jhb171achill

Whats a diesel?

What's the ballast in your autoballasters made of?

I'm just wondering. I know they all spent some time in black - or most of them anyway; but did any (in the sixties, of course) get the yellow end panels that was on some A and C class? I don't recall seeing any like this - I'm pretty sure none did, but I could be wrong.

Well at least, Eoin, good news - a DART is probably quicker / easier to make than a GNR 4.4.2T with a string of old wooden suburban coaches, no two alike! Though, in the case of your DARTs, equally impressive....

Eoin, it's well worth it! I've a heavily weathered J15 en route to compliment / contrast with it....

"Maedb" in 4ft 5 3/4 gauge.... sorry, couldn't resist it! :-)

If you mean the curved in ends, Jawfin, yes. While the W & L was the only Irish railway company to feature this design, not all W & L stock had it. 900 and 907 have straight vertical ends. Interestingly, the photo of 907 at Halfway shows what looks like a single set of windows in the middle in the position of an original compartment- but from the window spacings that is a SECOND class one, not first as the drawings suggest! The luggage part may be part of it. There have been occasions where an official drawing of something is at variance with what actually existed. I wonder is this one? I'm getting the feeling that I ought to go and have a look.... but Wesht Caark is a long way away, boyo!

To be that gullible, it would be an insult to a gull......!

I didn't know those things even existed. Did they actually operate at that type of speed? Where, when? Come to think of it, what are Ireland's fastest railcars ever? ICRs? A 70 class in good order in its day could put on a serious burst of speed, though it was like sitting on a cork in a rough sea....

Glenderg, that 107's a mighty fine piece! Weathering's just right - looks so realistic.

What sort of idiot would think they can get €1000 for that!! 1000 anything, except Italian lire....

That's some railcar!!!!! Eight wheeled bogies! Imagine that on the Bundoran branch or the Harcourt St line.... or the Portadown to Carrickfergus all stops....

Volunteer at Downpatrick. Junctionmad, and you'll be able to drive an A, C, E, G, and 141..... plus of course, steam!

Yes, and there was another (one of their few bogies) until about 20 years ago when vandals burned it despite bring earmarked for the RPSI. It was 934, the W & L Director's Saloon. When I came upon it in the late 80s, I had just taken over the RPSI's finances and I vowed there and then to try to set aside a budget to restore it. It was measured (I think I still have the drawing somewhere) with a view to doing this, next thing it's burnt.....

That would be a problem, Garfield, as it probably impacts on the cantrail and the end roof support members. Such a thing IS restorable, but obscenely expensive as it would almost certainly require complete rebuilding of the end concerned....

Ive never seen pictures of either of the No. 2's, Airfix - any ideas?

That's a very bright looking lorry!

Curiously, I couldn't find 900 (the WLWR family saloon which rest at claremorris for years and whose rotting remains are now in a shed at Belturbet) in the 1924 book at all....

Nor was I. Imagine - the GNR, under that scheme, would have acquired the remaining LLSR, CDR (which it already owned half of), the DNGR (which to all intents and purposes it operated in later years anyway), and the SLNCR. Result: not much on the narrow gauge apart from black locos and brown carriages, but imagine the CDR railcars in navy and cream! The DNGR wouldn't have changed, but the SLNCR would likely have been relaid and P or PP class 4.4.0s would have ruled the roost, with Railcar B possibly taken away to do Omagh-Derry locals....

A 400 class? Not sure - probably some British 4.6.0 which might be suitable for a change rough alteration? But I'm not sure that this is the right way. Models suitable for "amendment" ("re-education"?) are expensive and it's a pity to cut them up unless a very realistic Irish model will result. Scratchbuilding may be better in many, if not most cases.

The LMS "Jinty" can be made into an NCC Y class - same engine! Belfast had two of them, but they'd be only of use on a layout based on the Belfast docks area... "Ordinary" four wheeled open wagons and some LMS or BR covered vans are close enough to many Irish equivalents, NCC, GNR or CIE. Certain tank ways so, likewise. Guards vans are another matter - few British ones looked much like any standard Irish ones. Forget about railcars too!

Various Hornby / Bachmann 0.6.0 tender engines can be botched up to look like passable GSR / CIE types, usually by simply doctoring the cab! A coat of grey paint and they'd look quite convincing. Many British coaches can be repainted to look vaguely Irish, particularly more modern ones like Mk 2 and Mk 3. BR Mk 1 brakes can be very easily converted to genny vans.

Listowel, Kildare, Carlow, Ballinasloe, Downpatrick and Kilgobbin (Co. Limerick) were among the many places that attracted huge amounts of horse traffic on appropriate days.

Luggage compartment in the middle... yes, the 1924 original GSWR book I have shows neither side elevation nor seat plan. I wondered if it had had a toilet, given that from the seat numbers quoted, it obviously only had 4 compartments. While carriages with this configuration did exist (though probably more so on the Midland, cone to think of it), GSWR ones often had a loo or luggage area. Clearly, this one had a luggage area. I suspect that a few like this were subsequently altered with a loo (or two) placed where the luggage compartment was, though this would have lost a seat in each first class compartment....

Jawfin, 907 is listed as a 30ft 1st / 2nd composite, built in 1889 by the Waterford & Limerick, and obviously absorbed into the GSWR in 1901. However, there's no drawing. It was gas lit and had 16 first class seats and 20 second class. That would be two first class compartments and two second. There's no mention of a loo in between. Being of W & L origin, it probably had curved in ends - the W & L was the only Irish company to do this, though such features were a lot more common in Britain. This coach is listed among 42 of the type. 906, 907 and 909 were ex-W & L, whereas the rest were GSWR built (in Inchicore, of course). All were gas lit except 517, 518 & 520 (GSWR type) which were oil lit. They were all built between 1879 and 1893.