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A pair of mainline LNWR corridor coaches. The vast majority of Fry’s British passenger stock is of LNWR origin, as he travelled over their lines while attending boarding school in England.

Today's update on all things Malahide Model Railway Museum. Following Drew's suggestion above, signage will be ordered to explain the four scenes on the layout. There's an overall review of signage going on anyway, so it's now included in that. When the place was opened, the initial thought was that roughly half of all of Fry's models could be displayed, and the other half stored; the two sets being swopped several times a year. I advised against this at the time, for the obvious reasons of constant handling not being in the best interests of the models, to put it very mildly. So, I thought, I will select the more interesting half, and get them to put up pictures of the rest. Result. However, once the display cases were installed, it became evident that a very much greater proportion of his models could be displayed. The models Fry built (as opposed to the ones built later by other folks for the Castle layout) consist of approximately two thirds Irish, almost a third British prototypes, and a dozen or so mainland European items, plus an American five-car diesel train which Fry repainted. So, with more space than expected, the entire Irish collection (bar several duplicates) has been displayed. The only Irish stuff not displayed are one badly broken open wagon (similar to others anyway), a couple of half-built things (possible focus of a future "work in progress" display) and several duplicates - e.g. he made several "H" vans, and more than one of certain designs of BCDR, CIE, GNR and NCC coaches. In the latter case, one of each is on display and the others are stored. There was just about enough room for all but (I think) one of the mainland European stuff. This left the British stuff, which is a mix of the following: (a) LNWR coaches and locos - probably half or more of the British stuff; (b) other one-offs (like a BR 1950s sleeping car), and (c) well-used bought Hornby stuff which Fry had as a kid. There is no room for all of this anywhere. Today, we had a look round the place to evaluate proposals for more glass cases, with a view to displaying this material (not the Hornby models). If this can be achieved, ALL the Fry-made stuff, bar a few items retained by members of the family, and which were never gifted away at all, will be on display. There had been various ideas about where we might display this stuff. The most likely option has been changed, so these days I'm packing this stuff into proper conservation boxes as they're likely to be out of sight for a few years. I'll post a few pics here in the coming days and week. To start with, this is a working LNWR mail coach. The trigger underneath activated the net mechanism on the side, to make the net drop to pick up mail bags. You can see the spring attached to the trigger on the underside of the coach. Fry got a batch lot of LNWR crests made. Some are on the side of a GSR coach as a "GSR" crest and a couple of Dublin trams have them too! They're somewhat overscale too - a common complaint of crests and logos on model coaches of all types.

Looks a BIT bright, perhaps, though not far off?

Very much so. If we look across the pond to Brexitstan, we see 1930-70 models having held sway from that time to the present. Flying Scotsmen, GWR 4.6.0s and any amount of tank engines all over the model shops. You don't think wooden four-wheeled trucks were still in traffic. BR Mk 1 and (early) Mk 2s still rolling off the production line. This is nostalgia-driven. However, people don't fully KNOW the nostalgia here. Apart from the almost total dearth of railways north of the Sligo line and all over the west, there was never the level of interest here "per head" as in Britain. i firmly believe this is changing. There is growing awareness even on this board of things historical, and the many books with good pictures of the "grey'n'green" era ave helped. When I pored over the black and white pics in Colin Boocock's book in the 1970s, it was the only "picture book" of Irish railways available. More commercial models will, absolutely without doubt, generate more interest in this fascinating period. Half a dozen particular prototypes replicated as models would, I remain convinced, act as a huge catalyst.

Would you consider an offer of €1,850?

Train spotting on a well known layout in North Dublin….

Yes, there was. Both got filthy within hours of going into traffic!

Countless, indeed!

No, not diesel. Note that the tender in the colour pic above has been converted back to coal, yet retains its "white" circle. The pic of 346 is clearly in CIE days (painted cabside number) but the coach is still GSR maroon.....

THAT is for CERTAIN!! Plus a run in a brake van from Sligo Quay to Belfast on the cattle, or a jaunt in a six wheeler on the Clonakilty branch..........

The time taken for the Dromod - Belturbet section was a long two hours and 26 minutes for 33 miles!

In 1935, the 07:20 from Broadstone would have had you in Ballinamore for 2 p.m.; the only return train left 13 minutes later! From Cork, it would be a two-day journey there and the same back....... more a package tour than an excursion!

I believe so - but the tender could be off just about any mid-sized locomotive. Must delve….. There’s neither snail nor white circle on it, so it’s obviously been re-sheep-dipped since oil days….

Anglicised as "Pollnacostin", perhaps?

In Irish, “poll na coise tinne” means “rainy hole”……

Fintona = "Fionntamhnach", meaning 'bright clearing'..... "Fintona-sur-la-Mer" might, in French, be roughly "zone lumineuse près de la mer"! There's a station nameboard to rival "Llanfairpwgyllwllygghhwghwghgwhyywjhgwhjhwllwklwjhyyyyllllwwwwywywywywywhjgsfdcugywtfb$mdxbcjkghwsejhgrfkljasxcjkhqlwkjsilliogogogochgochgoch".

Stunning

Superb concept. Perfect for a place (e.g. small apartment) where a full-size layout is impractical, but could also allow for large scale modelling in a reasonably sized room - you could do a thing like that in Gauge 1 - think of the scenic detail possibilities on that!

What the tender does have is a ladder - probably a relic of oil burning!

Oh...ok!

Superb! I will summon what passes as IT skills to print this off and try to make a poster with it. If my efforts are even 10% passable, I'll post here.....

If you were to flatten it out and scan the bottom part - the rest could be made up.

The light green paint wore off the silver underneath it very quickly! It would be there, but maybe worn or weathered away entirely, usually leaving a nondescript "shadow" behind it.

Some of those actually were monochrome - sharpening that one up the way it is would certainly look the part.

Senior used to get "O" gauge stuff from them - I recall the packages arriving.... rails, chairs, pins and other bits for his coarse scale track, sadly long gone now.