jhb171achill

Sam I'm assuming this is 00 gauge; if it isn't everything has to be scratchbuilt! First, your design. I can't help feeling that if you were to simplify the sidings etc in and around the station, you'd have more room to do things. There are a lot of sets of points there - each one takes up space. I'm assuming that the blue road is the Derry Road - if so, an amendment in design might see it disappearing into a tunnel or something and curving left to go up the side of the layout, joining eventually onto the yellow marshalling yard. This would enable a Derry service, which was running up to early 1965. If you prefer later, fair enough. The red sidings - might it be an idea to just make 2 or 3 longer sidings, instead of a self-contained run-round? There are plenty of run-round facilities in the station. An over-complicated track layout can actually restrict movements, and especially storage of wagons / empty carriages, etc. I'm presuming that you're looking at a model of the older pre-1970 station buildings with their three platforms. By your era, one was no longer in use. Now, to the rolling stock. Portadown, obviously, will have both CIE and UTA / NIR stock. Let's break this down. 1. Goods The UTA abolished goods in 1965, so any time after that it's CIE stock only; this is good news, as more CIE stuff is available than UTA. In the period you're looking at, and from my own personal memories as well as books, a typical train coming into Portadown would have 30-40 four wheel wagons, at least half of which were standard CIE "H" vans. Provincial Models make these kits - easy to assemble, and you'll need a fair few! PalVans were common too, as were CIE "bubble" cement wagons and open wagons; these latter being about a third wooden-bodied, and two-thirds Bullied corrugated opens. You can buy all sorts of off-the-shelf wooden-bodied five-plank opens and repaint them. Provincial, again, make ex-GNR ones; CIE would have had a few of these too; and Provincial also make the essential CIE corrugated open. Liveries of all this: all grey up to 1970, after which brown starts making an appearance, and bubbles (initially standard wagon grey all over) start becoming orange and grey. Logos: "Flying snails" still on about a third of goods vans, with the CIE "broken wheel roundel" on the rest. On grey PalVans and H vans, the roundel is tan, with white letters in it; apart from that, all logos and lettering on everything is white. Once bubbles are repainted orange, the lettering and logo on this is black. A grey wagon has grey ironwork and chassis; a brown one has brown ironwork and chassis. Black ironwork and chassis are simply not accurate at all for Ireland, with a few notable exceptions (none of which apply in your world!); leave black chassis to Hornby BR models! Any residual stock of UTA era still hanging about will be Courtaulds (ex-NCC) wagons used on ballast trains - a browny red colour, with "U T" still stencilled on them - see pics in the excellent book you refer to, "Along UTA lines". See also "The Ulster Transport Authority in Colour" by Derek Young. Also a few old GNR ballast hoppers and a GNR guard's van, the same type as "Ivan" at Whitehead. These would, by your era, only be used for ballast trains, but wold often be stored at Portadown. If you have these, you'll need either a NIR "DH" class 0.6.0 diesel shunter, or an NCC "Jeep" to haul them. If you're modelling a GNR goods brake van, fer gawd's sake don't paint it like "Ivan", which is utterly inaccurate! Black ironwork - no. Black chassis - no. Cream inside balcony - no. That's three; as the late Mr Paisley might have opined, "Nevaaar Nevaaar Nevaaar"! These things were grey all over, always, including all ironwork and balcony interior - though they WERE cream INSIDE, or possibly cream upper and mid-brown lower! White or cream wagon roofs are, like (so Madam tells me) as much a "no-no" as tartan socks with open sandals......! Someone showed me a couple of pictures one time of (I think) an old match truck off a breakdown crane or something, and a GNR or NCC guard's van in early NIR days. The pictures were black and white, and clearly showed all of the ironwork in a much darker colour than the grey body. In the photo, it certainly looked black. But a black and white photo tells us nothing about colour in general, still less any extent to which it is weathered or worn or dirty. The reality was that in these pictures the ironwork was rusted within an inch of its life, with little or nothing or the original paint left. Moreover, the paint on the wooden bits was badly faded. It looked (in black and white) like the light grey and black ironwork seen (again, totally incorrectly) on the NCC guard's van on the DCDR. But is wasn't. If you like this contrast, then a Provincial model of this (I'm not on commission from Leslie, honest!) would look very appropriate hanging about your Portadown, so badly weathered that its actual livery is almost impossible to tell. Parcels and mail were an important part of life in your era. While "out of print" now, John Mayne's CIE "tin vans" are something I'd look out for, as these will be seen on the CIE "Enterprise" in your times. Irish Freight Models do one too - again not available now, as I understand, but you never know what might turn up. It's an easy enough thing to scratchbuild too. Tin vans could be dropped off the goods train with the morning papers from Dublin - and they featured in the early morning newspaper train themselves, along with just about anything else - "H" vans, old ex-GNR "P" bogie vans (there's one at Whitehead). Latterly, NIR converted a few old GNR railcars and ec-UTA "MED" centre cars as parcels vans. These