jhb171achill

I am not aware of any examples of this being carried on any lines here. Probably just dumped on domestic manure heaps.

Pic taken through a haze of it?

Drew was once described to me (weeks after he died) by a mutual friend as "the last of the northern Presbyterian nationalists"! As I learned in my time in the north, he was not, by any means, the only "northern protestant" who could absolutely put many a Galwayman or Kerryman to shame with his fluent Irish!

In the 1980s, when in my line of business I was sent on relief to various country towns, even as late as that nothing much had changed! I recall a man who swopped lambs in late winter for a "tab" in the local grocery shop in a small south Armagh town........... (dark side being that aged 90, he was almost beaten to death by scum-filth who decided to rob a defenceless old man of about £25 in a remote hillside farm..... poor oul John had no family...). But that's a separate story.

Yes, the Isle of Man Railway carried it in churns too. Like Ireland, never had any milk tankers. I think they used open wagons for them, stuck on the back of passenger trains, as dedicated goods trains in the IOM were almost unheard of.

The late Billy Lohan told me a story about a time he was sent up to Sligo with a light engine and guard's van to collect a rake of empty cattle trucks to take to Ennis for a cattle fair the following day. Since it was a special train, it would have been in the weekly circular but not the WTT. It's probably about 1940-42. They got to a level crossing near Gort, and he had a Midland 0.6.0, a J18. The brakes weren't the best. Health, safety, day-glo clothing and "safety cases" were a future fantasy. Billy's disdain for anything MGWR was matched by his admiration for all things Inchicore, as he was most definitely a "Southern man". He had been complaining all day about being given a J18 - he didn't like driving from the "wrong" side compared to a "proper southern" J15! The gates were across the line. Billy whistled furiously and cursed the gatekeeper....no sign of her. Gates across the track. He slowed the train to a crawl, still whistling like mad. The locomotive was now down to a walking pace, but still not stopped. The gatekeeper's hens were all over the place - as a completely separate issue, they had escaped from their pen. As the loco crawled uncontrollably towards the gates, at about the same time the elderly J18 hit the gate a hearty CRACK and smashed it in two, the gatekeeper came running round the side of the cottage in her apron and slippers, shouting "Ah, me hins! Me hins! Me HINS!!""............ Billy went ballistic and replied to her in terms that would have made the "hins" blush......he was an absolute stickler for doing things the correct way, absolutely by the book. To say that Billy had a dim view of a gatekeeper putting the welfare of her hens above that of having the gates set properly would be an understatement! A great guy, lived to be 103. I have recordings of him, having had the great privilege of interviewing him several times. Your tale of chicks reminded me of that - sorry to wander off-topic.........

I forgot about eggs! Yes, they were a big thing all over the place!

SUPERB stuff as always; we're seeing the brassmaster at work!

Hi Colin In the days when narrow gauge railways were operating, in all reality milke was taken about the place by donkey and cart (there's a pic of one alongside a CDR train, and another alongside a C & L train - or for the super-sophisticated, tractor and trailer. We didn't use milk tankers at all really - certainly not by rail at all, and by road not until the mid 1960s. Almost all Irish milk was used in local creameries. We didn't ever have bulk traffic - what did travel was in churns in ordinary wagons. For your friend's layout, especially if its based in the area you mention, the predominant goods traffic would be bags of grain, bags of cement, animal feed, SOME churns of milk in a van or open wagon, live cattle and general goods (.e. cardboard boxes of washing powder or liught machinery). Virtually all goods traffic was carried in covered vans, bar of course the cattle; but even some of these beasts were carried in ordinary goods vans with a removable centre section of roof for ventilation - the famous Irish "convertible van" or "soft-top", as the railwaymen called them due to the central opening being covered by a canvas covering when the wagon was being used for goods instead of cattle. Some "soft-tops" were still running in the very early 1960s, and the C & L had them to the end.

I've chartered a GNR 4.4.0 and some GNR wooden carriages to go north to rescue all this tax-free stuff. An AEC set will follow with the spares.

We may know people........................................................................................!

Irish railways did not carry milk in anything remotely like the quantities that British lines did, thus no milk tankers. What milk traffic WAS carried, travelled in churns in ordinary wagons or vans. As far as the narrow gauge was concerned, as mentioned, the CVR carried some, I believe in churns in standard open wagons (along with gawd knows what other stuff!). I have an idea that the Cavan & Leitrim might also have done so. However, it is probable that most of the lines carried small quantities from time to time also, again in ordinary wagons.

I've actually just written one - my annual sub renewal to "New Irish Lines"! I used a quill pen, of course..................................

Words of wisdom indeed. I am spending this evening trawling Murphaph's suggested German website for researching prices and range of various bits and pieces. Now. A RTR GSWR bogie coach, anyone? I need a couple to splice in with Park Royals, Bredins and Cravens behind a 121.......

I may know people........ but then again, I may not!

OK, now the butterflies have gone away, a few questions. 1. Will the fact that the north will in some ways effectively remain within the EU trading bloc ha e any effect on deliveries from Britain to the north or will this be treated as a domestic UK issue in its entirety? Those of us with a relative in the north might, presumably, be able to have stuff delivered there? 2. For those of us living in the south, are there are suppliers in mainland Europe from which we can buy certain items to save money by avoiding either transit through the UK, or not buying from places IN the UK?

AAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! OK, it's official. I am now certifiably SENILE. Please help me fill in the forms. It's 00:46 and it's time I went to bed, but the butterflies flying round the room won't let me, and the Sweetie Mice are singing too loudly. And there's a Thing outside the window.

BRUTAL things to travel in! Worse than "tin vans" at anything over 25mph!

Many thanks, Noel.

Was browsing, as I do over a mug'o'tea most nights, and came across this. "Export" tax of almost the full value of the item - presumably with a very fat postage charge on top of THAT? https://www.dckits-devideos.co.uk/index.php?route=product/category&path=155 Is this for real? Is this what ALL brexit-based sellers will be looking for?

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........