jhb171achill

Mystery solved then; the yellow posts for invasive weed, and the thing on the platform sides to measure the heights of rats in relation to rail level...................

Anyone know what these things on platform faces are for? They’re to be seen, all with different numbers and settings, all over the place. Also, at various spots on NIR, especially between Central and City Hospital, there are dozens of roughly metre-high wooden posts on embankment sides, painted in a very bright day-glo yellow. Same question….

Once the new 00 Works J15s are about the place, and the Hattons six-wheelers, the "grey'n'green" (and silver) era will get a well-deserved further boost. In an era where all trains consist of a set of entirely the same vehicles, and there are but two types of locomotive on the island, the 1950-70 period is surely the most interesting in railway history.............

He's been too long in a small hostelry up in Buckna or Bollyclurrr, so he has, with Cushendall's best poitín, so it is.

Superb!!!!

In all reality you’ll see little there which isn’t here too - if anything - in terms of Irish railways. For those into British or worldwide stuff, especially the more specialised aspects of it, there is much of interest, though.

I rarely look at it. IRM is the “go-to” for matters Irish; quite possibly RMweb serves better those who choose to model the 7ft 5 and seventeen-nineteenths gauge Arbroath to Pembrokeshire line in 1852. (Not 1853, very obviously)….. My understanding is that it is administered by a small number of unpaid individuals; if that is the case (and I can’t verify or deny it), one might understand; however, the ads are excsessive, all over the place, and annoying to the most patient. I made a comment to this nature on it one time and they barred me straight away! They did, to be fair, re-instate me - though I see little content there that isn’t here too. Life’s too short. I’ll stick with boring people here, rather than both of them!

Perfect; thus, what the brexitstanners call a "DMU" is hereby and henceforth officially a "CR".....

Some interesting stuff there, all right. (I wasn't aware that Ballyshannon was in "Britain", though!)

Oh no, just curious! I'm all for retro stuff, as you might imagine! And yes, I'd love to see an NIR railcar in UTA green or GNR navy & cream; and an ICR or 201 in older CIE dark green, complete with pale green lining and "snails"................

Looks real, all right. Yes, a rarity among "genuine" forgeries..........

Something I knew about but never dreamed there was a picture of! Good find...............

I still find it hard to understand why Translink persist with applying the old NIR symbol to these three locos; NIR still exists as a legal entity, of course, but the entire railway has used the overall Translink brand as its sole publicity and marketing label since 1996 - that entity now, in itself, being into its third logo. The equivalent is CIE still putting a MGWR or GSWR crest on something on rails, well into the 1950s, or a Craven or 071 being painted in CIE green with a flying snail in 1987.......

It's on my long-term "To Do" list, hopefully.........

Various types of central buffer are in use all over the world, and are actually in the majority. On narrow gauges - including NZ’s “Cape” gauge, plus the Irish narrow gauge, they g FG institute the vast, vast majority; 100% of Irish narrow gauge lines had central “chopper” couplings as above. The loco shown was one of a pair, the second-strongest narrow gauge locos in Ireland.

Only thing with them is that apart from the DSER suburban, Glanmire Road shunting, and West Cork, they were seen nowhere. Limited grazing grounds................

Photos of 464 actually look black rather than grey. Clements had told me years ago that there was only the one J15, then the J18. What is certain, though, is that these were late-era and very short lived exceptions to the rule. Grey with black front was not ever an actual livery as such. By 1960, the remaining locos had examples in lined green, all grey and all black - although all three were so uitterly filthy that for all anyone knew they could have been painted under it all in fluorescent pink and lime green tartan............

Indeed; those three only. (I forgot about the B4). They were repainted literally within momnths of withdrawal, so that pins them down to mid 62 to early 63. All others were either all grey or all black. In terms of "snails", some tenders hyad them, some hadn't laterally (maybe the transfers had worn off). The single J15 (193) and the single J18 did not have snails on their tenders which were plain grey. Cab roofs always grey on grey locos, black on black locos.

I'd be up for that too. While the "Jeeps" are neither fitting for my layout's fictitious location (in West Kerry), nor do they interest me as much as just about any other steam loco, I saw them in childhood almost every day - so I'll definitely be up for a couple.

What is WRONG wit6h these people! A West Clare loco and a Scottish loco in West Cork........ idiotic, lazy, bone idle "research"!

Maybe something MGWR too.....

I think 00 Works are using a new type of motor this time....?

Indeed - so have I. I would always recommend them.

More good news for steam fans; a new batch of J15s with larger boiler and tender, a la 186. £315 + P+P. He's offering them in both grey and black, with a choice of two numbers each. I see he's also offering grey with black smokebox - but nothing ever ran like that except just one loco, and only for a matter of months in 1962! (That was 193, painted uniquely that way in Cork or Limerick, along with an old MGWR 0.6.0). It will be good to have the older ones, plus these. I've placed my order, anyway! And these locos will be PERFECT for the forthcoming Hattons 6-wheel coaches.

Livery variations for the 800 class are basically two which apply to all three locos, but several other "wild cards". The GSR "blue-green" was replaced by standard CIE green (same as on pre-1955 carriages, road vehicles and buses) in 1945. In the same time, the GSR crest and "G S" gave way to the "snail". Name and number plates had a blue background as acurately seen on Maedb today. However, about 1951/2, either 801 or 802 (I'd have to look it up) was repainted in a significantly lighter green, apparently like a half-way house between standard CIE green and the later shade which would be applied to co0aches and diesel locos after 1955. The OTHER two remained standard green. During the 1950s, both 801 and 802 got a red background to their name and number plates, but 800 remained blue. Thus, two livery variations for 800, and three for the other two - but different between them; one lighter green with red plates, the other standard green with red plates. Regarding the "Cultra" livery, this is only me personally, but I strongly disapprove of models being produced in fictitious liveries, as it encourages a belief or assumption that they ran like that. In the same regard, for the same reason, I remain greatly disappointed by museums and preservation bodies who turn out preserved locos, coaches and wagons in incorrect, or lazily researched livery details. Cultra added the "G S" on 800; they SHOULD have added a "flying snail". If it's GSR livery they want, they need a totally different shade of green, and yellow / black lining, not black / white; plus, a GSR crest between the great big "G" and "S".