jhb171achill

Railtours Ireland Cobh-Killarney special train (3x ICR) will run again on Wednesday coming. Leaves Cobh 08:40, one of extremely few trains to operate non stop through Cork. Ex Killarney 14:25 from memory.

Excellent idea. I was looking in recent weeks at the boundaries on both the erstwhile Achill and Clifden branches - stone walls for the most parts - that browny-red stained stone so common in "turfy" areas in the west. With gorse and bog in the background, this would give a really uniquely Irish look to a scenic stretch of any layout.

I have to say I like the grey 071s too - in a way that's retro too as it is reminiscent in appearance and concept, of the "workaday" functionality of the GSWR / GSR / CIE in just dousing locomotives in plain grey paint!

Many thanks, hurricane!

That's a mighty job! Front numbers a bit big as you said, but overall looks great.

Excellent, Wanderer. You and I had that conversation, remember?

Do I detect, Garfield, that you were somewhat underwhelmed by them?

I was just leafing through another which advises the reader that the new diesels are going to be built in America, by a firm called "General Motors" in La Grange, Illinois....

I wonder if anyone has a photo of one to show how smooth / rough they are? Presumably very fine rubbing down does the trick? I looked at their site and for "N" they appear to have the following diesels - A, C, 421, (unusually) 401, 121 and 141. One wonders what chassis would do the two "E" classes. They do a Bullied open and a Craven plus quite a few more modern yokes.

Superb stuff. It's about time N gauge got a look into the Irish scene. Many of us have limited room. I live in a town house and I am currently considering whether to have a fairly interesting 009 gauge set up, or a much restricted 00 gauge one. Right now, 00 is winning; shortly I will commence the most difficult part of anything top do with a layout: applying to the Dept. of Domestic matters for funding and planning permission. The most difficult brass kit is child's play in comparison.... At "N" scale, an approximate loco of British 0.6.0 parentage painted plain grey and given a number of a J15 or J18 would be a lot more forgiveable than in 00. The one thing that might sway me in that direction would be an "N" gauge 141, A or C body, plus a suitable chassis to put it on. Like steam locos, SOME British coaches might suit for botching or repainting - the accuracy wouldn't be 100% but with care it might look right. Any ideas on earlier Irish diesels in N scale?

So it's a "flag of convenience" thing...

Or an ICR in lined 1950s CIE green? Retro Aer Lingus style?

Wow! The greeny hue on the timber looks very realistic. Presumably thin strips of "timber" between the rails and on sleeper ends? I'm not sure what sort of buffer stop they had - probably an old rail one, and doubtless very rusty!

So you just stick them onto BR type carriage sides? Ingenious. Doubtless scope for other inexpensive conversions - a BR Van, for example.

Tis a ghastly immorality. Im going to write to Joe Duffy. Maybe Tubridy gan give one to everyone in the audience.

I suppose it shows how much "big finance" is global now......

