jhb171achill

You wouldn't have got GNR ones down in Cork........

Awful. Long dry spell needed. I'm wondering if there is some future way of creating some sort of flood barrier round the station? Or sealing the shed doors? Only long term solution is one which jhbSenior encountered a couple of times during his civil engineering days - raise the entire track level by a couple of feet!

Built by a certain be-capped person's very own JCBs!

Its "alternative history" has it surviving to the 1975 closures, probably due to brown envelopes, Healy Raes and cute Kerry wizardry............!

Fascinating stuff, folks - thanks!

Oh, it will. It's also sending out sugar beet now! And I've a pile of Provincial McAllister cattle wagons awaiting construction when "real life" allows a bit of time....

Got me flats ordered now anyway!

Corrugateds and flats now ordered. There's going to have to be a car dealer somewhere near Dugort Harbour which will keep the flats busy with incoming Ford Populars all the way from Caark, boy. Interesting point; as referred to before, and also in connection with the NCC's two second hand "jintys"*, it is seeming clearer and clearer that a wagon (or loco or presumably coach) does not at all have to be "mainstream" to warrant production. Thus, the idea that "you'd never sell those" takes a big hit in many an example. Mainstream items sorely missing now are timber-bodied bogies - many of which were very long lived into the 1970s - and tin vans and AEC railcars. I'm saving up.

1. The view of E429 - where exactly is that? 2. "....linked to the old Cork & Blackrock railway..." - No! While it's close to where the original broad gauge City Quay terminus of the BROAD gauge Cork, Blackrock & Passage line was, it was never "linked" to it; what I suspect they mean is that it's linked to the former Cork and BANDON railway line. Newspapers, eh...........!

The “snail” era was up to 1963 but many, many wagons of this type wouldn’t have had a repaint until long after that. All wagons were grey then and well into the “roundel” era. The “broken wheel” roundel started appearing in 1963, and the brown livery after 1970, by which time the “black’n’tan” era was in its end days! With the “supertrain” livery first appearing in 1972, they’re fine for that purpose on a 1970s layout as well!

Now THIS has me looking at the Oxford Diecast (1960s) cars website!

I like your train of thought!

…..and one of those very early multi-coloured sixties excursions on the northern line, in which certainly no two coaches were alike. As well as ex-GNR stock, both steel and timber panelled, you could get a number of types of old GSWR vehicles - low and high roof, corridor and non-corridor; Bredins, Park Royals, brand new tin vans… and within one train, CIE green, black & tan, GNR navy & cream, GNR brown, and (very dirty) silver! And this, boys and girls, is the reason why if the black’n’tan era was more varied and interesting than (post 1972) “modern image”, the pre-1962 grey’n’green era is more interesting still! Plus of course, both steam and diesel working side by side.

“Anyone for the last few choc ices?”

Excellent news! Well done IRM - again!

Indeed; with the rise of mid-right-wing, never mind wacko hard right in many countries, I think the age of decent properly funded public transport may be entering its last days, unfortunately - along with all manner of other public services. That would lead to an American-style model for society in general; the first significant step backwards in overall society in the history of mankind. But a big debate for another forum, another day. Regarding Irish public transport, expect to see cans kicked further and further down longer roads.

Very true. Adare at the very least. Mind you, as a regular traveller on the Killarney to Limerick road, I can see the same congestion as far back as Newcastle West. Arguably a case for reinstating it back there too. I can well see that being an excuse; but they manage it at Killarney without any difficulty..... so there IS precedent.

The place never quite recovered from the 1919 nuclear bomb, when Mission Control Kilgarvan was attacked by the Black and Tans...........! Good news is I've got a grass applicator now....

Darius, your output is amazing, as are your models. I'm assuming you've found the secret of how to include 32 hours in a day, nine days in one week, and 18 months in a year!

At exhibitions I've seen the concept of a small shunting layout - coupled with a double-ended railcar or railbus going back and forth on an automatic shuttle - deployed very successfully. So, shunt away with the loco and a few trucks, while continuous interest is shown by an arriving and departing short passenger train - railbus, 2-car railcar set, or some sort of push-pull contraption. A CIE era one - easy. 2-car AEC goes back and forth - call it a "mini-Bantry" while a shunter potters about with vans. I'm actually considering one of the above shunters for Dugort Harbour, on the basis that its owned by the harbour commissioners, not CIE. Another option is to have it pottering about Castletown West, on the basis that there's an Allmans-type brewery somewhere in the fiddle yard, and this thing appears once a day to meet the (CIE) goods, to swop vans for the distillery, then it toddles off into the background. Mind you, a "G" is probably a better option, though Silverfox apparently don't make them any more. Question - are these locos suitable for DCC?

Excellent idea. And - being originally an industrial, it was delivered looking as above, i.e. in manufacturers livery, not a railway livery. And it stayed that way - the GSR just put numberplates on it and never painted it grey - it wasn’t “important” enough! Mind you, it seems never to have been cleaned either - spent its life so filthy it could have been pink for all anyone knew! Perfect loco, in terms of both affordability, practicality and authenticity, for a small Albert Quay-to-dockside shunting layout. One of these and a dozen Provincial Leslie goods vans, and away ye go!

You can do pre-immigration checks quite conveniently online at Www.Murphys.ie True

NOW ye're talking!

....and theirein lies the problem. Modern governments have every incentive to think short-term, and no incentive to think long-term; and even that's assuming that the gobdaws and gombeen men we elect are even capable of rational, intelligent thought.

2042???? Are they seriously having a laugh? Any other country would have built 200km of track between now and then. Well, any that the (UK) Conservatives weren't involved with, anyway - or Fine Gael Fail. TWENTY YEARS to deliver a few miles of track largely along an existing alignment!!!