jhb171achill

If I was "they", I'd get someone with a little more knowledge, and someone LOCAL who would know what they are trying to recreate! There are personages on this very forum with at the very least the same skills, so perhaps "they" might take note! I'm sure Cedric Fry or Cyril Frog would agree.

While I had no recollection of silver "hot water bottles", as reminded by Eoin, a pic appears of one in a book. So both types were silver initially, all over. The heating vans tended to get dirtier roofs quicker, due to exhaust. Both types wore green coats, then black'n'tan. The green ones did not carry "snails", just the mid-body light green line. At a guess, I'd say the last ones in green probably lasted until about 1964/5.

Eoin I'll be on to you for a couple at time some stage, then! I think you mentioned them when we spoke a couple of weeks ago, but I had already ordered these two. By the time I'm done, I'll probably want about five, in the three liveries. While I'd need to check, I don't believe that the "hot water bottles" were ever silver (thus delivered in green), but only the "suitcases" were. Both types wore green coats, then black'n'tan. At a guess, I'd say the last ones in green probably lasted until about 1964/5.

Some excellent photos. Michael always had an eye for the rare, little seen, and unusual. You will note the emphasis on passenger trains. To our younger readers this may not be noticeable as the railways for many years now have had few, or zero, goods trains on any line. But in Michael's time this was not the case - few lines DIDN'T have goods trains. So where are they? Well, a wee birdy suggests that he may have a follow up at some stage with some of the freight GEMS he has...... Drooling welcome. ....and, I might add, the possibility (time allowing) is that Rails Through Somewhere Else might see the light of day....it's been discussed, but time is not plentiful......!

Hi Glover I did see a pic of a LV in green somewhere, but it was years ago, so I've no idea where it was. My own recollections of things green would not be clear enough to ascertain which type of van I saw in real life; most of my van recollections, by far, were black'n'tan. Many vans, also a handful of carriages, went straight from unpainted to black'n'tan. Come to think of it, it's the heating van I'm inclined to think wasn't green..... I must check that.

This is a good enough quality photo of an ACTUAL transfer, as used on steam locomotives whether green, black or normal grey; on buses, road vehicles and passenger carriages. The green paint is actual CIE green paint. Having seen the original daily for forty years hung on Senior's wall, I can confirm that this photo reproduces the colours accurately. Note the gold lining. For those modelling steam, it's important to note that the "snail" on tenders was this colour, and gold lined, always - never white, as Lima implied on their early and crude models by today's standards. Nor yellow as incorrectly applied by the RPSI to 184 and 461 in the 1990s. This darker shade of green, while seen on steam locos and buses to the end, was replaced on passenger stock and diesel locomotives by the lighter shade seen on RPSI heritage stock, and at Downpatrick on some stock, from 1955 onwards. The original may be seen in Headhunters Railway Museum in Enniskillen. Many of the other mounted coats of arms there (but not all) are mounted also on boards with original paint - Clogher Valley, CDRJC, NCC, GSR (but not GSWR), and Cork, Blackrock & Passage are original paint. So are DNGR, BCDR, and DSER (loco black). One of the GNR ones is, and one is in "works grey" as it was mount on its board in the 1940s when paint was either expensive or unavailable! Feel free to copy and use as you see fit.

Yes, Tony; and I was beginning to doubt that he existed until these two Mayner vans arrived today. I had not seen JM Design products up close and personal before. Photos suggested they were by good indeed; having seen these two (one "suitcase" and one "hot water bottle" ='luggage van and heating van), I wouldn't call them "good" any more; "excellent" is more appropriate. I await future Mayner stuff with great interest! By the way, I'm after another luggage van if anyone has one to spare - ideally filthy silver or green!

A nice parcel arrived today from Pettigo Fair, Frimley. That'll keep me busy for a while. Then another arrived with an old coach from Mr Ebay....

Yes, I re-read the original post and amended my initial response as just above! I incorrectly thought you meant that the eBay seller was implying the track plans were intended to represent 1970. In reality, lifting wasn't complete, so some locations probably still had some or all of their track.

Line closed '67, book published 1970.

Where would they operate it? The Irish market and financial feasibility for such projects is worlds apart from that in Britain. Such a project is highly unlikely to satisfy an economic feasibility study.

Close enough - it was PART of the GNR with the other two, and buses!

Ah! That's 72 pints. Here, they were 88 pints! First round of drink I ever bought, about 1976, was three pints and you had change from a £1 note. 32p a pint. A night out with £5 was quite feasible. 50p to get into a night club, 32p a pint, and a burger PLUS chips on the way home 36 or 38p....

Is the premises of N Johnston there possibly that of a well known railway book publisher? See you in the Tram - it's just sixpence a pint. Up the road in Omagh it's seven pence - ridiculous. How are you supposed to live on £3 a week with that sort of thing? Hornby coaches are now nine shillings* each! (* 45p / €0.50c)

That layout captures better than any, the exact type of rural setting on so many lines in the latter half of the 20th century; perfect. Quite the atmosphere, i have to say, that I will be attempting to emulate with my current project. I'm expecting parcels from Provincial Leslie and several other eminent gentlemen shortly....

Was the old WLWR Director's Saloon (934 or 935) used as such at one time? She ended her days falling apart at Mullingar.

I think if it was me, I'd probably get a trio of LMS 0.6.0s and alter them. At a later date I'd try to add whatever I could best convert to a 4-coach AEC set.

Had I youth's blood And thoughtful mood. And heart of fire once more........

Stupid money. and it's not even steam......

Beautiful scene - the fact that they're great models is reason enough to run them anywhere!

I met James Boyd forty years ago on an Indian narrow gauge railway, and got on with him like a house on fire. He was known as a reserved, indeed prickly and extremely private individual but we had a great time - shared interest in the T & D helped greatly! Tantalisingly, many of his photos have not been catalogued, let alone published. I know who owns them now and have often offered to assist in listing them. Time, however, is of the essence...........and the current owner of them doesn't seem in a hurry. Most, of course, is of British subjects by far, and with a strong emphasis on Welsh and Manx narrow gauge, as you'd expect.

Very interesting, thanks! Imagine if the GNR, NCC and BCDR had all been one company, between them owning all the yards and dock sidings in Belfast. You could imagine them getting a class of short-wheelbase but powerful shunters from H&W....

It's a better bet than the 2.6.0. As mentioned by others, an LMS 0.6.0 probably needs least work, though I would think there are a number of 0.6.0 tender locos that could be at the very least "botched" into a reasonable approximation, and others that a more ambitious conversion would be suitable for. In your period of modelling, (1950s, if I'm not mistaken) locos of this type would have practically monopolised goods traffic, so 0.6.0s of some sort are essential. In the fifties, the NCC locos had yet to appear on the line at all.

It was indeed..... and the hotel too. This is where my parents met: she worked in the GNR's hotel, and he was the District Engineer based at the time in Enniskillen......

The "whitish" band on some A and C classes was the eau-de-nil light green. Most had this line, though many didn't. On locos without the line, such as that above, a mid-side number was included instead of a "snail".