jhb171achill

Yes, that is correct. It was never even steamed like that! The first loco was completed just as the MGWR was ceasing its existence and becoming but one part (albeit a major one) of the GSR. Locomotives of GSWR extraction were already being repainted plain grey (since 1915-18) and as a final act of "independence", the first "Woolwich" was finished in full MGWR livery. Since 1918, the MGWR had abandoned the time-honoured green, and any loco repainted after that was in their new black livery, with red lining. So, complete with next number in MGWR series, it was painted up, wheeled outside into daylight, photographed, and immediately brought back in again for repaint into plain grey, and renumbering with the now-correct GSR number and cast numberplate. Thus, it never turned a wheel in MGWR livery, never mind haul a train, and all of its sisters entered traffic in GSR times as GSR engines, in GSR grey from the outset. Two historical echoes would follow some years later. In the late 1950s, 388 was repainted black, with red lining - one of the Bachmann models was in this guise - for the Cork - Rosslare services. While very short-lived, possibly no more than 18 months, as the diesels were coming along pretty soon, it looked very well, if contemporary pics are anything to go by. But, while this repaint is often described as being similar to the old GSWR livery, while that is true, it's actually a great deal MORE like the final MGWR livery! So if anyone ever wanted to model the first of the class in MGWR livery, and use Rule 1 ("It's YOUR layout"!) to justify running it as such, all you need to do is remove the CIE cabside number and replace it with the MGWR one, and remove the "flying snail" from the tender and replace with "M G W R"! Reminiscent of Broadstone's closing MGWR livery echo, in Dundalk Works, the same thing happened a couple of years AFTER the GNR had ceased to be, and all locos in it were owned by CIE. The very last ex-GN 4.4.0 ("S" 174) was outshopped in full lined GNR blue, complete with "G N" and crest on the tender. Between the end of the GNR in 1958 and the closure of Dundalk to steam engine maintenance, the few repaints had involved the lined blue livery, but with no markings at all on the tender, and "CIE" stencilled on the buffer beams. So, hopefully soon, an ICR will appear in fully lined CIE 1950s green..........

Yes, it could certainly be described as such!

That same gentleman would very certainly know what he was talking about, if he's who I think he is!

Yes - while very rare indeed it did happen, especially on the Galway mail trains. But in all cases the stock used for passengers was behind the loco, and the other stock on the tail was locked off and out of use, just being worked as ECS or carrying mailbags locked in.

For laminates or Park Royals, actually just three for some and two for others. The earlier ones built in 1955/6 were unpainted ("silver") at first, then green - though later ones were green from the start. From late 1962 reprinting in black'n'tan started, and that was that! That livery was extraordinarily long lived on those vehicles, from early 60s to late 80s. Of course, vehicles built before 1955 or so, including all wooden vehicles, were previously the darker lined green, and GSR maroon before that.

Interesting! Thank you!

They couldn’t have done that as the electrics and gangways were incompatible unless each set had a genny, which is possibly what you suggest that the article implied? Would it not be more likely the ones on the end were empty, ie being conveyed somewhere? If you could narrow it down I could look up the journals....

And it’s great to see interest in this fascinating era increasing!

There are two BCDR locomotives among the Cyril Fry collection in Malahide Model Railway Museum in the old casino building. Naturally it's closed right now due to Covid, but whenever it reopens you'd be able to see them. If you PM me I can give you more details of those.

Very nice indeed, and I wish you well with it.

It wouldn't be a train make-up, as such, as a BR genny van couldn't operate with AC coaches. Just random stuff coupled together; a cattle truck in the middle of such a string of vehicles would have been just as likely a generation earlier!

Probably an old "E" class?

I'll take the No. 30. Bush is indeed best, though so is Jameson's. Don't want to go to Crumlin, if all they have there is Club Lemon instead of Bush, and the bus is named after an Oik.

Looking at that aerial view to confirm any doubts I had, yes, definitely New Ross.

And then you’d 727, still with GNR upholstery, used as a railcar intermediate just into the 80s - the last GNR coach in service, looking well in the modern NIR blue and maroon!

Pity their website is so woefully awful - I’ve never been able to open it on any one of FOUR devices....

As you say, a small layout for “0” is very adequate. I was literally just sitting doodling a potential small layout based on Fintona - all that would be needed is one steam locomotive and half a dozen trucks. Add a small turntable and a small railbus replaces the horse....

The Hattons ones advertised so far are very like several GSWR designs, and would fit in well on an Irish layout based anywhere south of the Dublin - Galway line, plus, of course, the Limerick-Sligo route. Can't see Hornby's offerings, as their website is so slow to open as to be useless!

Ah! A breath of steam air! Me too....... Some of the young'uns here will be appalled at the likes of you and I seeing an 071 or an 80 class as "too modern to be of interest"!

Top one could be anywhere, really - possibly Broadstone or Athlone? It's a MGWR 0.6.0 in GSR days (1925-45). Second one is on the DSER somewhere - could it be New Ross? Third one - I SHOULD know that, given so many clues in the pic - but I've no idea. I think the third wagon is a DSER one. The high fencing behind looks pretty new. Wagons suggest date about 1930.

TRAMS!!!! (Maybe an old Howth tram?) Buses - the single deckers used by the UTA and CIE in the 1950s and 60s, of several types, would be a winner, I feel.

A train set - steam locomotive + wooden bogie + laminate + 6-wheel third + tin van, now there’s a thought! I do realise, before the IRM guys are imbibing their smelling salts, that we’ve a very long way to go before such a thing is commercially viable, but who can say never?

.........we'd have steam-powered Luas's, and the beautiful smell of turf smoke hanging over the salubrious settings of D4, D6 and D18!

Ye have me drooling uncontrollably now......... wouldn't be without precedent though (the smoke OR the drooling!). This time last year I was in the midst of sorting out the Fry models for the Malahide Museum (20 mins walk from where I'm sitting now), and your comment prompts me to recall that Cyril Fry invented the idea of dropping a drip of oil into the chimney of a model loco, with smoke drifting out as a result. he sold the idea to Hornby and got a decent little sum for it, and the rest is history...... Very true indeed - but it makes me think of one final point - even NOW there is virtually nothing available to authentically run behind "A" class locos in silver or green or 121s in grey! When these were bumbling about the network in those liveries, there was nothing at all in black'n'tan, and almost all trains had at least some older wooden coaches including six-wheelers. Without exception, ALL passenger trains in those times needed a tin van for a passenger train, unless it was to be run run without either heat or light. Yet, these are commercially successful. The moral of THIS story may well be that once people have these on their layouts, a commercially viable market for tin vans, laminates and Park Royals will manifest itself. Let's hope so. We do, of course, in the meantime, have the Silverfox models to fill the gaps with, some of which are available in green.

Fair enough - makes sense!