jhb171achill

If you have room for a Castlegregory terminus in O scale, I'd go for it as it would make a very unique model with ample opportunity for increased level of detail. The branch train was usually a single brake third with one or two goods vans at most, so it's easy to model. One loco, a couple of carriages, and maybe two each of vans, cattle trucks and open wagons would be enough to make an interesting and authentic operating layout. The 009 and 00 gauge stuff will all sell easily in the http://www.interweb.ebay, I would think.

Depends what room you have available. Smaller the scale the more activity and track can be crammed in....

We had (Dublin registered) ZL 4196 and later Co. Down's 8175 SZ.

A38 used to visit Dublin all the time..........................!

The letters "WV" would be British. All old Irish registrations (plus, to this day, Northern Irish ones) had either an "I" or a "Z", or, as in IZ (Mayo) both. Typically, the two letters were first, followed by a four digit number, e.g. ZL4196. (ZL was one of Dublin's combinations). I have a full list somewhere....

That hardware store is exactly like the shoe shop my mother and grandmother lived in / above during the 1920s and 30s.............. truly superb, atmospheric, realistic modelling.

The late Billy Lohan (Galway driver) recalled one of them being temporarily stationed in Athlone shortly after the Achill line closed. With a shortage of locos one day of the Ballinasloe cattle fair, they hitched one onto a cattle train. Despite just being empties from Athlone to Ballinasloe, Billy recalled it slipping like mad, being hopelessly underpowered for such work. By the time it arrived in Ballinasloe, common sense prevailed and it was recalled to shed, travelling light. He didn't remember what was sent out to take the loaded train, let alone where they got the replacement engine from! His overall analysis was as might be expected: suitable for a two or three coach local, with maybe half a dozen wagons; maybe a heavier load on an all-level line (which Achill most certainly wasn't!)

The "Achill Bogie" D16s were to be seen on the Ballina branch from the closure of the Achill line (1937) until mid 40s quite often.

Had to do a double take there..... a wagon with "Kieran Marshall" written on its side!

Another truly outstanding bit of work! SLNCR, then CVR, whither next? Carndonagh......Blessington.......Courtmacsherry.......Fenit........Killaloe.......Ardglass pier....?

I remember seeing it in a Railway Modeller about 477 years ago..... it was way, way, ahead of its time - a true masterpiece.

Very well done indeed!

How many stations did it have at maximum extent?

I do very much agree with Colin R. I have seen disgraceful examples of the relatives of a deceased person going totally against their wishes and disposing of their possessions in a way they didn't want. Moral of the story: do what Seniorjhb did, and what I plan to do and have already made preliminary arrangements for: give stuff away as you grow old so that its new owner has it before you snuff it. I have already disposed of a very considerable amount of archive stuff which was either superfluous to my needs or interests, or duplicated material. I would (personally) only give material to archives or organisations which would make it freely available to researchers or display it, or both. I would not let it near any organisation which would secrete it away, never to be seen again - and, unfortunately, such bodies exist.

That is a work on an absolutely amazing scale. How often gave things of that magnitude happened in the past?

I'm on my day off. It's Ballygowan water......

I love the one at Westport.......he's pulling into the Achill platform. I wonder is that a D16 - if it is, the film is earlier than 1940 (1937 at least). It could be a G2 coming to the end of a journey if it's 1940 or more. I can't make it out too clearly. The colour clip shows a carriage in (very heavily weathered!) GSR maroon. Paint was comparatively expensive then and many carriages in secondary use and most wagons rarely saw a lick of paint. Who was the priest who filmed it, I wonder? Does he have any other material?

That "tippex" livery was surely the best on those locos! I liked the "set of points" logo too....

Believe it or not, that's a faded "standard" one; I saw this often. The white lettering has become dulled and the tan surround faded!

I want the buns.......

The tender was very different on the British ones.

Smokebox door - yes, you're right, I'd forgotten that. Inchicore chimneys too, perhaps. Im surprised, thinking of it now, that the model was never released in grey - they were all grey up to the late 40s, and some remained that way after that. The black one with yellow snail is entirely inaccurate on both counts and probably copied from the RPSI's treatment of both 461 and 184 that way in the early 90s. This is why it is never wise - especially in Ireland - to take livery details from preservation; this is doubtless the source of the fictitious black-framed, snail-bedecked green "livery" for a G class loco! The model with the black livery, light green snail and red lining is accurate, as a one off. That particular loco was painted like that for the Rosslare Express for a short time in the 1950s. It must have looked very smart.

There were a few detail differences indeed, though I would leave it to those more technically informed than me to list them! "Blinkers" on the British ones, and gauge are of course the most obvious. I've an idea the wheels were slightly a different diameter, but I could be mixing that up with something else.

Mayner, of this parish, is as I understand it, planning a model of this loco. Regarding the carriages, the first one (a lavatory first) and the second one (a 3rd) would be included in the subject matter of a recent post on MGWR six-wheelers as an essential part of the pre-1963 railway scene. Maybe the moderators could provide a link here to those posts? The gist of it was discussion on how essential the standard MGWR six-wheeler is on any layout on GSR / CIE at any time 1925-63, and suggestions regarding kits, and Allen Doherty's very helpful Worsley Works "scratch-aid" kits. Given enough orders, he will make kits of these. Thus leaves the next vehicle - a bogie 3rd, by the look of it - possibly a 2nd / 3rd. That would need to be scratch built from a drawing. If you're not that fussy about accuracy, there are some British SECR kits which could be botched to provide a half-reasonable approximation, though hardly worthy company for the loco kit and six-wheelers. The fourth vehicle may be dining car No. 1, as the picture was almost certainly posed. In service, it is unlikely that it went beyond Galway. This vehicle was later rebuilt as a conventional coach. Again, if drawings could be found, that's the way to go - a complete scratch build is necessary. This vehicle would be the most challenging, as I am unaware of a drawing of it, and photos won't be plentiful as (a) it didn't stay that way for long, (b) few pictures of it exist and © I don't know of any other coach which might be botched to even approximate to it, let alone serve as a sensible donor. Finally, the van. This is a Cusack high-roofed passenger brake, non birdcage. There should be more info on those, probably in the IRRS photos, though access to that collection isn't easy, even for bona fide researchers. Overall, as the "Tourist Train", the actual train make-up would have varied; as mentioned in other posts, no train hardly - not even a special or specific one - ever had two carriages the same almost ever, prior to 1972 or so. Livery was mid brown with yellow lining normally, but for a few years after 1905, and with all vehicles in this photo, a livery of royal blue and white, lined gold, was used by the MGWR. As you'd expect in steam days, white (not even cream) upper panels became filthy very quickly and they reverted to brown after only a few years. Indeed, it's probable that no more than a quarter of the fleet - if that - ever received this livery at all. Some locos were painted blue lined in black and gold or black and white to match; others remained standard MGWR lined grass green. The loco in this picture doesn't look pristine, so may be green rather than blue.

'Tis a K1 class.....