jhb171achill

Got a beauty in grey to support the RPSI, plus (yesterday) B125, both from Mark’s Models in Hawkins St., who are always an absolute pleasure to deal with. They are, as others have already observed, exquisite!

Seems like a different world..... when I was RPSI treasurer for years, I paid all the bills by cheque, and wrote things like that out too.....(and diaried a note to ensure that the debtor coughed up!).....

Personally, I’ve bought from Mark’s Models (as recently as yesterday) plus several “box-shifters” in England, plus private purchases, and fleabay in the past. While I have a massive preference for buying from local firms, especially now when they need all the help they can get, friendly, prompt and efficient service with timely deliveries and good back-up in case anything might go wrong, takes priority over price. Having said that, no matter how much I wanted something on fleabay, if the seller wanted some of the stupid prices occasionally seen, I would politely invite them to insert the item in themselves.......

Ah yes, I saw that. Excellent job.

Oh, THAT one!! In that case, I'll be bringing my dredging equipment to Borris-in-Moneygall........

Looking forward to seeing their 6-wheelers - very GSWR-like in design.......

Damn. You've got me looking up B & Bs in Fermanagh now............

Love the weathering on the K2 "Woolwich" and all the diesels..... ! Question to all re. those locos - are they ok for DCC? I have two, not used yet. Got them second hand, but I know from the guys I got them from that they aren't chipped. (I'll need to weather them like you have!)

Black 5s.....love those engines!

Wonder if I can sell one of my 141s..............can we start at €1000?

Bangers AND mash? Well, you're lucky! When I were a young lad, eighty-four of us 'ad to pay the mine owner to lick the packet the bangers wer in! And you try tellin' that to the young wans today.........

I suspect it was. One of those was also trotted out once or twice in the north to replace a failed RPSI steam loco on a couple of RPSI tours. Last time they were regularly out'n'about in the south would have been 1984/5. Even then, confined to Inchicore shunting and pre-DART Dublin suburban.

Many of those containers ended up looking almost like they'd been PAINTED brown instead of orange in the first place, due to the uncleaned brake dust patina all over them! The above looks very realistic indeed....

Wow! Wasn't aware of that one!

Planet / Hibberd 1951, used all its 20-odd years at Alexandra Road Oil Terminal in Dublin. Acquired by the RPSI in the 1970s and spent the next 20 years shunting at Whitehead. Still there, but out of traffic for about 20 years. Would need very major work to get it going again, and it's of very limited use.

As already mentioned somewhere here, John Mayne is planning a re-run of his excellent "tin vans", and Silverfox do a green one as well as a black'n'tan one. It can't emphasised enough - for those who pursue accuracy, tin vans are a necessary feature of all 1960s trains, great and small - with the very few exceptions of the unique Loughrea coach, and a couple of sets of old wooden vehicles for summer use in Cork and Dublin.

It’s worth remembering that when the 121s entered traffic, and for almost two years afterwards, ALL coaches were green, and in the Cork area there were still 6-wheelers in traffic. Tin vans are essential for that period too.

In the current grand scheme of things, they would probably be unwise to offer a date. Too many variables are disrupting things right now- the Covidpox, backlogs in Chinese factories, transport delays, possible customs issues if travelling via Brexitland......

Its carrying the then-current "Enterprise" headboard.... That train actually shows perfectly the necessity to have model "tin vans" to top and tail trains like this - one luggage van (rear in this case) and one heating van (behind the loco in the above).

Yes, even when the Dungarvan - Mallow line closed in 1967, there would still have been a few green coaches about, especially "tin vans" and full brake / mail coaches. Indeed - this is six years after closure. This train is thus a special of some sort, which is what I suspected. Could it be a GAA special?

Leading coach is a GSWR bogie of 1910-20 period. By 1969, few wooden steam-era coaches were left on CIE, though NIR's coaching stock was composed entirely of such types. It is interesting to see one in main line use, as they were normally kept in the greater Dublin area. By 1974, the last wooden stock was gone. One to remember for buyers of grey or black'n'tan 121s; there's more scope for a realistic variety of carriages in a train than simply a rake of Cravens! On another note, the length of this train, plus the wooden carriage at this end suggest it's been added on to strengthen the normal set, probably as a result of some special event. In the early to mid 1960s, ex-GSWR carriages of this type were common in all types of passenger trains. Mostly green, obviously, until maybe 1965 or so, then all black'n'tan. I recently contacted Worsley Works to enquire as to whether they might do an etch of one of these (plus a Midland six-wheeler). Allen replied that he has a serious backlog of requests right now but will look into it. He requested drawings - I have some, but my stuff is all in storage at the moment as a result of a house move. I'll dig them out in due course.

They did indeed appear on the "Enterprise" - though not often. The "A" class were more regular. My own observations of them concur with yours, of course - I travelled in the cab of 121 "pairs" on the Sligo line twice in the late '70s. Anyone here who ever travelled in the cab of a 141 at speed - the 121s were even bumpier! My recollections of Westport in the early to late 70s was more usually "A" class, though I am aware that pairs operated here also. (We used to go to the "Wisht" for our holidays every summer). For models, it's a reasonable rule of thumb that grey examples operate singly, and black'n'tan ones either singly or in tandem with another, or with a 141 or 181 if you are modelling 1972 (Mk 2 era) onwards. Unless there was ever a test run, I doubt if grey 121s were ever paired - certainly never in regular traffic. In the 1970s, any mix of the three classes (for a pair) of black'n'tan or supertrain liveries. By 1980, 121s working singly were as good as unknown, with but two exceptions: (a) The Dundalk Barrack St branch, and (b) later on, a few 121s with the Mk 3 push-pulls. By the very late 80s / early 90s, you've a mix of CIE supertrain livery and "tippex" with "set of points" logo. Black'n'tan is long gone by now, so this and "tippex" never mixed. Later still, mixes in pairs with this and the "three-pin-plug" logo. I have a very vague memory of seeing a photo somewhere one time of a new (grey) 121 rescuing a failed steam loco on a service train (or maybe it was the other way round!), so you had a unique "pair" there - a brand new 121 and a steam engine!

Phew!

Is one of those Donald Trump?

That would be an ecumenical matter..... -------------- All of the 121s had no handrails once repainted from grey to black'n'tan, but during the currency of that livery gained them. While the livery officially changed to "Supertrain" in 1972, black'n'tan ones would still remain in traffic for a few years more - with handrails. I am unaware of any being repainted into "Supertrain" livery still without full handrails. The first time I saw repainted ones, they had them - and the pair (on the front of a Cork train of Mk 2s about to leave Heuston) were both straight out of the paint shop. And I had just used up all my film on an "E" class, and two "H" vans in the goods yard.............