Mayner

STS had a fleet of similar wagons in the UK complete with green underframe running gear http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/icianhydrousammonia/h8bdddd2#h8bdddd2 The Train Ferry tie down hooks are an interesting feature of the 1995 batch of wagons. Fauvet Girel would have built the new wagons to meet current design standards and rather than tool up specially to produce a 1970s design.

The "modern" 4w wagons were fitted with 2' buffers and instanter couplings most likely to reduce slack between wagons and allow faster running 50mph compared with 35mph for loose coupled working.

I have a copy of "The Turf Burner" by J P Rowledge, it contains a GA and diagrams of the gas, steam and water circuits but no plan view. Both sides of the loco may have looked the same and the boiler may have been centred than offset. "The design was double ended, the girder frames centrally supporting the boiler, but differed from the Leader by having bunker and water tanks at each end. This layout was basically the Fairlie system" "The boiler was enclosed within the body and each driving cab had only one door on the left side facing the direction of travel" " The layout of CC1 was 'mirrored" along its centre line apart from the driving position, the air compressor and some of the brake fittings. The feature on the side of the loco and access panels on the ends appears to be connected with the feedwater heaters and gas system (heat exchangers?).

Northyard in New Zealand supply 28mm 2.03 dia axles Part No 471 @ $0.90nz & 12mm RE25/110 metal tyred plastic centre disc wheels Part 2197B @$0.95 nz ea http://www.northyard.co.nz/ The wheels are intended for S gauge very strong and of good quality with a nickel silver tyre on a nylon centre. Tyres are wide for 21mm but a good compromise for OO

Whatever about Hornby's financial position they have turned out some outstanding OO gauge steam locos http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/82970-hornbys-best-ever-models/page-29. I think one of the main issues with Hornby is whether to cater for the train set market and the younger modeller or the adult collector. The take over of the Lima/Rivarassi has probably worsened the problem as most of the Continental and American models are quite outdated and inferior to their competitors models. The local model shop dropped Bachmann and Atlas about 4-5 years ago and only stock Hornby primarily for parents and younger modellers expanding on the Christmas train set. Although there is a Britannia, a King Arthur, a T9 and other mouth watering steam locos in the display case these are likely to be long stock or sale and return items as the adult collector is more likely to buy on line or from a box shifter. A parent is unlikely to pay over $300NZ for an Arthur or an O4 they might be happy to pay out $150-200 for the Hornby R2669 Train Pack with the ancient Triang-Hornby diesel shunter and 3 wagons. Much more play value and less likely to be broken than a highly detailed model.

The bulk grain containers appear in a number of photos of the North Kerry yard during the same era. The ISO grain containers, Keg and the Back to Back fertiliser swap bodies were mentioned in an IRRS paper written in the late 60s early 70s possibly worth a visit to the IRRS library. The containers appear to have been used to transport barley for a large brewery. Its possible the wagons were loaded on the rails at Rock Street as the maltings/grain silos were served by a private siding.

Cold Brrr.......... we lived in a classical Dublin 1930s 3 bed semi, my grandmother loved the fresh air with all the windows wide open even on a winters day, kept warm by the kitchen fire, paraffin and later Super-Ser bottle gas heaters in the living room and hall, only installed central heating when we had two wages in the house when I started working in the late 70s. Although a grandfather had was a GSR driver the railways were seen as a thing of the past and CIE a dirty word in our family, with my parents never using rail after experiences of cold, dirty trains breaking down on journeys to family funerals and weddings in the West. Maybe my interest in model railways was a form of rebellion and something my parents hoped I would grow out of when after months of negotiations I selected my first proper train set a Triang-Hornby "South African Goods" at the age of 12 or 13. It took an other year of saving up to buy a second hand Trix E2 locomotive and a Triang CKD coach, a point and some extra track. As a kid what inspired me to model railways was the trains in the Triang-Hornby and Trix catalogues and later in model railway magazines as railways had little or no relevance in many parts of Dublin and were very much out of sight out of mind. I suppose the lesson is that a small percentage of children will go against the norm and develop an interest in model trains, or become a dweeb or geek, than take up athletics or team sport.

