jhb171achill

Shunting layouts - which is as far as I’ve got - need a good lot of rolling stock in order to avoid repetitiveness. Here, Fair Day at Dugort Harbour will require a separate goods train today following the passenger local. The wagons are all over the place, but the passenger train will go first; there’s the Cork connection to meet. A point to make; not for the first time I commend Provincial Wagons for their typical wagons of the era - the Bullied opens, cattle wagons and "H" goods vans.

This is what always strikes me when Barry Carse and I are going through his photos taken in the 1970-2000 period - the sheer variety of goods trains all over the place. Where were Eamon Ryan and his green environmental friends back then?

Yes, CIE used the EDN initially on wagon numerals and painted-on "snails", but white seems to have replaced this in the early 50s. There were a few antique wagons still carrying it in West Cork, and on the Cavan & Leitrim, in the late 50s / early 60s. White lining and snails, as used by Silverfox, is quite simply wrong - but as mentioned above a bit of careful weathering will sort it out - sometimes it faded; on one of the two Arigna branch brake composites you'd swear the line above the windows WAS white due to the dreadful state of fading in the paint, towards the end. And yes, matching your C is by far the best option - or that picture you posted above of a clean Rosslare dining car in Cork shows it better - and cleaner.

In terms of RTR, not a big lot that wasn't there when you were here before, though IRM have several modern-image wagons since. Naturally, we're all keenly awaiting the A class locos this week! Provincial wagons brought out a CIE cattle truck and "H" van as kits in comparatively recent times, and Murphy Models had the 121 class diesels. Can't think of others....

I follow the modelling scenes in Indonesia, South Africa and Brazil, and to an extent India, and despite the sizes of those countries, with almost no exceptions, the standards are nowhere remotely close to those achieved by IRM / Accurascale. Not even in the same galaxy. The solitary exception is the superb, but very expensive, models made of South African locomotives by one solitary "one-man-band" manufacturer. And he would equal - but not exceed - IRM / A'scale.

Well done and well deserved.

The green you have on your "C" behind is the same green the coach would be if you want mid to late 50s - so just match that, and don't forget to weather it within an inch of its life! Ends and roof black (weathered black!), not grey. In late 50s livery, a single thin pale green line at waist level. And in that livery some carriages had "flying snail" logos, but many (possibly a good half of them) had none. If you want the earlier livery, it's a darker "leaf green". By the late 50s it had almost disappeared, except in West Cork! That will have a broader waistline, plus a much thicker one above window level, plus "snails". There's a third "localised" Cork variation. In Albert Quay, several old bogies were painted in the older dark green, with "snails" but with no lining at all. So there are three variations, with both shades of green represented. There were just two greens (see my last post); the above being a very new and clean version of the 1955-62 one. The transfers for the "snails" are the same on both, and the light green lining is the same colour on both, but wider on the dark green version (1945-55). Beware of white or yellow (or even gold!) transfers for CIE coaches which some manufacturers persist in offering; these are plain wrong in all circumstances, like a purple one would be! No green coach ever had lining or snails in anything but this watery light green, called "eau-de-nil". Pre-1955, many wagon "snails" were also in this colour, rather than white.... but that's another story, of course!

Good to see you back, Tony!

Even MORE reason for me to use Daughter's address in the Republik of Boristan! She brought me a package of bits this weekend which I had ordered online, having come over for a visit....

I could have added a few more which Senior told me about years ago - I should have paid more attention at the time!

What did you use for the point rodding and associated gubbins?

That’s like the famous railway company initials….. SLNCR: Slow, Late & Never Comfortable DSER: Dirty, Slow & Easy LLSR: Lazy, Late & Slow

"...absolutely no idea. It appeared here overnight." "It's too heavy to move, and when I touched it I got a sort of electric shock, so I'm not going near it...." "Must be them Martians or something.... what does that writing mean?"

Light green IRM box on the top….

I can leak that the customs paperwork lists the contents as follows; Bottom left pallet: Tupperware containers with panda designs Centre left: red biros Far left: tweezers and sewing thread Distant left: dog food Distant right: cat food Centre right: angling magazines Near right: Models of “A” class Mercedes cars…..

Forgot to add, there’s evidence of very occasional jaunts over the line by a “C” class too - but as you say, the line existed on a diet of 141s mostly, for years.

Thus c.€10?

Superb stuff, Noel. And you're right - the "A" class did indeed work the line, though not so much in the 1960s - more so later. Also, the 121 class appeared, as well as very occasional visits by both 121s and B101s. Of course, one must not forget the short-lived forays of Westrail's "E" class haulage as well!

No, they've arrived OK along with the GSWR bogie coaches and six-wheelers - they forgot to put in the "A" class locos, though.

I should have added - that internal high-ceiling in Drogheda station is clearly of the same family resemblance as the interior of parts of Connolly Station, including the boardroom, behind the scenes. I understand that a historian is currently carrying out a major job of research into Irish railway architecture. The results of that will be interesting.

What's in the boxes, I wonder? Now THERE'S an idea! The "A Class Jig"! We have a tune called the "Silver Spear"; shortly, perhaps, the "Silver Locomotive"!

You've just made me spray-paint a fig roll in CIE green, and attempt to put a waterslide flying snail on a poached egg.......

Yes, superb stuff! And I too was (am) a big fan of liquorice allsorts.....

And I can highly recommend the wagon stock of Provincial Wagons.... if I'm ever going to get this layout finished, I will be seeking Domestic Funding for more.... I have several old GNR vans, H vans, Bullied opens and CIE cattle trucks, with two old GSWR brake vans as seen on many western backwaters until about 1962.

Indeed; precisely my point!