jhb171achill

The big difference is that the EIE lot are put up in 5 star luxury hotels and castles, and have more varied tours, rather than sleeping in a siding! ;-)

I would guess a normal flat wagon... I've a photo somewhere taken at Limerick, will try to find. I think they were standard 20ft containers - certainly looked that way but I can't state with absolute certainty.

That has happened in Downpatrick as well. On one occasion I arrived to do the dining car, but there was no fireman and I ended up firing the engine for the afternoon!

I'd buy that in a flash if it was nearer Dublin!!!!

I think IP was a Tipperary registration, so that hearse must have been originally bought there.

Looks like headford all right. As others have said, a huge gratitude to Ernie.

So I'll have to wait for half a century before getting an Achill D16 like 531 or 532.....

I think so, Jawfin. It's currently at Mullingar, by the way, owned by a consortium of RPSI members.

The RPSI will need it next month!

Only thing is, Flickr takes so long to open up / download, it's virtually useless beyond maybe two pages..... I've always found it that way even with 4 different computers / laptops / iPad. Anyone else?

That really looks top class. Can't wait to see it in its surroundings!

Roger is a real gentleman too. I'm in the middle of the seating plan for the RPSI May tour and delighted as always to see a "R Joanes" on the booking list! Quite a few members here are on it too - maybe I should reserve a special "IRM members area"! Those of you interested in diesels, and travelling on Friday, as far as possible you'll be in a coach at the non-genny end (coach G, probably - Craven 1508).

That really looks top class. Can't wait to see it in its surroundings!

Absolutely top class as always! Love this layout!

There's at least one of our number currently constructing a n-g layout!

Very interesting collection!

Very true, Minister. CIE Property board are to be blamed for this, which is completely inexcusable. Mind you, I can't imagine there are too many countries where a court of law would even listen to a farmer who had appropriated land he didn't own, whether it was on a disused railway line or not. The laws of adverse possession, to such extent as they exist - should not apply to publicly owned land. ALL farmers who have "possessed" such lands should just have their fences, cattle, and anything else they put there, bulldozed away (no, no compensation).

The most obvious thing if converting most British types to look even vaguely Irish can often be the cab. GSR loco cabs were usually unmistakeably Inchicore designed, while the GNR had a very identifiable style of their own. The NCC was a bit more of a mixed bag. Different if you're converting to be an actual Irish prototype; drawings are then necessary and any amount of alteration might result.

And my email has 171 too! Tis a mad world we live in, gentlemen.

My local sources tell me that since nothing has yet been done about it, the €3m funding for the Valentia line greenway may be withdrawn.

If a thug of some sort wants to target a rural household or farm, he won't need a greenway to do it.

My land line contains 90 and 461.....

Next year, you'd be able to get 171 D 171.....

That is 100% outstanding work. I think that's the single most realistic genny van I've ever seen, apart from the real ones!

Yes, spudfan, they were red and cream. The ones you describe, on the basis of what you've said, would indeed appear to be CIE ones. If they weren't, they wouldn't have been on rails. Where they were remains interesting; obviously it's on a disconnected siding adjacent to some station, as all CIE ones were. The prices given above in Jawfin's post indicate that they were not at all cheap! Bearing in mind that six full returns had to be bought too.... £7.10.0, or £7.50p, (equivalent to about €10 today) was about three weeks' wages to an ordinary working man. £12 was 50% more. Plus your fare. When my family went to one in 1970 in North Wales (the British ones, incidentally, were green and cream), there were two adults and four children.... I have the receipt for it somewhere, must look it up. I think 1970 / 1971 was about the last year for the BR ones. I remember, incidentally, seeing Metro-Cammell railcars, and classes 47, 26 and (I think) 43's rattling past on long rakes of maroon Mk. 1's... (and some blue and grey ones!). We were just two years late for steam!