jhb171achill

Interesting to see a rear view if the once-common, but photographically-elusive, Midland brake vans (on the left). The MGWR painted these dark green at one stage, though I suspect they were latterly normal grey…

Not that I can think of!!

They were actually a century ahead, as the research commenced in the mid-1920s. My dad remembered them but a bit like me, was more interested in steam! My grandad did the design work for the carriage part of units C & D. Since Fry built his model of these “off plan”, rather than as they actually ended up being built, he must have got the drawing from him! Senior took a picture of them being charged in Bray. They had just arrived.

Some silver things; all photos copyright & courtesy of Patricia Dillon collection. Some interesting six-wheelers too, with not long to go before withdrawal.

Yes, I wrote the dates the wrong way round! Corrected....

Mol, this might be of interest. Copyright P Dillon collection, taken by Cyril Fry: No date recorded. This was taken at Inchicore. Silver bogies, red buffer beam, probably black buffers, and 2nd class denomination on door instead of 3rd. The original pale olive green patterned first class upholstery. Not sure what the third was - probably an orangey-red colour like many of the then-newer carriages. Talking of upholstery, the GNR equivalents had some sort of green and floral pattern in 1st, and from memory, some sort of two-tone grey and red pattern in 3rd. UTA and later NIR used standard UTA patterned green upholstery. I don't think any got the then-new NIR upholstery style in the 70s - they were all gone a few years later. Interiors were a cream-colour on the side walls with white ceilings. The UTA had waist level down a pale grey. Floors were lino - the GNR ones were a mid-brown. I think, but cannot be certain, that floor lino on the CIE ones was - at any rate latterly - a very dark flecked grey. Roof on this one same green as body. Most were black, of course, especially latterly. As Mol has pointed out, there were various one-offs, like the "go faster stripes" above cab level, on the roof "dome" on at least one, possibly more, in West Cork.

He'd be kidnapped by the DCDR if he did that!

I absolutely love this layout - operationally and scenically outstanding. Good to see someone else interested in Austrian narrow gauge, which I first encountered, still with steam on several of the lines, in the 1970s...!!

A15: Into traffic 24th December 1955. Date withdrawn with Crossley engine unknown, but back into traffic with GM engine 20th May 1971. Withdrawn from traffic April 1995, one of the last.

Some vans were silver, then green, then black’n’tan. Others skipped the green. There was a filthy “silver” one seen in photos on the North Wexford in early 1963, as well as similar in other places (even 1964) - these would have gone straight into BnT. ”Dugort Harbour” has dirty silver, plus BnT. I got a green one somewhere, but the green was catastrophically wrong - and, had white lining - so it got repainted “silver & muck”! Now I need a green one!

All over silver, full stop; but often coated with so much dirt the thing could be painted tartan underneath for all anyone knew! I’ve a picture of a new one somewhere, will try to find it.

Yes - Barry Carse’s book on them, and probably some ITG archive. I’ll look it up when I get home. C class info is in it too.

I vote in favour of that!

I saw that happen in a Cork to Dublin train a few weeks ago too.

Is it SAFE to release these codes to the folks here, Leslie?

Almost finished; these bits (roof, body & chassis) just need to be painted & bolted together. Mid-50s lighter green with stripe, fairly heavily weathered, as still to be seen 5 or 6 years into the black’n’tan era.

Factory finish by IRM!

I think for that it would have to be black'n'tan! It would just look odd as a green P/P....

I believe the long term aim is to rebuild it as a push-pull trailer, in which guise it could hypothetically work with any of the GMs or C231…..

That’s without doubt what it is then. Wasn’t aware one ended up in Wexford..

IMG_3879.mov

Táilte Tours brought a group of 25 from Dublin and England. Allthingsdiesel, I apologise for sticking my ugly mug in front of your camera so many times when in the guard's compartment in BCDR coach 72; I thought I was clear of it! IMG_3876.mov

Just checked. The last two, 47 & 78, lasted into the mid-40s; though since it was 1945, the date apparently quoted for this (1946) is wrong.

This - in the National Museum of Ireland. What on earth was a locomotive like this doing in Wexford, and a load like this, apparently in 1946? Or am I mistaken about Wexford? DSER coaching stock evident (second vehicle behind loco, and at platform). If date is correct this was just before the withdrawal of large numbers of DSER coaches by CIE. But already the GSR had brought in other stock, from the beginning in 1925. All the other passenger vehicles are ex-GSWR except the 4th vehicle in the train (MGWR), and the van behind the loco appears to be ex-MGWR. If the date is correct, it looks as if nothing in this pic has yet been painted into CIE green.

It seems to have been based in Belfast for many weeks now.