jhb171achill

Here’s another of that loco at Templeogue - date unknown. Side buffers are interesting....

Ah, yes, I know the one. I've one of his 800s. Cabin fever being what it is, I'm off to revisit his site.

Well, the one colour photo shows it as per the list above, however even within the final year between May and August Sir Henry had both styles. I can't help feeling that many or most of them started out as your model (very nice one!), but later got black paint just slapped over them. I can't see any great economy in it, either, if that was any sort of reason. So, Sir H had a shiny polished one in May, but painted over by August. Thus, it is at least possible, but probably likely, that "Hazelwood" was as per your model for much of its life. We could trawl older B&W photos, but they're not ideal. As I said above, while it cannot be categorically denied, there is certainly no evidence of red connecting rods. Thus, in terms of strict accuracy, I'd yours passes the test. Even if it didn't, it wouldn't matter as it is a very fine model. Scratchbuilt?

You mentioned Egan's comments about paint styles - he was always mortally embarrassed by the state of the SLNCR carriages, with rich maroon paint faded to a dirty brownish pink, and peeling to show bare wood. Maybe he wished all the con-rods to be a nice red!

I'm not entirely certain that all SLNCR locos had a red connecting rod either. Dirt, of course, and lack of many photos, will "colour" this one forever at this stage! One thing is evident - EVERY colour photo I have seen of ALL Sligo Leitrim engines appear to show a black connecting rod - even on withdrawn ones, where workaday grime could be expected to have worn off and revealed some sort of salmony-pink faded red. there is no sign of red at all.

Right - did a bit of delving. First - green on such a plate is very certainly wrong. While they are not a railway museum, I do feel that if anything at all in any scenario is worth preserving, then fer gawd's sakes paint it the right colour; but I'm known for that opinion! The following are evident in colour photographs: Black plate with red raised rim and letters: Sir Henry - August & September 1957* Hazelwood - September 1957 (out of use) Lough Erne - May 1956, 1957, also under UTA in 1963 Red plate with raised polished rim and letters: Sir Henry - May 1957* Enniskillen - May 1957 Lough Erne - 1972. By the time Lough Erne arrived at Whitehead, it had a read plate with polished letters - this was late UTA era. Loughs Erne & Melvin, on starting life with the UTA, retained their SLNCR plain black, with black nameplate - but were not repainted into lined UTA livery. While Lough Melvin appears never to have been painted in UTA livery, it must be assumed that it was scrapped like that. Lough Erne, however, got a full repaint in the last couple of years - probably about 1965 - and only at THAT stage it had a red nameplate with polished letters. Uncertain Lissadell - out of use at Manorhamilton, 1957; appears to have black plate with whitish letters and rim; it is possible that this very badly faded red, but does look more like white. So, by the 1950s anyway, it seems that it was more usual to find a black plate with red letters than a red plate with polished letters. It is reasonable to assume that what went with Lough Erne also went with Lough Melvin.

If the lockdown rules allow it next Monday I will be in the place and I'll get a few pics - but I think I posted them somewhere here before? If you mean among senior's pics, no. He saw it operate but didn't have his camera! Pity - because the service he saw was one of the two little railbuses, and I have never seen a picture of one of those actually in use.

I should add that this is the day that the new maroon livery (LMS maroon) was unveiled. The lining also was the same as the LMS! At this time, it is interesting to note that the carriage colour and lining (though obviously not lettering style) was exactly the same as the NCC had been for some years. So, just as the 1950s were the "grey'n'green" era, with both CIE and the UTA smothering anything that passengers went near in green, the 1930s and 40s might be called the "maroon" era, with - again - everything from Portrush to Baltimore in maroon. Naturally, the GNR was in between in both cases, but as I was always told in early days at Whitehead "the GNR is different"! Leslie, myself and a few other devotees of blue 4.4.0s will agree; albeit in a more benevolent sense than the comment was intended to imply! And, of course, in the dying days of the GNR, a green "A" class got to Monaghan, and a CIE green clad AEC set managed a run from Dundalk to Clones....... and the majority of surviving GNR coaches ended up either UTA green or CIE green.... anyway; I digress: back to the above coaches. I forgot to mention that (obvious to many) this is taken at Portarlington. The old GSWR coach at the end is probably the brake, as none of this set of coaches were brake coaches. GSR stock had until now been the very dark "crimson lake" colour, with some main line stock in the short-lived brown and cream - itself not unlike another British company, the GWR.

