jhb171achill

Yes - me too with Dugort Harbour - it’s many many moons since I kit bashed or made anything!

Excellent stuff!

Best of luck with it, Noel - it will be a masterpiece!

In addition to "bewaring of trains", one must beware of fakes these days, especially the standard GSWR square gate notice against trespassing, for which many fake variations seem to be available.

8ft 6 in width? Built to British, rather than Irish, loading gauge? Unlike their six-wheelers, or indeed - as far as I'm aware - a solitary railway vehicle built new for Irish use prior to the Mk 2s for the Enterprise in 1970! (I said "to my knowledge").....!

That's a real beauty. I like the loco shed used as a bus garage - old railway buildings were often used like this, especially in the north in UTA days when they abolished all internal goods trains in 1965.The weeds along the track are a good touch, even on newish-looking track, as there's always something growing there which shouldn't be! The contrast of a modern toilet block and a 19th century station is very realistic too.

No CIE loco ever had either a yellow stripe or a logo like that.

In this instance, the diner is of GSWR parentage. The exact stock would have varied from train to train but the only photos I’ve ever seen of these specials show standard CIE laminate stock like this. I can’t recall offhand if a Craven was ever included in the consist.

In truth, these distinctive coaches are no equivalent to GNR (I) stock.....

The green / red one looks very well! However that would be a paint scheme in private ownership, I would think. Back to GSWR times, black with white writing. CIE too (and obviously the GSR) used this too, but CIE started reversing the colours in the late 1960s.

We’re off to Enniskillen.

Red lead is indeed what they used as a base to prevent rust.

That’s it for now! I have only just got a 1948 CIE WTT, which makes interesting reading. When I get round to it, I’ll post some stuff.

Branch lines in 1972

They’re not going to be in the right order, due to problems uploading, but you’ll get the picture! These are from the June 1972 WTT.

Several posts follow, to accommodate this lot as it won’t transfer in one go.

Ah! I’d forgotten it was “G” scale. I’m not sure.

Will do. To follow.....

Well spotted, you’re absolutely right - NCC (well, possibly BNCR) it is!

And he sells more 201s....

I'd be up for that, John. Put me down for a few.

Wow! Would love to see that! What era did it cover? 1980s to present?

I’ll try to put together a rough guide to what could be mostly expected to be seen in most places. With so many classes of loco having but one or two examples, the exceptions will far outweigh the norm, however few of us will have an example if every GSR loco in our possession. Obviously, the J15 being by FAR the most common loco, was in many ways the 141 of the past. Few West Cork locos ever left their area at all, even as one-offs, though of course one of the famous “Bandon Tanks” ended up on the DSE suburban. The J15’s and their neighbours, the MGWR J18s, tended to stick to their respective areas, though J15s were very common on Tralee - Limerick - Sligo after the W & L came into the GSWR fold. Most ex-Midland branchlines had J18s or G2 2.4.0s from opening to closure or dieselisation. Most ex-GSWR & WLWR branches ended up with J15s; many having them start to finish. Michael McMahon’s GSR loco “bible” fills in the many, many blanks and exceptions, describing the operational habits of the lesser classes. Certainly, just as any layout based on UTA simply can’t be realistic without a UG or a Jeep, anything NIR must have an 80-class or three, and CIE / IE from 1963 to 2000 simply won’t cut the mustard without at least one 141, nothing CIE 1945-63 looks right without a grubby J15. The forthcoming “Dugort Harbour”, despite being just a small shunting terminus, will have three J15s and three 141s.....plus a few Cs, as befits many branch termini on CIE between 1955 and 1963.

I think a lack of exposure is certainly evident. Perhaps, with such a bewildering array of locos, differing uses, and differing routes, confusion puts some people off.... but nowhere better for an Irish model layout than any station on the South Kerry, Mallow - Waterford, or the ex- W & L lines (Limerick to Tralee, Sligo & Waterford). A prototype of Cashel, or a station on the Thurles-Clonmel line would make nice layouts.