jhb171achill

Was thinking that very thing! It's actually the only other one I can think of. Wasn't that yoke a contractor's loco rather than the actual property of the SLNCR? I've a notion some contractor's loco somewher down south, maybe on the DWWR, had an Irish name - but it was possibly that same one. Not sure - I'd have to look it up.

One of the exceptionally rare instances of the Irish language being used on any Irish railway pre-GSR times.

BRILLIANT!!

MOST interesting what’s behind the engine - the tin van will be newspaper traffic between Connolly and Portadown / Belfast - but behind that - an NCC “brown van”!! These were regular enough carrying newspapers and mailbags between Great Victoria Street and Portadown (I think the picture is near Moira, where the main line crosses the Lagan Navigation Canal), but far more often on the back of railcars, rarely in a goods train. As an aside, I’m unaware of any reports, let alone evidence, of any brown vans ever seen south of Portadown. While Warrenpoint was still operating, it was all GNR (and CIE) vans to be seen in those parts.

Looking forward to it!

About to be published, events to be held in Derry & Donegal. Book launch Sunday 23rd February in Donegal Railway Heritage Centre.

The potential link between the Muskerry and Passage lines was (in concept) primarily to swop goods wagons, and there were no actual concrete proposals to have through running. However, those who dreamed up the idea were aware that such potential would exist, provided the gauges were suitable.

They did try to buy the locomotives, but I never heard any story about the railcars. CIE wanted ridiculous money for the three locomotives which the IOMR wasn't going to pay. So they sat at Inchicore. A few years later, rather than climb down and even sell them for scrap value to give something back to the public purse, they were scrapped at Inchicore. I often think a layout based on a CIE system in the 60s, with the West Clare stuf having been joined by Donegal 19 & 20 might have been a nice idea too! Indeed; to all above; my amnesia dictates.....

It’s 64 years to the day since the West Clare closed. Last public narrow gauge railway in the country and the only one ever to be completely dieselised. An absolutely perfect subject for a detailed layout, but authentic Irish narrow gauge layout lines seem very scarce!

Got my stuff yesterday in record time; thanks again, IRM! I'll keep these wagons quite clean, as they would have been new in the era I deal with.....

The livery changed before the logo did, which is why you’ll see read and cream or navy and cream buses with snails. So they went on applying snails to everything until about very late 63 / early 64, when the roundels took over with immediate effect. It was almost never you’d see anything without either - those vans above apparently with no logo could possibly have a very badly faded, barely discernible snail…

Suppose so. Should further interest arise at any stage I will do an "ask-around" again, and if enough commit I would go back to Worsley. Pity, but we can't have everything, and theyt were few in number and very limited in where they went.

Just an update on this; minimum six needed to proceed. Only 4 absolute definites, so unless more appear I don't think I'd be going ahead with this.

Correct. Never turned a wheel in green.

Correct. The only smaller diesels ever to be green were the original trio of G601 class (lighter green only) and the D class (lined dark green when new, lighter green later). The G611s and E421s were black / black’n’tan from new.

Rods could be removed, too, I presume.

The two E421s at Downpatrick were referred to as the “tractors” there. I drove 421 a couple of times. I am not sure if the lads there dreamed that name up, or perhaps copied it from CIE men… But yes, an apt label! Mol - with an uneven wheelbase, what donor chassis do you propose?

Yes - they spent most of their life like that, only brown in their very much later days (post-approx-1985-ish?).

That roundel was also somewhat larger than normal. The black chassis would have been a one-off, as this was an experimental livery. In the same way, the very first half doizen or so coaches to get black'n'tan had one-off differences, like numbers in different positions, and non-standard fonts. In the early 1970s, I believe that consideration was given to painting goods wagons a sort of beige-y "desert sand" colour, instead of brown, like Dublin buses. But it was not proceeded with, and I am unaware even of an experimental paint job being done. The CIE roundel with tan surround, as opposed to white, was as far as I am aware confined to new vans - namely "H"'s and "Palvans". All older vans, all open wagons, plus SOME "H"s, had all-white roundels. I never saw a palvan with a white roundel, but it's at least theoretically possible. All logos on all brown-painted wagons were always white. Some got discoloured with age and brake dust, but all were white initially. Very few wagons ever got the "set-of-points" logo after CIE became IE. The few that did tended to be departmental stock. Ordinary wagons - IF repainted - just had the numbers, no logo.

Got a few more Bullieds at this excellent price. You can never have too many beet wagons!

I think all railways do now. If they planned to use the Antrim line any time soon, especially since it has no scheduled services over it, health and safety rules would demand that it be ensured in advance that it was safe to traverse.

Yes, but don't tell them, or they'll make me do it again....

Tis a classic case of "if you want quality, you have to pay"!

Correct, there was never a container crane here. They used containers coming into Loughrea just like ordinary goods vans - they just opened the doors and unloaded them, and sent them away empty.

Turns out, after all, this info was not correct. A loco was out'n'about yesterday; someone must have driven it!