Not sure of exact number, though I can look it up. They were built largely in 1935 and 1937. In 1951-3, CIE built loads more of various types to the same basic design, which would later be continued into the design of the various “laminates”. The 1935 (main line) versions had the side profile shown above. Later ones had the top part more curved. EDIT: While this pic is dated 1933, it becomes evident it mist be 1935!

The first ever trial run of the first “Bredins”. These were a set of non-corridor* suburban thirds for the Bray routes. Senior (then a teenager) toddled along for the ride; pic dated 1933 but must be 1935. (* Gangways were added some years later)

Indeed. I will see if I can dig out today some more details. I have seen a pic of one at least with the other type. It would be helpful to know which it was!

What about the actual PINT! I'm crying out for THAT!

The tank-side lettering started disappearing during the 1930s, possibly the late 30s. By the late 1940s it was gone, and just plain black after that. The nameplates varied. Some were red with polished brass raised rim and numerals, but some were painted black all over with rim and letters picked out in red. It varied from loco to loco, so with any specific model you'd need to check. With "Lurganboy" (an excellent choice!) photos are unclear. If you need the info I will do a bit of delving for you.

Point of order, m’lud; the “A” class were delivered silver (as were the original trio of G’s, the original E401s, the B101s and the Cs.). The F were always green, and were probably never repainted once - they were only in use six years.

Yes, that would be right for the time. The pics I saw of them in Sligo were twenty years later. As mentioned before the Woolwiches can’t really be considered as really “Midland” engines - they all entered traffic new as GSR locos and while Galway was a regular run for them, so were Cork - Waterford, Waterford - Limerick and other routes way more south than the Galway line.

Congratulations, IRM team. Very well done indeed!

Given the size, they're very like the stuck-on ones which appeared on the "A" class locos when introduced and were only taken off once they were repainted black in the early 1960s. Very nicely made.

Lyons Tea container, Limerick, 1976

WOWWWWWW I've started drooling again. Superb stuff as always - I absolutely love that layout and era.

Yes, the "F" class were indeed on the West Clare; narrow gauge. No use to the RPSI but had CIE been happy to drop an entirely unreasonable price, they'd exist now in the Isle of Man, and would have prolonged the life of the Peel and Ramsey lines for up to maybe ten years more. No reason why the four West Clare Walker railcars and their trailers might not have gone there too. But that is entirely a different story. A "D" class shunter would not have been of any use to the RPSI.

This is very much the case. There were numerous examples of the GSR moving lever frames, signalling equipment and even footbridges about the place owing to the need to save money. Ballinasloe's current footbridge originally came from Oughterard on the Clifden branch, but had spent time at Ballyglunin in between. Track from lifted branches was another thing. Go to any town in Ireland where the railway no longer exists, and you'll be told the urban legend "oh, when they lifted the track they melted it down and dropped it on the Germans as bimbs in the war". Such tales are largely or completely nonsense; but what DID happen was similar re-use of old rails - seven miles of the Clifden line ended up as several relaid sections in West Cork. Rails were lifted from parts of the "Burma Road" after it closed - though replaced with older track for the annual post-closure weedspray - and used to replace sidings elsewhere. And that was long after GSR days....

Look up the online catalogue of Colourrail. You can buy copies of their images. They have about half a dozen very nice and comparatively recently posted LLSR pics. If you're thinking of colours, locos were a very dark olive green (lined pale yellow), which weathered to almost black, though unlike their CDRJC a neighbours who rarely cleaned anything but the tank sides and cans of locos, Lough Swilly ones were very well cleaned and kept for the most part. Not so carriages; these were plain unlined wagon grey, same as the wagons.

Goods vans in 1975. Within a year, they were to be almost eliminated under the goods modernisation plan from 1972, which aimed to put everything in containers and abolish loose-coupled goods trains.

Athboy - yes. Huge cattle traffic, with very thirsty locos on fair days!

Things were just stored there at that time. The RPSI set often lived around there for a while.