jhb171achill

In theory. However, the costs associated with operating a full-size steam locomotive, plus the regulatory regime, insurance costs, railway safety case and other stuff would make such a thing hopelessly uneconomic. Even more so, the importation of a loco, conversion of it, and certification processes here - you'd need a hefty six-figure sum, or more like seven figure. Downpatrick uses two TINY shunting engines and a TINY 5'3" gauge loco in rotation. These are barely economically viable even there, other than at Christmas, Easter, St. P's Day and Halloween. Sadly, the market for railway preservation in its proper sense in Ireland is exceptionally small. "Lough Erne" would be a lovely thing to behold (Galteemore here might just agree with me!) but would conservatively cost half a million sterling for an almost total rebuild from ground up - she's mechanically and internally in a shocking state, with most of the loco only fit for scrap.

That would finnish me off. And the garden.

Only got my B134 today by post (yes, with my life history printed on the front!)....it doesn't concern me, but I wonder why it took so long? Not an issue, just curious?

Indeed - because grey was such an unusual livery, especially when it covered every detail on a loco, it did look odd to those who weren’t used to it - i.e. virtually 99% of people! Despite it being grey on arrival at Whitehead, what possibly didn’t help was a belief at Whitehead that everything CIE has to be black! 186 was “passed” as accurate by at least two individuals who were very familiar indeed with 1930s - 1950s Inchicore.....

indeed..... or it is 5ft?

Albeit a very much darker shade of grey, I would think that this is precisely the reason that grey steam locos often look odd to many people.

They’re 5’6”. The only places with 5’3” other than here are Australia (parts of) and Brazil, as far as I am aware. The larger 5’6” gauge is found in India, Pakistan, not sure about Bangladesh any more, and Sri Lanka. The Spanish, Portuguese and Russians and some former soviet countries also have broad gauge.

Yup - pretty disastrous.

Exactly!!!!

That’s the beauty of model railways! We can create a scene with scenery so realistic it looks like it’s growing, and models with detail so historically accurate that the very fussiest rivet counter would be reaching for his smelling salts - but it’s a fictitious location, or it has highly accurate-looking cattle trains where none existed. If the last few stones’ throws had been retained, Dungarvan could have remained linked. So your layout could be based on Kilmac or somewhere, or even a Dungarvan terminus (the way Kilkenny ended up), with the magnesite, but also two passenger trains a day and goods trains. Depending on whether you were concentrating on 1967-75 or later, you’ve scope for cattle specials, or a container, cement or fert from Waterford to Dungarvan.....

The tin vans shared a body profile (loading gauge) with the later "laminate" coaches, but nothing much else. To do justice to models, you'd probably have to do almost all of their design as one-offs - certainly, if Murphy / IRM standards were to be attained. Makes them appear less viable, but I've said it before - virtually all 1960s trains, and late 50s diesel trains, are quite simply as unrealistic without one as without a locomotive. The two BIG missing links in the 1950-75 period are AEC railcars and "tin vans". Many wagons too, but Provincial's cattle wagons, corrugated ("tin?") open wagons, and above all, the ubiquitous "H" vans, solved that through kits. Maybe when Leslie's sold out of them, someone will do RTR ones! Your idea about a run of British Mk 1s along with CIE's "BR Vans" is an interesting one, indeed; I am sure we'd welcome IRM's thoughts on that type of idea. One complication is that there was not a single type of "BR Van". The CIE genny vans were made from several different original varieties of British coach - thus, it would almost certainly only be feasible to do one type - but that would be fine. Generator vans truly are the next stage needed, hopefully.

What’s really needed are various “tin vans” for the era of grey 121s and black or green “A”s, or earlier black’n’tan 141s, as the BR vans didn’t exist until early 70s.

N O W you are talking!!! She could lift a fair load too, of course.......

I’ve only just remembered - I had forgotten all about this - I was in a 201 myself not long after they were new - which hit 102 or 103. Cork line....

Urban legends had the three 800s, or 800 herself at least, at 100. Senior used to say that it is very possible, indeed probable on trial, but to his knowledge (and mine) no RELIABLE account seems to exist. I can confirm that a 201 did do 105. Also, a retired driver told me that he often had 071s at well over 85 on passenger trains in the 1978-85 period when he drove on the Cork line. The Passage 2.4.2Ts seem to have been the fastest narrow gauge locos, with the NCC 2.4.2Ts not far behind them.

B101s were on the goods too, yes.

Those are CARD? Wow - they look very good indeed!

Very true - and of course no Cravens - either singly or in a train of ten of them - could EVER run WITHOUT a van..... nor could anything else going back to steam days!

I was on an 071 once which was doing about 85 mph on the down line between Templemore & Thurles......

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!! These fellas are buying up the whole country for overpriced apartments............!

Terrible shame the company couldn’t have survived at least in part, maybe just the busier routes from Derry to Buncrana and Letterkenny.....

Indeed - too true!

Yes - and there were several variations of these, but all BR Mk 1 outline, hence narrower and noticeably lower than Irish-built stock attached to them!

Yes, indeed - SO many rural trains in the 60s were 2 or 3 coaches and a van - sometimes just one. Trawling two photo collections last week (for a reason!), I found a Limerick - Ballina train with a 121 hauling nothing more than a single laminate and a tin van! Usually, though, that service was 2 or 3 + van. I was on that service with 2 + van, Loughrea with a solitary coach - the unique one on that line which had no need for a van as they plugged it into the mains at night in Loughrea, having fitted it with storage heaters, and 3 laminates with tin van Rosslare - Limerick. Just before the railcars arrived in Limerick, I went down to poke about in Ireland’s last city terminus with proper trains. I watched as the Nenagh train was backed into the platform, then the Rosslare one, awaiting their couple of passengers each....both sets were a BR van and just one Craven.

Recent discussions have focussed on what new (grey) 121s would have hauled. Above, from loco working backwards: - 4-wheeled luggage / guards “tin” van (silver) - Park Royal (green) - Four wooden bogies of at least two, possibly three types, all GSWR-origin, dating from 1902-15 builds (green) - Park Royal (green) - Another two wooden coaches, probably GSWR, inevitably green - Tin van, probably a GSV (heating van). Could be green or silver.