jhb171achill

I could have seen them struggle on with hiring stock and diesel locos in from CIE & the UTA in Enniskillen, as they were already doing that with carriages on busy days. Fast forward to EU days and they get grants to get a couple of 2-car 2600 sets. And IE operate their timber trains from Manorhamilton…

Last time I got anything from him I wrote to him, and got the relevant stuff promptly.

Anything to do with the Hamiltons of Cluanín?

They look superb! GREAT to have yet another addition to the range of real Irish wagons. Prototypes like that lasted a lot longer than many realise - there were still short-wheelbase vans and even old curved-roof "soft-tops" in use in far-flung places like Wisht Caarrk up until abut 1960. So a "C" class at the very least, but probably an "A" as well, would have hauled them in amongst more modern ones during the "grey & green" era. The last of this type of vehicle would have died with the end of steam, or probably just before it, and before the black / black'n'tan liveries appeared - but who knows, possibly a VERY late survivor? If or when these go into production, I'll be looking for some for sure!

I'm still with the Adams "Radial", Galteemore, though the SECR loco (I always liked SECR design, especially their carriages) is a great beauty....

I’ll pm you, Ken!

Hi Ken If you were ever able to scale down the "soft-top" and the goods van I'd be interested in a few. To 00 scale, that is.

Yes, they are. There's nowhere else available to store them right now.

Perhaps he might climb into one of the boxes he's taken a model out of, and spend two hours closing said box?

It's from the Msgr. Reid photographic collection. Some amazing old colour stuff there, but that's the only railway one; a gem, nonetheless.

Many thanks, Keith. For projects like that I have always gone to Oakwood (now Stenlake Press) for this type of thing, or Colourpoint (now Blackstaff) for colour "picture books". One has to pick and choose publishers in terms of paper quality and photographic reproduction. Over the years many an excellent publication that I have seen has been spoiled somewhat by indifferent colour rendition or sharpness of image. Oakwood have, of course, one of the oldest pedigrees of the lot for railway books, going back to the mid 1930s, I believe. Of the two principals in Oakwood, one retired shortly after I started Clifden, and she rang me to tell me they were being sold out to Stenlake. The other "half" of Oakwood still works with / for Stenlakes, specialising in railway books done in the Oakwood style, such as this. Stenlake's other books, in their own "house style" is very different in format. Nothing wrong with it, just different. Hope you enjoy it!

"Unboxing videos" are almost by definition "waffle"! I generally avoid them like the plague - the only thing comparable is youtube videos of some supposedly spectacular train (I was unfortunate enough to come across one this evening) where you're staring at a tunnel mouth or a field beside a railway line for 10 minutes and 28 seconds, and then eventually for the last 17 seconds the train appears and rushes past - and the "photographer" cuts it off before even half the carriages have been seen!

So we can skip the first 4 minutes! Excellent. Just watched it. You can skip through to the last quarter, when you see the thing actually running.

.......? What are the items?

me too!

Sounds odd importing sleepers here from Russia……as does the imperial coat of arms depicted - on a sleeper! Is this an urban legend or is there evidence of it?

They're actually much worse now, sadly. Less windows, more slime, a lot more graffiti.

You'd need a strong stomach. Covered in graffiti and mould, most windows smashed. Similar to, or worse than, the stuff at Moyasta.

Fascinating pictures! I wonder if there's a list anywhere of exactly what went in there? I've never heard of the Macroom story, nor the one of Russian symbols on sleepers!! (Sleepers wouldn't normally have any symbols on them...)

OUTSTANDINGLY realistic! I'm curious about the cast iron signs on the two station doors. they are pure GNR(I) pattern! How did that come about?

Brilliant stuff, Ernie. Love the GN railcar at Omagh.

I love that hint!!!!

Quick, indeed - full marks to the postal service. I’ve yet to see a single copy yet myself, and nor has Barry!

As Galteemore says, a very nice model. I saw one in Wales in the mid 1970s behind a class 26 or 27, I think, at Aberystwyth. Wondered what it was, at the time.....

Many thanks!! It would be interesting to know how long that takes, John. I recently posted a small parcel (model coach) to the USA, which I would have expected to take maybe a week. It took over 4 weeks….. I assumed it lost in the post….