David Franks the IE Chief Executive signalled a change in thinking towards freight including a cheap and cheerful re-opening of Foynes and a interest in competing for the Biomass traffic. Significantly spoke about substantially increasing train lengths and better scheduling of freight trains to avoid crossing on single lines. A reduction in freight rates by operating longer less frequent 80TEU overnight train may be more attractive than a daily 36TEU train for shippers like IWT. However investment would be required to increase terminal capacity and critical passing loops, there is little to be gained in running an 80TEU train if you cannot fit it in a terminal or yard In most Western Countries the rail infrastructure owner and local authorities often co-fund investment in improving line capacity with Port Companies and shippers funding terminal facilities and private sidings. A good example is our local freight line where capacity improvements now allow 100TEU trains increased traffic as a result of increased competition between ports .http://www.kiwirail.co.nz/news/140/129/Further-investment-in-busy-rail-line-between-Hamilton-and-Tauranga.html Even local government and haulage companies building rail terminals https://www.nzta.govt.nz/about-us/news-and-media/keeping-connected/tokoroa-road-rail-terminal-opens-for-business/

Could end up with a similar situation to Williams in the US with a Kader takeover. Hornby by Bachmannanyone? A takeover by Kader would make sense to eliminate a major competitor drop the Bachmann name in favour of the stronger Hornby brand and rationalise the OO range.

The Dublin-Enniskillen Railway of the Railway Mania era opens up some interesting possibilities a less round-about route from Dubin to Cavan than the Midland or the GNR just might have had the critical mass of passenger traffic to survive the 57 closures. Linking with the Londonderry & Enniskillen, Derry might have developed into a port for trans-Atlantic liners like Cobh and carried heavy freight traffic for Donegal through Stabane, Had it survived long enough it could have carried cement and building products from the Quinn Cement and Glass Plants at Derrylin and Belturbet Cavan would have been a logical junction point with the Ulster Railway main line from Belfast through Armagh and Monaghan opening up the possibility of Dublin-Cavan-Armagh-Belfast passenger service. A direct Portadown Enniskillen line would have served the fertile Clogher Valley and opened up a more direct faster Belfast-Enniskillen route than the GNR lines via Clones or Omagh

The drawing for the BSSGV shows two brake cylinders, the Bredins are likely to have had the same arrangement.

The old CIE weed killing train dumped at Ballybrophy. Bogie wagons in black with white broken wheel emblem on cab. The train seems to be marshalled as it ran, with a 4w tank wagon behind the weed killing vehicles and a string of H vans for chemicals and stores. http://jandjcottrell.zenfolio.com/p487224326/h2e392ac#h2e392ac

What happens when traction control fails on 1000ton Milk Train on a 1:35 gradient Power required to haul a 30 wagon coal train through a 8.5Km Tunnel on a 1:33 grade (1:24-2:45)

At this stage I have had enough orders to release the kit, which should be available in April

JHB any idea when the last goods train ran to Abbeyfeale? The last flurry of activity at Newcastlewest is well documented but nothing on the last trains to Abbeyfeale and Lisowel,

The late Padraig O'Cummin the MGWR historian published a series of articles on MGWR coaching and wagon stock in the 1970s MGWR wagons were painted dark slate grey with loco and traffic coal wagons black, ballast wagons sand-beige (yellow clay) and some goods brakes mid green. Some evidence light grey used in 1924 for open box wagons. Traffic wagons and small p.w.d trucks and hoppers used MGW + number on one plank. Passenger train wagons, loco coal wagons and bogie rail wagons used MGWR + number I don't know about standard gauge stock the GSR painted C&L ballast wagons sand-beige /yellow clay in the 1930

The type of layout really depends on whether you prefer to watch the trains going by or shunting The 3' width is very tight for an oval and virtually restricts you to Set-track 1st and 2nd radius curves rather than the 2' minimum radius recommend for Peco flexible track. One option might be to model a small suburban station with short platforms on a double track line similar to Cork-Cobh, with the sharp curves at either end disguised by a tunnel, bridge or deep cutting. This would leave you around 6' for the station area, most Cobh line stations had a single short goods siding, several had staggered platforms which would make an interesting feature. A platform length of 2'6" to 3' X 2" width would look ok for the usual 141/181 or 001 & 2-3 coach Craven, Laminate or Park Royal. The occasional non-stop Boat Train or freight would add to the interest. If you prefer freight stock and shunting forget the station 10'X1'6" would be more than enough for a shunting plank, loco depot or small freight yard.

