jhb171achill

Depends. The DSER, MGWR and GNR always had full height platforms, but the GSWR had low ones, like in mainland Europe. Quite a few were still like that into the mid 1970s, when many smaller ones closed (Knocklong, Goold’s Cross, Killonan, etc.). Mallow, however, still had low platforms until at least 1980 and possibly a few years after that. I think it was the last.

I agree, Robert, but I’d say it would be a brave man who would suggest it to the RPSI guys!

Indeed; a light grey livery on a working locomotive was just as nonsensically impractical as the silver livery on earlier loco classes. It actually gets to the stage where a pristine one on a layout barely looks realistic! Now - for the very serious bravery awards - WHO will be the first to weather a 121 (OR a silver A!) to a state of apparently shocking, filthy cosmetic neglect!

I will prostrate myself accordingly and say six Hail IRMs.....

I would say that in this day and age, something familiar to younger enthusiasts would be better, though it wouldn't be my thing. The obvious would be an ICR set, or an 071 & half a dozen Taras or ballast wagons; or three or four container flats with containers and a 201.

Imagine if the smouldering embers had gone off that night when nobody was about, and blown the thing apart! I'd love to be a fly on the wall when the teachers were trying to work out what little so-and-so in Fourth Year had broken into the school after dark................

That firm, Gleeson & O'Dea, named on the stove above was the family business of the renowned railway photographer, James P O'Dea, whose excellent collection resides in the National Library. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gleeson_O'Dea_%26_Co._Ltd._No._21-22,_Christchurch_Place,_Dublin_City,_Co._Dublin._(27648328816).jpg

And another story, from when I worked on the Festiniog Railway as a summer job when I was 17 (so, ten years ago). I was in the PW Dept., (following Senior's footsteps!) and one of the supervisors was a retired British Army veteran, who was as mad as a bag of frogs. He told the story that one time he was out on army "exercises" in the Scottish mountains in winter, and they had to "hole up" overnight when a vicious snowstorm came out of nowhere. They walked along a railway line and found a PW hut with one of these stoves in it. They got the fire lit, but our hero decided to play a trick on his colleagues. As they huddled round the fire inside it, he went outside and dropped several bangers down the chimney. B A N G ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! The cast-iron stove split into three pieces, dousing three trainee Paras with hot bits of burning wood and setting fire to the sleeper floor. The three inside said some rude words to him as a result.........

I recall a story told to me over thirty years ago by a friend in the business of apprehending people "doing stuff"; as a trainee apprehender, he was part of a crew called to the North Wall goods yard where they caught red-handed some young gentlemen helping themselves to colour TVs in a container on a railway wagon! The gentlemen concerned ended up being invited by the State to spend a while with free bed and board.....

A CIE van but a GSWR stove; on the face of it a mismatch, but as can be seen the railway companies often used outside contractors to buy stoves, just like with signalling components. Therefore, especially in 00 scale, there's no reason to think that a CIE one was substantially - if at all - different. Certainly, any I recall were like that. This level of detail makes this van an absolute must! Maybe increase my order to four or five! For those interested, or as nerd-like obsessed as me, like much in Cultra the exterior livery is wrong in many ways! Do you still pay a decent rate for informers?

There’s a CIE van at Whitehead, but I’m not sure if it still has a stove..... anyone? Plus the NCC one at Downpatrick?

Wouldn't like to be wherever that box was!

Don't you love the spotless coupling! I think that's the plough van that was used in the H blocks in 1980........................ or is that too controversial?

I had it on under my socks..........I promise. But my PTS is now out of date, but don't tell them!

FullSizeRender.mov

3. From 1933 a new livery appeared which would eventually cover all stock - a much lighter maroon actually the same as (British) LMS maroon. The Belfast & Co Down seemed to use the same shade, or one virtually indistinguishable.

Our friend Cyril Fry had his models display all three GSR liveries. 1. Dark “crimson lake”, which was a Guinness-like very dark crimsony maroon, so dark it looked almost like a dark brown with a reddish tint. This is very well reproduced on Downpatrick’s ex-GSWR coach 836 (though ignore the cream panels!) After 1925, all carriages both broad and narrow gauge were gradually repainted thus, though Senior recalled a passenger brake to be found around Inchicore bearing an older GSWR livery well into the ‘30s. This was essentially the old GSWR colour applied to everything but without the GSR’s sometime upper cream panels. 2. From the late 1920s, SOME stock was repainted brown and cream, with panels painted and lined as shown below. Most coaches, however, had the upper panels completely cream up to roof level. A thin black line below the windows separated the two. Two thin black lines were just above window level and just below roof level, against the cream background. Despite Fry’s model in this livery being a six-wheeler, I have found no evidence to show anything other than main line bogie stock plus a single example of a six-wheel passenger brake (used in main line trains!) ever carrying this. Anecdotal evidence is that it was a “main line livery” with the majority of all stock (including 6-wheelers, secondary vehicles and narrow gauge) all remaining the dark “lake” colour.

Museum open to the public tomorrow, 7th July. Open from now on (tsunamis, viruses, power cuts and plagues of locusts permitting) six days a week (closed Mondays).

For a major company, details of MGWR liveries for vans and goods vehicles are surprisingly scarce. Some sources suggest guards vans as being standard wagon grey, albeit a much darker shade than in GSR times. It is likely that this WAS the case in later years. However, other sources suggest a “sand” colour. From what I gather, this may be either plain wrong, or possibly confined to maintenance vehicles like plough vans (not used in normal traffic). Many sources suggest green for goods brakes, or brake vans which contain some passenger accommodation. It occurred to me last night that Cyril Fry might be a source of info on this, and here it is. Not everything that Fry did is correct livery-wise, though most is. I am inclined to believe, however, that there’s no reason to think this is inaccurate - a very dark green, darker even than the UTA shade: The plain brown interior, much like loco cab interior, will be noted.

Filth is VERY certainly the thing in the Crossley era - I often wondered if that's why many A and C classes ended up with only the white flash above front cab windows, and no side white band and no "tan" at all! Your weathering looks superb - just like the real thing.

Looking for up to two each of the 4 wheeled HV and the 4 wheeled LV. PM me if you have one available?

Actually, it does. Certainly non-standard / Could it be a one-off?

I’d love to see that yoke in steam! Sadly, my understanding is that it needs very major work including an entire new boiler and probably firebox too.

That's the one, Broithe! Thank you! (Mods.... want to move it or leave it?)

Recently there were posts somewhere about signals, which I can’t find; so - mods - feel free to move this. Attached is a sketch from Senior’s papers of GNR & NCC “somersault” signal dimensions.