jhb171achill

Quite possibly, yes. I understand that those with an interest in architectural heritage often encounter such ignorant ideas too........

Tis indeed!

Yes, I’ve heard that one too, but there is a related element of truth. While, as per the NZ example, smallness of population or size doesn’t prevent things getting done, the “culture” and market may do. The only full-size preserved line on this island, at Downpatrick, has been successfully operating for thirty years, but in one (normal) year gets less people than the Severn Valley would in a couple of busy gala weekends. Its not so much the lack of population, it’s the lack of interest. You hit the nail on the head about the attitude of many that “someone” ought to do it, but not they - and certainly not if it involved providing meaningful personal donations. That is the cultural difference here, as prevalent among private individuals as it is among councillors and public bodies. Even railway enthusiasts. In my early days as RPSI Commercial Officer in the late 70s and early 80s, to my surprise and disappointment I discovered that selling teddy bears to the public was lucrative, but selling ANYTHING railway-related to enthusiasts was a very different matter! it is still the same. On the May Tour each year, who buys the stuff being sold? Englishmen. Not our lot, north OR south.

Much as I hate to say it, this is true. Rant warning. In my time in the RPSI committee / board (or whatever it's called these days), there was talk of a national transport museum at Mullingar, and also, as a separate issue, developing Whitehead. A decade earlier, it was a potential branch line from Scarva to Banbridge. A decade later, it was various aspects relating to the development of the Downpatrick line. In between, I was involved in a consultancy role (as a then RPSI finance person) in relation to a proposed railway preservation scheme at Belcoo, and another proposal near Tullow. In ALL cases, local authorities, local councillors and any other gombeen men who thought they'd jump on the bandwagon, were full of enthusiasm, and assured local papers that they'd do everything they could to help the projects. Nothing ever happened - and in the case of Carrickfergus and Mullingar they would do anything BUT help. When the RPSI tentatively explored local assistance with several other issues over my 25 years involved directly or indirectly with the Council, same. Other projects have encountered the same; Kerry being an especially disastrous zone as mentioned above. In the north, if it's got anything to do with the Battle of the Somme, no problems with money. Anything else, forget it. In the south, if it's got anything to do with an American President whose great great great great great great great great somebody once knew someone who had been to Ireland, or the GAA - no problem. Anything else, forget it. In 32 counties, industrial heritage can go take a running jump. No money. Much as I hate to say it, we are billions of light years behind Britain - or most specifically England - in this. And I DO hate to say it, as we have so MUCH here worthy of a small amount of local government help. But our local councillors seem, for the most part, to be a shower of navel-gazing parasites, like the characters out of the (underrated!) British comedy "The League of Gentlemen", all with their noses in a "local trough for local people". Any concept of forward planning for the good of the area and the preservation of culture and heritage..... forget it. If it doesn't put money in their grubby paws, or suit petty party interests, they're not only not interested - they will oppose it, and very often without even listening to the arguments as to why it is of value. There was some councillor in Tralee who set up a website which stated that he would get the derelict Blennerville Railway going. I think his name was Barrett. Yes, I'll name him. What he DID was to shut down any debate, and shut the whole thing down. Completely, depressingly, gombeenly typical. Rant over. For the moment.

Going to have a go now........ didnt work

The whole issue of weathering is actually deserving of serious attention in articles maybe by our more skilled “weatherers” here. That produced by brake dust, coal dust, chalk, shale, gypsum, ballast dust, sand, or other mineral dust, cattle wagon poo, limewash on trucks, diesel fumes, sun or wind or salt air bleaching, underlying rust, heat scorching and the like, are all as different as chalk and cheese, or politicians and common sense. Many of these are of particular interest to modellers, especially in cases where prototypes - like above - were almost never, ever seen clean.

I started posting a few “A” and “B101” class pics on this website the other day. Now I can’t: it says “Error 200” when I try. Yet I’ve posted pics on other websites like this (RMWeb) and also FB pages. No problems. Anyone know what the glitch is - and in English rather than computer-speak? (On sight of the words “server” or “IP address”, my brain automatically ceases entirely to function; re-booting is impossible.)

