jhb171achill

Yes, the whole fleet did indeed end up with CIE, and were thereafter treated as a common fleet with their own "H" vans. An initial allocation to the UTA was on paper only and as you say, quickly altered - if, indeed, any sort of UTA allocation was ever actually made "official" at all. It may not even have been.

In terms of making a model, details of one specific one would be needed, as they were generally converted from withdrawn passenger stock. There was at least one, I believe, which had been a horse box! (Probably only had maybe two bunk beds?). The one above is a former GSWR first class six-wheeler. The thing behind it - I think there were at least two of these. There were also at least two long-wheelbase vans, painted brown even in the grey'n'green era, which i think were originally cattle driver's vans. One was used on the lifting train that was to be seen in West Cork and also Valentia after they closed. Probably Kenmare too. I remember seeing one in the 1970s somewhere on the Midland, shoved up a siding somewhere, painted green with red ends, as many of those sort of things were. (Livery note; the red quickly faded to either an orangey colour, or a salmony pink). This vehicle was a six-wheeler of indeterminate origin - later research suggested MGWR, but it had the body shape of a GSWR vehicle, and was thus probably a GSR-era rebuild. It had only a few windows. I don't know what became of it.

As one who modelled extensively with plasticard in MY teens, I couldn’t agree more!

I remember that. Especially for a teen, Nelson’s stuff was inspirational.

Excellent and well deserved publicity. We should all do all we can to support Ireland's only preserved standard gauge line!

That is absolutely the best scratchbuild I haqve seen in a VERY long time. And, there's some competition out there! A credit to you, sir! Looking forward to seeing it in the flesh. On Saturday I'll be getting on at Limerick Jct., going back to Caark. The wagons are weathered very realistically too.

1964/5

Just putting up a few notes here, triggered by conversations following the introduction of Leslie’s latest wagon releases. The lack of anything suitable for a BCDR layout has been mentioned, in response to which mention was made of a Kernow-made brake van that could double as a BCDR one. Between Provincial, JM Design and IRM, much attention has been paid to CIE (and constituent) and GNR stock, but not so much to the smaller companies like the NCC and BCDR. With a seemingly growing interest in the UTA area, I’ll post the odd thing here if I see wagons that might fit that bill - conversion or repaints of off-the-shelf British stuff to look at least vaguely Irish. Of course, Provincial Wagons have got the ball rolling with the famous and unique NCC “brown van”…. Any other ideas?

A very reasonable approximation, yes! They had several types, some made in very low numbers - same as many Irish railways before the mass standardisation of the GSR & CIE.

Even if the BCDR had been open when any of these wagons were conceived, from photos I've seen, there appears to have been little to nothing in the way of goods traffic from outside the system. My guess is that the vast, vast majority of goods traffic was belfast to / from rural stations on the system. Thus, few NCC or GNR wagons, let alone anythiong from further south. For an accurate representation of the BCDR, scratchbuilt goods stock would really be needed (or kits???)

That is an absolute masterpiece.

You're right - hadn't seen the toilets. Therefore, it is one of two types; (1) the 1119-31 series of 13 such built in 1914/5, all of which saw in the 1960s, with the first withdrawn in 1961 but the rest lasting until between 1967 and 1970. The latter would have ended up black'n'tan. Or, (b) the 877-896 series, 20 of which were built in 1907. Of these, 15 were still in use in 1961, though all were gone by 1964.

I'd say it's not at all beyond the bounds of possibility that a Deutz logo on at least one of them might have been picked out in green!

That wooden one is a GSWR non-corridor third of 1910-20 vintage.

Couldn't agree more. Sacrilege!!!

