jhb171achill

The shed at Connolly is now formally long term leased by the RPSI and all RPSI main line locos of both steam and diesel religions can be expected to make appearances there over the years.

Perfect branch line inspiration from the grey green silver era!

In those boxes, they look like the Terracotta Army! All hail to the Ballast Army; well done, gentlemen, in pursuing this worthy project. As I write this comment, two magpies fly past outside; tis a good omen.

That layout and everything on it looks absolutely top class. Love your weathering. It's just as I remember it - things were generally pretty clean in the black'n'tan era - unlike the grey green silver era just before when all but new stuff tended to be VERY down at heel!

Great stuff! That was them. The very last one looks WAY darker; this is simply the light. The others, plus 186 at Whitehead, are correct.

I was asked recently for info on GSWR / GSR / CIE standard locomotive grey, in terms of how dark it was. I think I posted a picture many moons ago, and doubtless upside down, of a model my grandfather made while he was in Inchicore, and using actual paint. However, I can't find the picture anywhere - maybe someone else knows where it is. If it can't be found, I'll take another. Basically, it should not be "nearly black" - it should be just a shade darker than wagons. That's about all I can say without an example. In GSR times, the numberplate was all over grey too, usually (but not always) with the number and rim of plate picked out in pale yellow) - not a black background plate. In CIE times, same, or once the plate was removed an unlined pale yellow number and gold-lined "eau-de-nil" (Pale green, not yellow!) flying snail. Hope that answers it.

It will look great in black'n'tan and would not be a million miles off the solitary Bredin all-first (was it No. 1900?). "Ordinary" Bredins tended to have loos / doors in the middle, so this is your 1st class! That said, with several varieties of laminates, three versions of Bredins with two different side profiles, and several varieties - many further rebuilt - many further HEAVILY rebuilt - of the 1950/1/2 CIE Bredin design coaches, AND the fact that in that era barely two carriages were the same in most trains, the sky's the limit. Thus, a technically non-suthentic coach in CIE green or black'n'tan tends to fit very convincingly among a mish-mash of other types. I was going through pictures over the weekend for the next book, which show the grey / green / silver era (let's coin a phrase; GGS era!), and not only is there this variety, it also extends (in the 50s) to the inclusion of all shapes, sizes and types of wooden carriages, from 1920s main line GSWR to late 1870s gas lit six wheelers of (mostly) GSWR or MGWR background. One photo I looked at had a green Park Royal, a GSWR 6-wheeler (green, of course), a silver laminate (filthy despite newness), a filthy silver tin van and a green wooden (GSW) brake. Another had a 1905 GSWR branch line bogies third flanked by (on each end) a brand spanking new tin van! For reasons too many to expound on here, few DSER types lasted long into CIE days. They were non-standard in many ways and decisions at Inchicore were very much GSW-biased! Also, the DSER was already short of stock, and many weren't in the best shape. Even the GSWR had flooded the Harcourt Street line with GSWR and MGWR stock.....

They were very poorly done, and the bodywork was beginning to rot in many when they were done, which didn't help. the yellow ends seemed to blend well enough with the orange on 201s, but personally I think it clashed terribly with the black'n'silver.

Looking at the above pics of the Park Royals in particular, I notice that they are in the 1990s livery with the "tippex" line at waist level as well as above the windows. As a matter of curiousity, did the manufacturers do a "black'n'tan" era version with no waist white line, or an original green version, by any chance? The mid white line, (like a Craven with an upper orange line), are of the 90s, and obviously earlier versions would be welcome.

Outstanding! I'm sure it'll find a good home!

:-)

I'm in the bin now, Broithe. It's dark in here...... just like in the postcard you're holding above!

Is it powered by Arlene's woodchips? :-)

Top class work!

Superb. Very atmospheric.

Very nice!