were painted all maroon. Containerisation was just coming in, during your era. Irish Railway Models do the cement bubble, as I'm sure you know - an outstanding model. They plan to have other items in the future from the "early modern era" (1970s). In your time, containesr were on 4-wheel CIE longer wheelbase flat wagons. Guinness was carried in round grey cylindrical containers, usually in open wagons of either wooden or corrugate type. Kits are available of CIE brake vans - essential for your goods trains. Grey until about 1970 / 1, brown after that. 2. Locomotives / motive power Steam is king! The UTA never bought a single diesel locomotive - they inherited a few, notably the unique BCDR Bo-Bo, No. 28, which spent its entire UTA life shunting in Belfast. It never pulled a train anywhere in your era. It's a tragedy that it wasn't preserved - it was scrapped in 1972 or 3. You're looking at Jeeps, jeeps and more jeeps. By 1965, what was left of ex-GNR locos were withdrawn; i think the last was 0.6.0 No. 47 or 49, which I remember seeing shunting at Adelaide about then. It sat in the open with another like it for several years until they were scrapped on site. If you want to test time a little, you could go for 1963/4, when a few ex-GNR types ("S" class No. 60 & 171, and a handful of UG and SG3 0.6.0s) were still in use. Now, you could be purist and build these from scratch, or sell your house to pay for half a dozen professionally made ones. Or, if you weren't fussy about accuracy, get a LMS Stanier 2.6.4T or two and botch them as UTA / NIR. There are several British 0.6.0s which, if budgets are limited and eyesight not acute, might be altered to at least resemble a UG or SG3. Look up the excellent products of 00 Works - they did a run of ready-to-run UGs, but again, they're currently "out of print". For CIE, you're in the land - for those times - almost entirely of the 121 and 141 class, obviously in the original black'n'tan livery. These were produced by Murphy Models and occasionally pop up for sale here. The "supertrain" livery appeared from 1972 onwards, but black'n'tan was still about for a good few years after that. I photographed many locos around CIE still in this livery in 1975-8. But for UTA and NIR overall, there's no avoiding railcars. Here. we are looking at ex-GNR AEC and BUT cars. Kits of these are available, but would require a level of skill to put together; don't be put off; many here have started with zero skills and become superb brass-kit-makers. Silverfox do a re-liveried British Craven railcar, which looks quite acceptable; I'd darken the roof colour a bit though, being pathologically obsessed with liveries, as I am. You'd need to scratch build a 70 class set for the UTA / NIR "Enterprise". If you want to model the NIR 1970 "Enterprise", you'll need one of Silverfox's Hunslet diesels, or scratchbuild one. The carriages are BR Mk. 2 design (as seen in Whitehead!) and standard BR types can be got and repainted; some will need slight alterations of doors etc. 3. Carriages SSM do some lovely coach kits. You will need CIE laminates and Park Royals for the "Enterprise". All brass. For UTA types, you need a Jeep for Sunday School excursions, but carriages - SSM "K15" ex-GNR open third - these were commonplace on GVS - Dundalk. Obviously, on the break-up of the GNR in 1958, CIE got some and so did the UTA. So, a couple in UTA green and another within your CIE set in black'n'tan might be interesting. You can buy some standard Hornby / Bachmann LMS stock and if you look at (I think) 238 at Whietehead - the NCC vehicle with the wood panelling - that's what you're matching with, as the NCC got some English carriages over after their own were destroyed by German bombs in York Road in the 1940s. By the 1960s, the UTA mixed them up to a small extent; while mostly ex-GNR types were to be seen on the GNR lines, and NCC types north of York Road, the odd interloper could be seen, especially on excursion trains. K15s were also used as centre cars for AEC sets. Without a steam engine, though, in particular a Jeep, there's little point in having much of a stock of UTA steam-era carriages. Look at the ruins of 114 at Whietehead - carriages of this type were used on GVS - Portadown trains as centre cars, as the large mail compartment was used for carrying mail. I think NIR stopped carrying mail on this route about 1972/3. For a very short while, between 1970 and 1974, a Hunslet could be seen on very occasional excursion duty, with a set of retained carriages consisting of the following - - a few ex-GNR carriages (one being a 114-lookalike, No. 595; brake open 3rd / mail) - ex-NCC stock (mostly now steel panelled, like several at Whitehead) - maybe only in 1973/4, a couple of ex-GNR AEC and BUT power cars, now "de-engined" and used as passenger stock. NIR had a total of maybe a dozen of these altogether, which they retained simply for occasional excursions. The sight of a set of nine of these, which I saw in Lisburn once, behind a brand new maroon Hunslet, was odd indeed. Few photos have survived, as they were rarely used, and often at short notice. If you do this, you won't need a steam engine! (But you WILL need a Hunslet!). This rake of coaches were in a special "loco hauled but not Enterprise" livery of all over maroon, with a 3" light grey line at waist level. In other words, the same as the Enterprise livery, but with maroon lower instead of blue! That's about all i can think of now...... hope it's of help. Look up the available stuff from Irish Freight Models, SSM, Silverfox Models, Murphy Models, JM Design, Provincial Wagons, 00 Works, and others listed on this site which I might have inadvertently forgotten.

