and I located one of the original test etches useful in checking the fit of some of the parts. My initial thoughts is to half etch a section of the W Iron assembly which can be removed (filed away) to allow vertical movement for those that chose a sprung rather than a rigid chassis, but will probably produce a test etch to prove that the concept works before producing a production version. Once I have tested the concept it will become clear whether both a rigid and sprung can be produced from the same photo tool or separate toolings will be necessary.

In one of his letters' magazine articles in the early 70s Drew wrote about a friend who modelled the GNR Main Line in the 50s and used BCDR locos to represent Railcar workings. Drew's view was that nobody was interested in watching railcars. Is it possible that Fred Graham the modeller that Drew was referring to are there any BCDR locos in the collection?

If a rail service is required for the Ryder Cup Cup, the promotors could pay for the necessary rail upgrade and charter a MK4 Set or possibly Intercity Railcars to transport VIPs and spectators to the cup. As far as I understand the Limerick-Foynes upgrade is paid for by the Port Company possibly to secure the output form the Pallas Green ore body and stave off potential competition from Cork or Waterford Ports. Difficult to imagine Foynes becoming a Container Port unless a major shipping line decides to serve Ireland directly through Foynes from the Far East or America rather than feeder services from UK or European Ports to Cork, Waterford, Dublin and Belfast ports. Railfreight just about works in New Zealand because its not practicable to export heavy bulky commodities by Ro Ro ferry to customers in Australia let alone, China, Europe and US the major markets for our dairy and meat products. The bulk of Irelands manufacturing industry tends to be high value in nature and located near ports, high value items often exported in accompanied trailer from the factory or warehouse in Ireland sometimes with satellite tracking to its destination in Europe, not something to chance shipping by rail.

In my experience airline services within the United States make UK & Irish rail services appear the picture of punctuality. In 2023 we ended up having to take a bus for the final 235 miles to reach our destination after a series of cancelled and delayed flights by American Airlines between Heuston Texas & Fargo ND. Our initial flight from Heuston was delayed 8hrs by a delayed incoming flight from Chicago (possibly a defect), our connecting flight from Chicago to Fargo had departed when we finally arrived in Chicago and the next flight was not until 3 days later, when we were due to depart for North Carolina. The one American Airlines customer service person on duty (when we arrived around mid night) managed to sort us out with an early morning flight to Minneapolis & I managed to book seats on the daily Greyhound bus as the wife did not want me hiring a car and driving long distance jetlagged. Our customers service person was an ex-military combat medic who told us he found working customer service for an airline stressful compared with his duties with the military.

A bit like middle aged and older men buying high powered motorcycles and sports cars for many people logic just does not come into it when it comes to buying locos. Hence manufacturers producing models of alpha locos such as the Leader, LMS Twins, "Hush Hush" and lots of Pacifics. I went through a phase of buying expensive large scale American Brass locos during my late 50s though cured of the affliction now that I am on a fixed income and retirement savings almost gone. A successful manufacturer/commissioner will only produce models that will sell well, probably main reason Hornby Dublo and Hornby focused on large express steam locos, with a handful of tank and mixed traffic locos in their ranges. Although I was mighty tempted by a Hunslet and a rake of coaches in the original livery it was pass go, though just might be tempted by 207 Boyne in Blue and a rake of matching GNR coaches the first 'express train" I ever saw though completely outside my areas of modelling interest and having run out of storage space

Interesting to see a photo of "The Ranch" (terrace houses in background) when it was still out in the country, before the building of the Ballyfermot housing estate in the 1940s

Select an Irish company in the Company menu in the Shopping Options. Looking through the Irish companies in the HMRSI drawing register should give you an idea of the sheer volume of "Irish" drawings & photos held in their collection For example there are 15 drawings in the HMRS Coras Iompair Eireann collection, some drawings can be viewed on line or purchased in digital or hard copy format. The drawing of the Craven coach in the HMRS collection appears to be a UK manufacturers drawing, other drawings appear to have beenbased on 'official drawings" drawn by B (Barry?) Heaven often in 4mm Scale and intended for modellers. Barry's drawings were sometimes available in model railway shops when I was growing up in the early 70s

The O'Dea Collection photo indicates that there was once an island platform on the seaward side of the main & bay platform. https://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000305132 Some idea of the level of seaside excursion traffic Youghal once capable of handling 3 full length passenger trains. When I first visited the station in the late 70s all the buildings on the seaward side of the station had been removed possibly replaced by a new sea wall/coastal defence work, the station retained a long bay platform that appeared to be seldom used.

