jhb171achill

Can we suggest Claire Byrne for Taoiseach? A Mayo layout with D16s, and based on an Achill terminus, actually gives excellent scope for a club layout. If anyone ever does get such a thing off the ground in that neck of the woods, please do publicise it here!

That would make perfect sense.

It's highly unlikely to be Whitehead, as there's no room. Wherever it is, it would need to be indoors and we'll look after. If they were to move the 3000 sets to Adelaide, they might put it in fortwilliam tin shed. I don't see any possibility whatever for it to be stabled in the north anywhere else.

I'd say it would have to be Inchicore....

You'd have a job interrupting Vincent. When he isn't interrupting people himself or shouting over them, he's loudly coughing and creating his throat. Worst interviewer in history, though in his favour he won't take any waffle from anyone. To model railway clubs; good to see not one but potentially two new start ups above.

Throw in a few wide hand gestures....

If whingers aren't allowed, count Enda out! ;-) Very best of luck with it. Maybe a huge Achill or Clifden based layout will ensue! Drool drool drool

Absolutely. The reason it has been given a window so small is the design of the body. The inclusion of a proper observation-car-sized all round window would weaken the structure beyond acceptable H & S limits, which is why it's been done the way it is. With such design issues, it is reminiscent of the inherent design weaknesses in Mk 2 non-a/c stock, which results in these being prone to rusting more than other vehicles of their age. It's a real pity that more Cravens didn't survive - they have always appeared to be a much better carriage design than anything BR(EL) ever produced.

I'm afraid I don't, Divecontroller. The RPSI got diners 2421 and 2422, and 2419 is at the DCDR.

Correct, Garfield, that was the Melbourne - Alice Springs beet special....!

Of course - Lough Erne - I forgot you were with me! As an aside, I'm surprised nobody has taken me to task for describing those railcars as "ugly"...... ;-)

I'm sure the Health & Safety Police would find a reason to object, Popeye! There was a lovely youtube clip somewhere of an RPSI train in motion, filmed by a drone.

I don't think so, Jason, though obviously the Mk 2's did. Apart from this coach shown, I never saw any other Craven with any form of markings at all, nor am I aware of any. Naturally, this is the best forum for someone else to provide a photo like you describe. The coach shown did not carry these logos for long. I understand they were removed - possibly they were only applied as an experiment.

Thanks, Harry!

Firstly, from the darkest cupboards of the Catacombs, "Galway" liveried Mk 2's at Cherryville. Next, one of the extremely few - possibly the ONLY - Cravens.............which was given IR "set-of-points" logos. They weren't there for long, either. Withdrawn dining car, recently acquired by the RPSI at the time. Next to it is ex-UTA diner No. 87, wearing nicely applied, but totally incorrect NCC livery. The vehicle was built in 1950, a couple of years after the NCC had ceased to exist, and in traffic never wore anything other than UTA green, and latterly NIR maroon and grey. It's often referred to as an NCC vehicle - it isn't. Shows how an incorrect myth can arise even within an organisation devoted to preserving the past - hence my interest in correct liveries.... In case anyone accuses me of criticising those volunteers who painted it thus, I was one of them! And the NCC window guards inside if aren't original, but perpetuate further the idea that it was an NCC vehicle.... I have to accept responsibility for that too. Jhb171senior designed them based on memory of actual NCC equivalents, and at the time they were needed to protect the bar stocks from unwanted attention while stabled overnight as Whitehead or (worse) the old Belfast Central Services Depot... These caravan things were common on the CIE system in the 70s and 80s, but were normally painted, somewhat inexplicably, in the Dublin bus navy and cream scheme. This little beast was maroon. Maybe someone wanted to pass it off as NCC! Unusually, the flat wagon is BLACK. 80 class and Castle class sets were a mixture of colours in 1989 just like 20 years earlier in the dying days of the UTA. Hilden Halt produced this... And finally, correct liveries! Correct blue etc on 85, correct post-1955 green on the carriages. May 1989, Farranfore.

Excellent, GSR, pints accepted!

Few rail-borne vehicles can be uglier and less interesting than 450 class NIR sets, or those navy and green railcars in Drogheda, but here's one; And here it is in its natural habitat. These pictures were all taken during the very last beet campaign - maybe someone can mention the exact year, as I didn't make a note of the dates I took them. Must have been about 06? If this one is upside down, mind your feet as the beet will spill out. And this oddball: a one-off container to fit on a standard flat wagon. Only one was made and I believe it was only used in the last two "campaigns". While it is a detachable container, it's been given the same number as the wagon.

A few upside-downies for you. They are actually double-upside-down.... Tonight we're off down the south east. First, the then-recently-closed Ferns Station, then Wicklow for comparison. This type of station building was evident at other DSER locations also. Next, a few at Gorey. Most DSER stations still had the traditional and unique DSER signal cabin design. Now, we move over to the GSWR, and Bagenalstown signal cabin inside and out, 1977.

Serious question; now that "drones" are widely available, while a drone survey of a wagon wouldn't be much good to a modeller, I wonder if there are circumstances where such things might be legally used to view railway sites not available to the actual wandering feet of us folks?

Yes, the EIE is different in several fundamental respects, though I suppose it's the nearest thing comparable in Ireland. It may interest readers to know that a good 25 years ago the RPSI did a feasibility study aimed at establishing the viability of a thing like this using preserved RPSI (wooden) carriages. At the time the society would never have even remotely been able to fund this sort of thing; this was before European and "Peace" money was available. The idea was well ahead of its time. It was planned to focus primarily on the Connolly - Rosslare - Limerick route. No. 4 was the preferred locomotive, and carriages would have been hand picked and restored to a very high standard.

Those look fantastic!

I think it was Inchicore, Ernie. You'd see them kicking about there from time to time. But I don't know for sure, never really thought about it!

By comparison, the Railtours Ireland "Emerald Isle Express" is €4000 for six days, and uses decent hotels.

If modelling bubbles, the very last number series (into traffic 1972) were possibly orange body / grey chassis from the outset instead of grey body.

Another great looking flangelubricator van!