I use a DDT which I connect to a left-handed SUV inside a SWQAXTX, though it can interfere with G-23W (if the TV is on). I use Z23 power-connected T/7s, aligned with Saturn and connected to a 28% KLJ9. That does be the extent of my abilities...... I think I'm getting old........! serious point: I'm a great believer that the skills involved with old manual methods for anything are often superior to electronic widgetry that can go wrong and be unfixable.....

Update on that; having left Chateau IRM, I proceeded to the Faraway Lands of my colleague, Barry Carse. Like myself, BC is of the opinion that the mesh doors were not in general use; his belief is that possibly only one was like that initially, my thoughts being similar. I would say that it may well be that perhaps one or two migh have been. But having seen a few on the production line, it is definite that the vast majority were built new with solid doors, and we would also say that whatever one or two were initially fitted with them, lost them almost immediately. I never heard of them in traffic like that - but I can't say they didn't. I saw a line of new ones one time - I cannot remember where, and as was so often the case, I had no camera with me. I suspect it was North Wall or Inchicore. They were "straight out if the IRM box", and all had solid doors. All had the CIE roundel on the second door from left when new, though door swoops during their lives could vary that. Once, I saw one with logos on two doors - the 2nd and 3rd doors! Occasionally, one with no logo. After 1987, of course, when IE came into being, logos were gone on virtually all wagon repaints, the exceptions being some PW and departmental stock. No ferts ever carried the IE "set of points" logo. Regarding the colour of the CIE logo, the cream or buff colour shown in so many photos was a white one badly weathered. Cream-coloured CIE yokes existed, and were applied to buses, but these were transfers. The plywood panelling on freight stock - anything from ferts to "H" vans - was too rough to take transfers. All logos on wagons were always painted or stencilled, and from the onset on the brown wagon livery about 1970/1, only white was used. Sometimes wagon numbers were renewed on ferts, but older doors fitted to replace, maybe, a damaged one. If the replacement door had a logo, it might be old and weathered a light brown or nondescript colour, while the wagon had a cleaner number. It might look as if they're different colours, but under the grime they weren't. Thus, on a model, there would be a clear distinction between a crisp and clear buff-coloured logo, and a weathered one originally white. Nothing white on any railway stayed that way long. This, indeed, prompts me to utter some ramblings about paint weathering in general - if I get time, I'll post something separate later today.....

