jhb171achill

Perfect! I will ping him accordingly. I think I'll put one at Castletown West. Mayner points out that they appeared from the early (rather than late) sixties, so it will suit me all the better. Even if I can't get the right types of containers for a while, it will look well. One essential thing, given my preference for a scene to look realistic, is that it can be removed from the layout, or placed back, with ease, as when operating with six-wheelers and 100% steam (steam fleet now eight strong) it would look out of place. But that's a nitpicking detail.... (even to me!)

Learned folks; As one whose ignorance of modern practice knows no bounds, may I ask a question..... The very earliest gantry cranes for lifting containers on and off wagons started to appear, as far as I am aware, in the late 1960s. Following the 1973 Rail Development Plan, a few more started springing up in various rural localtions. Is there a suitable model of something like this? I was thinking of 1965-75 period, and of a type that would be the smallest sort of gantry that was used in Ireland.

Actually, without wanting to derail this thread; I've an idea. As many here will be well aware, once containers and fitted wagons started appearing, and passenger trains started to be strings of the exact same type of aircon, air-braked, tube-like vehicles, my own interests started waning; on the retirement of the last 141s, I'm afraid that nothing in the modern scene is of the slightest interest to me. But - horses for courses..... However, there is, of course, and exception to every rule. I was tempted to get one 141 in supertrain livery, which if it dwelt among an otherwise entirely black'n'tan fleet, would be fine for the timescale I'm interested in - the fictitious Dugort Harbour managed to last, like the Loughrea line, until about 1975. So - by this time the "Rail Development Plan" is in its infancy, and those older, smaller, grey-coloured container gantries are appearing in various places. No reason why Dugort mighn't have had one for its last few years. Suppose I was to get some sort of gantry, which could be reasonably placed ON the layout when it's 1975, but removed other times, what sort of gantry would I get? Any container gantry experts out there? Such installations are itrems that I do not know the first thing about. If not Dugort, once Castletown West, currently plain track on plain boards, gets its scenery, I might put one there. It has to be removable, as it won't fit with steam engines!

Dang! Now I'll have to get a container gantry for Dugort Harbour!

They're just past Adavoyle right now, but there are cows on the line at Kellystown, and a man with a milk churn......

Indeed! The VERY low ones seem to have been primarily a GSWR thing..... I think Mallow was the last, still like that in early 1980s anyway.

Woww - this AND Hattons!

Yes - good move indeed. I'm hoping to get this done fairly soon - something of this nature anyway. Need to get stuff moved out of the room to get at it first! (I'll try to post the odd photo in the meantime!)

Wow! Just had a look at their "rummage sale" - there's pretty much nothing left of use. When i looked last night, still a good bit of stuff but couldn't order because the site was overloaded............... such is life.

They'd be much the same - if that modern - as any of the glass-and-steel-and-concrete things you'd get across the water in Kingcharlesland. I daresay some of the British manufacturers might therefore have something suitable?

Hornby were doing their own six-wheelers, of much the same design; in fact, one of the hattons folks suggested to me that hornby had "stolen their idea". I'm not going to get into that discussion, but has anyone here ever seen a Hornby one and a Genesis one close up, together? I wonder what differences there are - visually, on websites, it seems little or nothing. Thus, might there be some mileage in the two - rivals though they were in regard not only to six-wheel carriages, but other things too - combining forces on this one? It seems to me that should there be any merit in the above, Hornby would be a logical successor. No point in an Irish manufacturer taking this up, as the design of these coaches is not Irish - it just happens that their generic design closely resembles GSWR vehicles of the same type, many of which lasted well into CIE times. (As an aside, the equivalent vehicles on other Irish rauilways, e.g. BCDR, BNCR, GNR(I), MGWR, WLWR*, CBSCR & DSER were of entirely different designs, unlike any British vehicle). (* The WLWR six-wheelers were reasonably close to the bow-ended GWR and some (English) Midland Railway stock, but kits of those are generally 4-wheel long wheelbase, a style of passenger vehicle which we didn't have here).

Me too. When the announcement was made their second-hand section and closing sale sections were full of good stuff at good prices. Going to have a look now (if i can) to see what's left - was after some scenic stuff. I wish them well.

Operational possibilities for this are quite varied given the quiet setting. I understand it's 1960s. So, you've excursions from Dublin to start with. That could be anything from a GNR railcar set (with one carrige each in black'n'tan, green and GNR navy & cream; or some such other combination!) to a loco hauled train. And here's where we get variety. Anything from a GNR steam loco (up to 1963), or an A, C or (post-1963) B141 would go in there. Carriages could be just about anything. You'll get ex-GN mainline stock (brown, even; or blacknktan or green), CIE laminates of various types, even a Craven or two later on, Bredins and (probably quite often) old ex-GSWR wooden-bodied stock as used latterly on Donabate seaside excursions etc. At the end, old GNR vans, new tin vans..... If the place still sees any goods traffic, a few Provincial "H" vans will deal with that. Could there have been any reason to load the odd Bullied open with sand? Now and again a UTA excursion can arrive. Ex-NCC and ex-GNR coaching stock in UTA livery, with a "Jeep" or ex-GNR 0.6.0 up front would seem appropriate. Also, ex-GNR railcars in UTA livery. QUITE a mix; thus, an excellent choice for a "mini"-layout.

With respect, and the layout was as I've said before an excellent job overall - scenery is amazing as many others often comment - you had called twice to measure the higher legs long before delivery... but it's here now and functioning!

The 141s didn't; the murphy details were correct. The only way to tell them apart externally from the 181s was that (initially at any rate), apart from the obvious number, 141s had no grilles but 181s did. A|lso, as originally delivered, and you'll see this correctly with the Murphy ones again, the initial appearance of the 141s did not have a CIE "roundel", though they would acquire them at forst repaint; whereas 181s had them from new. As a separate issue, I am unaware of any 141s still with no logos on them when repainted into "supertrain" livery after 1972.

That’s exactly the plan! First, though, to try to get back into that room past all the stuff that’s been put in it!

Havent been in there for a long time, but there may still be one 141 in there which the RPSI reserved for spares... we've three preserved, though. The RPSI have 141 and 142 (one each at Connolly & Whitehead) and Downpatrick has 146 operationally in order.

Ah - thought it was recent.

Seems one of their staff defrauded them of 70 grand to pay for his drug habit……! Was in Liverpool newspaper. That can’t have helped them…..!

Aaaarrrrrggghhh Corrected!!!

Me too; that’s the issue - brexit. Since covid, I started selling all sorts of old stuff accumulated over the years (not railway stuff) on fleabay. Once thus brexit stupidity started, I noticed a RAPID drop in offers being made, as a postal cost for, say, an old hardback book worth €20, jumped from maybe €6 to €21! Same thing has put me off buying the odd thing on fleabay as well as from suppliers in the UK. Anyone want some antique knives and forks?

NCC van to the left of it!

That's the hook for hanging it up on the loco shed wall in the evenings...

Yes, I definitely would. They are apparently going ahead with the CIE stock; phew! Just in time. Bang goes any chance of a further issue of DNGR and GSR liveried ones, though. Now, that's not nice to weasels........... Well done. Leslie! Totally agree.

Well, I’m going to guess at least one is an RPSI yoke - 4, 461, 171 or 85….