jhb171achill

. This one is undated, taken by Senior. I think it is winter 80/81 but I'm not sure. . This, of course, is what would have interested Senior a great deal more! (Plus me, if truth be told....). His pic, Adelaide 1962. . But back to the diseasels. Senior wasn't down this way too often, so it should be easier to date this, probably late 80s he had a holiday in this neck'o'the woods..

Weathering of an "A"; who dares replicate this? Lisburn, c.1990; photo by jhbSenior. . Roughly a decade earlier, 001 heads north through Lisburn - photo again H C A Beaumont. . In 1990 and thereabouts, the Rosslare line was one of the few regular turns for an "A" on passenger trains. Photo - self.

I didn't know you lads were fluent in Nagorna-Kajasthanian!

Superb pics. Am I the only one who, after seeing so many excellent colour shots, just scrolled past the black & white ones? Atmospheric as some of these could be, I just could never understand the preference some have for B&W over colour. We don't see in B&W. Always thought the bright blue station colour scheme in the 1990s looked utterly ghastly - so garish. Clashed badly with the orange and black trains. Grouch-like as all of the above sounds, brilliant photos with good colour rendition too, and well composed and sharp. Hopefully Pauline has some more!

Many thanks - enjoy! Much appreciated - I will pass on to Barry. As normal, while I do the scribbling, the photos are almost 100% his. We will only use one from a different source if there is some issue we want to illustrate and Barry either doesn't have an image which shows it (VERY rare!), or the issue is a view before his time photographing (e.g. Cashel and the Thurles - Clonmel branch). We're working away on our next, and possibly final "picture" project. He's in the middle of several other projects, as well as being involved ion the IRRS Journal production and I am in the middle of two entirely separate projects, one being a history (similar to the last Clifden book) plus another thing....! So the almost inevitable coming lockdown will see us both kept busy. Both Barry and myself have kept modeller's interests and needs very much in mind when selecting photos. We will continue to do this.

Me too

I have thought of getting everything I own converted to kadees. Many don't have the "pockets", though. That's some 20 locos and maybe 50 items of rolling stock (so far). Some RTR, some kits made up. Some old, some modern. What would be your advice on a project like that? I know the end result, if well done, would be a good one - but is it too much hassle?

jhbJunior and jhbNephew were introduced to trains at about 10-12 (as, indeed, was I). A very basic hornby set is fine for that age - an 0.4.0 steam loco or small 4-wheeled diesel and 4-wheeled wagons for maybe a few years younger, but LGB for a 4-year old without a doubt.

True - bar the MEDs, the 450 class were the ugliest and least comfortable things ever to run on rails.

The four wheel one? At Downpatrick!

There's another very valid issue indeed - "monstrous" couplings! I've quite a bit of stock like that and it does affect the appearance big time. I need to get my thinking cap on about replacing the lot.

Very true!!!

The modelling world is, of course, a broad canvas. Just as some of us are particular about one aspect of it, and others not particular about any aspect of it as long as lots of trains fly around the room, wouldn't make either right or wrong. There's the old "Rule 1"; "It's my railway". Equally with models. For me, I want livery to be accurate for the model depicted, and my pet hate is the perpetuation by badly-researched preservation projects of incorrect liveries, which then end up being reproduced in reality and on models as if they were actual. Others, of course, won't have any interest in livery accuracy. Same with engineering details - some will notice the wrong number of rivets on an obscure bogie design, while to others it's "just a bogie". We're all "right" on OUR layout, and none of us are "wrong". So to a model 071 or 201 - if a manufacturer were to produce a model of every single solitary variation in livery, numerals, lamp brackets, window wipers and dents on fuel tanks, then a model of a class with 32 members would end up with 150 model variations. I remember the "tippex"-liveried cab windows and windscreen wipers on an NIR 111 - now, personally, that's less of a big deal to me than a yellow NIR logo or shade of blue far too light or dark would be, but that's just me. I think we can be glad that so many variations of these things HAVE been done. In my teens, I had a BR "Hymek" class 35 diesel - Hornby got the shade of BR blue right on most models but not that one. I simply repainted it with correct numbers etc and it looked light years better; I did the same with Hornby Mk 1 carriages which weren't technically correct. I think if any of us can highlight errors in a constructive way - for "educational" purposes - no bad thing. The rest of us have the option of altering them if we see fit, or leaving them. For me, not just 201s but also 071s are too modern for what I want to do, anyway...... but if anyone ever brings out a RTR MGWR steam loco or another 121 in purple and lime green with tartan buffers, yes, I'll whinge!

Same as steam in late days. It’s all about how we remember things!

That is looking absolutely perfect, Tony, EITHER as actual Fintona, or a generic shunting layout, for which the real Fintona track plan is actually ideal anyway.

I might "know a man". Will look into it.

Dunno…….

Me too - far from being an expert on Irish in any shape or form. A former neighbour, though, was - and he used to absolutely get his knickers in a serious twist at CIE’s spellings!

Early to mid 1990s, I think?

Another well-executed weathering project by “Dempsey” which I was delighted to get. Yes, the bogies carrying most of it is exactly how I remember them. In the new year there will be a couple more, plus a pair of 121s and several A class to be DCC’d and weathered.

Seriously impressive!

Christmas Day means a restricted service, almost as little as a Sunday service. On Christmas Day, 1965, PJ waves the green flag for the 15:35 departure. Today it’s passenger only - normally it’s a mixed. PJ is due in town after his shift. The kids have opened their presents and there’s a lock-in (if you’re in the know) in Johnny P’s; and there’s turkey left over. Make sure the signalman gets some, or he’ll get a bit odd - and you know what’ll happen then. (Did you remember the bottles of stout?) Happy Christmas to all from the strange and parallel world of Dugort Harbour, and we’ll see yiz next year. And off he goes.

The UTA bus from Great Victoria Street to Dunmurry, Lambeg, Lisburn and Brookhall Mill is quiet tonight, though packed. A full night shift on it - girls from Lisburn Road, the "Village" and Stranmillis, but no conversation. Happy Christmas to the mill owner on the Malone Road....but the bus girls, they've rent to pay. Cigarette smoke, musty upholstery and condensation on the windows fill the claustrophobic atmosphere. On Christmas Day, the last train left Belfast at 5.12 - too early. Tonight, the shift gets the girls a shilling extra. Tomorrow, it's back to the train - the "GNR".

We have, actually, considered various ideas. When we started "Rails Through the West", it was never meant to be anything other than a one-off. Both of us were - and still are - busy with other projects of our own. Then "Rails through North Kerry" was borne of one night's slide viewing, and long discussions which followed. And so on. We've both agreed that if and when the day has 25 hours, the week has nine days, and the year has fifteen months; and we both become insomniacs, gawd knows what we'll come up with. But as of now, we've one more thing on the boil. We'll see after that. I'm in the middle of a separate project, and Barry is also. With covid, both of the the historical archives that we need to get into, in our own separate projects, are currently closed to researchers. I'm hoping to get into one in the new year; the other, which both of us need separately, is not yet available. So a series, as such, probably not - due to time and "life" getting in the way; we will jointly and separately plough on, however, and see what the future holds.

Hugely appreciated, John, and I will relay your comments to Barry too! Enjoy, and Happy Christmas!