jhb171achill

Most interesting stuff, Mol. Shows what a bewildering variety of oul relics could be seen comparatively recently - the very last GSWR vehicle (a plough van) having actually lasted into modern IE days. And I can't remember where I took that photo!

Absolute beauty. Two of those, as GSR 291 & 293, became the regular power on the Loughrea line between the early 1930s and early 50s.

He doesn't tell you that the needle is ten fut high, though.......................................................

They certaonly look the part. Few ex-WLWR carriage designs survive, especially of older W & L types. In the short time between 1980 and the GSWR takeover just over a decade later, WLWR coach design was somewhat influenced by GWR practive in England - thoug not extending to their livery - hence the bowed-in ends omn WLWR stock - or what there was of it - built in their last days. They were the obly compnay in Ireland to adopt that design practice,which was otherwise so common that it was as good as standard on the GWR and Midland Railway in GB.

Couledn't agree more - they reveal much fascinating detail of what went on behind the scenes and are an absolutely essentuial source for anyone who wants to really know how the railway worked. It was very, very different to today.

Looks very real...

I think this project is just a bridge too far.

It'll be a great addition to have the main line ones. I'd be looking for a few for sure.

Sounds like many of my writing projects!

Interesting layout style! Irish or anything else?

Unless I've missed something on account of the thing not being steam-powered, has there as yet been any opportunity for the public to view one of these things at Inchicore, or will there be?

Unbelieveable stuff, excellent.

Indeed - though we still have many naysayers about just about ANY sort of rail investment in or around Dublin (over or underground, heavy or light rail!), or Athenry - Claremorris. Bold moves are needed by whopever is next in government. We all ought to remember this when we vote shortly!

Going back to the topic of potential for modelling in more northerly climes, there's also the narrow gauge. Of the 14 or so narrow gauge lines which carried the public, no less than eight, plus another which didn't carry the public (and was the first), were all in Ulster. This included the smallest (Portstewart Tramway - 1.5 miles) and the two biggest, with some 300km of track between them - the CDR & LLSR. And three of them survived to become part of the UTA, though that body got rid of all three just about as quickly as it could, but not before several locos on the Ballycastle line received the UTA lined black livery. One was repainted thus but never ran again!

As for carriages, the remains of saloon 900 at Belturbet can be tken as the standard body shape outline for WLWR coaches. Almost their entire fleet were 6-wheelers. Unfortunately, nothing else survives. From what very little I've seen, wagons were broadly similar to earlier-era wagons of the day, on other lines. And yes, very elegant locos.

You've certainly done your bit for the north with Brookhall!

Just to add, a layout based pre-1900 of anything Irish would be pure gold dust. And the north has SO much untapped potential for modelling in any era. IRM's Mk. 2s and Hunslets, and provincial UTA Spoil wagons will hopefully trigger a change in this - the gaping gap, of course, being Jeeps and the fascinating array of railcars - AECs, BUTs (2 designs), MEDs and MPDs (multiple variations) and above all 70 & 80 class railcars. But of course none of those are exactly pre-1900; to your own suggestion, a BNCR branch would be easy. Scratch building their coaches would be much easier than any other company, as like earlier BCDR ones they were flat-sided and non-corridor. In fact, if a genesis-style "generic" flat-sided six-wheeler could be available, maybe by 3D printing, it would pass a "2ft rule" as BCDR or BNCR. For wagons, a scratch-built brake van is needed, as theirs were unlike anything else that ran in Ireland OR - as far as i've ever seen - in Britain. But wagons - Leslie's convertible "soft-top" vans are fine (2ft rule!) and Leslie's GNR cattle wagons could well be visiting the BNCR area with a cattle special from somewhere in Tyrone or Fermanagh!

Northroader The lining is as the loco immediately above. Like quite a few exhibits in Cultra - and in preservation in Ireland in general, liveries are wrong - often nonsensically so, and if I dare say so, inexcusably so. People who are interested in the authentic appearance of something, like your good self, will naturally look to museums and the like for what ought to be accurate information. Portstewart tram No. 1 as above is correct. Now we see what they meant by "invisible green"; this thing is preserved in correct BNCR livery and lining. Comparison with the bright green in the one above shows how crassly wrong the Cultra engine is; they have the BCDR NO. 30 in a similar bright green - which it never carried. BCDR livery was almost as dark as BNCR - certainly a good shade darker than UTA green. BNCR carriage livery was a very dark maroon. mI'd need to check, but I think the lining was gold. You're right, Fry has nothing actually in BNCR livery. The livery of the CIE brake van in Cultra is wrong too, on a number of counts, as are some other things too. Whitehead is another offender, and so on. Even 800 "Maedb" is wrong; it's been given "G S" letters on its tender in there, when it's in full Inchicore-applied standard CIE 1950s passenger loco / bus green. GSR green was nothing like that. However....... the good thing about our hobby is our diverse interests and ability to amiably discuss differing opinions. I am well known for an interest in liveries, so while I fully accept and fully respect any opinion which says "who cares about the livery"; fair enough - but I do, and it really irritates me to see something wrong, especially when it could so very easily have been done right in the first place! Wow! You had me there, Rob - that is a VERY rare beast of a photo!

He told me he’s starting his therapy next week, once he can calm down the involuntary twitching and loud screams….!

The position of them could vary on the 121s too…

Ah, the MCWR. Mullingar, Carlow & Waterloo Railway. Seems legit.

Worth commenting on all of those vehicles, set aside in the 80s at mullingar (where they are pictured) with POSSIBLE preservation by the RPSI in mind. The left hand one, as is obvious from the bowed-in ends, is of WLWR origin, built in 1896, I think. It was one of only verey few bogies owned by that company which was a bit like the BCDR in favouring a diet almost completely of six-wheelers. The ex-WLWR Director's Saloon was also there, out of the picture to the left. Built the same time, they were GSWR Nos. 934 & 935. The green one is GSWR 1110 as staqted, followed by a container, and finally MGWR six-wheeler 13M. Nothing survives of any of them, bar the chasis of 13M, which is currently used at Downpatrick to house the body of the sole remaining GNR six-wheeler that awaits restoration there. The chassis of 1110 survived for a while, possibly at Downpatrick, but I'm not sure what became of it. Sadly the two WLWR vehicles have gone to their rest, partially thanks to the numbskull vandals of the good town of Mullingar... As an aside, the solitary WLWR vehicle left is No. 900, the former first class family saloon (not "royal saloon" as Belturbet calls it), thankfully saved and in store in the old loco shed at Belturbet. This yoke sat for years and years at Claremorris as a staff bothy. Many of us who have amassed a certain amount of birthdays will recall it as such. It would be great to see it restored.

Will it be live steam?

It is, yes - a former GSWR full brake. This is another quirk - anything in departmental green usually had a red end, but not things in grey.If they were grey they were grey all over, so this is one of thye "Cork Exceptions" which included such oddities as a J15 painted grey but with black firebox (normally grey all over), and several West Cork coaches which had the dark green, and two snails, but no lining. In livery terms it's amazing what details crop up. Analysis even today of such things throw up ICRs with IE symbols in normal colour, or all black, or all white; and on the modern grey 071 livery, numbers in different positions, with different spacings, and different fonts. Plenty to keep the livery nerds (of which I'm probably the worst) well occupied. In the very late 1980s, while throughout their entire lives Cravens never carried logos of any kind, lo and behold one or two managed to acquire for a while the Irish Rail "set of points" logo - one at each end.

Exactly. That one is (or was!) ex-GSWR No. 1110.