Mayner

While the lack of money was obviously a factor most mainline duties would have been worked by relatively modern GSR or pre-amalgamation locos, with the older locos on branch and secondary lines most of which were up for closure by the 1930s. I think the high average age of the fleet was more due to the large number of J15s and small GSWR passenger locos than anything else, part of the problem was that the attempts to build a slightly more modern replacement for the J15 and a modern passenger tank for the Dublin Suburban services were unsuccessful. Rather oddly the GSR scrapped some of its more modern locos in the 1920s, surviving class members remained on main line passenger and freight work until dieselisation. These may have been considered redundant with the introduction of the Woowich or not worth the cost of an overhaul. Even odder still in the 1930s the GSR built the 342 Class 5 new mixed traffic 4-4-0s based on a 1903 GSWR design to replace 5 similar GSWR 4-4-0s scrapped in the 1920s.

Most diesels and modern steamers have a scaled down standard gauge than a narrow gauge look in order to fit through the tight tunnels on many lines http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2YH-djIASE. Several of the Frateschi locos have similar bogies to the Irish Bo Bos and 121s, the scale seems to vary depending on whether the loco is based on a South American broad or narrow gauge loco. Rather than use the more popular scale and vary the gauge New Zealanders tend to vary the scale and use a popular gauge with an extensive range of kits available in most gauges steam diesel and electric. 9mm on O gauge is particulary impressive

Hi Horsetan Good luck with the S Class I have built 2 with a good can motor and a decent gearbox they build into a powerfull sure footed loco. Ultrascale http://ultrascale.com/ will supply high quality S4 wheelsets to order for 21mm gauge both plain and pinpoint axle, 6-8 week delivery more expensive but far superior to Aland Gibson. My local supplier Northyard http://northyard.co.nz/catalogue.pdf will supply a 28mm SN3.5 pin point axle which is suitable for use with Gibson and Maygib wagon and coach wheels.

I haven't taken too many photos in recent years but last Friday and Saturday the Sun actually shone and it got marginally warner. West/Northbound Metroport service behind Chinese built DL9066. These have MTU power units with a seriously noisey exhaust, the Metroport trains run to 120TEUs or 40-50 bogies, imported goods in exported Milk Powder out! While freight has been doing very well, the future of long distance passenger services is more uncertain. The North Islands sole remaining long distance passenger train the Overlander has been re-branded and re-equipped with new locally built Panoramic stock as the Northern Explorer replacing stock built in the 1940 & 50s. The new train is aimed at overseas visitors as a "Tourist Experience" operating Wellington-Auckland 423 Miles on alternative days with most of the smaller stopss eliminated. Day Car Microwave Cafe Observation car/generator van.

The smog from the city and diesel exhaust, would add to the atmosphere The approaches to Cork were very interesting at that time with the cabins at Rathduff, Rathpeacon and Kilbarry and the 'run of goods" between Cork and Rathpeacon Yard. There always seems to have been long strings of wagons loaded with scrap at Kilbarry and even into the 80s control had a habit of running a Liner through the tunnel and up to Kilbarry immediately before an up-Intercity. This may have been something to do with conditioning the rails to reduce the risk of an 071 slipping with the Intercity, at one stage a loco and brake van would be used to sand the rails through the tunnel before important passenger departures.

Almost like being home! Google Streetview! Hard to believe that this was once an important freight terminal, trains would have been unloaded just over the crossing, access to the Avonmore plant was by a set of gates somewhere in the bushes that grew up over the past 10 years since the traffic finished!. IE had started to install a run round loop roughly where the track panels are laid in the grass on the Northern side of the line.

Alas no. The scrap metal containers were carried along with keg and container traffic on the Galway Liner that ran at night rather than a separate train. The containers seem to have been old 20' containers that had the roofs removed by gas cutting, they were painted a dark blue and looked pretty rough, they may show up in photos of Galway station and North Wall Midland. If you are looking for a challenge in the 1970s CIE ran loose coupled block trains off crushed cars to Cobh in standard 12t corrugated open wagons.

The grain and mollasses traffic was set up on pretty much of a shoe string to use under-used redundant stock and would have been carried pretty much at marginal cost, the downside was that it was pretty easy to abandon the traffic as neither IE or Avonmore had any capital tied up in modern wagons or terminal facilities. CIE also used similar dark blue open containers for coal traffic to Arklow and Ballina and scrap metal to Oranmore, the scrap containers were naturally a lot scruffier and seem to have started life as standard containers that had their roofs cut off. There seems to have been some investment at Foynes the backshut from the old lead & zinc (Mogul) tippler was extended eastwards into a paved area for loading grain and mollassess trains complete with overhead chute. There is a photo of the Foynes arrangement in one of the IRRS Journals and I have a photo somewhere of the chute and the Premier Mollasses storage tank in Foynes. There seem to have been enough containers in use to allow loaded and empty containers to be swapped around to allow the train to be loaded quickly as there was usually a ground stack of containers waiting loading/unloading at both Portlaoise and North Wall.

Garreth we are talking about Ireland where some form of road rail transfer is nearly always involved even for siding to siding traffic The grain was carried in open ISO and purpose built containers on standard 4w flats and bogie wagons. The containers were lifted off the train by forklift on the stub of the Coolnamona Siding in Portlaoise and taken into the Avonmore Feedmill for unloading. The set up at Portlaoise was pretty basic a gate in the boundary fence between the railway and Avonmore and some hard standing for the forklift to operate. IE started to install a run round loop then lost the traffic following the ILDA dispute. In its final years bogie wagons were used with the trains running from Dublin with a road traansfer at either end.

