Mayner

The aluminium container appear to have been introduced in the early 60s possibly replaced(as rail containers) by CIE ISO containers late 60s/early 70s. May have been intended primarily for traffic to Donegal on the "Derry Vacuum" through Strabane and Waterside following the closure of the Derry Road. There are 1960s photos of what look like this type of container of the Derry Vacuum in both Colm Flannigan's Diesel Dawn (MPD hauled) and Tom Ferris Irish Railways in colour (WT hauled The use of aluminium may have been influenced by the GNR which apparently used aluminium in lorry bodies and containers. CIE does not appear to have had container wagons as such during the 40s & 50s while the GNR built specialist container wagons for both general container traffic and bread traffic within Northern-Ireland from the 1940s onwards. CIE introduced 235- 20'-12T-11'wb Vacuum fitted Flats intended for container traffic the early 60 including 3 Guinness Containers----------The 3 Guinness Containers had to be staggered on the GNR Conflats which were to short to allow the containers to be carried in line, possibly a factor in increasing the "standard" Irish wagon length from 16'11" to 20' over headstocks during the 1960s . The 20'-12T flats appear to have been re-classified as Ballast Wagons during the early 70s, I found one 24566 dumped at Liffey Junction in 83-84. These wagons had a handbrake wheel at one end, broken off in the photo of 24566 LB Flats and containers. The apparent absence of photos of LB flats carrying containers may be due to their intended use as general purpose flats and the small volume of container traffic carried before CIE absorbed the GNR lines in the Republic. CIE appear to have built approximately 160 flat wagons between 1947 and 1963. 23200-23279 built between 1947-47 are likely to have been on similar design to GSWR and MGWR wagons built during the WW1 era or possibly single bolster flats intended for timber traffic. A single bolster wagon was stored at the Point Depot during the early 80s, but I didn't tale a photo at the time! In comparison the GNR had 70 "Conflats" in service for general and Guinness container traffic, 141 Bread Container and 117 Flat/Low sided wagons in service by the mid-50. It was probably easier for the CIE traffic people to allocate an open for container traffic than use a Flat! Containers. The South Wexford train in the Oliver Doyle IRRS article is a weekend special transporting meat in BR containers from Clover Meats Waterford to Rosslare, Harbour. On weekdays Clover Meats output was shipped directly on the BR Waterford-Milford Haven? freight service which dis not sail on the weekend. During the 1950-60s export meat for the UK is likely to have been shipped to the ports in BR containers and then railed to various destinations in the UK, at the time BR controlling many of the shipping services to the UK. Meat in containers became an important traffic in the 60s with factories in Rathkeale, Dromod and Roscrea sending out meat by rail, there was a note in Herman Shermans 'Day at the Junction' IRRS paper of a AEC Railcars hauling container wagons on the Limerick-Waterford Passenger during the late 60s. The photo of the BR BMC Auto Parts containers in the Irish Standard open wagons appears to have been taken on the Ballina Branch during the early 70s possibly parts for Dealers and Motor Factors in the West rather than an Assembly Plant. Private Owner Containers. Lyons Tea was regularly shipped in flat wagons in BR style containers during the 1960s, used to see a single Lyons container coupled close to an E Class making up a goods on the Kingsbridge Headshunt from the top deck of the 23 Bus on trips to town.

Finished basic assembly work on the ex-MGWR 2-4-0 decided to fit the standard rather than the expended smokebox. Boiler fittings were cast in pewter with rather prominent mould lines removed with a craft knife with a chisel blade and sanded/polished with fine emery paper in the lathe. Loco and tender sheetmetal work largely complete, remaining work mainly fitting handrails and castings, before final assembly and painting. No tender coal rails or plates in photos of the loco modelled and most 2-4-0s with Stirling cabs, coal mush have been of reasonable quality up to the mid 1930s! Cab interior is a sub assembly, had to do some trimming back on the cab splashers and floor to fit! Didn't notice the bent up cab rear footstep when I took the photo. Some work required on the fit between the tender body and tank/bunker assembly. Loco breaks down into a series of bolt or slot together sub assemblies. Hope to assemble/fit the motor, gearbox and wheels before Christmas, with painting/final assembly after the Christmas/New Year holidays.

Look like Carriage Trucks possibly ex-MGWR originally built to carry horse drawn carriages. Possibly used for delivery of cars by Passenger or Mail Train Classified as non-passenger Coaching Stock capable of running in passenger trains with carriage style suspension and vaccum brakes. Heavy outside framing was a common design feature of most pre-amalgamation Carriage Trucks, the handbrake wheel was a feature of MGWR non-passenger stock, other companies used a handbrake lever. Possible CIE removed the side planking leaving a panel for the snail logo. Would have been painted green rather than grey in CIE days.