While on the subject of IRN bulletins of times past, here's an utterly random pick from an old copy. This dates from when Pussy was a Kitten, the motorway was cobbled, Jesus was in shorts, and anyone in a dog collar was not to be questioned (unless he painted an "A" class model the wrong colour); let's cast our minds back to January 1948. The IRRS now has some 139 members, among those recently joining being Sir John Betjeman, the English writer, Mrs N Fry (Churchtown, Dublin; wife of the famous Cyril Fry), G F Egan (SLNCR Traffic Manager), R S Guinness (needs no introduction!), William Robb of Belfast, and Desmond Coakham; between them probably the greatest ever authorities on the BCDR, and well know railway enthusiasts, photographers and writers R C Ludgate, R M "Mac" Arnold, J P O'Dea, E G Maddocks, Mrs P G Robbins, Rev F R Skuse and H B Smith (of Bank of Ireland). So, to the news - the GNR has just launched a new non-stop train between Amiens Street and Belfast, called the "Enterprise". Only first and third class are provided, no second. The train consists of a brake 3rd, two 3rds, buffet car, two 1sts and a 3rd brake. All seats are bookable in advance and the thirds are open seating, with the firsts (specially built) being side corridor. These firsts have separate ladies and gents toilets, the ladies having a chair and full length mirror. The departures are twice daily at 10:30am and 5:30pm, with journey time of 2 hours and 15 minutes. On one run timed by J Macartney Robbins, they got from Dublin to almost Adavoyle in an hour and 15 seconds. Maximum speed was recorded passing Dundalk at 77 mph. The IRRS arranged a visit (to this day, quaintly called "outings", like the loonies being let out of the asylum!) to Dundalk Works and to the shortly-to-be-closed Bessbrook & Newry Tramway. This generated much enthusiasm and the Society was then inundated with requests by members for other trips - think of the scope in those days! Even the LLSR was still in operation... at the Society dinner in November, they met in the GNR restaurant in Amiens Street Station. A possible 70th anniversary could be held in the IE buffet in Connolly in November 2018? The NCC had, at time of publication, converted two locomotives to burn oil. These were "W" class nos. 100 and 101. It was reported that from next January 1st (1948), the NCC will become part of the London Midland Region of British Railways, although even before this came into effect it was reported that alternative arrangements would probably be put in place - they were, as the Stormont Government acquired it instead. CIE has built its first diesel electric locomotive at Inchicore; this has a "Mirrlees" TLDT6 type vertical 6-cylinder 4-stroke engine developing 487 bhp at 710 rpm. The weight of the loco in working order is 52 tons. It is numbered 1000, and another four under construction will be 1001-4. It is painted in the two shades of green used on passenger coaches. There are now 93 oil-burning steam locos in traffic. In recent times, some ex-GSWR locos of 333 and 342 series, as well as some of the 356 class 2.6.0s, and a few ex-MGW 573 class have been fitted. No. 185 of the J15 class has also been fitted. In West Cork, the last "Bandon Tank" with original boiler has had a new superheated one fitted. Following the wartime fuel shortages, services are getting back to normal, though the Cork line still only has two through trains a day. The GNR is taking delivery of five new engines of both the "U" and "UG" class. The passenger locos are 201-5, named, in order: Meath, Louth, Armagh, Antrim and Down. The UGs are 78-82, and are broadly similar to the earlier locos of the same class, bar a few minor amendments. 0.6.0s nos. 201 and 203 are renumbered 40 and 41, while 4.4.2T nos. 147 and 148 become 67 and 69. LQG class 0.6.0 No. 159 was converted to oil burning in September 1947. The SLNCR has taken delivery of a notable new railcar. The interior is finished with blue "leather" upholstery and a turquoise blue floor and the window ledges are exactly the right height to use as armrests. Travel is entirely free from vibration, and fold-up steps are available for stops with no platforms. The car is 54ft 11 1/2in long. Externally it is finished in deep chrome green (lower) eau-de-nil upper, separated by a narrow black line and with a white roof. The engine is Gardner 6LW diesel. It has a maximum speed of 54 mph and achieves 13.3 miles per gallon of diesel. The regular goods train on the Letterkenny-Gweedore section of the LLSR was withdrawn from 6.1.46, Certain special trains operated after that, but the whole section was finally closed in June 1947. Goods trains continue between derry and Letterkenny, and Buncrana, with passenger service to Buncrana also, though this will end once suitable buses are sourced and paid for. Regular services ceased on the CDRJC's Glenties branch in December 1947, though turf and cattle trains continue. Substitute CDR buses operate three times per day (instead of the four-times-a-day railcar service) but extend beyond Glenties to Portnoo. If anyone knows of somebody who might want to join the IRRS, it's just 3/- per year. (For today's folks, that's three shillings = 15p - say, 16.5 euro cents per year. Not bad value, especially if a perk is a run on the Bessbrook tram...) Six new locomotives have entered traffic on the NCC. These are "WT" class 2.6.4Ts, numbered 1-4, 9 & 10. They have done very well, though their hopper ashpans are creating difficulties in dropping buring coals onto wooden sleepers! (You'd think this was a no-brainer to designers!). The NCC has teamed up with the LLSR to offer excursions from various places on the NCC system to Buncrana. (No, no "Jeep" ever went there!) And there ye have it. Not a blessed ICR or Mk 3 in sight! Happy days.....................................................................

