jhb171achill

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.

Only a couple of Cravens were ever given any logo, and this was just after the split of CIE in 1987. This one was at Heuston in May 1989. it didn’t carry these IR logos for long.

Angus The Woolwich locos in Limerick were for Limerick - Waterford, and would not have gone north. Yes, they are more GSR engines really - none ever ran in Midland days at all. The very first entered traffic in GSR grey, just after the GSR took over. In modelling terms, therefore, they are inappropriate for the Midland period. While they didn't traverse the stone-walled fields of Gort, Ballyglunin or Tubbercurry, they DID operate on the Dublin - Galway and Dublin - Sligo routes. I have seen a picture of one at Sligo, though they do seem to have disappeared from this line once the AEC railcars appeared in the early 1950s. You're right about WLWR engines remaining more on the Limerick - Waterford route than north. Simply due to convenience, Billy Lohan and others recalled an influx of "Southern engines" onto the Limerick - Sligo route after 1925. I've already mentioned the preponderance of J15s on many services. According to him, Midland engines were an extreme rarity on this line, which remained very strongly "southern" in the minds of crews and senior staff too! And certainly among those who rostered locos and staff. Billy only had a Midland engine once in some 20 years of driving Limerick - Sligo, and even that was due to his regular J15 being failed. GSWR engines didn't stray much onto the Midland either, though Henry Caserley recorded No. 57 at Achill in 1934 (well known pic, and in the book). Wagons and carriages were, obviously, a very different matter. For some time the Achill branch had a GSWR 6-wheel passenger brake van, and Midland 6-wheelers ended up in the DSER suburban, Waterford - Macmine, Waterford - Tramore, Foynes, all over West Cork, and Cobh - to name but a few! GSWR coaches were to be seen in Ballaghaderreen and Ballinrobe until closure.

Superb info! I suspect the J10 and J11 might have been kept at Limerick for shunting, though - but in theory - anything's possible (except, I'd say, the 0.4.0T...)

I see it still has its nameplate "Jubilee" in Senior's pic......

Had a look - can't find the details I had - but, yes, I do recall from somewhere that a lot of M & H stuff was used by the MGWR.