jhb171achill

That last one shows it up perfectly, Ernie! The last time I ever saw a 121 in traffic was during the last beet season some years ago. I knew from the distance as a 141 was leading, but I could see the tall cab behind on the second loco, which was 134! A very pleasant surprise that day, as I had been expecting a 071 or a pair of 141s. I think she and 124, the last of these beasts, did little regular work after that and were withdrawn a short time later.

I think its the angle of the photo. However, in real life, the cabs of the 121s were actually notably higher than the 141 / 181 classes.

Livery note: on both the locos (122 & 010) in the top pic, you can see how the "broken wheel" part of the CIE "roundel" could get faded to a nondescript tannish colour, from the original "proper" tan as seen on B121. These, like the "flying snails" before them, were not painted on, thus liable in theory at least to different shades of paint, they were all the same transfers. I suspect that brushing or power washing accelerated their fading more so than the tan/orange paint round them. They were the same as on the Dublin buses at the start of the "desert sand" era (though the buses alone got some with red, white or navy blue "broken wheels" before being repainted in "DART" green.

Quite possibly, NIR. I can tell you one thing - they were very lively indeed to travel in! Especially north of Ballymena, where the state of the track didn't help...... Interesting information, Lambegman - thank you! I was unaware the very last came out in CIE green..... Some of the AECs, plus at least one of the Gardner artics, ran in the early 60s still in navy & cream but with UTA roundels. Out near Hazelhatch, about 1940. Senior is out cycling and 800 scuttles past..... the second coach is a "Great Southern Pullman" in the 1929-34 brown and cream GSR livery. The leading coach, a GSWR side-corridor, is of course in maroon.

I bow to your superior knowledge, Lambeg man! Thus, it’s within a few weeks of those sets? Body-wise, AEC-style appearance - now I recall there were some of those, and if I’m not mistaken, some actually went into traffic just after the GNR has been divided up?

The 70 class, between 1975 and 85. Several of these are not mine - they were given to me by a friend. Livery detail: the second one has a maroon NIR logo on the front, but normal gold one on the sides. This was unique and only appeared late in the day. The other power car appears not to have a logo, but as was often the case, you could just see traces of it, as they tended to get worn away by power washing to get flies off the ends in summer.

Sticking with the GNR, we have the following..... 1. “It’s just a diesel”, as Snr. Might have commented - yet it didn’t stop him taking a picture of it! An AEC set in Amiens St., ready to go to Belfast. Evidently this was within weeks, or possibly days, of their introduction (1950?). 2. Local train in Lisburn, late 1930s. 3. A big blue 4.4.0! I’ve a nite somewhere of which it was, and the date, but I don’t have it immediately to hand. 4. This is a very poor print but the negative is MUCH better, so all is not list. I’ll hopefully get it enhanced some day. This is at Fintona in October 1958, and the tram is being prepared for its last ever journey to Belfast.

"Lime green"!!? Jayyysus......

Superb stuff, Lambegman! Great Northern Heaven...

Will you be able to buy them with the actual Murphy DCC chips already in, I wonder?

Cork (Summerhill) closed in 1893! These were lent to me by a friend, to choose some for inclusion in the Clifden book.

Fancy a jaunt?

I could WELL believe that! My grandmother had stories of these people falling out with locals in the area. She lived there from about 1900 until about 1908. HER father, my great-grandfather, was not one to mince his words on all things political, and the rest of the family tried to steer him away from such discussions.....! County Leitrim at that time was a place where you were better keeping your opinions to yourself.......

I'd love to buy that building and restore it! My late grandmother used to play in the loco yard as an 8-year old girl with her two friends, one of whom was the daughter of the traffic Manager, William Henry McAdoo..... and they'd no PTS or dayglow vests....... She used to relate a story about chasing the hens which belonged to one of the railwaymen, which used to potter about at the back of the loco shed.... Only in Leitrim!