Fresh from an afternoon visit today to IRM Towers (thanks for the sticky buns, folks!) I can confirm, as if it’s needed, how truly superb this range of models are, and the huge planning that goes into making them.... Naturally, I melted Glenderg’s and Garfield’s heads about my own pet wish lists!

It’s easy to tell. Tasmanian trains are upside down; I’ve photographed many of them.....

It Is indeed possible, though if so I'd say only a very short time. This is very likely to be the reason that uniquely, as far as I'm aware, numbers were carried on wagon ends.

That's the way to do it, Tony! Pity you can't get all the way by rail to Omagh these days.....

There’s one for IRM; a RTR “weird German diesel” in black’n’tan.....

The ones with the mesh doors were experimental. Not sure how many were built like that, but not many, and they didn't go into general service like that. This was an era of several types of experimental wagons, like the long-wheelbase four wheeled "sundries van", and another type seen in this video with opening upwards side doors. Interesting video; like Bullied's sometimes odd ideas, another "might have been". As an aside, imagine a layout of might-have-beens; turf burners in general use, all sorts of oddball freight stock, rebuilt steam locos in into the 1970s, modern versions of Drumm trains, and express 4.6.2T locos (the proposed 820 class, of which possibly five were planned)......and weird German diesels all over the GNR!

Having several SSM products myself, I can say they’re excellent looking. They do require skill to put together - mine were not assembled by me, otherwise they mightn’t look as well.... Excellent range of models. I would recommend them.

I’d be happy too with anything - I’d eventually have a mixture of best available now, for example, plus the best available in future.

Wonder what happened to all those models seen round 7:15?

Definitely a dud, Broithe! The original was entirely upside down, and the correct way to read it was by standing on your head! Yes, Achill station is a modeller's dream..... maybe some day!

New home found

Yes, it's a GNR signal. The C & VBT only really had one significant station building - at Castlederg. It was (is) a red-brick two storey building, similar in style to Clogher Valley, or even Cavan & Leitrim architectural style.

If the all-encompassing GSR loco grey was dull, the LLSR all-grey was worse! The CDR used all-black for carriages at one time, followed by black with cream upper panels - very funereal. The LLSR was, I think, cherry red and white rather than salmon pink; perhaps an inspiration to Forbes on the CDR when he introduced their red and CREAM in 1932. I'm not sure of salmon pink - that's more likely to have been recorded (IF it was) from an old withdrawn thing that had faded to that. I'm away at a family reunion and will check for sure when I get home tomorrow. I'm sure there was another earlier livery too - I'll check.

Excellent - and is that old coach one of those Ratio ones? (Looks great...!)

Indeed, sir; my mistake entirely. Used to be as far as Whitehead, now double just short of there. Never double Whitehead - Larne at all.

.................I've slides and photos showing the roundel clearly in white, and clearly in straw yellow, not tan,................ Exactly. The white is self-explanatory. The "straw yellow" is the white weathered with brake dust; but white underneath. And there wasn't a tan version. White lettering, numerals and so on, on anything railway-related, never stayed pure white for long - look at the white line above window level on black'n'tan coaches - and they were regularly washed, while ferts and other wagons were virtually never washed..... City buses had roundel transfers which were off-white, incidentally, with white lining round them. All railway wagon roundels in "brown" days were initially white, but obviously would become dirty over time.