The ex-MGWR Flat is 2297m the final type of Timber Truck introduced by the Midland 2288-2302, originally "intended to carry sawn timber and long deals" The Carriage Trucks were more complex in design fitted with Vacuum Brakes in order to run in passenger trains. Pre-amalgamation Carriage Trucks lasted in service until the early 60s just about possible that cars were carried on Carriage Trucks in passenger trains in GSR/CIE days. There is a nice photo in Great Sputhern Railways An Irish Railway Pictorial" of 321 with the 12:30 Kingsbridge-Cork in GSR days with a pair of Carriage Trucks coupled next to the loco, followed by a pair of Horseboxes a couple of coaches and a long string of non-passenger coaching stock and vans. SLNCR Going back to the question of whether cars were transported on the SLNCR Page 2 of N W Spinks book features a delightful J J Smith picture of Sir Henry approaching Enniskillen on the 06:30 freight from Sligo Quay on 5th July 1957, a flat wagon carrying a car is coupled next to the coach for the 7:20pm mixed at the rear of the train (17 wagons +Coach+Brake Van). Difficult to identify the type or car or flat, but possibly a "Free to Free" movement from the 'south" through Northern Ireland to Donegal under customs bond. Its possible that new cars from Cork to Donegal would have been routed over the Limerick-Sligo Line and the SLNCR to Enniskillen rather than through Dublin to maximise the GSR/CIE share of the 'line haul' from Cork to Donegal. The SLNCR basically survived as what the Americans call a 'Bridge Line" with the GNR offering lower freight rates than CIE for traffic from Dublin, Meath and Louth to Sligo, than the Midland route.

A closer look at the flats in Ernies Cork City Train The first two wagons are basically Midland and GSWR variants of an 'Irish Standard" flat wagon introduced during WW1. Apart from the running number the ratchet arrangement for holding down the handbrake level was a standard feature on Midland wagons. In terms of numbers the 88 LB was fairly insignificant in terms of the actual number of flats in service on CIE the GSWR/ "Irish Standard" type would have predominated into the late 60s, CIE introduced approx. 500 steel floored 20'-20T Flat Wagons for general use and container traffic in the Mid-1960s, possibly leading to the demise of the LBs which were no longer 'on the books" by 1979

I used Branchlines Multibox gear boxes for recent builds as they are less fiddly to assemble that High Level Boxes as the effects of age on my eyesight and fingers. Although I have successfully used High Level gearboxes for over twenty years, I recently began to struggle to fit the intermediate gears and the final drive grub screw. Branchline's have the advantage of lovely old fashioned printed catalogues/leaflets and Irish and Manx models in 4 and 7mm scales

No photos only a kid at the time probably 1st time I saw a car transporter lorry. Arrival of car transporters moving cars direct from the factory/importers to the dealers probably spelt the death knell of transporting cars by rail in Ireland. Originally registered in Cork to serve the motor industry closed 2015, appears to have expanded to the UK. https://www.tuugo.info/CompanyPictures/blue-dragon-transport/034000552183

Apart from movements from the Factory to Cork Goods, Cars are likely to have been moved as individual wagon loads or small cuts of wagons in mixed goods trains rather than moving cars in train loads. Wagons in loose coupled goods trains were usually marshalled in station order to simplify shunting en-route. A goods leaving Cork for Dublin would have wagons for Mallow (1st Stop) and the Kerry Road marshalled next to the loco, followed by wagons for Charleville 2nd stop and so-forth. Up to the 80s there were assembly plants for the major marques in the Republic Dublin had Leyland/BMC (Austin, Morris, Wolsley) General Motors, VW, Toyota and Nissan, and Wexford had a Renault plant. So potential car, light commerical and farm machinery on goods trains from Dublin and Wexford. Its likely new car traffic ceased by the early 70s remember seeing double deck car transporters with "Blue Dragon" branding during the late 60s The BMC/Austin 1800 in the photo of LB23318 is likely to have started its journey on a mixed goods train out of Kingsbridge Goods Looking at Locomotives and Rolling Stock of CIE and NIR the LB flat wagons are not listed in the 1979 edition, while the PW Flats (1973-4 H van conversions) are classed as Ballast Wagons The 1987 edition indicates that the 1973-4) PW Flats and some GSWR Dropside Ballast Wagons were still on the books but whether they were actually in use is open to question. I saw several PW Flats (cut down H Vans)waiting scrapping at Mullingar in 1993, CIE tended to redundant 20T Vac braked Flat wagons dating from the mid-1960s for P.W use from the late 70s (Hiab, Sleeper, spoil skips). Nice photo of a 20T Vac Brake flat loaded with sleepers a Lansdown Road (possibly DART works) in the 79 & 87 editions of L&RS of CIE & NIR

