jhb171achill

I have spent the afternoon searching among a considerable amount of information to see if i can come up with some reason why this van is in Donegal, to no avail. Coakham himself refers to it as a "mystery"; I concur! It has retained its very badly faded "maroon" paint and CVR number and markings. One aspect of liveries often not well understood is the different ways that paints have been made up over the years. Modern maroon paint, when faded, will look pinkish, or even gain a yellowy tint. In the past, it tended to assume a more browny hue when badly worn, given rise to stories about vehicles in brown liveries, rather than a deep maroon. The reason is different compounds in paint over the years, different chemical make-ups, and the uses of linseed oil, lead and other compounds being the norm then, but not today. You could paint two vehicles the exact same colour - which would be the "official" livery. But if you used different paints, it is possible that when you saw them lying in a scrap line years later, out of use for, say, five years, and not having last been painted for ten, they would have faded differently. This has sometimes led to incorrect assumptions that railway companies just went to local shops to get a generic paint that looked about right; not the case. The CVR, like many smaller railways, never had a lot in the bank, so regular repaints of locomotives, rolling stick and stations was on a maintenance-need basis only as often as not. Look at just about any colour pictures of the CDR in the 1950s! The CVR painted all carriages and the vans above in a deep maroon. The only place the original paint can now be seen is the background to the CVR crest on display in "Headhunters" in Enniskillen. Senior got a small pot of paint during a visit to Aughnacloy in the late 1930s for that. It is not dissimilar to LMS coach maroon in England; maybe the CVR got it from the NCC in Belfast? However, several eye-witnesses have said that in reality, some vehicles there were a dirty, dull, nondescript browny-red. This was in fact the rich maroon very heavily worn and weatherbeaten. Vans, in particular, never saw a brush with water, let alone one with paint. Thus, this van as shown would have appeared as a very worn, dull, brake-dust-tinted dull reddish-brown. For the modeller, patches or worn maroon would have been visible round the door, where it was handled, and so on.....

This is what was used to build the Achill line, in later GNR guise. It seems to have shunted around Clones, and possibly used on the Belturbet branch, up to the early 1930s. It would have been perfect for Downpatrick.

................and those who will never travel on it..............

Something like that.... By the way, I obtained more detailed about 90's ancestry recently. This shows that some of the parts were made by Grendon's in Drogheda, while obviously the thing was built in Inchicore. It is thought that the carriage portions of these engines may have used "re-cycled" carriage wheels from the GSWR.... While 90 was built in Inchicore, it was not a GSWR loco originally. Instead of a number, it was designated "C" (for Castleisland), only acquiring the number "90" a few years later when the GSWR took over the Castleisland Railway Co. 91 & 92 would follow, with 99 & 100 some years later; some with and without carriages portions. It has been rebuilt heavily. It was very substantially rebuilt about 1915/8 and at one stage was given the boiler out of "Sprite".

Me too. It's much easier to do a convincing model of a backwater or very small terminus than a huge one. Imagine trying to make a scale model of Connolly Station, or pre-elimination-of-goods Heuston! It would probably cover an airport hangar. This gets me thinking. How to model a compact city terminus. Elsewhere, someone had mentioned Galway and Harcourt St. One mighty add Letterkenny or Derry (CDR). I always thought that if done as 5'3" stations, the same potential is there. Equally, the station at Albert Quay is suitable for scaling down, and the terminal building (the only bit of the station left) is an ideal prototype for a city terminus due to its handy shape and comparatively compact size. In Senior's collection, there is a photo of Letterkenny taken about 1945 (need to check date). The place is absolutely jam-packed solid with goods and a long loco-hauled passenger train from Strabane. I will fish this out and post it.

The SECR "P" class would probably have the nearest suitable chassis, but the wheel design, spokes, etc., wouldn't be right. The ex-Midland J26 or "E" class tanks worked in there too from time to time, especially during the beet season. Had the line lasted into the 1960s, and had steam also lasted, 90 & 100 would still not have done. You'd have seen 560 coming back from Tralee to work this line.

No. 100 on the Courtmacsherry goods, 1956. At this stage, this train did not even run on some days. As you can see, the station staff wouldn’t have been doing much overtime on this day. The Guard’s Van is the only T & CR vehicle then left in use, No. 5J. The car is Senior’s pale green 1951 Ford Prefect, which I remember very well...

Regarding the “snails”? Both green shades, lining details, black ends and roof - 100% accurate. Snails - correct 100%, though they should be a little further away from the end doors. Think of the device as a circle with “wings” either side of it. For ALL carriages, diesel locos and wagons, think “LURL” Left hand side - - Upper side for “wings”. Right hand side - - Lower side for “wings”.

Yes. The rule is always left hand side, wings “upper”, right hand wings “lower”. Except for driver’s side ONLY on steam loco tenders and toad vehicles. Never on diesels, carriages or wagons.

