jhb171achill

You're absolutely right, Ernie, I had forgotten about that. They'd load a pallet full of fert bags, and sometimes this entire pallet was coat with some sort of strong cellophane-type cover. That's the stuff you see. The weathering details in your pic will be very useful to those who model these wagons. Incidentally, that "48 TONNES" on the side of them was a late addition. It was not in them when new, or for a long time afterwards. And NO CIE roundel on the side - normal for IE (later) days, though you'd still see a few CIE logos to the end. None ever carried IE logos. If we wanted to be REALLY pedantic, and rivet-counting, it might be observed that the "48 TONNES" bit I see best matched with no logo. If you have that wording, and a logo, the latter is going to be old and workstained. When new, all markings were, as on ALL brown CIE wagons, white. But they didn't stay that way, any more than white markings did on grey wagons!

Exactly. Fish was also conveyed in that unique Irish wagon, the "soft-top"; the convertible van with an open centre section on the roof, which was left open for cattle traffic, and covered with tarpaulins for other traffic. These were wain stock, unlike (as Mayner says) horse boxes, and dedicated meat and fish vans. As for livery, it's not certain that all were in passenger livery on all lines, but as above, most were. Usually this was the base colour but without lining. Rarely was a crest added, though the GSR certainly applied it to to some vehicles. The last incarnation of a wagon in passenger livery would have been the NCC / UTA "Brown Vans", which despite initial fitted WAGON brown in NCC times, then got UTA green, and finally NIR plan maroon. Even on the narrow gauge, while I'd need to look this up, there was a horsebox or van of some sort on either the West Clare or T & D which the GSR painted maroon, and CIE painted the six wheeled brake vans on the West Clare in green, though a brake van made from a T &.D passenger coach was painted grey. There were exceptions. While the GSWR used their extremely dark claret, and the GSR their own maroon, and the GNR used mahogany on bread vans, it seems the GNR used wagon grey on other such vehicles. I am unaware of information on horse box liveries on the DSER and in West Cork, but there is some evidence that the MGWR used GREEN - not unlike their loco green - on horse boxes. The WLWR had a unique livery for them, though I don't know what I think was at this stage....... Unlike normal-liveried non-passenger stock, when horse boxes and the like received a passenger livery, the chassis was black, same as carriages.

Ah! G ot you - yes, I misunderstood. Of course, they also had Mullingar - Cavan - Portadown.....

He can keep them as far as I'm concerned - I can't stand deliberate rip-off merchants, and this is one! 141s for an average of about €190! If potential buyers ignore sellers who overprice, maybe they'd drop their prices...... Similar issue to some of the railway stuff in Purcell's Auction in Nenagh.... We'll bill Boris Mogg-May-Farage for it all......

Basing it on the early 1960s would allow a greater track plan than today, plus steam and/or diesel. And in steam days it would be six-wheeler heaven! A couple of Roderick's J15s will sort out the steam era, as they monopolised it in steam days..... then 141s, if you can get them at a half sensible price, and IRM's A class when they're out this year. Ferts, bubbles.....

What was he thinking of..... Sligo - Ballyshannon? I wonder was the idea to do 3ft gauge from Sligo to Derry via Strabane? An interesting concept for a model, of ever there was one! 3ft gauge American-built diesels coming in, maybe in 1943/4?

To go back to the original question, the fertiliser was in bags in the bogie wagons....white plastic sacks, as I recall.

The door panels in the ferts were a sort of very heavy plywood. Whatever was in the fertiliser didn't seem to cause any unusual amount of corrosion on the metal parts - I saw them close up all the time. The plywood tended to get quite weatherbeaten towards the end, and I saw a few unpainted panels a couple of times. Livery note, now that I think of it: pre-1987 they carried the CIE roundel, originally on the 2nd door along, looking side on. Towards 1987 doors were getting mixed up and while most remained as described, occasional variations became more common as door were replaced in different positions. On at least one occasion I saw one with two logos, on the 2nd & 3rd doors (beside one another). Naturally, logos were applied in white like on all CIE stock, but if modelling with logos in different positions, or none at all, as also happened, heavy weathering to a "brake-dusted" shade of "off"-white becomes obligatory. As with most types of wagons, after IE came along in 1987, no logos were applied at all.