Update. Contact has been made with Cyril Fry's daughter, who is now a very elderly lady, but fully "with-it" and very enthusiastic about the whole scheme. Fry's collection of railway artefacts including one very nice loco nameplate is safe in storage and in the hands of the local authority. Other small exhibits are being sourced. Contact has also been made with several people who visited the house in Churchtown and saw the layout operating. Fry's own photographic collection has been made available through the good offices of the current owner of both the collection and its copyright. Fry was not the best photographer in the world, but some of his stuff is of great historic interest. Most is black and white, and while he took many colour slides in the late 1950s onwards, the film he used hasn't stood the test of time well, and while some of his images have been photoshopped to an adequate standard, many are way beyond repair; I spent two full weekends going through the entire collection a few years ago. His models are going to be professionally evaluated in three categories: (1) Those fit to operate with little or no encouragement. (2) Those which should be operable, but will require significant work first. (3) Those which operationally are a hopeless case, and will be displayed in glass cases instead. It is considered that ripping Fry's handmade motors out of them to put modern ones in, would be pure vandalism! Better to make a working replica and keep the original, if it's really that bad. It must be remembered that these are antique models, and irrespective of age, some have already clocked up huge mileages.Not all may be aware that when the layout was operating in Malahide Castle, few if any of the model locomotives to be seen operating on any one day were actually Fry's. Thus, the intention in the new building is that there will be a large newly built layout in 00 with a selection of Irish trains; these will be the ones that will clock up huge mileages, operating 8 hours a day, 6 or 7 days a week. It would be unrealistic to expect an old model to do that, in in curatorial terms, irresponsible. Instead, parallel to the 00 gauge layout, selected Fry models will make occasional forays on a separate track (well, different gauge!), while others will be on display with, hopefully, pictures of the originals in action, and a brief history of each. More news as it arises.

Prior to 1925 or so, there was a lot more - a good deal of the Sligo line, and all of the Galway line, for example. Today, it's Larne, Bangor to Bray, M3 Parkway, Maynooth, Connolly - tunnel - Heuston - Cobh & Midleton, and that's about it! The main routes now long gone were ALL single - Waterford - Mallow, North Kerry, Limerick - Sligo - Enniskillen, Dundalk - Enniskillen - Derry, Portadown - Cavan - Mullingar, the Derry Road, the BCDR, West Cork; and the existing South Kerry and Limerick Jct - Waterford - Rosslare were always single. One double track narrow gauge line, and one only, of course: the Cork - Blackrock part of the CBPR. The Crosshaven extension was always single.

Important one there, Sam - the early NIR livery was maroon and a very light grey, never red and cream. The grey was not unlike what BR had on upper parts of coaches in the "BR Blue" era. For the maroon, it was a pretty standard one - a shade darker than LMS "red". The UTA green was a good deal darker than BR loco green,or closer to home CIE green of either shade. It was a totally different shade to anything the (British) Southern Railway ever used. The closest you'll get to UTA green is the shade applied to the RPSI's Whitehead set - this is actually based on UTA green. In terms of the posy-1970 NIR livery, the maroon remained the same as on railcars and steam-hauled stock, but the blue was a completely new shade. It has been accurately reproduced on the restored NIR 80 class set at Downpatrick. Incidentally, for the info of the world in general, this superb restoration job at Downpatrick has exactly the right shades of maroon and blue for the NIR "1970 Enterprise" livery, lining and all. The only error is on the roofs. At the ends, the roof curved parts are painted maroon. This is only correct for the front of a driving cab, not the gangway ends of either the power car, intermediates, or driving trailers. These bits should be roof grey.

Eoin, you've made me run out of smelling salts now, and the drooling is becoming a problem....................................................................!

Perfect, Fran - as always!!!! As I mentioned before, my layout environment of 1955-65 may have to be compromised with some of these things - too good to miss! Why couldn't CIE have introduced them in 1961!!

Another observation. The running numbers carried on the ends were unique as far as CIE stock was concerned then. No other stock had end numbers. However, initially, they had numbers on the sides (first left hand panel, I think - possibly other end), but as doors were switched and swopped, it tended to be on the ends only. The CIE logo on the illustration above appears to be tan. While some types of wagons had dual-coloured roundels (tan surround, white letters) when grey, no brown wagon of any sort carried these. Logos were always, from the outset, all-white on anything painted brown. That's an interesting one, Fran! Must have been a one-off. And I can't help feeling that it was a short lived one. I don't know what the initial loading for these things was, but could it be that the one with the markings you show was restricted to a smaller weight? If they were all 48, that large number's a new one to me - as you'll have seen from photos. I would have been highly surprised if you hadn't perused photos, given your superbly accurate rendition of everything else you've put your hand to! Keep it up!