jhb171achill

I agree it looks well, as does 461 in lined green, despite neither being "real"! To me, the historical nerd, the issue can be that in future, an assumption might be made that the thing concerned looked like that in use.... All good though! 'Tis just me, perhaps.

Roxy - yes. Firstly, this class were never green. Secondly, had they been - or, going by the green livery on G601-3, the following would need amending: 1. Green frames, not black. 2. Green roof. 3. No "flying snail". No "G" ever had a snail in any livery. Instead, a large-size cabside number. While obviously it's up to every modeller what way they want to paint their model, I have to confess to having an interest in recording what is accurate (and what isn't!) for my own interest and that of those who seek accuracy. Unfortunately, unlike the U.K., the majority of preserved items on this island are incorrectly painted, often entirely so, sometimes just in detail. In a private message I was asked once if I had a list of all of these. In some respects the info is worth sharing for the reasons above, but in another sense the publication of such would look or seem at best nit-picking, at worst downright churlish - especially from a former preservation activist who myself painted a GSWR coach red at Whitehead; the RPSI had no other paint available that day!

One (G611) was rented to them for several years, but they never repainted it. It returned in the black livery (as currently on G617). It's worth noting that the G601-3 series were the only ones ever to wear green - having initially been silver. They had green frames and roof, not black frames as on the DCDR. Preservationists' interest in black paint knows no bounds; ask "Ivan"! The G611-7 series were delivered in green undercoat but were all repainted black before turning a wheel in traffic. Windows front and rear on cabs were different between the two series, so apart from livery, more importantly we need to look at cab design before deciding what our model loco number is to be.

I found the same in rural Indonesia in 1980.... had to pay a policeman and an airport official to find my missing luggage, and had to bribe a ticket clerk to sell me a ticket for the overnight Surabaya - Jakarta train...... ....and a shed foreman to let me into a steam shed which I had already a full pass for, signed by HIM and others! (It was worth the 17p bribe to see a 1879-built wood burning 2.4.0 tender engine shunting....)

I almost burned my hand on the steering wheel of a hired car in Spain once, and the internal temperature was "only" forty something..... I had made the mistake of NOT parking it in the shade!!!!

Wagons all old style - this photo is probably pre-1910. The last time I went in there by train, the main platform was the only one in use. It was a record society excursion about 1975/6/7 - would have to look up date.

Mr Holman, your scenic and atmospheric genius never ceases to amaze. May you win multitudinous awards with your latest project! I know you like unusual projects - we need more like this!

Fifty plus degrees!!!!! I'm struggling to cope with 28-30 in Portugal. Guess I won't be visiting Kenya!

That child on the platform is me; I recall that day well, because my grandfather got sent off in 1909....

Excellent, Eoin.... there's a light blue one in Spain, would ye believe, and at least one yellow one in Majorca....! What about a tartan roof? :-)

The codes weren't in existence when those were published. Instead of a crossing being "OCD1234", it was "Mulligans No. 2", "Drumnagortihacket Gates" or "O'Hanlons Crossing"!

For my nerdy mind, the white roof & black chassis would have to go! (DCDR's G611 green livery is entirely fictitious...!)

Silverfox it is! Interesting concept, though, the idea of altering the above.....

I'd have to say I would prefer to just get the Silverfox one - less work - this one would take a good bit of kitbashing.

Absolutely superb work!

Ask the IRRS in Dublin - make enquiries through Norman Gamble or Tony O'Shaughnessy. They should be able to help.

Aha! I said "had"......!! :-)

Interesting..... I note also the ex-GNR coach in that formation you mentioned from the IRN. AEC sets could turn up many variations as already seen, although the GNR generally kept them quite uniform. As on CIE, the UTA could manage some fascinating combinations of ex-loco-hauled stock along with their inherited AEC sets - also, of course, MPD and MED sets had old carriages converted to run in them too. All in all, a fascinating period in Irish railway history.

I remember seeing that once or twice in the 1960s, but no more. I was told at the time that it was "probably carrying newspapers". Of course, if correct, that may even have simply been a one-off. Certainly, while it did occur, it wasn't common. Other trains shown in that vid have a GSWR bogie with a tin van at EACH end. I often wondered about that too, having seen examples elsewhere of trains, sometimes quite short, with a van at either end. I recall seeing what would have been one of the last Limerick - Ballina trains consisting of two laminates, with a bogie van at one end and a tin van at the other. I think it was the last time I saw a tin four-wheeler in traffic.

Interesting, BSGSV! Goes to show what exceptions occur. I will now inform two different very learned sources of mine, who also took the view I did - and in even more definite terms! Such a thing, however, must have been very short lived, hence lack of knowledge of it. Glad I initially answered "as far as I know"! :-)

Apologies, Noel, I didn't make that very clear.... They only ever ran with loco-hauled suburban trains - as well as main line - and usually mixed with other stock. The RPSI info is certainly incorrect: they never ran with anything AEC at all, whether with or without engines, and never with anything which was push-pull.

From any info I have, it's as good as certain that the train is not so much double headed; it is more a case of rescuing a breakdown. As Mayner says, B101s were well suited to this line and indeed were generally more closely associated with the southern end of the CIE system.

So they couldn't even get an exhibition hall without a leaky roof! Terrible - I'm going to write to the papers......... :-)

Initial feedback from my three best Inchicore historical contacts indicate what I thought: Cravens absolutely did NOT run with AEC cars, I am told. I will update this information as and when I get more feedback. Some confusion might arise in that Cravens DID appear among mixed consists of loco hauled suburban trains in the 1980s on the Connolly routes, when they were indiscriminately mixed up with other carriages. As John says, spare parts were the demise of AEC cars on both NIR and CIE.

The grey and yellow for 121s appeared with their delivery in 1961/2 and the last example repainted black'n'tan was, I think, very early 1967. The unpainted "silver" (in reality worn and filthy greyish) was still to be seen on the occasional tin van as late as 1963/4. Black'n'tan started appearing on a widespread basis from early 1963. The late green livery appeared in 1955 (with the Park Royals) and green carriages could still be seen 1965/66. The very last GNR coach to lose its GNR brown livery was brake 3rd no. 114 (now at Whitehead) which was only repainted into black'n'tan in 1967, having skipped the green era entirely. Coaches in GNR brown were still to be seen on the UTA at least as late as 1964. GNR navy & cream could still be seen on the UTA in 1963, and on CIE about the same time. Beware: the GNR livery is NOT what's on the RPSI Cravens - GNR blue in carriages was darker, almost navy. The RPSI's livery is its own. If we draw out a chart of the above, to illustrate overlaps, quite some variety is possible. With both steam and diesel, and loads of varied goods traffic, and most stations still handling most traffics, we probably have the single most interesting and varied period in recent railway history.