jhb171achill

Post-amalgamation, a few WLWR engines wandered well away from home territory. One 2.4.0 spent years based in Wexford, while two others if the class (291 & 293) were regulars on the Loughrea branch between the early 1930s and the mid-50s. One of their tank engines was to be seen in Wisht Cork too. So, a prototype for many things!

When I supplied the historical info to Hattons for these, I sent them a list of several alternative numbers for each vehicle type. With their demise nbow, and not having ordered a set of 4, I was therefore unsure whether they had actually used them all or not.

This was the original idea which I was told would happen, weeks only before Hattons expired. I ordered one of everything bar the 4-coach set. The idea initially discussed was that some might just buy the set, but if they wanted another third, another van, or another anything, they’d get a different vehicle number. If someone has the 4-coach set, pist up the vehicle numbers and I will check if they’re the same.

I would certainly be in the market for a three-car set, despite the fact that an ICR is decades out of my general level of interest. My layout represents a very rural area in the 1955-70 period; the type of line which if it actually did exist today, would probably be populated by two-car 28s, not even an ICR. But the ICR is an iconic and essential part of the railway scene; it's the J15, the 80 class railcar, or the AEC railcar of today. So, yes, I'm certainly one of those who fits into James' category above. They will be worth waiting for; exceptional levels of detail and accuracy will of course be guaranteed.

Most staffed station in Ireland, possibly? Any advances on that? Only likely competitor is Heuston Station, and I doubt if can match that.

In all reality, bar the "Crown", there's not a single thing to be seen in any of those pictures which appears to have any visual or architectural merit of any sort.....

Des - are you still doing those old-fashioned style road direction signposts?

Good thinking

Just looking at them, the gap between coupled coaches is huge. Is there a way of amending the couplings, I wonder, to close that enormous gap?

Interesting; sure it’s not the 1964 one? My info was always that while the last passenger-carrying ones were withdrawn in 1963, the IRRS used one in ‘64 for a CCR jaunt. If the above actually is in ‘65, the coach is already withdrawn and will have been used by unofficial “local arrangement”…. Last public use, though, early '63.

The wisdom of good quality colour film in the 1950s and 60s may be seen with many colour slides from the period today. Some retain vibrant colour, others (like most of Cyril Fry’s!) were taken on cheap film and have deteriorated since. But our intrepid photographer in the south west in summer 1958, used only the best of materials when he captured the 11:40 mixed making a spirited departure from Dugort Harbour one sunny July day…… Once it gets to Tully Fish Siding, it will pick up three wagons of marine produce - which will end up in Farringdon Market in London less than 13 hours later, via North Wall and Holyhead.

Exactly, 100%.

They wouldn't have run together anyway, so the BnT one won't be lonely! The passenger-carrying ones (all green) were withdrawn before any of the surviving vans became black and tan.......

I'd love to see this in the flesh. One of my favourite layouts.

Woohoooo!!

As the evening sun sets, the stock for tomorrow’s mainline train reposes in the carriage siding at Castletown West. Once the one-coach local comes in from Dugort Harbour in the morning, it’ll be off to the junction to connect with the Tralee and Cork trains….

100% right. No matter what way they want to dress this up, it’s a hugely backward step. For years I commuted from Lisburn to Central, and later Botanic; occasionally Bangor. It would have been much more awkward now. Imagine if overnight ALL Greystones & Bray Darts stopped dead at Connolly, and so did all Drogheda, Malahide & Howth trains. I don’t buy any of the weak arguments advanced by the Ulster Translink Authority as to the impossibility of through services - at least in rush hour. In the late 1940s, jhbSenior was asked to conduct an engineering feasibility study into the construction of the direct curve from the Central line into GVS. He concluded that while tight, it was possible. Nothing came of it, as the powers-that-were considered it to be IMpossible. Thirty years later they did it. When I made my first visit back to GC last week, since about 1960 when I recall walking about weed-green sidings; I had a look at the track layout. It IS at least theoretically possible to have a through service.

I mentioned that I have one quite sharp curve, and I wondered what these things will make of it. I don’t know the actual radius so I can’t comment on actual figures, but a six-wheeler heating van I have, plus a DSER 6-wheeler by the late Ken McElhinney, seem to be ok with it…. we’ll see! Yes, agreed, a six-wheeler will, by design, look less kindly upon sharp curves…

100% - it is on Youghal sumner excursions that they saw their very last use, in 1962. There were some still in Cork the following spring, on occasional secondary duties. Among the other very last places they were to be seen, usually mixed in with elderly bogies nit much younger, were the branch sets for Ballinrobe, Ballaghaderreen and Loughrea, and Leopardstown race days on the Harcourt St line. By summer ‘63 they would never carry passengers again, bar one on an early ‘64 IRRS jaunt over the Cork City line. However half a dozen of their full brake vans saw service until 1968/9; hence the single model of one of these in black’n’tan. At least three of these vans got the BnT livery - possibly 4. Some of their elderly bogie cousins - some corridor, some non-corridor - saw out the 1960s and into the early 70s, by now in BnT. These were used on summer north Dublin commuter area seaside excursions, and in Cork, boy! - on Youghal excursions and extras on the Cobh line. They were retired just about the time the “supertrain” livery was appearing, though it’s unlikely such a prestigiously decorated loco ever hitched up to them. RIP, venerable old wooden carriages of character, RIP musty seat cushions, leaking roofs and rattly droplights on windows you could open; you have earned your rest (except, happily, at Downpatrick); superseded by customer tubes instead of passenger trains….

Interesting you say that, Edo - I have one fairly sharp curve on my layout - hope they don't object to it! Nice to see the contrast between the pre-1955 and post-1955 green liveries. Naturally, after 1955, not all were repainted at once, and a handful saw out the early 60s still in the older version - so mixing the two up is perfectly doable within the realms of accuracy.....

Selling these for a friend, who asks for €30 for the lot. Three container wagons also, standard Hornby stuff. Bogie wagons €5 each.

All still in traffic.

Indeed. When I spoke to them they were struggling with 14,000 orders. I think that no matter how long any of have to wait, we just have to “suck it up”, as it were. To be fair to Rails O.S., that’s a monumental workload to take on by any standard. I personally await about nine or ten of these things. When I was initially speaking to Hattons about developing these, they told me the more liveries the better, in terms of production economics. The only reason they didn’t do the GSR one straight away was that they wanted to test the water with the CIE ones. Prior to closure I had sent them details of the two relevant GSR liveries for these, and they were taking the view that if the CIE ones were successful, they would then do GSR and GSWR - three more choices (five if they had been bogies!)…

Could we offer that guy a room in Downpatrick station, rent free?

No, only customers. No goods, no freight and no passengers. In the past, passengers travelled by train from railway stations. They bought their ticket from a ticket clerk or member of staff. Today, customers travel in silver-coloured tubes from “train stations”. Few have staff, but the bigger ones have customer service representatives…………!! Thus, steam has gone, goods trains have as good as gone, passsnger trains have gone, and instead we have customer tubes scooting along the lines…… (or ambling, if it’s the DSER…)