jhb171achill

That really looks top class. Can't wait to see it in its surroundings!

Absolutely top class as always! Love this layout!

There's at least one of our number currently constructing a n-g layout!

Very interesting collection!

Very true, Minister. CIE Property board are to be blamed for this, which is completely inexcusable. Mind you, I can't imagine there are too many countries where a court of law would even listen to a farmer who had appropriated land he didn't own, whether it was on a disused railway line or not. The laws of adverse possession, to such extent as they exist - should not apply to publicly owned land. ALL farmers who have "possessed" such lands should just have their fences, cattle, and anything else they put there, bulldozed away (no, no compensation).

The most obvious thing if converting most British types to look even vaguely Irish can often be the cab. GSR loco cabs were usually unmistakeably Inchicore designed, while the GNR had a very identifiable style of their own. The NCC was a bit more of a mixed bag. Different if you're converting to be an actual Irish prototype; drawings are then necessary and any amount of alteration might result.

And my email has 171 too! Tis a mad world we live in, gentlemen.

My local sources tell me that since nothing has yet been done about it, the €3m funding for the Valentia line greenway may be withdrawn.

If a thug of some sort wants to target a rural household or farm, he won't need a greenway to do it.

My land line contains 90 and 461.....

Next year, you'd be able to get 171 D 171.....

That is 100% outstanding work. I think that's the single most realistic genny van I've ever seen, apart from the real ones!

Yes, spudfan, they were red and cream. The ones you describe, on the basis of what you've said, would indeed appear to be CIE ones. If they weren't, they wouldn't have been on rails. Where they were remains interesting; obviously it's on a disconnected siding adjacent to some station, as all CIE ones were. The prices given above in Jawfin's post indicate that they were not at all cheap! Bearing in mind that six full returns had to be bought too.... £7.10.0, or £7.50p, (equivalent to about €10 today) was about three weeks' wages to an ordinary working man. £12 was 50% more. Plus your fare. When my family went to one in 1970 in North Wales (the British ones, incidentally, were green and cream), there were two adults and four children.... I have the receipt for it somewhere, must look it up. I think 1970 / 1971 was about the last year for the BR ones. I remember, incidentally, seeing Metro-Cammell railcars, and classes 47, 26 and (I think) 43's rattling past on long rakes of maroon Mk. 1's... (and some blue and grey ones!). We were just two years late for steam!

The one at Tramore is most certainly of GSWR origin, while the one at Killarney is most certainly of W & L origin. Since 934 was the only W & L coach among them (and the only non-GSWR one), then the Killarney one is indeed 934, without any doubt.

Yes. I suspect it's nearly sold out, so prompt contact with the RPSI would be the best option.

There was a sizeable community of old carriages at Giles' Quay, outside Dundalk until very recent years. Some are still in the area. There was even a former GNR railmotor among them. That was by far the largest group of grounded railway vehicles I ever came across. As far as I remember and as one might expect, they were all ex GNR.

That's got me interested, Spudfan. The regular passenger service to Youghal ended in 1963, so it must have been extremely short lived - maybe only a season or two. Or possibly, and especially if the coaches weren't on the statio n site, they were privately owned rather than CIE owned. All sorts of absolute gems of old coaches were in fields all over the country. They had a one or two in Tramore station for a short time. I knew someone who holidayed in an old GSWR beauty (privately owned) in a field by the sea outside Dublin, and an old MGWR coach which was used for this purpose - again privately owned - near Wexford. Interesting stuff.

Mostly laminates in later days, always including a dining car. Possibly the odd Park Royal or old Bredin. I never saw a Craven in one, as suggested by others - however, the odd one may have made an appearance. In earlier "CIE green" days, as mentioned already, old wooden carriages usually ex-GSWR were used. There were specially converted "radio studio coaches" with numbers prefixed "RS". Obviously, a radio studio had to be in each train. Long after the demise of the radio train, at least one RS appeared in the consist of one of the Connolly - Dundalk local sets, as they were so chronically short of stock. (They had SOME seats!). I took a pic of a dining car, shutters down, in one of those sets too - same reason.

Very sorry to hear that, irishtrains2730. Hope things sort themselves out for you.

Excellent weathering on the fence too! :-)

[quote name=Mayner;36409 In steam days large ex MGWR Cs Class 4-4-0 on main line passenger' date=' possibly Ks or 650 Class 2-4-0 on the Mails, 650 or Achill Bogies on the branch. .[/quote] The "D16"s sometimes worked Achill - Westport, but on other services Achill - Athlone. After the Achill line closed, a D16 was based for a while on the Ballina line, so that's when one would have been there. I have a good collection of WTTs so if there's any specific year you'd like, I can post that up. Most of mine are pre-1980.

I wonder which station was it at, Spudfan - was it youghal itself?

I've seen pictures of British ones in use, Mayner, but the nearest I can think of to the Irish ones is in the book on the Waterford & Tramore Railway by Fayle & Newham; you can see one in the distance in the photo of Tramore in letter days. It seems reasonable to assume that they weren't that popular here - they weren't in use for long!

That is as truly outstanding as anything ever seen here. Very well done, sir. Hats off, everyone!

I dealt with a gentleman while involved with DCDR and RPSI finances over the years who considered funding a replica cattle wagon if pans could be found, plus paying for one or two other goods wagons to be fully refurbished (no black ironwork jobs!!). The proposal never got off the ground, though I told him I'd be happy to facilitate it, and would try to find a small budget from the society concerned to assist. For personal reasons relating to this gentleman, the proposal will not go ahead.