jhb171achill

Must say the new interior looks to me to a bit of a hotch potch, given the closely co-ordinated look of the interior of coaches today. The upholstery, tables, wall sides and carpets don't even begin to co-ordinate; compare this with the refurbed "Enterprise"....! Still, if they add some system to stop the toilets smelling, and circulate fresh air, and keep the temperature below 30 degrees inside, it'll be a big improvement! I have to say that apart from the above, they're not the worst things to travel in. If I must choose any modern railcar, I'd go for the NIR 4000s. They (plus the ICRs) are quiet. The old ones, especially the tractor-engine MED cars, were absolutely atrocious. You'd need a gas mask to avoid the diesel fumes, and earphones to stop you going deaf in those oul things in the 1960s! "Hellfire" and "Thrash"....no, thanks!

Not necessarily most, but I would say probably. Railway staff were responsible for many too, e.g. “Jeeps” for the NCC / UTA “WT” class 2.6.4Ts. The GSR renumbered one of the Midland G2 2.4.0s as No. 666. The railwaymen called it “The Beast” after the passage in the Book of Revelations in the Bible which speaks of the end of the world, and the “number of the beast” is apparently “calculated” as three sixes. Some drivers considered it bad luck to drive it. In modern times, the 2600 railcars were “Fanta Cans” initially, then to a few they were “Lilt Cans” when repainted navy and lime green. Which probably makes them “Diet 7-Up Cans” nowadays! When new, I heard the 201 class locos referred to as something to do with yellow, or bananas (flying banana, maybe?) on account of the yellow stripe on the side and the yellow ends....

A very good tip for us all, especially given the extremely high standard of the scenic work of Fintonagh and Arigna Road.

Next year they’ll have a cabinet filled with ready to run Midland six-wheelers, and J18, C2 and D16 class locos, and RTR “Jeeps”! Thats what I dreamt last night anyway.....

I'll do that one too, Ed. There's a thread I started a couple of years ago on this "Extracts from old working timetables". I did this partly for general interest and partly because I find old timetables a good info source for layout planning. Since this thread started off as the DSER section specifically, I'll post other lines on the above one. Maybe the admins can add a link to it here?

Certainly - will do that today, if the "Voices" let me........ What years? The branch closed in 1976 as far as I recall. I'll do maybe 1965, 70 & 74 - though the picture is the same; one goods train a day, Monday - Friday, with an occasional GAA or pilgrimage special. The track plan there was quite simple and compact and very suitable for a layout. You can imagine it lasted into the 1980s, and had a twice-daily (push-pull) passenger service to Tralee. Goods by then would probably be Guinness and fertiliser if you want modern era. Since this is headed "DSER timetables" I'll post separately.

New one to me, Lambegman, but there ye go! Wouldn't have been common, I suspect. And, like you, I never heard the other yokes called "Rivers". Railwaymen all over tended to refer to numbers in most but not all cases. The three Hunslets were known as Hunslets or 101s, the railcars were inevitable 70 or 80 class among railwaymen, but the 450s were also called "Castles". The MED, MPD, BUT and AEC cars were called just that. On CIE, railwaymen almost inevitably used the GSWR terminology, not GSR - thus a 101 class instead of a J15, a 400 class, 500 class, 800 class, 60 class etc etc...

Did you see the timetables I posted earlier this evening from 1980 and 1986 under "General Chat"? They might be of use to you. No reason why the Ballina branch at some stage then wouldn't have been a 121 with a PP Mk 3 - the Limerick Junction branch set was..... Such a set, I like to think, could have kept the Waterford & Tramore going, had it survived, until the 2600 / 2700 railcar era...

The NIR “C” class we’re officially designated MV class. The 70s were called “Rivers” by perhaps a handful of enthusiasts, but as for “Hampshires”; I knew one enthusiast who occasionally called then that! (You may know who I mean!).... In Britain the Southern Region ones as opposed to our ones, were called Hampshires.

I’ve Youghal most years 1926-86 if you’re interested. Indeed, I’ve most lines over that period. Not so much GNR nowadays as I donated a good lot to various museums, mostly Enniskillen.

A few other gems from 1969. The first few are excerpts from the Tralee - Mallow timetable, just to show Castleisland (and its summer excursion train path) and the “if required” path to Fenit. Black’n’Tan heaven....

And finally, 1969. This shows the contrast between the one-use, one-type-of-wagon, one-customer (or maybe 2!) fitted liner trains and the much more varied (and interesting!) all-purpose goods trains, which will have everything from corrugated opens to H vans, palvans, four wheel flats with containers, etc etc. And what was IN them even more varied. Everything from soap powder to beet, engineering equipment, TV sets, sand, timber, parcels, newspapers, cans of mushy peas in cardboard boxes etc etc etc.

And this is 1986.

Given discussions of late on goods on the South Eastern, modern era fitted trains, and the fact that it has been a quiet day here in the Catacombs, herewith copies of the working timetable for May 1980 onwards. Included is some general bumph from the same eminent tome in relation to bogie fitted and also other wagons. It is worth pointing out that loose-coupled goods trains in normal service had ended by this stage, but remained in the timetable from s few years earlier. Such info is thus appropriate for the 1970s. Hopefully it’s all of interest. The last one might also assist modellers in picking appropriate numbers for models of the relevant wagons.

$199 is at this point €178. Good value, though it will inevitably climb, and gawd knows what the P & P might be! For anyone modelling the NCC or UTA in the 1960s, those carriages are spot on (though nothing remotely like them ever ran on CIE).

The types of GSWR six-wheeled coaches that travelled on that line can be had via Worsley Works “scratch-aid” kits.

Interesting indeed. West it may be, but look at the timber & other freight in Ballina! In the 1980s Guinness, cement and fertiliser traffic could have been in your scenario too. Stretch a point for beet too, and dolomogypsumite being exported a la Foynes. The Mk 3 could be a local service to Galway or Westport or somewhere, from your fictitious location. All very possible!

Just adding.... the middle one is a 1st class, or possibly 1st / 2nd class coach. The ones either end appear to be brake thirds of two different types.

The carriages are GSWR designs of the 1880-95 era, and the loco is a GSWR tank engine, exact type (there were several outwardly similar) uncertain.

What era or area are you depicting?

The random application is exactly what looks so good!

Pity one of those strange yokes didn't survive! More likely old NCC open wagons, as NIR retained a few for ballast. These wagons would have been seen between Dundalk and Belfast on unfitted goods trains up to the early 70s, and very occasionally on the "Derry Road" about 1960-5. NIR never acquired any. Possible a "crippled" one might have been briefly stranded at somewhere like Lisburn, Adelaide or Portadown in the 1960s the odd time....

Looks great, Tony!

It was almost always covered totally in cement dust!

If you email Tommy, he is always very attentive and will keep you posted on availability if something isn’t “off the shelf” at that time. I have had several dealings with Irish Freigjt Models, all very satisfactory.