jhb171achill

Even they won't bring back steam to that unfortunate railway, GSR.

Here's another Courtaulds wagon at Whitehead - fire damaged by the more pond-dwelling members of our diverse vandalised society: There's an interesting point here for the livery-minded. You can just about see traces of the red-brown paint on the steelwork in the corner, but most is rusty. Imagine this photo was black and white - it would appear to show black ironwork, which was never the case. Such things have given rise to the unfortunate inaccuracy in preserved wagons, where time and trouble is unneccessarily and inaccurately taken to pick out metal in black. This is even more evident in the grey one behind. Anyway, I hope that the picture may assist the modeller of such beasts. The light grey contraption in the foreground is a Larne & Stranraer Railway 0.1.0.

Before the Causeway railway received those ridiculous margarine-powered biscuit tins they have now, which appear to be driven by a PlayStation console, and which on principle I refuse to take a trip* in; there were carriages of sorts, and a proper steam engine. (* yes, I'm on a grumpy senior rant today, as my toe is sore after stubbing it on a rock yesterday... and, no, there was NO Guinness involved... Expect further caustic rants about things non-steam!) :-) There. I just about managed a smile.

The "A" class farewell - was it 1996/7? - I can't remember - with A39 on that fantastic day out along the South Wexford, before departure to Limerick Junction from Waterford, in the days before our oldest city list its railway station to replacement by a user-unfriendly halt... For modellers - if the body is silver, so should be the chassis and roof. Also there would be no "fangs" on the buffer beam, or double headlight on cab roof. That was a great day out - many here, I know, were also on it.

With such an emphasis on modern image modelling (post 1970 appears to be by far the most popular - understandably), one wonders whether better commercial viability would result from a RTR steam engine of a preserved type (171, 4, 461) or a "classic" design from the traffic volumes of the past like some of those previously mentioned. A modern image modeller could have one of the former rattling round on an "RPSI" train, whereas an old GSWR or NCC 4.4.0 would only be appropriate for a layout set pre 1960.

Exactly. Apart from the GNR "U", other engines like an SG3, a MGWR J18 or a GSWR J15 would be suitable. Several inside cylinder 4.4.0 types would also be easy to do, but probably less marketable.

More for the "might have been" thread.... if the two governments had decided to go on subsidising the GNR and SLNCR and it had lasted into the sixties..... another railcar and one or two diesel locos, perhaps, along with a few recently withdrawn CIE or UTA coaches to replace the oul wooden antique hen houses it had itself? Probably Loughs Erne and Melvin might have struggled on into the 70s, as the last steam in Ireland. Or they'd have made it part of CIE / UTA; cue a "C" class and a couple of laminates rattling up and down twice a day, with the railcar spirited off to the Nenagh branch!

You've some imagination, Harry! Maybe Maedb going up it - re-gauged! Or a Lough Swilly tender loco.... But to go back to the U class........ (!)....

Glenagalt.

It was something like that, Harry. Not the single steepest in Ireland, but up there, and also one of the longest. For an inexperienced fireman, it was a severe test.

In terms of a RTR Irish steam loco, to be commercially viable it has to have as wide appeal as possible. Therefore it will be best to model something that was widely used in real life. Thus, probably the only show in town is a UTA / NCC "Jeep" or a GSWR 101 / J15.

That's the one. I've seen several pics of that scene. The 400 class were still kicking about then, and were very much the unsung heroes of the Cork line.

There are photos in existence of 800 and a 400 class at Thurles shed at that time, but I've no info on whether 801 was there too.

I'm not certain that 801 was repainted, Harry. 800 was, of course, in full lined CIE paint, though without snails.

I'll have a check, Glenderg. I think that photo was about 1978 / 9.

Absolutely. The 1977 new ones were, as far as I remember, the first PW vehicles (other than tampers, liners and general "yellow machines") ever to be yellow. If you're modelling a GSWR one around 1979/80, I'd go for all over brown.

I would concur with Leslie that if Mac Arnold says it's tartan, then it IS tartan!

It's possible, Garfield. If such a thing appeared even as late as 1986, it would still have a roundel if painted yellow. Certainly, when I saw ballast trains in the late 70s, yellow was nowhere to be seen, so it's been some time in the 80s. Maybe someone else might know exactly, for the assistance of those modellers seeking accuracy for their chosen period?

++ 1

As for changes in colours, I'm not sure when they went from brown to yellow. I would guess - but it's only a guess - maybe mid to late 1980s. Early 90s at most. The change from grey to brown would have happened in the mid 70s. Naturally, prior to CIE they we also grey in GSR days, and the later GSWR days a darker grey. They may have been black when built new, as most GSWR goods and PW stock was then.

More the 1990s than 80s (pic taken in 2005, though) ...... 4112, now in RPSI care at Whitehead.

Airfixfan, I suspect the disposal of the Courtaulds locomotives was covered in the IRRS journals.... I'll try to have a look as I've a full set of them.

Superb article, Glenderg! It would have been available for the DCDR, though with the one there rarely used, hard to justify the expense of bringing a non revenue duplicate vehicle to the railway....unfortunately. At least one is preserved.

How much better does this layout get? The people of Ballybeg, it has to be said are very industrious! Such background activity is always a good (and often neglected area) of layouts. How many (including my former one pre-first-house-moves) have nice trains rattling round sizeable stations with not a sinner about!

Well, fair play to you, Steve (Railtec). Such a quick reaction is extremely commendable. The answer above summarises it perfectly. From sight, not only is your amended version a better size (as specified by Dhu Varren), it is also a more realistic colour. I wasn't aware that Railtec did the 1963-7 coats of arms too. The transfers of them look very accurate and indeed are all too rarely seen on models. So hats off to Railtec all round.