Not a ONE! That’s for “somebody” to do. In a far-off time when I was restoring carriages at Whitehead as my leisure and holiday time, the odd armchair visitor would turn up and look at one of the wrecks in the sidings. ”Shame to see the state of that”, they’d say, “it’s disgraceful that they’re not securing it or re-roofing it at least”. You feel like saying to them, “Give me your wallet and bank details, I’m about to bill you the price of your house. That should cover the materials. Then get your sleeves rolled up, cancel your holidays, and be here every single Saturday, Sunday and bank holiday for the next few years”.....

I'm sure if there was ever a suggestion that 5T were to leave Tralee there'd be a host of objections from people who cared about it all of a sudden. Exactly!

Phew!! Yes, it’s on the site of the GNR goods and loco yards - a wide site rather than a single long track, so loads of room for twists and turns...

Yes, and the cab front and back, and tank ends and tops could also look solid black! In the early days of the RPSI, despite being only a few years since blue engines were all over the place (ex-GNR area), there was even a debate over what parts of the frame were, or were not black. Today, people forget how dirty an environment railways were in steam days. I can even remember layers of dirt on all surfaces in UTA stations in the sixties. Sheer dirt is another reason why many thought that all CIE engines were black. And it’s not just the grey locos - I’ve seen pics of green ones which, if you didn’t KNOW were green, you’d swear were black all over. Look at pics of CIE steam engines in their last years. See any red buffer beams? Very often, absolutely not a trace of red - but they were red! So, steam-era people - get absolutely STUCK into those weathering powders!

Domes and boilers on CDR locos were actually always painted red, rather than black - but often so filthy they LOOKED almost as dark as black (same with some GNR blue, and GSR / CIE grey locos...)

Am I seeing, in that pic, the loco frame cut open lengthways???? Buffer beam half cut across??? What ON EARTH have they done to it!

You must know the IRM guys...........!

NOW ye're talking!

I never saw them myself, but it has to be also said that my sightings of them in use were very few!

Correct, sadly.

Most who saw B101s in use will remember them in black, as this was the livery most carried, most of the time in the 1960s.

In all reality there’s only one solution - give the thing to a bona fide heritage railway.

No. It had the trademark triangular worksplate on it, and the clear family resemblance, like a somewhat narrower Donegal engine. When i find details I will post; I sold the Indian locomotive book which would have given me the answer years ago! I can't recall, but my guess is that it was built about 1900-10? The one in the pic above LOOKS very like it, but I don't think IS it.

This unique version of the black’n’tan livery was applied for a very short time to just a few B101s, never anything else. Full height tan, but no CIE logo, and only a white flash on the ends, as if it was all black. General rule: if no tan, white on ends only. If any tan (low or high band), white line continued round the side.

Yes!!

No, that's where Ed lived. the loco was to go in a public park which contained a heritage railway, with which he was heavily involved. He made the decision to buy it while travelling through the Barnesmore Gap in the sole surviving six-wheeler, No. 1 - now in Cultra - when he was here with several friends. They had come here to get the last of the narrow gauge, covering the C & L one day and Strabane - Killybegs and back a few days later. I can't remember if he told me that he did the West Clare - unlikely as it was all diesel. He and his friends had come here specifically to get as much steam as they could. He was disappointed at the politically-motivated decimation of the GNR, as he had seen it all in action some years earlier on a previous visit. Someone asked me once if Edgar knew the famous Dr. Cox, who assembled the Donegal stuff at Strabane for people to, eh, travel to, in order to retrieve anything of scrap value; as far as I recall, he didn't. Interesting side anecdote: travelling with us was James I C Boyd, author of much superb material on Irish, Manx and Welsh narrow gauge. It was a highly interesting trip.....

Yes - but WHERE! I will try to find it. It's in a box somewhere here in an old album.......... It was on the Dhaulpur system which I travelled on. There were Baldwins and all sorts of 2ft gauge beauties - but we're talking Lough Swilly proportions, not Bala Lake! Huge beasts. Had a footplate run on a 4.8.2 tender loco..... The Gwalior system was a treat as well, but that's another story. All was 100% steam, among less than a dozen lines I ever did where not even a trial run of anything non-steam had ever taken place!

Edgar Mead was an absolute gentleman. I travelled round india with him in 1979 and we found a Nasmyth Wilson 2.6.4T in service - a 2ft gauge version of a Donegal Class 5 tank engine - blue instead of red...... Very knowledgeble man. I kept in touch with him for years..... he often invited me to The U S and A to see that loco, but I never got around to it.............