Phil Yes, you're exactly right. The narrow gauge lines tended to have exceptions to the normal rules in lacking lining, "flying snails" and the like, but the standard colours always applied. From the day the GSR took over, the C & L became increasingly unfamiliar with paintbrushes of any kind; as late as 1956 one carriage in traffic still bore the badly faded and peeling browny pink (originally rich burgundy maroon!) of the GSR. Former C & L original carriages all got the original (darker) CIE green from 1946, other than the above example. Instead of the light "eau-de-nil" band above and below window level, they had it above only, with two e-de-n "snails" and large class number on the sides. No. 1 was in appalling state by the mid fifties; no light, no heat, and a roof that liberally let in rainwater. It was taken to Inchicore and rebuilt, this time being turned out in the post-1955 lighter green as seen, for example, on laminates or A or C class locos. It was unlined and had no "snails". Ex-T & D stock brought into the C & L section was also thus treated. On both the West Clare and the C & L, former T & D coaches were thus turned out, minus any lining, but with a single eau-de-nil "snail" mid-side. The ex-CVR luggage trailers (old goods vans) on the WCR were also painted light green, but this weathered to what actually looks brown! They were never cleaned. The former "bus-coach" on the C & L - a 1940s Inchicore invention of two bus bodies on an old C & L chassis was plain dark green, unlined, no snails. It was never repainted the lighter green. Needless to say, all C & L locos were all-over grey, though towards the end, they could have been painted pink and tartan as far as anyone knew, as the REAL livery on them was a heavy coating of soot, brake dust, coal dust and general filth! I digress here: for some reason, while the Donegal system always took pride in turning things out well, as far as steam locos were concerned, this extended only to the tanks and cabs. Many photos show the iconic "Meenglas", "Drumboe" and "Erne" and their stablemates in beautiful cherry red, but with what looks like black boilers and domes. The boilers and domes were actually red! The preserved one in Cultra has its dome painted black (incorrect) as this has clearly just been influenced by photos..... I have a long-term interest in the railways of Majorca. When steam ended in 1964, they technically had two liveries. The older British built engines were dark green, while the later Manquinista (Spanish-built) 2.6.0Ts were always painted black. Even from colour photos, it is impossible to see any green at all on any of the former, bar a single photo about 1960 where faded green traces can be seen on a tank side of, I think, one of the older 4.4.0Ts. Steam locos get dirty very quickly, and in fact when operating one on a layout in pristine condition, it might be remembered that if strict accuracy is aspired to, this will only apply to a loco literally straight out of the paint shop and on its first run since! And, by journey's end, it will be as smutty as Sidney James.

I'm intrigued..... I am aware of other suggestions that have been made to IE at high levels too...........!

I have a toothache right now from reading this.......!

Serious!!! And for good measure, "doesn't post to Ireland"!!

In reality, for anyone modelling UTA steam, weathering is as good as obligatory! In the case of the last few years, extreme weathering!

Still there? Tried to PM....

I wonder have any of our number ever given serious thought to what should line the hedges and walls and fences of modelled railway lines? Driving back to Dublin today from Westport I took the long way round in order to take photos of the old Ballaghaderreen station and the museum at Kiltimagh station. I noticed, driving miles through today's pleasantly sunny country, the vibrant gorse and turf bog areas, the light brownish reeds contrasting with the surprisingly rich green grass, and the stone walls covered in multiple shades of mottled lichens and moss. Brambles abounded too; later, of course, the rich red of fuschia and purple heather will make an appearance. It struck me that accurate reproduction of these would very much enhance any layout. Any thoughts?

Very nice! Re decals, I think the white letters / tan broken wheel version* is available now? (* correct for locomotives, desert sand buses, and "H" and "Palvan" type goods stock when painted grey. (white on others!)). Excellent work....