Probably one of the most inspiring layouts I have seen. Best pronounced in Maori or New Zealand English I was reminded of this layout after reading an RM Web thread on the African Cape to Cairo. I was gobsmacked when I visited this layout during a convention in 2010 (before the earthquake), not knowing what to expect with the seemingly corny name. The layout features a typical Central North Island settlement in the early 1900 with realistically modelled Central North Island bush (native forest) which extends in some places from floor to ceiling and includes models of specific New Zealand tree species, the builders main interest, the moving train merely gives movement to the scene.

The question is whether the Irish public are prepared to pay higher taxes (including residential rates) for improved public transport (including rail). Rate payer in Auckland (similar population to Dublin)are not exactly happy about about paying a 4% increase in their residential rates from 2026 onwards to cover annual operating losses on the new City Centre Rail Link. We recently had an election in New Zealand where a centre-right coalition was elected on a platform of tax cuts and major road schemes, and a centre-left government heavily committed to major investment in public transport projects including Heavy and Light Rail soundly defeated. On the plus side they have pledged not to increase the qualifying age for Superannuation (old age pension) above 65 unlike the UK and Ireland, so I am not too bothered.

Back to work on the MGWR 2-4-0 now that work on 98 is complete until I find her tender wheels. The 2-4-0 is based on a loco that was re-built with a superheated boiler in 1924, received the original type saturated boiler in 1930 before being fitted with a Y Type GSR superheated boiler in 1935, before going two further boiler changes before the loco was withdrawn in 1961! 650 in early GSR condition with canopy cab superheated roundtopped boiler with extended smokebox and Inchacore pattern chimney. The loco would have been fitted with an extended smokebox to accomodate the superheater header when re-built in 1924, its unclear from photos whether the loco retained the extended smokebox when it was fitted with a saturated boiler in 1930. Photos of the actual loco are basically 3/4 views from the front and rear, though the smoke box is straight sided without the small flare visible in 3/4 front photos of superheated members of the class MGWR 2-4-0 as rebuilt with canopy cab and superheated boiler with extended smokebox. Originally assembled as a test build, I have replaced the boiler/firebox and splashers with updated parts. MGWR 2-4-0 rebuilt with canopy cab, saturated boiler with riveted version of standard smokebox. The pewter castings require cleaning up! I designed the kit to be assembled either in saturated or superheated form including a set of smokebox parts that could be assembled in its original flush or later pop riveted versions (embossed rivets) I originally planned to emboss the rivets using a rivet press, but turned out simpler and quicker to use a simple riveting tool I bought from London Road Models at a UK exhibition many years ago! I used a small Tool Makers Clamp to hold the wrapper in position as I soldered it to the smoke box former gradually working around from one side, dressing to the profile of the former. The moment of truth wrapper to the smokebox former before making the final soldered joint.

Going back to the original question, Marks Models and Leslie are effectively creating an "Irish Railroad Range" with Marks proposed UTA Jinty and Marks and Leslie's re-liveried Dapol wagons. Personally I would not get too hung up on having Irish locos and stock when starting out on a limited budget, apart from the initial train set (Triang Hornby British outline) most of the locos and stock bought in my teens and twenties were either second hand or clearance sale. (Palitoy and Airfix severely over-estimated demand resulting in a glut of British outline rtr in the early 1980s. I got more enjoyment out of scratchbuilding Irish station buildings than trying to run trains and shifted to N Gauge in the late 70s out of frustration trying to build a OO gauge Irish layout in a box-bedroom. After a false start with an 8X2 continuous run N gauge layout based on Kilmessan Junction (folding baseboard problem), . I built a U shaped terminus to fiddle yard layout around 3 walls of an 11X11 bedroom, featuring a medium sized provincial terminal, a scenic section with a large viaduct and a small junction station. N gauge locos was originally British outline rtr, though I later re-painted the BR Mk1 coaches and diesels in CIE black and tan scheme and kitbashed some American diesels into reasonable models of GM BoBos and a 001. Although built over 40 years ago the N gauge bedroom layout was probably my most successful layout in terms of successful operation and presentation almost but not-quite completing the scenic works. Buildings can be constructed using traditional techniques in cardboard or printed on card using IT such as Kevin Sweeney's excellent models of buildings in Cavan and Longford. I moved back to 4mm mainly to build models of Irish locos and stock, while shifting to American outline N as its easier to model a railway in a landscape in N than OO

