jhb171achill

Indeed, Darren, I couldn't agree more. This, of course, is what the IRRS is for. If you are a member and have convenient access to their archives in Dublin, you will find a treasure trove of all sorts of old archive material from track plans to timetables to borardroom minute books. Station architecture, rolling stock drawing and other material feature too. You will find the resident archivists, Herbie Richards and Tim Moriarty, extremely helpful. As a member, you can access their online photo archive, a rapidly growing and massively important archive of photographs, which has been created by their photographic archivist, Ciarán Cooney. He continues to add new stuff to this, as time permits it to be digitised. I would highly recommend membership for all of the above reasons and more - monthly historical talks and presentations being another. Members Richard McLachlann and Herbie Richards have over the years compiled a number of invaluable publications of stock lists, original rolling stock drawings - plus some GNR architectural drawings; in fact, a copy of this latter was amongst the stuff they had for sale at Raheny!

It’s possible that the IRRS might - I would try contacting them, as I know they do have some GNR architectural drawings.

And a grey roof instead of black! They might as well have painted the wheels and ends fluorescent pink……! Yes, as you say, nostalgia value….!

Could well be! I would not be familiar........ last time I got a train from Stranraer was about 1970! And I've never been to Inverness. I hear there are lots of Scotsmen there.......... OK, one more for today, since ye've all been good. Again, possibly posted before, but there ye go.

Today's 1st November offering: And another few, for good luck: Closer:

According to Shane Roberts of IRRS (seen left), it had been dropping ballast north of Howth Junction over the recent possession, and was on its way back to North Wall.

Spotted this at Howth Junction just now.

Those eggs are the wrong gauge, and they don't have struts down the whole way.

Well, I've eaten all mine. Dunne's finest. AND I've got more McAllister-provincial cattle wagons......

One for luck, seeing it's Raheny weekend, and I got more cattle trucks yesterday.............. This is a railcar rather than a cattle truck; though those who commuted in them regularly might take a slightly different view..........

On a point you make, the pva drying with a shiny effect - is this suitable for making the gravelly area look wet?

I've posted this before but including here now for completeness. Any idea why there's that kink in the track in the distance?

Prices for new ones not finalised yet, it seems.

B147 for me!

Great to see so many familiar faces today at Raheny, and some of the regulars on here who I had not previously met in person.... congratulations to the organisers, and by the number of IRM, Mark's Models, and other carrier bags walking out the door, it looks as if sales were busy............ as if it's any wonder, given all the new stuff!

This is an interesting one - a bit over-exposed but I think it makes a nice shot. Where? When?

Will the jax be smelly in coach B?

Ouch! Me wallet is sore today!

I think the loco is the one which went to Maam Cross; I could be wrong, but if so, it’s about as MGWR as the starship “enterprise’

Possible, at a pinch; but there weren’t many LCs on the W & T, and there has been a glut of duds in the last 20 years…..

Looking over the scenic base with a critical eye through black & white; I find that this tends to show up things needing more attention.

That’s the plan, David. I want to borrow one of those static grass things soon - hardly worth buying one as I’ll never use it again. A question for you, though, as I’ve always found your scenic detail hugely inspiring: that gravelly stuff (from a roadside beside a turf bog on Achill Island) is lying loose just now. I need to secure it, but I don’t want it to look shiny, e.g. with varnish. I want it to look natural. I am aware that a light spray of diluted pva should do this. So, should I do this and then add grass or put the grass on first and then spray?

Wow! Wasn’t aware of that. I’ve no idea what he was doing in Ballater - he kept no notes whatsoever, and said little if anything at all about such jaunts! Pity…..

Scenic, or wha'! Mixed maroon and blue/grey Mk 1s. Scotland? And a "Woolwich" by another name, and narrower gauge.......

Yes. Like the all-grey of earlier years, until well into the 1990s at least, wagons were all brown, including couplings, buffers and bogies.