jhb171achill

Today marks the 46th anniversary of the last significant "round of closures", when, on 3rd November 1975, train services ended on the following lines: Dromin Junction - Ardee Claremorris - Collooney Listowel - Ballingrane Junction Attymon Junction - Loughrea. All but the last were goods only; Ardee since about 1931 and the other two since 1963. Loughrea was also the last place in Ireland to handle cattle traffic to Dublin, and the last in Ireland by some twelve years or so, to have mixed trains. The last traditionally operated Irish rural branch line, in fact. And of course, the last place (and only one of two ever) where a "G" class loco ever hauled passenger trains in public service! RIP the lot of yiz.

I'm not sure about that, Wexford70. I have seen one picture somewhere of one such clearly painted in that normal style, but I don't know where it was (as in, on what line / company), nor when it was. What I do know is that as far back as the 1930s, the BCDR at least used galvanising rather than paint on some metal surfaces. Then you had the GNR occasionally using creosoted telegraphy-style poles for some signals! You've got me wondering now - must start delving through pictures!

I absolutely love this layout - more and more please!

Poultry import regulations and so on…..

Yes, pretty universal white with black tops and bottoms, though some had white tops too. Silver ones seem to have appeared in the late sixties.

I’ve a silver and a green which will need to be done - once I pluck up the courage! In reality, Crossleys were almost always filthy….

Excellent little book, me of my favourites.

Wow! Really anticipating this one! Looks like an amazing concept!

The siding on the extreme right seems to have been lifted in the early 1950s, but the main goods road on the left was lifted not long before closure. The picture is very likely to be within September 1957.

Yellow on the grey and silver / black liveries. On the last iteration of the orange & black, it was day glo orange - however, this could fade to a dirty pink, while in some colour photos, if the colour saturation was too much, it could look red.

What’s that station building? Looks very MGWR-ish!

Excellent work, Tony!

Saw a few customer pipes today. Amiens St Station, GNR.

Wow!! P B Whitehouse was quite an expert on the line, so this should be good….

There’s 4 1/2 locos then! (No. 4 one side only!)

I would say kadees.....

Nos. 3, 10 & 56 had them - the latter possibly the first to carry it in 1968. No. 4 had it on one side only. It is possible there were others.

No. 4 had one on one side only. I have a note somewhere of the others - I think two had the NIR logo. I will delve and report back.

In answer to a query from a friend, I thought this might be of use to anyone modelling early NIR; information courtesy of Joe Cassells: Loco Last known use Withdrawn for scrapping 4 22.10.70 (Preserved) 5 30.03.70 10/70 6 04.70 09/70 50 01.70 10/70 51 16.10.70 02/71 53 02.05.70 06/71 55 03.70 10/70 Thus, the last three to be actually used are the three in bold - 4, 51 and 53.

I will PM you.

A very interesting concept, flowcoach. What sort of technology are you thinking of? I know people in the track department I could link you up with.

Indeed - plus the fact that once painted and put into traffic, they were never cleaned and rarely repainted, so they ended up a nondescript dirty brown colour as a result of being caked in brake-block dust, like just about everything non-passenger that the UTA possessed. Gave a new meaning to "brown van"!

Indeed - there are three styles of architectural design in Ireland which stand high among all the rest. Mills’ GNR designs must top the list for sheer individuality and good proportion, closely followed by the GSWR’s elegant, almost castle-like stone architecture, and the GNR’s “ecclesiastical” style as seen on stations between Dundalk and Enniskillen, Portadown - Clones, and Belturbet.

Hi Darius Seriously excellent work. They were brown with the NCC, but the UTA did indeed paint them unlined green exactly as you have. In fact, since the later ones were built after 1949, these ones would never have been brown at all, starting life in green. NIR, of course, painted them maroon after 1968. Your weathering is superb too.

Superb stuff, Wayside, that is most impressive! My daughter’s “other half” is a crop farmer too - I’m well aware of the pressures of this occupation which many of the public just don’t see or understand….. And he has a huge unused shed. Once their male heir is born next year, maybe a layout in that shed is in order!