This is precisely why I like this period as a basis for modelling. You can run steam alongside B101, B121, A, C, E401 & G601 class diesels up to the start of 1963; and while the steam disappears after that, the B141s enter stage left. Wagons - old GSWR & GSR, with an extremely occasional DSER or MGWR type, may all be seen together wearing darker or lighter grey; the former with painted pale green or qwhite snails, latter with stencilled white snails. (No brown till a decade later). But in addition, all the new standard CIE types from Bullied opens to "H"s. Carriages - you've old wooden stuff from GSR, GSWR, MGWR and a (very rew) ex-DSER or CBSCR in both green liveries, plus in the first three categories some in black'n'tan too. Amongst these are new CIE stock in silver, or lighter green, or black'n'tan; plus ex-GNR stock either in GNR brown, GNR navy & cream, CIE light green or black'n'tan. Add the tin vans in green, silver or black'n'tan. At no point before or since was it possible to get a mix like that. The reality was that at the very point when motive power was changing from steam to diesel, the railway had gathered together the last few of a myriad of different types of everything, which were now being added to and gradually replaced by brand new stuff; and in the midst of all of that, the railway had five diesel loco liveries and four for carriages all at the same time, as WELL as "imported" GNR types - blue or blaxck steam engines, and two GNR liveries. And it was not even a case of "all old carriages are green, all new ones black'n'tan". Some older vehicles, built in the 1910s or 20s, were newly turned out in black'n'tan, while a "new" coach (say, a laminate built in 1958) was still green. A final twist to the tale with the six-wheelers. These, within that period, still held sway on a handful of branch lines, all being the lighter green by then. Early 1963 saw the end of any passenger six-wheelers, but as we know from the Hattons release, three or four six-wheel full vans remained in traffic after that, until the late 60s, and were painted black and tan, and therefore will have seen use alongside Cravens! The latter, otherwise, would never have run with any six-wheelers. Incidentally, this is why only the six-wheel full brake is offered in black'n'tan - in green, it ran with passenger-carrying six-wheelers, but in black'n'tan it would only have run with bogie stock. No passenger 6 wheeler was repainted black'n'tan. A pity, perhaps; sheer curiosity makes me wonder what a Midland 6-wheel third would have looked like in that guise!

ME!!!

This is showing GREAT promise. I like the idea of a Waterford line going from Bagenalstown to New Ross to Waterford!

Surplus to requirements! Silverfox ex-GNR K15 coach in a green livery. For sale £90 sterling / €110 + post, i.e. exactly what it cost me, no more. Never used, but lightly weathered. Livery completely wrong, as common with Irish Silverfox stuff, this is of course an issue for some of us, but not important to others! Can meet in greater Dublin or Belfast areas.

D16s!!!! Drooool

Should have added - Mousa Models of Scotland, which I believe is partly defunct due to retirement of proprietor, used to offer a nice brass kit of a six-wheeled first class family saloon. The coach is North British Railway in origin, but like the Hattons Genesis stuff it is sufficiently GSWR-esque to look at home in a fictitious West Kerry setting, downgraded to a second class coach by the late 1950s. Nice looking yoke, though it has to be ordered well in advance. It is definitely WAAY out of my league now and for some time to come, but I'd be keen to eventually see what I could do with that.

As a first attempt, I'm happy ernough. I was inveigled into trying this out by Michael Doolan, a Dublin-based member of the gauge 0 Guild, who some here will know. So I've been learning the ropes - or trying to. I saw a piucture online somewhere of a small Wickham car used in some other country - might have been in South America, I forget, which had black "wasp" stripes on each end, which i though looked well. But I went instead for a somewhat work-worn plain CIE-style "factory finish". The window wipers were super-fiddly, and I made a hames of those, but next time hopefully better. Next thing I'm attempting is a small four-wheeled passenger luggage van, similar to some early GSWR ones, which is on offer from Roxey. It's close enough to look Irish. I remember seeing the four Wickhams like the one above all over the system in the 1970s, usually stuffed away up a weedy siding somewhere.......... I will alternate parking this one between Dugort loco siding as shown, and Castletown West loco yard or cattle bank.

This evening a PW inspection has taken place, and a tin car has visited Dugort Harbour where it will remain at the disposal of the south-western division PW engineer until 1973. Its home will be here or in the spare loco siding at Castletown. We’ll say nothing about the time when the senior porter in charge, his uncle out the Tully Road, and yer man who likes the Beatles and lives next to the Volkswagen dealer in town, took it for a spin out to Caltragh and back at 4 a.m. after a lock-in in McLaughlins, in order to leave the O’Shea girls back to the gatehouse…. My first foray into brass and soldering. Thanks to Des for the kit (SSM) and Michael for his tuition and long-suffering patience with a rank amateur.

Wish I’d seen this earlier! Just completed one this very day, as my own first foray into brass and soldering….!

Looks amazing! Can’t wait to the “shipper” and a Vs-hauled “Enterprise” passing through!