At Dromod they have two steam locomotives. One was a new-build, "Dromad", currently out of traffic and under repair. The other is a little beauty - newly restored and back in working order just over a year ago, i think - she is "Nancy", a rare 3ft gauge British industrial loco. They have a short line to operate on, though my understanding is that this is currently under repair. The actual original Cavan & Leitrim station is in use and very nicely done up. Great atmosphere there. They have, for long term restoration, the remains of two ex-Tralee & Dingle carriages plus one of the West Clare railcar trailers. As others have mentioned, there's other stuff too. I saw "Nancy" in steam last year during the RPSI's annual "May Tour", Sadly, this tour can't operate this year due to the coronavirus. As an aside, folks, all of our preservation groups will need every red cent of help they can get this year as the finances of even the biggest are never exactly overflowing with spare cash, and grants are becoming harder to get. The middle one of my pictures above is of Dromod station about 1931. It has barely changed today.

Is that 3ft gauge? Looks more like 2'6"....?

We’re off to Dromod and Ballinamore. I haven’t an exact date but these are about 1931/2, taken by my grandfather this time. Locomotive No. 1 “Isabel” was the last C & L engine to remain in pre-GSR leaf green livery. Here this may be discerned, in its typical C & L cosmetic shabbiness once the GSR & later CIE were in charge.

A friend of mine had planned years ago to build a live steam 3 1/2in. gauge Swilly tender loco. Never got round to it, but THAT would have been a sight for sore eyes!

Correct. It was the only CIE loco ever painted any way other than the normal liveries. It had red lining similar to what at one stage the GSWR had used, and it was done to that one loco specifically for the Cork - Rosslare service. It didn't last long, as the B101s took over in 1955/6.

I was on that IRRS trip too. And, I travelled round the place in 1977/8. Now, I believe I know who you are! If I'm correct, you actually sat beside me on the IRRS trip, and I noticed you out and about on runabout tickets!!!!!!! Ye can't go nowhere.......!!

Track plans are hard enough to get....but yes, there's info about the various stations to such extent as I could get it. Thank you very much for your comments - very much appreciated.

I could assist you with a copy of "Rails to Achill" but you've got it! "Rails Through Connemara" should be on the shelves before Christmas.

Yes, it's probably a 6-wheel 1st / 3rd compo, a brake 3rd and several vans. And, as you say, a G2. An easy load for that engine.

Yes, I would just "weather" over the lining, after all, that's what happened the real thing. I was shown a picture of a UTA loco once - probably a Jeep - and I was told that it proved that SOME UTA jeeps had no lining. I insisted that all had, always; there wasn't a solitary exception, to no avail. Later, I found another pic of the same loco, the same year, with lining discernible, albeit on an absolutely FILTHY loco! Occasionally, lining just isn't visible on a dirty locomotive - but it's there! Yes, the 08 you mention was indeed the one - I think there was an article about it in one of the "comics" - excellent job.

I've two "Woolwiches".... one, I think. I will repaint grey and weather it. The other, I'll leave green and very heavily weather, which raises a question: I saw a model one time of a British class "08" shunter. It was meant to be weathered really heavily, over paintwork which even if clean was already badly worn. The model was based on photos of a prototype. Looking at the real thing in photos, the BR blue paint was very badly faded (I think it had been sold into industrial use) and on top of that the thing was absolutely filthy - really badly neglected. But the modeller had got a PRISTINE Hornby or Bachmann straight-outta-the-box blue 08. He had applied some colouring technique before he started weathering it to make the paintwork look badly faded, a weak, insipid, greyish pale-ish blue. THEN he had started weathering it. The result was quite simply one of the most realistic weathering jobs I've ever seen. Does anyone know how this is achieved? The "Woolwiches" which remained in green into the late 50s, show this degree of neglected fading, barely visible under perhaps five undisturbed years of gunge. The patches of green visible look really worn and faded themselves.