jhb171achill

Absolutely superb stuff, Flange! many thanks. Must look and see what other Irish stuff they have! One of jhb171Snrx2's horizontal-planked goods vans to the left of it.........

Noticed this in a 1939 GSR public timetable (I normally look up WTTs!). Does anyone know anything about it? I was unaware of this system. When did it start or finish?

Three at least were painted green with grey roof and black chassis, specifically for use carrying mail between Cork and Tralee. They were tagged onto the back of passenger trains. This seems to have been reasonably short-lived, as they were repainted grey later, and must have been built that way. Somewhere in the back of my mind is an idea that four were so treated, but certainly three anyway. I have a note of at least one of their numbers somewhere, must search.

No - I had a look. I’ll post a pic of it tomorrow or the next day.

Ah - so 00 gauge, not 0. Some of the "Castle" models will be going on display in due course at the new place, but obviously the main emphasis at the moment is to get all of Fry's stuff displayed. There is now agreement to make more display cabinets so that his British (mostly LNWR) and mainland European stuff can also be displayed. We'll see what space there is after that! Some of the "Castle" models will be loaned out to other locations for display in the meantime, so that as much as possible may be seen by the public. Among Fry's stuff are a small number of items he owned and operated, but didn't make himself. There is a six-car 1930s express diesel railcar set made by Lionel, but painted by Fry in Union Pacific colours - a beauty! Given that he repainted it, I wonder what its original appearance was like - anyone know? He made a model of a Swedish steam tram loco, a Norwegian sleeping car....I could go on.

I wonder if that is the compound now among the stored Malahide Castle models? There's a rake of matching GNR coaches with them too. There's also a rake of bubbles. And I wonder what became of the rest of those models?

I'd love to know what the two wagons are at the bottom left - a six-wheel carriage truck presumably and some sort of flat........

Folks I am in the process of packing a large number of models into airtight plastic boxes for transport. Has anyone any idea where I might get inexpensive foam sheet - ideally of the sort you see in professional photographer's camera bags to hold lenses and so on, each hole carefully cut to the shape and size of what is going to go into it? I would need enough to pack about 100 x "0" gauge models. Thanks

Patrick, that is absolutely TOP class - superb stuff altogether.

Ha! You’re 100 right, of course; I should have cropped out the brown vans! Shows how extensive the place was....

Over seven years of dealing with tourists in the very same wisht Ciarraí, I never thought I'd say it, as I have always struggled to deal with ANY heavy accents, but I am pleasantly surprised to find that I kin undershtinnd that accent perfectly, boi.

Another of Senior’s: it’s 1945. Where are we?

I don't know for certain, but I suspect before steam ended, as the only pictures I've ever seen of these things after 1960 are in grey. At a very wild guess I would be inclined to say GSR all-grey up to late 1940s, then red with "Ranks", then maybe grey with "Ranks" in the mid to late 1950s - and then grey with the various "snail" variations until the mid 60s, when "roundels" replace the "snails". It is possible that red with "Ranks" and grey with the same were concurrent, or that the grey came before AND after the red. It would be useful if anyone could throw any more light on this. The odd badly faded grey wagon with "Ranks" was still to be seen just after 1970.

Good to see you here again, Nelson, and congratulations on finishing your course. I wish you the very best of luck with your job applications.

These wagons appear to have always been owned by the GSR and then CIE. There's an important distinction here. We often hear of references to "private owner wagons"; which are exactly as it says on the tin. But these were exceptionally rare in Ireland. usually, the local railway company simply supplied the relevant rolling stock - but sometimes with the name of the customer on them. This was as much to inform railway staff that the relevant vehicle was not to be used for any other traffic, than to advertise. In answer to Ironroad's question above, I believe that CIE-branded ones were "mixed up" with "Ranks" ones; I am fairly certain I have seen photographic evidence of this. But because Ranks didn't own them - the railway did - at times they just got the railway livery. I was interested to see variations on the location of the "snail" on the artwork John has produced above, so a train could have a mixture of red Ranks, grey Ranks, and grey snail-variations in the same train (so we each buy one of each!).

Yes, it hadn't worked much since the 1960s, in fact. I think its last very short lived fling was about 1972. Someone here will confirm exact details, I'm sure!

And then you'd have Porteeeedown. Platform 1 - Green. Platform 2 - Orange. Platform 3 - Red, white and blue. Platform 4 - Green, white and orange. Lucky there isn't a platform 5 (for Dungannon and Armagh in the future)....

Had a look in Senior’s stuff - nothing suitable for above.

Very interesting train make-up indeed! Old wagon, albeit presumably fitted (why?), GSWR brake, Bredin GSR coach - and look what's on the end - looks GNR! Presumably 1959-62?

The horsebox on the left is a GSWR one, and the carriage is, very definitely an MGWR standard 3rd. The "L"-shaped door handles were indeed a Midland feature - as "Midland" as the "flyaway" cab! Unusually, the door vents have been covered up / removed' otherwise the panelling is almost all original. It is in the "secondary stock" unlined plain green.

In the times these things ran, there was rarely an entire rake of anything at all! Several of these would be in a goods train going to wherever they were being loaded or unloaded, but not for this type of wagon would you get a whole rake - thus - an ideal buy to mix in with other stuff.

Can you imagine NIR having to change the signage in Derry & Newry to green, and Lisburn and Carrickfergus to orange!!!

This is an old British Railways sign - judging by the dark blue background I think that was North Eastern Region? So, folks, no gricing today.....!

I’ll have a look in Senior’s photos. He was up there once as far as Rathkenny, I think. Part way up anyway. I’m pretty sure he didn’t photo it as he was in the cab but who knows!