"Self" Praise and honours for the non-participants reminds me of when I was managing the construction of a large steel framed workshop on a UK Heritage Railway in North Wales about 30 years ago. The prep-work(earthworks and foundations) for the 'big day" of erecting the structural steelwork was carried out over several months by a small group of regular volunteers and like Jim Morrison's prophecy in Waynes World 2 or was it Costner Field of Dreams "book them and they will come" I announced in the Society Journal that we had booked a mobile crane to erect the steelwork on Easter Sunday. The 'they will come" part was fulfilled when a group (of steel erectors) from Holycombe Museum met us in the pub on the Saturday evening and volunteered their services, completing the steelwork element in two days. The self praise and honours for the non-participants took place on the Sunday morning when the crane set up with about 100 people wearing hard hats appeared (many I had not seen before or since) and posed for the "group' publicity photo for our Journal and Railway Press, before immediately returning to their cars and driving away never to be seen again. I would hope that at least some had donated to the appeal that paid for the shed. The steel erectors and crane driver simply got on with it, the regular volunteers installed the purlins (timber) and roofing iron during the following week and we never saw the VIPs again, so everyone was happy.

The changes at Youghal between the 1960s and closure are quite striking. The buildings (hotels and guest-houses) damaged/destroyed as a result of Storm struck Youghal in 1962. At one stage there were several long platforms for seaside excursion trains on the seaward side of the platform, reduced to a single long platform following the storm https://www.rte.ie/archives/exhibitions/1916-amateur-films/651943-storm-damage-youghal-1962/

Come to think of it I had similar problems with clearances while assembling 4mm Tralee & Dingle 2-6-0Ts & C&L 4-4-0Ts about 30 years ago An article in Narrow Gauge and Industrial Review during the 90s flagged the clearance problems with the Branchlines Tralee & Dingle 2-6-0T loco kits when using wider than P4 profile wheels. Along with the very tight clearance between slidebars/crossheads and coupling rods, it was necessary to move the cylinders outwards with the cyinder covers outside rather than inside the valences as the hub of the Ultrascale wheels originally commissioned for the kit was wider than expected. I used Sharman B profile wheels for 3T & 6T which were narrower in width than the Ultrascale wheels, but cylinder covers placed outside the valences. Sharman wheels were supplied with an integral 14BA steel crankpin, with the top hat crankpin bush secured by a 14BA nut. On outside cylinder locos I normally use an inverted 14BA threaded crankpin bush. If I cannot source a threaded bush, I simply fill with solder and tap. No 3T & 6T were assembled about 30 years ago and still see occasional use! The other bit of skulduggery was performed on a pair of Backwoods C&L 4-4-0T assembled a couple of years earlier, where I cranked the connecting rods on locos fitted with Markits wheels supplied with the kit. I suppose the moral is that it may be necessary to move out the cylinders & valve gear or some other form of distortion on an Irish 3' or 5'3" model assembled with wider than prototypical width wheels. Would be interesting to test the compromises necessary to assemble a 7 or 4mm---5'3" gauge model of an outside cylinder loco like an 800 or Compound with the same or similar wheel profiles to the current generation of rtr models.

Josh. your potentially setting yourself a major research project as apart from information/drawings published in books & held by the IRRS al ot of the information is held by individuals, and specialist groups and museums/histporical societies in the UK. The majority of steam locos and stock used on the GSR & CIE systems were built in Ireland by the GSWR at Inchacore and MGWR at Broadstone rather than imported from English & Scottish builders. New Irish Lines published twice a year by Alan O'Rourke in Sheffield https://newirishlines.org/archive/ regualarly publishes drawings and published a Register of GSR locomotive diagrams between 2014-2016 to compliment Jeremy Clements & Michael McMahons book "Locomotives off the GSR'. Upon formation in 1924 the GSR acquired 587 Steam Locomotives divided into 114 Classes! The Historical Model Railway Society https://hmrs.org.uk/drawings.html collection includes drawings and photos of stock supplied to Irish railways. During the 70s & 80ss and number of model railway magazines published drawings of Irish lcos and stock, may be covered in index in NIL on-line archive At one stage a number of major museums in the UK supplied drawings and photos of locos and stock supplied to Irish companies e.g. Manchester Beyer Peacock locomotove GAs (major supplier to GNR and companies in Ulster, Glasgow photos oof locos supplied by NBL to GSWR, MGWR & others.