As said above, Bantry station didn't change much - indeed, most stations on that system didn't either. Had it survived, the only probable change today would be the goods yard tarred over as a car park. Again, I take my hat off to the folks modelling it, and while set in the mid 50s (make it late 50s so you can include "C"s!) by simply running black'n'tan on it, a completely convincing 1965 appears, and operating maroon six wheelers instead of green ones takes you back to 1925 easily. The beauty about that is that all steam locos on the line were grey right through from mid 1920s to the end of steam, so the loco doesn't have to change. Some locos in West Cork kept their numberplates to the end instead of having the large numbers painted on by CIE, while others - even if they DID get the painted numbers - only got them late on (e.g. No. 90). Therefore, if the steam stock has painted over grey numberplates (not black, as at least one book suggests), then it can be set in any period at all from 1925 to 1961.

Could be, Andy; there's not one rule without an exception! Twas all the theory of some psychologist, I think; I don't remember the rest of the article though it made interesting reading and whether by accident or design would fit three generations of my clan....... maybe not others.....

They're in my garage, gentlemen. I'm keeping them for when the Achill line is reopened...... they will go along with 800 there very nicely. I just LOVE mushrooms!

I think it was taken about 1956. It is indeed that bridge.

Withdrawn; going to a museum.

I read an article years and years ago somewhere which examined the psychology of those who follow hobbies in general. Apparently, hobbies which deal in the past - anything historical - and much of model railwaying falls squarely into this category - will commonly be based in, or find primary interest in, a period immediately before the enthusiast was born. This is because we see adventure in this as we did not yet know it, and yet it is comparatively recent so we can relate to it. What do ye all think of that! It's true! My earliest years of "railway consciousness" were the early 1960s. I can remember a 121 newly painted black'n'tan from grey, NCC and GNR steam, AEC railcars as if it was yesterday, and trips on the Ardee and Loughrea branches. Cattle trucks, goods yards, the smell of creosote on timber sleepers on a hot day....and so on. Green Dublin buses, green UTA buses.... UTA crests and flying snails on all things that moved, parcels being loaded and unloaded from elderly vans tagged onto the back of passenger trains, old wooden station bookstalls, whistles, the ding-ding and clanking of signal box levers.... ....and THAT is my modelling era! A 1922-based MGWR layout, mouthwatering though it might be, is just a bit too "previous" for someone of my vintage, though jhb171Senior would have loved it. And DD sets, Mk 2, 3 and 4 carriages, 201s and 071s....for ME......sorry..... too modern. Ten a penny. Listen all ye younger ones; and remember where ye heard it first. There will come a day, saith the Sage, when YOU will wax lyrical about the 40th anniversary of the good old Mk.4 carriages, Gawd rest 'em, and you will save for the €565 fare for the run to Greystones with the last surviving preserved ICR, repainted in its original silver and whatever it is. And you will look at the day's 300 miles per hour woodchip-powered 7000 class DMUs running on the train line from Dublin (Trainstation) to Belfast (Bus station) and think "why make a model out of THAT?". Now, to my friends here on this board of a certain vintage, back me up? I can't be the only one who dribbles at the sight of a silver "C" shunting cattle trucks, a filthy J15 with green six-wheelers, or an AEC set with two cars in UTA green and one still in blue and cream! And snoozes every time a 2600 goes to Cobh, and a 3000 goes to Londonderry / Derry / Stroke City / Derrylondon.

It's great to see, now that the "black and tan" era is beginning to be well covered, the "grey, green and silver" era being taken on board properly.

There's quite a lot available. There were some ex-GSWR six wheelers on it - Worsley do nice kits. Leslie's wagons are perfect, and the GNR cattle wagon would do. One GNR wooden coach still in brown ended up there. "C" class diesels, of course, too, and Bandon tanks and the J26 ex-Midland tank, for which there's also a kit. Corrugated wagons and wooden ones, H vans..... a Park Royal would suit as a railcar centre car (or a laminate) - would make the railcar set more realistic.

The whole thing looks ever more like a committee-designed dog's dinner..... what a mess. Incidentally, anyone know if Fry's daughter is still alive?