It is of that design all right. The sale to the CDR is something I had been unaware of, though he red vans, railcar, etc., and other stuff is well-documented (and photographed). This requires research! Given its camera-shyness, it can’t have been used much, nor lasted long. Yes, it did, and their double-ended railcar ended up there too, and it’s now in Cultra.

Senior took this pic of a mixed train coming into Stranorlar from Glenties in 1945. Now what on earth is that van behind the railcar trailer coach? Design-wise, it’s like those on the Clogher Valley or the C & L, pre-rebuild. No C & L van ever went Donegal, for certain, and I am unaware of any CVR ones having gone there either. I have never seen a picture of anything like this on the CDR. Does anyone know what it is?

I have absolutely no idea what that tube was. Anyone else? Yes, I'd forgotten about the C & L incident! There were few enough ordinary trains on that line, let alone an unscheduled one, so I wonder what the train was? This incident must have occurred while he was on the GSR, so c.1944.

It could have saved either Fenit or Youghal from the dreaded “Greenway Syndrome”...... ................................................................ Stranorlar, 1945. A mixed train comes in from Glenties. Now, look closer. Look at the van behind the railcar trailer. It is very like a Clogher Valley or Leitrim design - but WHAT IS IT? I have never seen a picture of any such type anywhere in Donegal. (H C A Beaumont Collection)

I remember seeing those. I think they were Bredins or 1951/3 CIE stock. Very nicely finished, though they never got a chance to run properly like that - if at all. Pity.

I believe these are the two now at Downpatrick, under cover. If so, one was a second, the other a third, the same as 62M at Whitehead. Can't make out the numbers to tell which was which. Externally, they're similar anyway. On the end of the 2nd class one at Downpatrick, you can see traces of the MGWR brown livery and also the very short-lived dark blue that a few Midland coaches had. (Never more than a few).

The six-wheeler (grey) is a Midland 3rd. The red one is an old Bredin or early CIE.

I've been gathering stuff for years, Midland man, and I have some of my father's and grandfather's stuff too.

What is a DIESEL? I haven’t a clue, can’t even make out where their fireboxes are, but this might help!

A superb find, Galteemore. Shows what things were like c1970, with all-brown beginning to replace all-grey, and the great variety of vans.

Things were a lot more informal then as common sense was taken more seriously, and the "claim culture" we have now didn't exist. In the 1970s I wandered into Inchicore, Heuston Goods Yard, Cork Goods yard, places like that, without asking for, or being asked for, any authorisation. It would have been obvious to all I was a "gricer". Occasionally railwaymen nodded at me or stopped to talk. Not once was I treated with suspicion, let alone told to clear off. Many a time I hitched a lift in the cab of a loco, never mind a guard's van. It made for memorable occasions - in the cab of a 141 Cork - Cobh and Claremorris - Ballina, 121s on the Sligo road, 141s and 071s on the GN main line, 071s between Carlow and Dublin, etc etc...and once, a "C" on a ballast from Clonsilla to North Wall. I was on the Mayo road too... 141s, I think....also the Kerry road in a 141 and Dublin - Cork Goods in an "A". Naturally, the world is a very different place now, and different precautions are necessary for a whole range of reasons. My point is - twenty years before I was doing MY wanderings about, it would have been even more casual.

Cuisle, 1947. There had been in recent months what remains even today the heaviest snow ever recorded in Ireland. Many towns were entirely cut off for weeks, and running out of essential supplies. Perhaps this is, ironically, somewhat typical now!

The first three were all taken at York Road in 1985. The last was in Inchicore.

It wasn't exactly an everyday event, of course.... Once, he went to inspect one of the tunnels under Bray Head. A fireman had reported a rock falling off the roof into the tender of his loco. The modus operandi was for Senior and his assistant to get up on a sleeper platform on a flat wagon, which was propelled by a loco from Bray. Using a long pole, they poked and prodded at the suspected area, to see if there was anything else loose!!!! Having found nothing, they reported it safe.... Can you only IMAGINE how THAT would pan out today, with safety concerns!!!

They had a light sabre from Star Wars, and they would point it at the DSER goods engine, and shout in unison "BEGONE!!!" Seriously, they had to lift the thing to one side! No H & S back then....! They would liaise with the Traffic Dept., and tell them that they needed, let's say, an hour and a half on some stretch. If there wasn't one of these contraptions nearby they bring one on the goods train to the nearest station and offload it. Usually they could do it in between trains, but sometimes they got a possession. There were a couple of narrow gauge ones two, one now preserved at Dromod. I think the CDR had one too, although when he inspected the CDR track (twice, while working for the NCC) he had one of the older railcars.

I hate to say it, Martin, but I strongly suspect you're right! The RPSI's finances are in a precarious enough state at present without this. The DCDR depends on an annual grant from Down Co Council. With the mother and father of all recessions now certain, the council will be watching pennies as never before.