jhb171achill

:-)

That snow picture is absolutely unbelieveable! I reckon the Healy-Raes have something to do with it.

Depends on Guinness intake. ;-) (Couldn't resist it!)

I say bring back steam.

A franburke masterpiece, that picture!

Hence, Wanderer, my lack of enthusiasm about modern railcars! 70, 80, MED, MPD, 2600, 2700, 2800, ICR, 22000...... all the same me boy, all the same.

I don't know, Dive. They had a standard grey - very common among most railway companies probably because it was cheaper mass produced stuff for what were workhorses; no need for varnished ginish and attractive lining on a vehicle designed to carry stones, hay, parcels, cattle or cement.... The early H vans were this "normal" grey too (and at least one fitted one was standard green!). Colour photos (and memories) after about 1961 or thereabouts show H vans, palvans, and I'm nearly sure cattle vans, plus of course the then-new goods brake vans, all appearing in a light shade, still to be seen at the end of loose coupled traffic on quite a few wagons which had yet to be repainted brown. The cement bubbles simply had this standard grey all over - in reality (and I remember it extremely well as I saw it every weekday) you might use LMS wagon grey. The chassis was grey too, and remained so when they were repainted orange. Once they became cream, the chassis became black. The tops of those do look lighter in the photos, but they're taken on a dull day. There was no variation in the grey from couplings to chassis to tank top. The roundel had a tan surround in these photos, with white lettering. It was the same transfer as used on H vans and palvans. Interestingly, any cattle trucks painted at this time, plus various other types of wagons, had an all-White roundel. I must check this, but from vague memory, newer guards vans had all-White. Talking of guards vans, we see many variations (including in the UFTM) of the wasp stripes on CIE guards vans. There is one version that CIE used, thus if one wishes to have accuracy, all else is incorrect! That is, yellow and black stripes (not white and black); and the stripes were only on the protruding part. The section of bodyside above and below the protruding part was plain black. No older wooden ones ever had these stripes. Like earlier CIE guards vans, they were just plain grey. By the start of the "brown" period, all repainted vans had wasp stripes, with none having a plain brown ducket.

In early days, you'd get a few in the middle of a goods train. Latterly, like all modern goods trains, all the same type of wagon, all the same traffic, no variety and no guard's van! So, if modelled in original grey, you'd generally get a mixture 9though not always) and there would be a brake van. When orange livery came in, you would still get them in a mixed consist with fertiliser or Guinness, but increasingly rakes only - and fitted by now so no van. Latterly, in cream livery, they'd have been just in fitted rakes. Incidentally, a bogie fert wagon would make a good kit or RTR project.

What's this, Wanderer? You on a non-ICR? ;-)

That's absolutely divine! Another great layout in the making - we've a good few here now. Tara Junction, Arigna Road, and so many more.

This was the standard wagon grey of the day - the bluish tint is just from the photo ageing. It's always important to point out that the "H" vans and "palvans" were a lighter shade. The shade used on bubbles and their chassis would be the same as that used on open wagons, and almost all CIE wagons prior to about 1957. It's not unlike what the GNR used too.

No probs. Hope you get it ok.

I've a black'n'tan one €125/£100

It actually looks vaguely GSWR design, especially if it was shortened to scale 50ft. The tan shade is just right too. Like you, I painted full BR brakes as genny vans (and built two cardboard tin vans which didn't look too bad), back in teenage days. Really, the only option then was repainting Tri-ang Mk 1s. I did a scratch build cardboard brake laminate, which was VERY crude, but it is still operating after some 40 years on Nephew's layout. On various posts here people have reminded us of the horrors of the past in the form of French and British locomotives turned out in limited runs in a garish orange as an "Irish" train. Thanks to the likes of Murphy's, Leslie McA, the various kit manufacturers like Mayner etc., and others here we are very well served now.

I'd love to know which one it was, Mike! As you say, there can't have been much room in it - I think the internal width of a Donegal coach would only have been about 8 feet! You'd wonder at anyone using a narrow gauge coach for such a purpose! Out of curiosity, were you ever able to identify which vehicle it was?

interesting - never knew there were ones there. They'd have been privately owned, I presume - not CIE. I suspect ex GNR or CIE coach bodies though?

Every livery change takes several years to be completed. In 1960, an old passenger brake van in departmental use still had GSWR livery, 35 years after that entity ceased to exist.

Very interesting, BSGSV. I didn't realise that Dungarvan had them too.

Fane Street school! I knew someone who went to it about then....!

Incidentally, the chassis of 13M is on the DCDR now, under the GNR six wheeled third class coach.

Yes. The Midland six wheeler was indeed MGWR No. 13 (GSR / CIE 13M). The departmental livery for 1110 and others like it was red ends and a plain green side, with black or grey roof. It's faded to a salmony pink / orange shade there! It, or one much the same, was at one time in a siding at Rathmore on the south Kerry road. I saw it there between 1975 and 1978 several times. 813 is a former GSWR third, owned by several RPSI members (as opposed to the society itself). It's been incarcerated in the shed there for forty years or so. I don't know if it was ever a camping coach. There was certainly one like it at Tramore, and I think another too. 935 was always grey when I knew it, which is why I doubt if it was a camping coach. There was, however, another old GSWR third at mullingar, parked the other side of 1110, which HAD been; it wore badly faded camping coach red and cream until it was scrapped / vandalised.

The left hand one there is 935, the ex WLWR Director's Saloon. Sadly burned by vandals where it stood, though earmarked for preservation. The one on the right is ex-GSWR 1110, a former third. Both were departmental vehicles. I doubt if 935 was ever a camping coach, and I suspect those roof boards were added post-withdrawal. If it WAS ever used as a camping coach, it can't have been for long. 1110 was never a camping coach.

Wow! well done, Noel. I always liked the BR blue era. Looking at the scenery, it wouldn't be difficult to make it "Irish" too - given an accumulation of the right sort of stock. At that scale, one might better get away with repaints of BR things if pursuing that route. My first experience of BR was that very interesting period when steam was only finished some 18 months and all manner of weird types of diesel locos and railcars - as well as the odd wooden dining car - was still operating. Locos could be green or blue, carriages maroon or blue / grey. I was just turned 13; life was good..... as was a North Wales lineside holiday in an ex-LNWR camping coach!

My door is armour plated, GSR. 800's going nowhere!

If they don't sell here, Dive, I will! I had been mulling over this in terms of what layout can be fitted into a suitable application submitted to the Dept of Domestic Matters. I've had Baseboard Dave measure up, and it would seem that CIE will lose, and OBB gain. It'll be 1970s Austria, instead of a Castlegregory-like terminus! Thus, the black and tans are due to be ejected from jhb171-land. I wasn't about in 1921, so that's the best I can do.... ;-)