jhb171achill

Hunslet.

True indeed, but why the bogie van behind the locos?

Couldn’t make out the livery. A van like the one behind the loco would primarily have worked in mail trains, rented to carry the like. You’d hardly get it in a special. Therefore, I’d say it’s exceptionally unlikely this is anywhere near Dungarvan. It’ll be a Dublin - Waterford, or Waterford - Dublin train.

If you call to the Malahide Fry museum some time when we’re both free, I’ll get anything you want out of the display cabinet so you can inspect / measure / photograph it.

Left to right - 32XX series brake genny standard, converted from early (pre-laminate) 1951-3 CIE side corridor coaching stock in 1977. One is preserved at Downpatrick - 3223. Next, a Park Royal. Next two are late 1950s laminates. Next looks to me (as far as my eyes can make out!) like a 1953-ish CIE standard. Next to the locos, a TPO. So is the train at Dungarvan? That line was closed to passengers in 1967, so with a coach like that (left) it can't be the Rosslare Express. Could it be an IRRS special? If so, I have no recollection of a double-headed one on that line....... and, an IRRS train wouldn't have a TPO! More likely, it could be a Waterford / Dublin train, heading to (or from) Kilkenny, some time 1977-80-ish. Looks like 461 or 462, so a K2 class 2.6.0.

Ah - just looked lighter in the pic! Always better to see things face to face! Good luck - watching this with interest!

Absolutely superb. I could have written that post word for word - you've hit the nail firmly on the head. That's a great job with that Worsley coach above - what was the donor? If I can EVER get the time, I'd like to be doing something like that too. Very interested to see how this will progress. As for resemblance, those LNWR types had different panelling to anything here, especially the very distinctive styles of Inchicore and Broadstone, but some of them have roof and sode profiles, and window spacings, which look sufficiently MGWR-esque to pass muster under the 2ft rule; the above included. While MGWR bogies were gone by the late 60s, with all surviving wooden stock by then being ex-GSWR, there were significant numbers of them still in use in the 1950s, and many even made it into black'n'tan. I've seen a picture somewhere, probably in the IRRS, of a spotlessly newly-painted black'n'tan MGWR bogie side corridor main line coach. Black and tan on a Midland coach looks plain odd, and it didn't suit their panelling style at all, but there it was. I see you're using the post-1955 green - that will make the lining a whole lot simpler, and if you're short of "flying snails", no worries - while the earlier dark green had snails on everything without fail, in the later livery some stock had snails and some didn't! Bit like steam loco tenders........

Well, it IS electric, I suppose...................!!

Not always! Same as the nameplates…. I suspect the above might have been a one-off, as Melvin didn’t…. This is MIGHTY stuff, Mol!

Yes, tis a pity!

And now here’s one for yiz. GNR No. 203, not known to have hauled the Enterprise, Bundoran Express, or Foyle Road goods…. It was owned by contractor Robert Worthington & Co, who bought it for building the Castleblayney, Keady & Armagh Railway. The GNR acquired it - though the purpose remains unknown - once that line was finished. It seemingly was little used and had been disposed of by 1930. It was by some way the smallest loco the GNR ever possessed. Its official number was probably never carried - though years later a different loco took on No. 203, of course.

RT class 0.6.4T

Superb model, and one Mr. Bird will be proud to call home!

I'm in the car till further notice, by the looks of it!

Doubtless an antidote to the "twalf"!

No idea.

I had never heard of this place! Fascinating - thanks for enlightening us!

Complete with a framed photo of a GNR engine! Wonder how that got there......Interesting to see it all re-panelled - obviously being looked after well.

Latest info I have, and of only a couple of months ago, is that having failed to sell them, they would still open to an offer, but as mentioned elsewhere they want silly money. They won't get it unless they find a wealthy 3ft gauge in England; a species unknown to exist (don't say "what about Southwold"; it is responsibly run and even if they HAD silly money (which they don't) they would not yield to an "offer" like that). Meantime, they intend to store them, oiled and protected, until or unless someone with a bigger wallet than brain happens along; they will thankfully not allow them to deteriorate. Both would be relatively easy to put back into traffic, mshould they or another buyer want to do so.

Superb stuff - only noticed this now!

Cattle class, surely?

Not that I know of, Josh, but I’ll have a look. There were many different variants, and many were altered (sometimes more than once) during their lives…

Re. the locos, if anyone wants a proper paper scan of any of the drawings, let me know. I expect cost plus postage to be only a few euros. Or any further requests here - there's Q, SG3, D, P, PP, and all the rest, plus the crane tank and the BCDR 4.6.4T! They probably copied that when they were considering a six-coupled tank engine of some sort at one time.

I’m afraid I’ve nothing on wagons….

With the society being a voulntary body, and currently chronically short of active volunteers in the archive, I'm hearing many queries are going unanaswered - hopefully things will improve in time. As far as diagrams are concenred, no, I don't think I've any GNR stuff but I will have a look. I know I don't have any carriage stuff.