Now, Leslie, we can all do with a good bit of advice from time to time, especially in the realm of those female women of the opposite sex. We could all even become Methodists, if it meant cash for a new loco. But ye can't be serious about giving up three - or even FOUR - pints! That's a bridge too far....

I’ll take ten!

Fill in your profile here: ”Male, aged 61, looking for wife ideal age 19-23. Must be able to drink, keep house, cook, clean and have 5 children. Must be able to bring up children, cook and provide snacks, pizzas and drinks for the lads after the pub on Friday and Saturday nights, must be able to give lifts home from pub, must be knowledgeable about railways and must possess a layout with a continuous main line run of not less than ten metres. Please enclose photograph. Of layout...”.

SUPERB concept! Can't wait to see this develop, especially a D16 4.4.0 on it!

Fantastic views, though the “flute band” music is head-wreckingly annoying!

As long as the loco was the right livery.......

AND ...... they "don't post to Ireland"!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rip off merchants.

One of those Hornby clerestory brake thirds - if a flat roof is added - approximates to one of a pair of 50’ WLWR brake thirds which lasted to 1955.

I would have to say that I’d consider €170 something like double a reasonable price...... I wouldn’t dream of going over €100 for this - it’s not even a staff, nor is it from an exceptionally early closure.

Six wheelers are exactly what ruled the roost in a scenario like that! A brand new “tin van” might be worth having too. There were some shorter (50ft) bogies about then too, usually of GSWR origins.....

Good choice; four liveries possible. 1. The plain silver of the recently built laminates and tin vans. No flying snails or other marking except class numbers on doors, and coach numbers - in red. Chassis, ends, bogies, roof, gangways, the lot, all the same silver. Heavy weathering obligatory! 2. Most stock in the darker green with wide lines of light “eau-de-nil” green above and below windows - these bands lined either side in black & gold. Class numbers and coach numbers in EdN as well, lined gold only. Roof very dark grey or black (both seem to have existed), ends and bogies black. Two flying snails, roughly at “thirds” along the sides. 3. Some older or secondary wooden stock in plain dark green with EdN snail lined in gold, and no light green bands. Class & coach numbers as before. Black ends & roofs. 4. Newly built Park Royals and perhaps s few older coaches in the new standard lighter green. Single unlined EdN band (3ins thick) at waist level only. Ends black. Older wooden carriages in this new livery had black roofs as they were covered in pitch soaked canvas. Newer stock like Park Royals tender to have grey roofs mostly, though all coach ends were black. Quite a few old six wheelers would be painted this way by 1960, by which time there were far fewer in the old green, or silver. A single “snail” mid-side, though it’s worth pointing out that Park Royals never carried snails due to the ridge along the middle of their sides.

Shows how realistically you're modelling things!

The Abbeydorney one is indeed off a cash bag.

I know of a restaurant in Killarney which has 1600 whiskeys! Not just Irish, but from all over the world. Few will know that there's such a thing as Vietnamese whiskey! If you examine just about every railway line in Ireland - and, as you appear to be in Britain, there too - there were often numerous schemes to build or extend, differing proposals on gauge, route, facilities, and whether it should be a local company, administered by the local authority, or part or wholly owned or operated by the nearest neighbouring "big railway company". A bewildering array of proposals and county proposals - yes, as you suggest, major fodder for not just a book, but a series of them.

A very good gesture of yours, Wayside, to donate such items. A pity that others want big money and then just hoard away... For what my opinion is worth, I would place them where they're most likely to be seen and enjoyed by those most interested. That would mean for anything GNR, Enniskillen railway museum (Headhunters), for anything BCDR or of general railway interest, Downpatrick, or for other or all stuff the Whitehead Railway Museum. There are other railway museums about the place too, though I know of two that only open by appointment. A local museum in a town that some particular arfetact is connected with would be another thing I did personally go for. The label off the Milltown Malbay staff could go to the West Clare Railway for display at Moyasta.