jhb171achill

Just to show the green…. I know I’ve posted before….. Dark and post-1955 light I might add - while the “A” & “C” classes might or might not have the waist lining, I don’t think any B101s did.

No, never yellow, nor white - always the light green “eau-de-nil”. Photo reproduction often shows it to look faded or even whitish, but in real life the livery was only for five years and they never got the chance to fade. Silverfox models seem to use a whitish colour on the green, or black numerals on the silver - both are wrong. Some locos in the above livery had this waistline light green band, others didn’t. Same, exactly, as in the 1960s some black locos had yellow panels and others didn’t. And in the 1990s some engines had dayglo panels and others didn’t. But these waistlines, plus “snails”, plus numbers, were always “eau-de-nil” only, on either silver or green locos.

Absolutely superb! Every detail totally realistic!

Those type of things crop up on fleabay from time to time; the going rate now seems to be the best part of €300 a throw!

The lighter CIE green, like GNR loco blue or CIE 1980s orange, seems to be unusually susceptible to looking different with different film emulsions, hence the oft-trotted-out myth that there were a million shades and "anything goes". Nothing beats the critical eye of an artistically-aware eyewitness; of whom few now exist in relation to CIE green! Personally, I recall the dark green well, both on buses, on Maedb in Cultra, and on the background of the very CIE "snail" which you see to the left as my avatar; this hung in our hall when I was a child - in fact for all of my life, and I saw it daily in all types of light until the early 2000s. It's now in "Headhunter's" Enniskillen Railway Museum. As for the lighter green, I do remember that, though nothing like as well, as I wasn't often on or about the CIE railways until the later 1960s. Going through Cyril Fry's colour slides, you could be forgiven for thinking that some CIE green vehicles were light greenish blue, and others almost black, as he seems to have used the cheapest and nastiest colour film - in marked contrast to his model making!

Actually, that raises an interesting (and convenient for modellers!) livery detail. In the very late 50s, possibly as a result of surplus dark green paint when the lighter colour appeared, some secondary stock especially in West Cork, plus on the west Clare section, was turned out in plain unlined dark green, exactly as per those models. On the West Clare they didn't even have a "snail", but on the 5'3" they tended to have either one or two snails, plus the number. This didn't last - none of the vehicles thus adorned (and there weren't many) seemed to make it beyond 1961 or so. Secondary stock on the GSR also went unlined after 1933 or so, as did NCC stock after about 1940 and possibly before.

They look quite neat! Easy to reverse the "snails" at each end to be the right way round - they'd hardly cut the mustard behind a high-class "A", but a very nice little "2-ft-rule" train all the same. Someone on here, a few years ago, made a very nice 6-wheeler or short bogie by putting two of those 4-wheelers together.....

What’s badly needed, indeed essential, for running with As is the tin van. Plus a GSWR 1910-20 period bogie; many of these lasted into black’n’tan days with final examples lasting until 1974.

Now THOSE in CIE livery are EXACTLY what a green or silver “A” needs behind it!

I was due to take a run in this thing when I was there in 1979, but it wouldn't start! PURE Donegal! I can't remember now, but I think it had a Gardner engine too....

Indeed - and on the silver ones, the light green numerals often wore off entirely, leaving less weathered silver paint underneath, which on a very dirty engine gave the impression of a light-coloured style of numeral. Similarly, the light green paint on the steel "snails" attached to the sides of "A"'s often wore, leaving bare metal - if it didn't do that, it faded. There's actually a whole topic around what weathering DID to locos and carriages - wagon paint rusting up on the metal bits, and bleaching on the timber bits....GNR loco domes (and Donegal ones) appearing to be black instead of blue or red (same with green CIE locos), carriage roofs painted pale "lead" grey turning black, and so on. Often, those who did not witness such things will get the impression that the GNR had fifty shades of blue, CIE had fifty shades of green and the CDR had maybe forty shades of red. Equally, and more recently, that in the 1960s there were fifty shades of CIE loco and coach "tan" / "golden brown" / "orange". In almost all cases, it is fading and weathering, not different paint - plus differing levels of deterioration on old colour slides and prints. Railway companies were an early example of taking a pride in their uniform corporate image and went to great lengths to match paints accurately. A friend of jhbSenior's, who died about ten years ago, was the "paint chemist" in Dundalk Works, employed for this purpose.

Around 1964/5, you could have had SIX variants together - just about. The silver livery was first in 1955. By 1958 they were being repainted green (lighter; the very few dark variants were a little later). However, some remained silver - albeit so utterly filthy you really could barely tell what colour they were - until c.1965; then going directly to black, skipping the green. So, first of all, you've a few silver alongside mostly green 1958-c.64/5. A couple get the dark green about 1960-ish - I'd have to check. Black appears in late 1962, with full height tan sides; not wearing well, and all-black variant appears during 1963 - and some with yellow panels c.1963/4. So, if you stick the timescale of your layout to be preserved in aspic in 1964, let's say; you have: 1. Silver - very badly decomposed and about to be repainted 2. Green - lighter 3. Green - darker (just a couple of them) 4. Black with high tan sides 5. Black 6. Black with yellow end panels. By the late 1960s, the three black variants are the only show in town. Once re-engined, low tan side bands were the norm but a few had high tan sides, including preserved A39. "Supertrain" livery in 1972 became standard for all until 1987, when the "tippex" lines were gradually added. Who said the 1990s were interesting, again?

As mentioned there were two shades, though the vast majority only had the lighter shade. It wouldn’t have been quite “appley”, nor, of course mint; the samples seen here look ok to me, I have to say… As for the black……. The green one will need a rolled up Independent in the cab with a headline about President Kennedy being shot!

That’s a truly outstanding job, well done!

Interesting, your views on the airbrush. While dirt in real life IS effectively “sprayed” on rather than brushed, I’ve often seen models with what I presume to be airbrushed weathering which is unrealistically even.

Yes, that’s similar to what I had in mind!

I’d love one with endless turf bog going into the distance!

I'm with ya. I ended up ordering four! We need therapy.

Looking on the websites of model railway suppliers, the same dozen or so variations of backscenes pop up on all of them. I'm looking for something vaguely west-Corkish, or Kerry-like. Maybe I'm being too pernickety, but none of those advertised seem to be ideal - though, in fairness, most would DO. I would be interested in getting something more local done, perhaps with real views of real mountains in the background, down there in the south-west. I wonder has anyone ever had any thoughts about how best to go about converting local views into credible backscene papers?

Sad but inevitable. My guess - and I hate to say it - is that there will be another lockdown.

I had one of those panniers on a branch line on my 3rd layout. It clocked up a massive mileage and was as good as new when I gave it away years later. I repainted it in BR plain black with “lion & wheel”…..

Classic scene!

Yes, Shannon Heritage are withdrawing from managing quite a number of tourist attractions...... not just around Dublin, but also in the west - Bunratty Castle & Folk Park, for example. Since Clare Co. Council are directly taking THAT over, the likelihood is that Fingal Co Council will take over Malahide Castle, the Model Railway Museum, Newbridge House in Donabate and so on - I would guess. Fingal CoCo are the owners. But as a local authority, it is better for them to sub-contract the day-to-day running of anything they can; but museums across the board rarely if ever cover their costs, let alone make a surplus, so as a general rule it isn't easy to find groups to operate such things. Voluntary society, anyone?

1969 to some time just after 1972, when it was repainted into "Supertrain" livery. Not long.

For our tram fans; from 35 Northumberland Road, Dublin, c. 1915: The fella going past in the cart is the "Deliveroo" man with the pizza for lunch.....