jhb171achill

Biggest obvious difference is the tenders - easily dealt with. I have detailed livery info somewhere for WLWR maroon livery…. though it would have been gone not long after 1900, when the GSWR’s lined black took over for a decade and a bit before they became all-grey for the rest of their lives. I’d be strongly tempted to get a British one and paint it grey….

I wasn’t entirely convinced those tracks were narrow gauge in the background, but very possible; and Ciarán’s knowledge of locations is absolutely encyclopaedic!

That is some MIGHTY joinery work!

Agreed! Through services during the middle of the day but commuter-orientated ones earlier.

I'll need an 00 scale Tardis too!

The scenic detail on this is absolutely amazing. Superb stuff, and a great guide to how to do it.

Correct. Once the 111s were delivered in 1980, Hunslets only occasionally appeared on the Enterprise for a time, then not at all. I'm going to have to find an excuse for an ICR and a 1970s NIR diesel to appear on a 1950s layout set in West Kerry!

Any idea where that picture was taken?

Post-amalgamation, a few WLWR engines wandered well away from home territory. One 2.4.0 spent years based in Wexford, while two others if the class (291 & 293) were regulars on the Loughrea branch between the early 1930s and the mid-50s. One of their tank engines was to be seen in Wisht Cork too. So, a prototype for many things!

When I supplied the historical info to Hattons for these, I sent them a list of several alternative numbers for each vehicle type. With their demise nbow, and not having ordered a set of 4, I was therefore unsure whether they had actually used them all or not.

This was the original idea which I was told would happen, weeks only before Hattons expired. I ordered one of everything bar the 4-coach set. The idea initially discussed was that some might just buy the set, but if they wanted another third, another van, or another anything, they’d get a different vehicle number. If someone has the 4-coach set, pist up the vehicle numbers and I will check if they’re the same.

I would certainly be in the market for a three-car set, despite the fact that an ICR is decades out of my general level of interest. My layout represents a very rural area in the 1955-70 period; the type of line which if it actually did exist today, would probably be populated by two-car 28s, not even an ICR. But the ICR is an iconic and essential part of the railway scene; it's the J15, the 80 class railcar, or the AEC railcar of today. So, yes, I'm certainly one of those who fits into James' category above. They will be worth waiting for; exceptional levels of detail and accuracy will of course be guaranteed.

Most staffed station in Ireland, possibly? Any advances on that? Only likely competitor is Heuston Station, and I doubt if can match that.

In all reality, bar the "Crown", there's not a single thing to be seen in any of those pictures which appears to have any visual or architectural merit of any sort.....

Des - are you still doing those old-fashioned style road direction signposts?

Good thinking

Just looking at them, the gap between coupled coaches is huge. Is there a way of amending the couplings, I wonder, to close that enormous gap?

Interesting; sure it’s not the 1964 one? My info was always that while the last passenger-carrying ones were withdrawn in 1963, the IRRS used one in ‘64 for a CCR jaunt. If the above actually is in ‘65, the coach is already withdrawn and will have been used by unofficial “local arrangement”…. Last public use, though, early '63.

The wisdom of good quality colour film in the 1950s and 60s may be seen with many colour slides from the period today. Some retain vibrant colour, others (like most of Cyril Fry’s!) were taken on cheap film and have deteriorated since. But our intrepid photographer in the south west in summer 1958, used only the best of materials when he captured the 11:40 mixed making a spirited departure from Dugort Harbour one sunny July day…… Once it gets to Tully Fish Siding, it will pick up three wagons of marine produce - which will end up in Farringdon Market in London less than 13 hours later, via North Wall and Holyhead.

Exactly, 100%.

They wouldn't have run together anyway, so the BnT one won't be lonely! The passenger-carrying ones (all green) were withdrawn before any of the surviving vans became black and tan.......

I'd love to see this in the flesh. One of my favourite layouts.

Woohoooo!!

As the evening sun sets, the stock for tomorrow’s mainline train reposes in the carriage siding at Castletown West. Once the one-coach local comes in from Dugort Harbour in the morning, it’ll be off to the junction to connect with the Tralee and Cork trains….

100% right. No matter what way they want to dress this up, it’s a hugely backward step. For years I commuted from Lisburn to Central, and later Botanic; occasionally Bangor. It would have been much more awkward now. Imagine if overnight ALL Greystones & Bray Darts stopped dead at Connolly, and so did all Drogheda, Malahide & Howth trains. I don’t buy any of the weak arguments advanced by the Ulster Translink Authority as to the impossibility of through services - at least in rush hour. In the late 1940s, jhbSenior was asked to conduct an engineering feasibility study into the construction of the direct curve from the Central line into GVS. He concluded that while tight, it was possible. Nothing came of it, as the powers-that-were considered it to be IMpossible. Thirty years later they did it. When I made my first visit back to GC last week, since about 1960 when I recall walking about weed-green sidings; I had a look at the track layout. It IS at least theoretically possible to have a through service.