Knock and GAA specials often involved long distance empty stock working of trains that would have otherwise been idle on weekends. Sets that worked Mon-Sat Intercity links and Mon-Fri Suburban links would have been available for weekend specials but would have to work back to their original starting point in time to take up their regular workings on Monday mornings. Another practice was to operate a reduced outer suburban service on a Friday afternoon and use the stock released to operate a Friday evening extra to most Intercity destinations and the Monday Early Bird services to Dublin. These sets would also be available to operate specials on Saturday and Sunday. On a busy weekend a scratch set made up of Park Royals and Laminates off a Dublin suburban service might work a Friday evening extra to Sligo, operate an overnight ECS to Limerick or Cork to work a Saturday IRFU special to Landsdown Road and its return working, operate ECS to Wexford or Tralee to work a Sunday Knock special and return overnight to Sligo to work the Early Bird to Connolly before taking up its regular weekday suburban workings. Sometime during the weekend the time table planners had to fit in loco and stock servicing, cleaning and maintenance.

Looking for the unusual steam locos Italy is a good place. The Italian Railways seem to have had the most success in getting the Franco-Costi system to work, they also had the even odder habit of building inside cylinder locomotives with the valves and valve gear on the outside https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FS_Class_600#/media/File:Locomotiva_RA_380.jpg

Kits/batch built models of steam locos work out a lot more expensive than rtr diesels. A complete set of parts to build a small 4-4-0 such as the GNR U or PP from a kit will set you back at least £160, before considering labour, tools and consumables such as solder flux etc. It will be interesting to see how these locos sell, there is likely to be a reasonable level of demand considering the success of Provincial Models range of rtr and kit built GNR wagons.

In the 1st photo 548 has just passed under the North Circular Road on the approaches to Broadstone, the 1st vehicle is a MGWR fish van, second looks like one of the Attock bogie tri-composites, third a Pullman rest of the train probably a mix of GSR/GSWR/MGWR stock. 548 was one three Celtic (545 D5) Class 4-4-0s rebuilt in the 1920s with new frames, raised running plates and rounded cabs similar in general styling to the cattle engines. In the second photo 544 is on the approaches Broadstone possibly with an up Sligo train with the North Circular Road Bridge in the background, The houses in Great Western Square and Villas and the works on the right. The Connemara MGWR C Class were originally introduced for Sligo & Mayo line services from 1909 onwards,544 is one of 5 locos fitted with large superheated boilers and piston valves from 1917 onwards and classified as GSR Class D6 540-544. The first coach looks like an ex-GSWR Corridor Coach, followed by an ex-MGWR side corridor coach in the lake and cream scheme, followed by a 6 wheeler, a bogie van and a string of non-passenger coaching stock and vans

The loaders would have been experienced animal handlers and skilled in loading stock into wagons and trucks, apart from the animal welfare issues the railway would have been liable for substantial claims from the owners of animals that died or were injured en-route to the boat or slaughter house. There is the famous Irish Times report of 29 May 1893 "A consignment of six uninjured pigs, survivors of the dread crash at Camp on Monday was today received in the Cork Bacon Factory of Messrs Lunhams"

The extended smokebox doors were fitted when the MGWR rebuilt and superheated the Celtic & Connemara Class (GSR D5-7)4-4-0s and B & H Class (GSR J2 & J6) 0-6-0s during the WW1 period. The extending the door allowed the Cusack-Morton supeheater elements to be fitted within an existing smokebox, the cattle engines were built from new with superheaters and did not have this feature. Rebuilt Celtic MGWR As GSR/CIE D5 Rebuilt Connemara MGWR Cs GSR D6/7 MGWR Cattle Engine F Class GSR J5

Photo © CIE I have had a number of enquiries about releasing this kit. Based on a minimum of 10 confirmed orders I can supply a body kit for $27.50 NZ (£15) plus $4.00 international postage. The kit fold up no need for solder about 30 minutes work. I chickened out on the 3 way mechanism but the body can be posed in raised position supported by a strut.