jhb171achill

They were worried about appearing in the same catalogue as, y'know, themmuns who go to a different church........

My late aunt, never a lady to keep her opinions private, used to say of people like Twiggy (AND me, AND one of my sisters)….. ”They’re built like pencils”…. or…. “You’ve legs like a couple of pencils”!!

.....(tries to work out what livery it's in, and whether it's upside down.........)

Sounds as if someone has encountered an Ecumenical Matter!

"If PJ sees this lot there'll be war - this was all meant to be loaded on the mixed this morning" "Well, there was no sign of Tommy to load it this morning, an' it's not my job" "That's coz he was in O'Donoghue's till five in the morning - where d'ye think all them empty barrels came from!" "Some oul session it was, to be fair.....yer man's sister is a great oul ballad singer...." "Were YOU there too? I didn't see ye" "Yeah, but I'm on the late today. I was down the back with the O'Shea lads. Did me bit emptyin' those kegs....."

Also in 1959, on another day A42 has the road for the leisurely crawl up to Castletown West. The branch has an overall 25mph limit, but few drivers would be happy exceeding 15 or 20, especially in an "A" class......

But the following day......... "What's happened A30? Thought she was on until Wednesday?" "Broken fuel pipe on the goods last night. She's at Headford Junction".....

Earlier in the day, A30 passes the same spot with the 12:30 down train to Dugort Harbour

On a dull evening in 1959, the 5.30 to the junction ambles across Carrowmore Bog towards Castletown West....

August 1960 Ex-CBSCR No. 472, the pilot engine at Castletown West, is called upon to shunt at Dugort Harbour, following the failure of Crossley C202. "Yer man's doing well on the firing now - just got passed out" "Sure what'll he do when the steam's all gone? It's supposed to be gone in a couple of years. And THAT yoke will fail its next boiler test, I can tell ye..." "Jaysus, you're an awful oul doom merchant.... pay no attention - sure they're always on about all that stuff"

SUPERB research work, Lambegman. Most interesting! The BCR is worthy of a serious study in itself.

Yes, from the sharp bend in the public road at the top of the picture, it is a private farmer's laneway. For all I know, DCDR could have arranged permission with the landowner, but I don't know - I was regrettably not able to attend the event on the day. As a general rule, though, treat it as private land.

I'd say if you just weather it as it is - and weather it seriously! Quite often, in those days, things like that were a reddish colour too, where they had been painted with red lead. When weathered, this ended up a dull, dirty-looking pink. I remember sheeting like that also, which was galvanised, thus a silvery colour when new, but faded and weathered to a drab dirty greyish colour.... any of those, I daresay, would suit - or even one panel in one, in the rest another! Cosmetic finish was low priority on such equipment.......

That very definitely would be a test train, and likely a mix of laminates and all sorts of older stuff.........interesting!

Correct on all counts, Lambegman. It was pretty much from the word go, after trial run drivers complained they couldn’t see properly, especially on curves and lines where signals could be on either side. Through necessity, though - with there being an exception to every rule - they worked the Barrack St branch in Dundalk nose-first (in one direction!) on occasion, right to the end.

Meant to add...once IRM get their RTR "Jeep" out (hoping!?), I'll be looking for a couple of them to do the same sort of thing in 00 scale..............

Lambegman, that will make an EXCELLENT and convenient project. Plus, scope for both BCDR and GNR wagons - possibly the odd NCC one. Looking at your wagons, the second (high-sided) one would do as a GNR loco coal wagon, on its way from Kelly's up to Adelaide. The other opens are generic enough to be NCC "Courtaulds" types, GNR likewise (though not BCDR; all their wagon designs, like the Wisht Caark, were decidely oddball non-standard!). The BR containers at the end would have been commonplace in the relatively short period those two "Jinty's" were in operation, while the flat would do GNR or NCC too. All you need is a brake van! Looking forward to seeing this project develop!

Right on theme! Excellent as always, Noel, and Happy Birthday!

Certainly ones not unlike them were, though I am not aware of that precise type being used. Looks a bit tall for an Irish one?

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!