The weighted tender set up is basically a modified version of the system used by Terry McDermott (TMD) on the GNR(I) S Class during the 1980s and the current SSM kit! I substituted an insulated drawbar for the metal drawbar used by SSM because I use the "American" pick-up arrangement where the loco picks up power on one side and the tender on the opposite side using live axle pick up. I find this arrangement simpler than using wiper pick ups. Two pieces of light gauge phospor bronze wire provide springing/keep the leading and centre axle in contact at all times with the track. I used the same weighted tender principal on the MGWR 2-4-0, with this arrangement both the 2-4-0 and 4-4-0 continuously hauled 15 IRM 4w wagon on test. The unpainted brass wire keepers is a temporary arrangement until I find/get the correct spoked wheels and I will trim back the excess.

Really astounded by Alan's productivity rate, completing so many exquisite models of unusual prototypes at such a rapid rate.

Managed to fit 98 with a correct set of number plates, couplers, and couple the loco and tender together again. 98 was assembled from the original test etch to check that the parts would fit and the assembly a bit rushed. I am planning to model the GSR era so no flying snail to bother about. I am planning to model the GSR area so no flying snail to worry about. I removed the tender body in order to retro-fitted the tender with a NEM coupler pocket from a production etch, exposing the weight that's partially supported by the loco draw-bar to improve traction. The wheels are temporary until I find the correct spoked wheels that are hidden away somewhere. Underside of tender, insulated drawbar is formed from a copper clad sleeper with the copper removed, the trailing axle is in rigid bearings, the leading and centre axle non-load bearing, lightly sprung free to move up and down in the axle slots, the brass wires are retainers to stop the wheelsets dropping out! Chassis viewed from above on Hornby No3 or 4 curve, the loco-tender drawbar is fitted to the underside to the frame spacers and slots through the existing holes in the loco and tender drag-beams. Assembled chassis from below drawbar is basically fixed with minimal movement at the tender end, free to pivot on the bolt at the rear of the loco. The bogie has a pivot point positioned ahead of the leading driving wheels and is free to slide from side to side in a curved slot at the bogie centre, with a retaining nut to prevent the bogie flopping about. Mercifully there were large frame cut outs around the bogie wheels on GSWR 4-4-0s and my OO gauge 52 Class builds navigate 3rd radius curves without shorting, though the same approach would not work with MGWR 4-4-0s with the absence of frame cut outs and larger diameter bogie wheel.

I think a high proportion of Irish rtr models are bought by collectors because of their high potential re-sale value, rather than to something to run on a layout. So in a way the numbers used and use becomes irrelevant, customers tend to buy 1 or 2 models of each variation produced. Paddy Murphy once used models selling out and potential re-sale value as a marketing ploy on the Murphy Models website. In a way the NCC/UTA Jinty is a no brainer if you can find a factory that's willing to slot a few "Irish" Jinties into a production run. Bachmann produced a OO gauge version for MM and Marks appear to have commissioned a Railroad version of the Jinty from Marks. What next a Hornby Royal Scot masquerading as an 800 class?

Not exactly the British or Irish concept of a narrow gauge trains. Maybe Queenslands 3'6" Gauge "Tilt Train" holds the Australian record at 210Km-----app/130mph and 160km----99.4mph in regular service. https://blog.qm.qld.gov.au/2023/07/03/the-tilt-train-australias-fastest-train-turns-25/#:~:text=Although unlikely to be spoken,service is 160km%2Fh). A bit slower in New Zealand fastest officially established speed of 125km/h--79mph held by a Vulcan railcar (similar mechanically to GWR railcars) on a 1940 trial run in the South Island. Unofficial accounts of the modern JA Class 4-8-2s running at 85mph on the Canterbury Plains. These days the line limit is 100km for freight and passenger trains

Managed to make time to fit No98s wheels and coupling rods, but need to fit front vacuum pipe and screw couplers before returning the loco to the display case. I masked the tyres with Tamiya 2mm masking tape before priming and painting the wheels in GSR grey (matched locally from a sample supplied by JHB) The Markits driving wheels are locked in place by a slotted nut, the nuts in turn disguised by etched Markits "axlenut covers secured in place by the crankpin. While the original Romford crankpins were robust and easy to use the current Markits SuperDelux crankpins are threaded 14BA and require care in fixing to avoid damaging the pin. 98 back on her wheels, the number plate seems to be a temporary the real 93 was a slightly larger 60 Class or D14 which was re-built with a superheated belpair boiler during the 1930s. Model of 98 is inspired by a photo of the loco at Inchacore during the late 40s, she retained her raised round topped firebox until withdrawn in 1954. https://transportsofdelight.smugmug.com/RAILWAYS/IRISH-RAILWAYS/CORAS-IOMPAIR-EIREANN-STEAM/i-zC9Ff7f/A

Not the first railway station at Woodbrook a two platform halt at MP 11 used to serve the Golf Course most likely for major events but later disused.

