jhb171achill

I'm not sure where I got that from, harry - it was probably a joke!

This is outstanding work, set in an area I know very well....

Superb work. Question - as I have some of these on order - what radius will it comfortably go round?

Very nice work. I am not sure of exact chassis detail, but I have a vague idea that there's a decent shot of one in the National Photographic Archive collection of the late Jimmy O'Dea. That's maybe the photo reproduced above.....! Livery wise - GSR later (LMS shade) maroon, though some have said that at least one might have been varnished wood. I cannot confirm or deny that. CIE painted them the standard dark green, complete with (rather large, for the size of them) "eau-de-nil" lines and snail. None ever got the lighter green. I am afraid I can't provide any info on the interior colours either, though it is probable that they had darkish red upholstery if any, and light brown-painted interiors. I will delve into the Catacombs here to see if I can dig up anything else.

Interesting to speculate what exactly all eighteen of these beasts will do with the DFDS cancelled. How many are in traffic on a daily basis to cope with what few containers are left, the sticks and the Tara? On that note, how many 201s does it take, on a daily basis, to look after the Enterprise and the Mk 4s?

Brilliant stuff - a model of this entire train might be interesting - anyone? This is historic - possibly this is the last ever train over the line. The Greenway zealots will be out in force now.

Superb! Pays to wait........!

Yes, that was Felthouse Junction.

I'm sayin' nathin........ ......though Felthouse and Chareville were once.........!

Rest in peace, Jim. Sadly missed.

That Curragh layout is an absolute gem.

One (I think 193) became grey with, uniquely for ANY CIE loco, a black firebox and chimney but grey elsewhere. I'm aware that Roderick has done painstaking research on these locos, not just on livery but on a bewildering array of the many detail differences involved in Ireland's largest class by far. I would have no hesitation in highly recommending it, and Roderick deserves our support. I've my order in and may get two. I already have a very nice SSM one - an excellent model which in my case is weathered within an inch of its life. It will share beet specials at Dugort Harbour with its OO Works companion(s). I suspect that no more than two or three J15s were black, and these only for a very short time between maybe 1958 and 62.

Where?

Absolutely! An oil tank would need to be put in the tender, and this makes me realise that I'm unaware of ever seeing a photo of above or inside an Irish oil-burner's tender. Anyone else?

But, like myself, you're discovering it again, Tony! .......which is good news!

For N gauge especially, that's a very neat little model. It raises the issue: a great need in the RTR world is a proper scale AEC railcar set, in CIE, GNR, UTA & NIR liveries. If not N, certainly OO. While on the subject, a proper RTR 80 class set.... Between the two, they are an absolutely essential part of the railway scene, especially in the north, from 1950 to 2000!

Just reminded me..... anyone remember Harry Enfield's character "William Ulsterman"? Superb stuff!

The weathering on the wheels looks very realistic too. Well done, Nelson.

The spiders are the wrong way round too.

From €5 to €100! Quite a range!

When this livery was introduced, CIE had a bewildering collection of carriages of many origins, ancient and modern. While six-wheelers wouldn't last much longer, and no passenger carrying ones would ever bear black'n'tan, Bredins, laminates and Park Royals mingled with wooden bodied carriages of a multiplicity of designs. Most MGWR types were gone, and all DSER and WLWR ones, but among the larger GSWR stock there were many vehicles still in service, of both of the GSW's basic side profile designs. Add to this the CIE and GNR railcars, inherited GNR stock both wooden and steel-sided, and it was noted that with the plain green livery, uniformity was guaranteed - so - with the new livery it also ought to be. Thus, exactly, as you have done above, the policy from day 1 was to have the white line and tan ("tan lines"?) edging all of exactly the same height from rail level. This showed up as a bit odd on some older vehicles, where the division between black and tan, and the white line, were carried across the vehicle cutting panels in half, where a slightly different alignment would have looked more logical on that vehicle taken in isolation. The idea was to make visual uniformity out of chaos!

Now that you mention it, Eoin, I remember you mentioning that. A terrible shame, as you say. Maybe an outsider recommending your services and wares.........?

The cobwebs are the wrong livery.............

About time. In my opinion, the actual Fry models ought to be displayed; they are too valuable and unique to wear out. Detailed photos of the innards and home-made mechanisms which power them would be of interest. In this day and age, more modern state-of-the-art models by Murphy, Provincial, SSM, IRM and the other manufacturers here would make a better operational display. For readers of this website, no introductions are necessary, but in all reality the regulars here would collectively do a better job than anyone else at assembling a working layout, starting with baseboards and ending up with high-end scenery. The opportunities are there. Using kits alone, the NCC, GNR, and CIE / GSR areas and eras from 1930s onwards would be easy to replicate, in so mnay cases just with RTR off-the-shelf models. Perhaps a consortium of kindred folks here might open discussions with whoever is putting this all together?

This looks really well - superb painting too...