jhb171achill

Interesting; first pic I've seen with a buffer beam number. The two DCDR ones are not from the same factory - one is Mallow, the other Thurles. None of the Tuam or Carlow ones survived. All four factories numbered their locos separately, so there were three No. 1s, No. 2s & No. 3s..... numerals varied.

For some reason, the “roundels” were of non-standard size, not only on this original grey layout, but on the orange livery too, as seen on the IRM models (accurately portrayed as such). I have no idea why. My recollection is that the wagons were slightly darker grey than the slightly lighter shade seen on covered vans after about 1960. Could have been cement dust, though.

I will delve. I have a notion I’ve seen no more than one or two. I had, indeed, thought Ernie had something, but I’m obviously mistaken on that. I’ll ping you privately if I find anything else.

I did the vote online already.... Vote early and vote often, as they used to say in Belfast! I believe you've sourced good quality colour pics of original grey in IRM Towers, correct? Must look at jhb171Senior’s pics to see if there’s anything there.

The original grey has another advantage in that no other livery suits the mid 1960s. I noted them still all grey (well, the ones I saw anyway) in 1969.

Wish list - IRM RTR AEC Railcar set 80 class set C class E class?? Jeep - BIg seller?

Ah... yes thanks!

At one stage an oil tank wagon went occasionally to Westport Quay with fuel for buses. Is this the type used?

They didn't have numbers on buffer beams, I believe. In use, any with painted numbers weren't quite as large as DCDR have now.

Ghastly, ghastly looking edifice!!! Be the way, I did them people's drive just down the road and I can do yours for a good price. Cash, sir.

They're long wheelbase, so unlike anything that ever ran here - but - For CIE livery, cattle wagons were plain grey all over: wheels up to roof, chassis, body and all. They didn't stay that way, like most wagons, and became grubby in no time. Roofs tended to darken a bit more due to exposure and exhaust fumes, especially in steam days. Cattle trucks spent a lot of time in later years in outdoor storage, so sun and wind bleaching was a feature of their weatherbeaten appearance as much as dirt. Some, but not many, were repainted brown after about 1971, but since cattle traffic was done away with in 1975, that wasn't long. If you want to go for that short brown period, I'd go for a ratio of one brown one to three grey, and at least one of the grey will still have a flying snail stencil. The brown livery, like the grey, was all-encompassing. Roof, body, chassis, couplings, buffers, the lot. CIE "snails" or roundels were always on the left hand side looking at them. A small number had a stencilled message to the effect that they were "VAC FITTED". With no British prototype looking anything like a CIE one, I am glad to hear that Provincial Leslie is planning one shortly. A long overdue and very necessary item for the Irish scene. I'll be looking for a load of them..... I would add, re-reading your post, it is remiss of me to assume you're modelling CIE, as you didn't suggest you were! If you are modelling a British prototype, keep the black chassis but ditch the white roofs! Virtually nothing that ever ran on rails (though there WERE exceptions) ever had white roofs! And, apart from that, a liberal coating of greyish-brown brake dust weathering. If steam era, sooty weathering on the roofs too.

Maybe a caravan encampment! I've seen them next to several stations in the 1970s.....! I went to a recently-closed station in the late 1970s to take photographs, as the track hadn't been lifted. A group of citizens who appeared to be living over the wall were obligingly assisting CIE in removal of metal components as I visited.

Hi I have a SSM goods brake van which is finished in (post-1970) brown, complete with yellow and black "wasp" stripes on the ducket. I wish to swop it for an equivalent which is either unpainted or finished in grey, as it will be used to represent the 1960s and late 1950s period. PM if interested.

Incidentally, I have a made-up SSM CIE guards van. It's in post-1970 brown livery, but I want one in grey as I'm modelling 60s (and late 50s). If anyone has one they'd be happy to swop, PM me; otherwise I'll have to repaint it! Which would be a pity as it's a nice job.

Great collection of wagons, Noel. Those covered vans you weathered and put CIE logos on, they are very reminiscent of later-era GSR-built vans, still running in large numbers well into the 1960s. I saw one or two in the 70s too, though I’m unaware of any that survived long enough to be brown. I have 2 or 3 of those done as CIE vans too. Need to weather them. Your bubble weathering looks great. The advice given re. Provincial Wagons is very sound. My eyesight isn’t great for small fiddly parts (Gawd be with the days when I could see individual atoms!), but I can manage them, so anyone can.

So THAT’S why they wouldn’t let me LOOK inside their teapot the last day I called in!!!! (The choccy bikkies were nice, though....)

When will the next IRM item be announced? (Put me down for a couple, unless it’s an ICR!)

I'd say so, yes.

This is truly outstanding work. Can't wait to see the finished product!

Say you email them 2 or 3 images.....what sort of cost roughly?

Where did you get that nice gate with the traditional round stone gateposts? The stone walls look very good too.

Comments very much appreciated, Paddy. It is partly influenced by places like Baltimore, Co Cork, where things were indeed straight, or Fenit, likewise. The three-way point had been commented on as something not normally associated with rural Irish lines. I agree entirely; however there were a small number of examples - one actually being at Fenit. I think there was another somewhere on the North Kerry, and in various goods yards. From MGWR cattle-specials country (Edenderry) comes the news that the entire thing should be up and running by Easter. News here as it develops. Suffice to say, I am taking Dave’s advice regarding the chipping and DCC-ing of three J15s, two “C”, four IRM “A” and two Murphy 141 class locos. The future should see a B101, Murphy 121s, and a couple of “Mayner” Midland engines join....

Bland.

They've been digging up our road here (South Dublin) over the last week to put in "super-fast high speed broadband" of ten zillion trillion gazillion megateragiga-something per milli-micro-second..... you know the usual rubbish on the junk mail that arrives on flyers in your letterbox, just under the sign which says "NO JUNK MAIL". Listen, Virgin eir sky, go to hell. I'm not interested. Anything or anyone who pronounces "data" as "day-ta", and trots out such base inanities as "all you can eat"...... fer gawds sake, is this what nine million years of evolution and centuries of education has got us to? - is not welcome in this household! Rant over. But if you come near my letterbox, beware. I've put explosives in it...............................................!

A ballast pit might make an interesting addition to a layout, say on a corner where there's a bit of space for a short siding. This is as opposed to a ballast QUARRY, like Lisduff or Goraghwood; themselves worthy of a layout. Not so well known now, but tell-tale signs may still be seen, especially on the Midland, of places where there just happened to be a decent rocky outcrop at the side of the line. The railway would often notice this during construction, and acquire the bit of land and fence it off. At some stage, they'd lay a rough siding into it, install the most basic of stone crushing equipment, and dig out what they could. thereafter, it would be abandoned; in some cases old holes filled up with spent ballast and other rubbish. On the Achill line alone, there was a large "pit" or small "quarry" near Mulrany, which at one stage had two rough sidings in it. Traces may still be seen if you cycle the greenway there. Further along, nearer Newport, land for the same purpose was acquired but never used. On the Donegal and Cavan & Leitrim, wagons were sometimes dropped off the back of a train, handbrake on, and left there while men manually dug stone out from a suitable area at the side of the line. they would be collected later and tagged onto another train.