jhb171achill

Very possibly, yes.

Fair Day, August 1966. A few scenes with cattle trucks being shunted, and B141 on the extra passenger service from Castletown West…. At the end of a long day, B141 idles at the platform before returning light to Castletown for the night. It’s been drizzling, the platform is wet. B141 will be on the Tralee goods in the morning… The three tin vans parked up on the back loop came down yesterday with crates of homing pigeons from Ballymena (once a lesser-known but occasionally busy part of railway life!)

It’s that time of year again, late summer 1964. Kerry are about to take on Galway in Croke Park. As well as a six-car AEC set from Castletown West, and similar from Tralee & Killarney, a loco-hauled empty set arrives at Dugort Harbour at 06:50 from Cork (Glanmire carriage sidings). It will be a quieter group of Kerrymen who arrive back at 01:12 on the Monday morning, after a five point defeat at the hands of the Tribesmen…. well, there’s always the lock-in at O’Donoghues Harbour Bar until 7 a.m….. Jackie will make a fortune, at sevenpence a pint now! At least there’ll be ONE winner in Kerry tonight…

“I tell ya, boy, Kerry by five points at least!” ”Sure ye said that lasht year, an’ we lost….!”

It’s 1963, and a 141 appears at Dugort Harbour for the first time….

Autumn 1961, and local management have decided to put a brand-new “yank” on the Dugort Harbour branch. Although still seeing some steam activity, the turntable is long out of action, so visits of these locomotives will always be rare, as they can only run cab-first over the four miles up to Castletown. Today, we see the first ever visit of a B121 as it leaves with the 11:40 mixed. Just as well they picked today, because Crossley C209 has failed at Castletown, again.

Not anything specific. On even cursory inspection, none of these GWR, SECR, SR, LMS or LNER coaches look truly like anything that ever ran on this island. (Exception: LMS designs on the NCC, but mixed in with older flatosided BNCR stock!). However, the height and positioning of the windows on some SR stock vaguely suggests MGWR, whereas some GWR and LMS designs have a vaguely GSWR (and therefore GSR, and CIE) look about them. The livery change helps hugely, of course. By sheer luck, the Hattons 6-wheelers were very similar in overall styling to be close enough to several batches of GSWR 6-wheelers, hence the run of them that was done. But, yes, a number 163M on that yoke certainly gives the right overall impression! Had considered that too myself. A former MGWR bogie in West Kerry in the 1950s is not beyond the bounds of possibility, because one was seen at kenmare on occasion, and also (possibly the same one?) visited Wisht Caark, boy, too!

Me in car next while!

The clerestorey has very much a GSWR-like look to it. I have one of these, currently repainted green, but as yet unlined. I've painted the roof black as it is, but I'm debating putting a normal roof on it. Your green coach is closer to MGWR styling, but of course perfectly appropriate in your scenario, as the very last MGWR bogies lasted until the mid-1960s, and a few even ended up black'n'tan.

Latest pics of this under way…. for a 2nd attempt at brass I’m quite pleased with it so far.

This is going to be a STUNNER!

Agreed!

Woooohooooo!!!! Roll on the opening in 3012!

S U P E R B!

Even I would have to find a reason to have one appear in 1960 West Kerry at Dugort Harbour! A joint GAA / Time Machine special train?

Interesting one, never heard of those. If so, could be for luggage. Where did these terminate? As Mayner says, it wouldn’t have been Ballinacourty. Kilmacthomas?

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!