Carriage Sheds appear to have had corrugated iron roofs, but the GSR removed the sheds to reduce their Rates Bills during the 1930s I think Schull on the Schull & Skibereen retained its Carriage Shed to the end. The majority of buildings on the Valencia and Kenmare branches including station buildings, goods shed and carriage sheds were in corrugated iron though Cahirciveen engine shed was timber. Westport Quay Goods shed was corrugated iron though the station building was stone. The buildings in the NLI Cahirciveen photo are similar to Kenmare & the goods shed similar to that at Westport Quay https://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000318850 The Ratio OO Carriage Shed is similar in styling and construction to carriage sheds used at Irish branch line terminals, though usually single track. I usually use Wills Coarse Stone (actually stone laid in regular courses as opposed to random rubble) for buildings buildings like railway goods shed and Wills Corrugated Asbestos for corrugated iron because corrugated iron sheets were usually longer in length and fixed in a more regular manner than the Wills iron sheets.

With laser cutting you can omit the intermediate stage of using an overlay by engraving brick-stonework directly onto the laser cut shell. I produce my own drawings and have used businesses like York Model Making and a local business to do the laser cutting. The GSWR Signal box incl stairs and windows was laser cut by York Model Making, I mitred the corners of the wall panels to minimise joint thickness, roof and ridge tiles are Will Materials. The laser cut windows were basically an expirement, I prefer to use etched window frames on foreground buildings. Westport Mill was laser cut in Ply by a local business, the exposed concrete frame on one layer, the infill panels on another, windows laser cut in plastic. Building painted using "Match Pots" from a home decor shop matched to photos of the original.

Ironically for many year NZ Customs used to charge 5% duty plus GST (VAT) + processing + Bio-Security fees on model railway items with a value in excess of $850US. The duty mainly affected high value items imported from the United States (mainly e-Bay and Accuacraft). I challenged duty being charged on model railway items, being exempt in UK and Europe but chargable in this part of the World. NZ Customs tended to focus on collecting their duties, taxes and fees and not get too hung up on the technicalities of the declaration. Its possible US Customs simply may not have the capability (staff or technology) to process low value parcels following the change in policy. The Irish Customs/An Post and most other countries spent two/three years preparing to implement the 2023 changes to Global Customs Clearance requirements.

Well my intention to spend a hour/half hour in the workshop every evening lasted about two days before being disrupted by a series of family crisis that blew up in both New Zealand and the States last Tuesday. I finally managed to find some time for myself this afternoon and evening. Giving the re-trucked Bachmann Tank Car a test run and working on some projects in the Workshop. Tank car had a shakedown run on a Way Freight while I sat in a chair on our deck looking at alternative options for our kids education, probabably the first time I made the time and sit down and simply watch trains go by in about a year. Tank car ran steadily without the wobbe and occasional de-railments with the origonal cars. Back in the workshop things did no go so well but managed to fit the replacement balcony rails and ladders to the damaged end. Attempts to fit the replacement footsteps by drilling into the existing solebars and tapping 10BA were unsuccessful as the solebars/under frame members turned out to be hollow and incapable of holding a thread when tapped. I got a 2 part filler product capable of heing tapped from the local hobby shop, but the activator was well past its sell-by date with a consistency like treakle. Some success of the small-scale loco front finally finshed E421 to OO a Shapeways (B Lancer) body on a Bull Ant chassis and fitted a DCC "stay alive" decoder salvaged form one of my Large Scale railtrucks, runs find on analogue with an interesting "momentum" effect, but programming function on DCC system bought over 20 years ago no longer appears to work and manufacturer no longer supports particular command station or throttle, so I will probably revert to DC, just need to add some section switches. G617 which has a worm and layshaft drived cobbled up from a pair of Hi Level RoadRunner+ and a TenderRiser sounds like a coffee grinder and stalls all over the place, probably replace the current wheels with wheels salvaged Bachmann diesel bogie wheels to see if it improves pick up.

Interestingly the original version of the WW G (cabsides wrong orientation) was supplied with a simple fold up 21mm N/S chassis complete with 2 nylon worm & gear sets! Even more interestingly Jeremy Fletcher talks about a fold up 21mm gauge gear box supplied with the parts on his article on building the loco on the WW website https://www.worsleyworks.co.uk/Image-Pages/Image_4mm_Deutz-3.htm Photos of Mike Edge (possible pattern for DC G Class) & Jeremy's G Class indicate that at one stage the WW G was supplied with plastic spring and axlebox castings. I still have the original 21mm gauge fold up chassis supplied with my G Class, perhaps some day get around to motorising it with my own drive based on a High Level QuadDriver or more likely a drive designed by Paul. I used a scratchbuilt chassis to power the loco while running in OO, basically two plain strips of brass and commercial turned frame spacers possibly supplied with an SSM J15!

It looks like a friend in the States has agreed to adopt James, big challenge if he survived the flight and quarantine would have been James challenging our other four male cats for the Alpha position. CIE Cattle wagons all appear to have been on the traditional Irish timber underframe like Leslie's model, none that I know of on the Triangulated Underframe