jhb171achill

I thought it was on the S class earlier?

I give the credit to my learned instructor! Pleased with it, nonetheless. I’m an old hand at that!

In this day'n'age, many of our younger folks may not be aware that the blue livery only appeared in 1932, and to the end only applied to a minority of the GNR's locomotives - most were black! In similar news, the famous Donegal red for locomotives, with their red and cream carriage and railcar livery, was also a comparatively late development. Railcars were painted thus from the early 1930s, but it was even later, in 1937, that the iconic loco red, and carriage red & cream, appeared. Locos were lined black before that, and the earliest ones were green. The first few railcars were a very dark plum colour.

Indeed - but only four were ever open at the same time! The CBPR replaced City Quay with Albert St., and the C & Y (GSW) replaced Summerhill with Glanmire Road; as did the GSWR instead of Penrose Quay....

Indeed - not too many of those. In most places, of necessity, the narrow gauge and the standard were adjacent, if not the one (like Strabane or Ennis). Many were TECHNICALLY separate, though adjacent; we won't count those..... So - where had both gauges and separate stations? Derry - two of each! Tralee, Ballyshannon, Newry - would we count Listowel? Dromod is a bit of a grey area. The original Ballymena & Larne station wasn't adjacent to the BNCR one, but soon became so. Cork, of course, wins. Two narrow gauge and three standard!

Never thought of coca-cola!! I've all the flux off, so that bit's ok, plus a couple of small extraneous lumps. It's actually fairly clean, but just wanted to be sure. I've a few bits still to add underneath the chassis, then good to go. I got a spray can of etch primer. I've a (brass) parcels van and a couple of plastic repaints to do, so i will probably do the lot together. All will be green, either original dark with lining, or later lighter shade. I think I've enough black'n'tan at this stage, plus a layout set in the 1962-6 period would have as much green behind locomotives as it would BnT!

A question for all you brass-heads out there from an utter novice; My learned instructor advises me on the importance of keeping things clean with the fibre pen to prevent oxidisation or whatever that process is called, in advance of painting. But no fibre pen will get into the tiniest nooks and crannies, nor even some bigger ones. Is there some sort of stuff I can paint the whole thing in, before FINAL painting? And, can it be got in Ireland without selling the car, one limb, my neighbour's car, the dog and my pension fund to pay the import postage and charges for?

1971 was certainly late for the likes of that - probably out of use. But, yes, as long as even one had a snail fur one week, it’s certainly a valid livery option. When the UTA, or its bus-obsessed political masters, ceased all internal goods trains in the north in 1965, there were still 2 or 3, along with several ex-NCC ones, retained for ballast and works trains. Two saw use into the 1980s. Whitehead has a GNR one, while Downpatrick has an NIR-modified NCC one.

Shipping, Brexit charges, EU charges, tracking charges, Irish tax and VAT, and windfall tax on the VAT, only €76.34 per item.

There was a clerestory-roofed GNR coach - probably a composite - in West Cork in 1959, and on the main line too. It was still in GNR brown livery, complete with lettering and crest! A similar vehicle, possibly the same one, was on the Loughrea branch the same year, hauled by a Midland J18 0.6.0, and I’ve seen a picture of a GNR brake van on the DSER. “Provincial Leslie” offered one of these with an option of a flying snail instead of “G N” markings. I’ve seen a solitary picture of one like this, but it was short-lived. At the rate that Inchicore were churning out new standard CIE vans at the time, and the closures of 1959-63, the GNR brake vans that CIE inherited were all gone within a few years, almost all still in dingy GNR markings.

Interesting to see a rear view if the once-common, but photographically-elusive, Midland brake vans (on the left). The MGWR painted these dark green at one stage, though I suspect they were latterly normal grey…

Not that I can think of!!

They were actually a century ahead, as the research commenced in the mid-1920s. My dad remembered them but a bit like me, was more interested in steam! My grandad did the design work for the carriage part of units C & D. Since Fry built his model of these “off plan”, rather than as they actually ended up being built, he must have got the drawing from him! Senior took a picture of them being charged in Bray. They had just arrived.

Some silver things; all photos copyright & courtesy of Patricia Dillon collection. Some interesting six-wheelers too, with not long to go before withdrawal.

Yes, I wrote the dates the wrong way round! Corrected....

Mol, this might be of interest. Copyright P Dillon collection, taken by Cyril Fry: No date recorded. This was taken at Inchicore. Silver bogies, red buffer beam, probably black buffers, and 2nd class denomination on door instead of 3rd. The original pale olive green patterned first class upholstery. Not sure what the third was - probably an orangey-red colour like many of the then-newer carriages. Talking of upholstery, the GNR equivalents had some sort of green and floral pattern in 1st, and from memory, some sort of two-tone grey and red pattern in 3rd. UTA and later NIR used standard UTA patterned green upholstery. I don't think any got the then-new NIR upholstery style in the 70s - they were all gone a few years later. Interiors were a cream-colour on the side walls with white ceilings. The UTA had waist level down a pale grey. Floors were lino - the GNR ones were a mid-brown. I think, but cannot be certain, that floor lino on the CIE ones was - at any rate latterly - a very dark flecked grey. Roof on this one same green as body. Most were black, of course, especially latterly. As Mol has pointed out, there were various one-offs, like the "go faster stripes" above cab level, on the roof "dome" on at least one, possibly more, in West Cork.

He'd be kidnapped by the DCDR if he did that!

I absolutely love this layout - operationally and scenically outstanding. Good to see someone else interested in Austrian narrow gauge, which I first encountered, still with steam on several of the lines, in the 1970s...!!

A15: Into traffic 24th December 1955. Date withdrawn with Crossley engine unknown, but back into traffic with GM engine 20th May 1971. Withdrawn from traffic April 1995, one of the last.

Some vans were silver, then green, then black’n’tan. Others skipped the green. There was a filthy “silver” one seen in photos on the North Wexford in early 1963, as well as similar in other places (even 1964) - these would have gone straight into BnT. ”Dugort Harbour” has dirty silver, plus BnT. I got a green one somewhere, but the green was catastrophically wrong - and, had white lining - so it got repainted “silver & muck”! Now I need a green one!

All over silver, full stop; but often coated with so much dirt the thing could be painted tartan underneath for all anyone knew! I’ve a picture of a new one somewhere, will try to find it.

Yes - Barry Carse’s book on them, and probably some ITG archive. I’ll look it up when I get home. C class info is in it too.

I vote in favour of that!

I saw that happen in a Cork to Dublin train a few weeks ago too.

Is it SAFE to release these codes to the folks here, Leslie?