jhb171achill

I hear they're doing Mk. 8G coaches with a model boris driving, for the new dual gauge Paddington - Limerick Junction service under the tunnel.......

Correct Correct. In all reality, and for a number of reasons, for 5’3” in Ireland as a steam operation, Downpatrick and the RPSI are likely to remain the only shows in town.

The only thing it’s reasonable to assume is that it would be a darker shade rather than a lighter one, given the layers of varnish they put over it.

Both are static exhibits at Whitehead - 184 is being cosmetically done up for display as we speak…..

Indeed; the “accuracy” ship has LONG sailed for Irish preservation. There just isn’t the stuff left, and there’s no way the RPSI would send any steam locomotives to such a remote location, I would think. And there’s no Barry scrapyard here; THAT ship sailed too, over sixty years ago!

I’d say so, yes. Sometimes it’s almost better to put them out of their misery!

Hard to imagine what they’d could possibly have been on any of that stuff worth looting!

That looks very well indeed.

You must have gathered up quite a harem of wives by now, Paddy!

That’s the very Fry one I was going to take a pic of. It’s possibly close enough to Muskerry green.

6-wheeler with centre pair removed. There was one ex-MGW one which was treated like that too. The plain unlined maroon livery was common from very early 30s on little-used spare stock, to which these things had been relegated at the time.

Yes, I do know.

This is one which has no definitive surviving information, as I understand. However, I have a note somewhere which has it as a “dark grass green”. As well as J I C Boyd, Cyril Fry and the late Montgomery of Bray were highly knowledgeable livery experts. James Boyd specialised, as one might expect, with narrow gauge, though he was highly observant also on matters NCC, BCDR, GNR & GSR. It’s so long since I spoke to Boyd & Montgomery (fifty years or so) that I can’t recall who told me the details I have on Cork narrow gauge, and both they and Fry, jhbSenior and jhbSeniorsenior are all pushing the weeds up now….. I’ll take a few pics of Fry’s narrow gauge liveries next time I’m in the museum (which will possibly be this afternoon!).

Interesting! My sharpest curve is, I think, just over 2ft radius........

I await with great interest!

Now, comments. The first box I opened was the un-numbered 1951 CIE coach, seen in the last picture. It actually looks better in real life than the pic on SF's website. Very impressed, and runs nicely. The GNR one is structurally perfectly satisfactory, and again to me looks better in the flesh. Having specifically instructed Silverfox to paint the roof black - they have a habit of producing CIE stuff with light grey roofs - that was done. But the green....... The GNR was taken over at the end of 1958. Repaints into CIE or UTA livery started in 1959. CIE stopped painting things dark green in 1954/5. Not one solitary GN vehicle was ever turned out in dark green, yet here it is; and while the waistline is in the correct pale green (not clear in artificial light above), the "snail" is WHITE. I know I bang on about this, but why, oh why, oh why, cannot a manufacturer get such tiny details as a correct colour - correct! This coach now looks to be a UTA repaint, not a CIE one; in fact, I may well obscure the "snail", put UTA roundels on it, and concoct some tale that it's turned up at Dugort Harbour on a pigeon special from Lisburn. Complete repaint another option. Silverfox folks - if you're reading this, see the Park Royal adjacent to the ex-GNR K15; it's in the correct green. Not one thing the GNR ever possessed ever got this dark shade - plus, can we put pale green snails on things - please? No coach EVER had a white flying snail. Nor did ex-GNR carriages have the prefix "C" to the numbers; it would have been 181N - the "C" was only on railcars. This is really frustrating. I do not want to criticise a manufacturer of Irish models, especially (a) we need you all, (b) the SF range covers quite a few prototypes that there is no other commercial model of, and in many cases may never be in my lifetime, (c) as a fan of the BR "Blue" era too, i see that SF do a very impressive range of British Rail railcars which I'm unaware of anyone esle doing. But time and time again, Silverfox Irish liveries are tragically, and completely needlessly, wrong. I might add that on two occasions I have supplied details of corrections on various matters of that nature directly to SF, but had no answer. So I don't know what the problem is with getting such things right. There's no excuse for it. Despite all of that, I remain a very satisfied customer; while €87 is plenty to pay for a coach in the wrong livery, at least it can be repainted. Awkward, though, with the glazing on a K15, but necessary. The tin vans; again, very happy with them, though one pair of wheels on the "dirty silver" one keeps falling out - a little attention will secure it, though. But the green one - just no. None of them ever carried that livery. Silver, then LIGHT green, then black'n'tan. Will I be back for more SF stuff? Quite possibly - but I will stick to black'n'tan ones; I'm tempted by another of the above CIE 1951 coach. Until they get their CIE green livery right, it can't be recommended.

A man in a red suit came down my chimney (I don’t actually have a chimney) at some stage during the night of 24th / 25th. He left these behind him. It said “Silverfox” on the boxes they were in, though I know it was Santa. I’ll post the pics first, then comment. Top class weathering by my expert friend in Newry, known to all here.

I’d love to see a working model of Ramsey!

Very true!

Supertrain livery - painted same standard orange as body (though obviously got dirtier and quicker!).

Was in it once many years ago - very impressive. Wish I’d had time to explore a bit longer….

Absolute masterpiece as always - can't wait to see the weathering!

An absolutely astounding achievement - very well done indeed.

Cue a pigeon, deltic and rat stew on the menu........

Superb work so far - a pity for such a drawback. New year, new paint!! If I had attempted this, my walls would have lots of dents…….