jhb171achill

Further delay, unfortunately. Publisher has been unwell.

Yes, it was, by CIE; only they got the shade of green entirely wrong…..! In its current form, 184 has only one authentic livery other than this short-lived one - plain grey.

Interesting, though sadly absolutely littered with errors, including the oft-repeated and tiresome "legend" about the first and last trains bringing the dead to Achill*, and the old rural chestnut that "the British built our railways" surfacing here and there. Much journalism in today's rural newpapers ios of that ilk; it seems that journalists nowadays, just do a quick 40-second search of tiktok or twittergram before writing their articles; whither actual research? (* The first one did, but the last one didn't - the 1937 coffin train was a full 12 days before closure - normal service resumed the next day. Plus, the prophesy said nothing about trains (they wouldn't be invented until a century later), nor a "first" or "last" of anything. Exact words of prophecy were: "The day will come, when fire carriages with iron wheels will bring death". Nothing more, nothing less.....) The Killala branch was a small but fascinating one. Having done a book on both Achill and Clifden, I always though Killala would make a fitting companion - but in reality, it only had one station beyoned Ballina, and nothing ever happened on the line! It would be a very small book.... and photos of the line in use, especially decent ones, are virtually non-existent.

There is a photo of tjhe W class, I think in the likes of the Colour-Rail archive. The colour rendition, due to time, is very poor, so not to be relied on for colour matching, but it gives an idea. I have a notion theres one of the 4.4.0 too, but not the Jeep (that I am aware of).

That loco looks VERY nice!

I’ve seen a couple of these made up and they look great. A word of caution on Alphagraphix coach kits; in almost all cases, the liveries are badly wrong!

Delighted to hear of this! If modelling a line which would have been operated like the Achill branch, it's a diet entirely of 4.4.0 D16s 1903-1925, an a mix of these and "foreign" 4.4.0s after that. The odd G2 2.4.0 crept in there too. In its very earliest period (1895-1901) the G2 2.4.0s (MGWR "D" class) and also their "E" class (GSR J26) 0.6.0T. The Clifden line probably had the least variety of motive power of any line in steam days; in early days the 2.4.0s, but quite quickly replaced by J18 0.6.0s, which would be the sole power on the line after that. However, imagine this; your line is actually a GSWR one, from maybe Tuam or ballyglunin, heading through Headford and Cong to the other end of the Maam Valley. That gives you an excuse to use GSWR stock, which was more varied and plentiful! Bearing in mind Galteemore's comments about four-wheeled locos and their layout-wandering quirks, and the availability of the Hattons 6-wheelers (which are close to a GSWR design) and 00 Works J15s, as well as Provincial Leslie's GSWR brake vans, perhaps a scenario like this might be an idea? As it happens, this is precisely what's behind my own Dugort Harbour. There is a real Dugort - it's a small village on the north side of Achill Island, and at one stage there was a vague proposal to extend the Achill branch across Achill Sound (on what would have been quite a spectacular bridge over a narrow bit of sea containing a quite vicious sea current). It was my original intention that the layout was to be based on this extension as it might have been. With no JM Design 2.4.0 G2 as yet on the scene at that time (as I would have bought 3 or 4!) but various British 0.6.0s available which I could butcher into a vague equivalent of a J15, I thought I'd switch it to West Kerry, wher you'd lines like Valentia and Kenmare and Newmarket which rarely saw anything but J15s. I had also considered a Tuam - Headford or Tuam - Cong branch. Had such a thing been built, it would have been originall WLWR, then GSWR. So several interesting scenarios there. I'm a great fan of both detailed models of actual locations and "might-have-beens". Wandering off-topic, a thing I am more adept at than actually doing anything about it, two other "might-have-beens" which i had seriously considered were both based on the Achill line; in one, it survives into the diesel era with B141s on all trains; in another it was nrrow gauge, survives to the modern era, and becomes a happoy stamping ground for F class diesels, a transferred Dingle 6T after the C&L closed, Walker railcars and so on..........

Hmmmm indeed. I have many such "safe places", wherein dwell model railway stuff, one set of house keys, an IR£4 winning lotto ticket, two sets of car keys, at least one mobile phone, an expensive jacket, a practically unused 10-day CIE runabout ticket from summer 1979 and gawd only knows what else. Trouble is, they are VERY safe. VERY safe indeed.

Not being funny it is probably best - if genuine accuracy is required - to engage the advice of a college with good colour memory…

Great job, Nelson (as always!) I am not sure whether this loco, in this livery had red connecting rods, though this became a UTA standard with their lined black livery, I'd need to check. But a superb job nonetheless! That's BCDR green. The green carried by 30 in Cultra is co9mpletely wrong - it should look this colour. I think the lining was cream or pale yellow. It's still in BCDR livery, but has a new UTA plate. It nis possible, or even loikely, that the UTA's experimental dark shade was something broadlky similar to this, though the picture here shows it looking more "olivey" than it was.

Three weeks later, I’ve still four fingers left; three on one hand and one on the other. The house fire wasn’t too bad, got it put out quickly enough.

I often wonder why “artificial intelligence” isn’t called “artificial crassness”!

Tis a statement of truth!

I’ve a notion there’s another of one of the trams - will delve.

So easy now - plasticard sheet!

He visited the line not long before it closed. It clearly looks a bit woebegone already. None of these have been published before.

Green was used here too. Certainly, several of the canal companies used it, though they used red too. Quite possible that any given building had both at different times.

Any idea when? I’d very much like to see that!

You've my support on that! Extremely amateurish thing.

I’ll fish them out when I’m home this evening!

The picture I posted is one of several that Senior took on his one and only visit to the line in the 1940s. They were designed to run on the road too!

A device that operates customer trains carrying customers, on a rail line between train stations…..!

207 "Boyne" & 10 bogies on today's 12:00, but the AEC railcars start next week. And then I woke up.................

Which cab is Oliver in?

The reason is that it's 4 fut 8 1/2 narra gauge, and it's 5 fut 3 at Portydown.....