jhb171achill

Yes, though narrow gauge ones were few. From recollection, the only narrow gauge overall roofs were Pennyburn (LLSR), Killybegs (CDR), Dingle (T & D), and Albert Street, Cork (C, B & P). While Belturbet had an overall roof, it was only for the GNR trains; the C & L ones remained in the open without even a platform canopy.

The only thing I would think - and as you'll know it's in a constructive way - a train shed wouldn't be something normally associated with an Irish narrow gauge line, although Ennis originally had one. Similarly, I wonder if the three storey building makes it look a little claustrophobic? A little too "town" or "industrial", perhaps? I like the Wantage thing above, nonetheless. And the GNR style at Fintona is another very obvious choice for consideration. In fact, your plan has more than a touch of the real Fintona about it. (Any 3ft gauge horses out there?)

Superb, Glover, absolutely superb. There were quite a few six wheeled passenger brakes about - two as late as 1968 anyway. One of these was the 1964 one. The other was 69, now heavily rebuilt at Downpatrick. 69 was built in 1888. Your one was built probably 1895-1900. There were only these two six wheelers, possibly one or two more at absolute most, which attained the Black and Tan livery. Others remained green until withdrawn between 1960 and 1965. No passenger carrying six wheeler was ever black'n'tan. All remaining ones were in Cork as spare vehicles by 1963, and there appears to have been a single occasion in spring 1964 when a set of them not to Youghal and back. That was that, a far as six wheelers were concerned. The one you have modelled so well is of GSWR origin. It lasted at least until 1965 which is the last pic I've seen of it. However, the vast majority of surviving six wheelers were ex-MGWR, and thus, with no kit available for either the passenger or brake versions, this represents a major omission in the kit world - as does a standard Irish 30ft coach chassis.

Hope you enjoy it, Derailed!

Now it's intact but severely overgrown again despite clearance a few years ago. Impassable by rail due to level crossings tarmacced over.

I said this 12 months ago but I'm saying it again - WHAT an output!!! Highly impressive, superb. I was aware that Worsley were doing these railcars but I had yet to see them. Extremely impressive.

Barry Carse did a few of those epic journeys too, and in fact we featured an entire chapter in "Rails Through North Kerry" on this fascinating operation. Unfortunately, although an opportunity arise, I never did Tralee - Ballingrane, though I did get into Foynes twice.

David, did you ever see pics of the overall roof type of structure used as a carriage shed adjacent to the narrow gauge platform at Skibbereen? Maybe something like that for an overall roof? Just a thought....

That looks like something which would give great satisfaction as a wayside station shunting depot. A grain store or something....

No - it was a light creamy beige colour, like the lining. The RPSI livery is often assumed to be a base for UTA livery, though maybe you hadn't that, particularly, in mind. However, it is based on UTA livery, rather than being actual UTA livery; this being deliberate because none of the Whitehead set were ever owned by the UTA. It is this livery which has possibly given rise to people thinking that the UTA used yellow. The light colour used was edged with very thin red lines, though the lining on the numerals would be way too small (1/4 inch in reality!) to show up on a 4mm scale model.

That is OUTSTANDINGLY good!!!!! Different liveries each side is an excellent idea especially for an end to end line where you only see one side - it hasn't the same effect on a "round and round" layout. CIE put the "N" after the number, while the UTA put in advance; "123N" or "N123" depending on company...

I saw that Upton thing, Minister, though I didn't travel on it! In terms of "pleasure railways", I suppose my best moment was travelling on the very beautiful and well-put-together Shane's Castle Railway. I've yet to do the newer Difflin Lake line in Co. Donegal but it looks nice too.

So code 83 probably looks more realistic for Irish layouts - is that right?

yum!

There are some kits of GNR vans and cattle trucks, and a brake van (but don't paint it like a zebra, like the restored one at Whitehead! They never ran anything like that....!

I was thinking of the brown, Old Blarney! Of course you're right about the navy and cream, though at least some of those had black ends.

I'm sure many are aware - though some may not be - of the superb range of loco numb and nameplates offered by Narrow Planet. They do GSR / Inchicore / CIE plates too, and very accurate they look. Though - for some reason they offer them with red or black backgrounds - both are entirely inaccurate as grey only is correct. By the time CIE painted a very few locos black after 1955/6, plates had been replaced on all example by painted pale yellow numbers and light green gold-lined "snails" (not yellow!!) on tenders. Locos in green never had plates - always painted numbers, except the 800 class. While 461 never ran in anything but grey afte 1925, had she done so she wouldn't have had a red numberplate. She and 462 lost theirs years at and got painted numbers. GSR numberplates had letters and numbers and rims picked out in either pale yellow, or just polished bare metal. Since this was whitemetal rather than brass, polished metal gave a silvery colour. Thus, leaving a model one without paint gives a yellow touch, so better to do what both GSR and CIE did with many locos - just paint over the lot and leave it at that!

I often thought would the SLNCR railcar have ended up doing a shuttle service between Fintona and the junction! Or even Fintona and Omagh!

Wow! That looks fantastic - keep it coming!

I like the colouring on station and carriage; shows what the place would have looked like run by CIE! I have details somewhere of exact GNR station colours for both the Eastern and Western districts - must delve some time! Lovely signal cabin model.

w o w !!!

Fascinating stuff....Old Blarney - Tynan!!! Not too many about now who can claim to have actually got off a train there. The beautiful Gothic station still exists on private land, untouched in sixty years.

Excellent, Glover, very many thanks. I had wondered why they painted two of their buffer beams red, especially as at the same time one or two A or C's got YELLOW buffer beams as a (very short lived) experiment. If so many photos show up the lining as white or light, one may assume that whatever dark colour was used, started to wear off!

The two zebras seem to turn up all over the place! I had one on the 0700 Cork a few weeks ago.....

Of all the closed lines, the ones I wish most that I had done would be the Derry Road, CDR and West Cork...