Sperry's are famous in North America for using old Gas Electric Doodlebug railcars as test cars. The little 4 wheeler looks suspiciously close to an American Scale Test Car, I am not sure if there is anything close in rtr or kit form.

I didn't realise Tara ore went out through Arklow somebody must have been trying to put the frightners on Dublin Port, the cost of getting the ore to Arklow would have been much higher compared with Dublin, much longer rail journey, lighter train loads and road transfer. Originally traffic from Tara went out in Byrytes wagons through Foynes, the Alexandra Rd Tara Terminal (Gouldings Wharf) was picketed by Gouldings Fertiliser workers who were looking for better redundency terms for several months.

Up to the introduction of the TL system most coaches would have had a dynamo and batteries for lighting, a few gas lit ex GSWR coaches may have lasted into the early 70s, while a SLNCR Hurst Nelson bogie coach built in the 1920s which was intended for day-time use was never fitted with lighting. The TL lighting system was supposed to be cheaper to maintain than battery and dynamo, but I am not sure if anyone factored in the fuel and maintenance costs on the generators, let alone the noise pollution. The Loughrea and Ballina coaches were fitted with storage heaters mainly to avoid having to haul a HLV around. Loughrea was worked from the mid 1960s by a G Class with a relatively modern Laminate Brake End. Ballina lost its branch train and main line connections around the same time but the service was re-instated in the 1970s initially with a through Ballina Coach attached to the down morning and up evening Dublin-Westport services and later a connecting servicce between ballina and Claremorris. CIE fitted an early 1950s Bredin style Brake End and a Laminate coach with storage heating and bus style seating for thee Ballina Branch, but seem to have gone over to Park Royal later Craven and GSV operation by the mid 1980s.

Eat your heart out preservationists German Language film about Swedish Enthuiasts recovering 3 locos from the strategic reserve. A bit long but these guys were well prepared http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkaFe0umF7s&feature=related.

Ah the Dunlaoire Show brings back memories, used to draw big crowds in the 70-80s. Is it still held upstairs in the Town Hall? John

Not my cup of tea €3.10 a wagon does not ssound too bad. I wonder what you would get re-selling the wagons individually?

Its even odder that the GM diesels outlasted the more modern GSR, GNR & NCC steam classes.

Nice work Magpie with a little determination the Worsley Works parts build up into quite presentable models, good to see that you have decided to have a go at the Laminates.

Most CIE Horseboxes dated from before the amalgamation the last were built by the GSR to a GSWR design in the 1920s. Most seem to be quite shortbase and van like in outline unlike the luxurious BR & GWR examples, the MGWR was the most unusual in outline with a dog box at one end like the bonnet of an old truck. The GSR managed to wreck the SLNCR van in a shunting accident in the 1930s and replaced it with WLWR van dating from the 1870s. Most of the Broad Gauge and Narrow Gauge vans were similar in outline.

The Irish vans were quite unlike the British Railways and GWR examples, N gauge Farish van was probably the nearest in general outline http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280940954793&clk_rvr_id=375524946185&item=280940954793&lgeo=1&vectorid=229508 Otherwise Alphagraphix have card kits for a SLNCR & an ex MGWR vans.

Steam loco or a biscuit David Richie if you are tempted to have a go at 21mm getting track and points made by Marcway would be a fairly painless way of getting something running quickly. Thir trackwork is pretty indestructible and once you have wired one or two points wirings is not such a big deal.

I bought one of their 3' radius points years ago in Southern Model Railways shop in the Grafton Arcade extremly robust a bit more work than Peco as you really need a micro switch or similar to change frog polarity. Check with Marcway if their points are DCC friendly, http://www.wiringfordcc.com/switches.htm. Track and wheel standards need to be closely matched for points or diamonds with shallow crossing angles otherwise you can end up with wheels dropping down in the gap between the wing rails and crossing vee or even taking the wrong route.

I wonder are the European Progidy power units produced by Gagemaster or MRC , I tend to avoid American built power units and use a locally sourced 75Va transformer for powering my command station? The build quality seems to be pretty variable with a lot of DCC equipment even from companies with quite good names such as MRC & Digitrax. I have had to return a number of faulty throttles, decoders and accessories to the manufacturers. Its not to bad in Europe as the retailer will usually arrange an exchange, but goods bought in the US are usually returned to the manufacturer or importer for repair rather than a direct replacement.

I dont know if CIE had many it looks similar to the British Lomac wagons, Dapol/Airfix did one with an early JCB. Seem to have been used by the engineers to carry a small Priestman crawler crane I will see if I have a photo

Padmac Very nice excellent work, its good to see someone having a go at the more historic stock. The horsebox is ex MGWR I am planning to produce an etched brass version of the horse box which share the same chassis as the Meat Van which is currently under development. Northyard in New Zealand stock a suitable 28mm axle, top hat bearings, bolts and other scratch/kit builders supplies, there disc wheels intended for S Scale but are very good and suitable for OO, with $1 worth roughly €0.50 postage is marginally higher than from the UK http://northyard.co.nz/