I don't know. The original Airfix/GMR 60' coaches occasionally appear on e-bay https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/1351072475?iid=384074744618 though the corridor connections which were originally moulded in a flexible plastic tend to be brittle. B The Bachmann 60' porthole coaches may be suitable, beware the Airfix/GMR/GMR Stanier Brakes and Bachmann Porthole Brakes as they are 57' coaches https://oliviastrains.com/product-category/bachmann-main/bachmann-coaches/bachmann-lms-porthole-coaches/

Engineers pegs put in place for alignment or re-laying work. The man standing under the bridge may be a Lookout Man for a track gang working on the line. Track in the photos of the station and cutting is jointed track laid on a mixture of wooden and concrete sleepers which were extensively used on the GNR during the late 50s-early 60s

Clogherhead seems to be a reasonably important fishing port, possibly a 4w or bogie luggage van on the 'early morning" Dublin commuter train with fresh fish for the Dublin Fish Market, the N1 Road north from Dublin was pretty horrendous until upgraded to motorway standards during the 1990s. Cheap land and a commuter connection to Dublin would have been attractive to house builders during the 70s and 80s, companies that built in North Dublin in the 60s started buying relatively cheap building land in the Drogheda area during the 70s. I am a bit conflicted by the neglect and dereliction of Clogherhead, quite different to my memories of stations on CIE branch and secondary lines during the 70s which tended to be maintained to a reasonable standard. CIE only seem to have cut back on building maintenance from the late 70s onwards, stations on lines that lost their regular passenger traffic during the 1960s were often fitted with 'modern' electric platform lighting and buildings painted in the 1960s corporate grey and white colour scheme. I guess the local CIE Area Manager decided the money was better spent on maintaining mainline stations than a branch line.

The most interesting aspect of Mail Train operation was the way trains divided at junctions like Athlone, Mullingar and Mallow almost until the end of Mail Train operation. The Galway Night Mails would set out with portions for Sligo and Westport which would be divided at the junctions on the out bound run to the provinces and re-combined on the return run to Dublin. The portions might include one or more 4w or bogie Luggage Vans, a TPO and a single coach when the Sligo and Westport Night Mails carried passengers. Up to the late early 70s it wasn't feasible to take a day trip from Dublin to Westport and spend some meaningful time at the destination without taking the 'Night Mail' to get home due to the sparse nature of CIE passenger services. An other train for Noel to model would be the short lived Newspaper Trains from Dublin to the Provinces that operated in the early 70s often a Bo Bo and a single Luggage Van. The Wexford Newspaper train usually worked down during the early hours of the morning with a B141 and a Luggage van, before taking up summer season Wexford-Rosslare passenger services, before returning Loco and empty Luggage Van to Dublin. For a short time before the withdrawl of the Wexford Newspaper train in the late 70s CIE operated a late evening Wexford-Dublin passenger train using the Wexford-Rosslare Harbour set returning as a newspaper and empty passenger service during the early morning.

There was a lot of detail variation among early CIE coaching stock, 1st batch Coaches were 60' long on GSR bogies and welded version of the GSR underframe, length increased to 61'6" for second and subsequent batches of coaches, Bullied triangulated underframe under coaches introduced 54-55. 1954 Side Corridor Standard Bulleid underframe and Commonwealth Bogies GSRPS Tralee 1992-3 1463 "Laminate" 1958 Open Standard Mullingar 1983 Laminate (Aluminium-insulation-ply panels) body re-skinned with aluminium on timber framing late 1980s. The main spotting difference between the 51-53/5 stock and the Laminates was the shape of the toilet windows and the end profile. The toilet compartments on some Bredin and 51-53 stock were placed at the centre rather than the end of the carriages.

The coach sides are available to order 6-8 week lead time. I need to quote for each individual order as they are shipped direct from our supplier in the UK rather than a stock item I recently supplied GSSGV sides and detail overlays for £40 plus shipping