jhb171achill

I've yet to do that one, Weshty, though Barry's done it. I did the Achill line a couple of times.

As far as I know, there was an unwritten rule not to mix stock. Maybe there was some sort of mishap many moons ago!

It was indeed, Broithe. You may now be released with no criminal record.....

The picture with LPHC No. 1 probably is posed all right - they could pull a rake of either gauge, but not a rake of MIXED gauge, because the wagons didn't have couplings compatible with each other! If that picture isn't posed, then the loco has probably just backed the narrow gauge truck up close to (but not against) the broad gauge one behind, maybe to set back before changing tracks, or to avoid road traffic.

I'll have a look, Jawfin.

Only after eating oysters, strawberries and cabbage with mars bars, GSR....

All looks very well kept, in contrast with the ghastly graffiti-strewn trains and stations in Greece and Italy.

I have to say I always thought the "tippex" livery was the best on most IE diesels..

My numbers plates, Broithe, are the right way up. It's just the car that's upside down....

Aha! I've put the horse boxes up in another thread just now.

A final few interesting specimens for tonight. First man to built an example of each gets a pint. See he in town tonight if the LUAS isn't underwater.

Railwaymen in the past never referred to six wheeled coaches as "six-wheelers" as we mere nippers do; they were "thirty foots". He area couple of interesting ones, showing that internal layouts of such vehicles were not always plain compartments. To refer to a vehicle as a "corridor" coach when the actual corridor was entirely internal, and did not include gangways into the next coach, was not unusual. The Isle of Man Railway always referred to its 1905-built saloons as "the Corridors", as you could walk right through them, but not to the next coach. Ironically, only in the past few years they have actually put gangways on them for the first time for their modern dining train...

The GSWR had over 100 of these, including those inherited from the WLWR (think Listowel races!), of four basic types. This doesn't, of course, count whatever the Midland, DSER, GNR, NCC, BCDR and CBSCR had!

Thought this might be of interest, since many, many of these vehicles, and others like them, tailed the ends of trains all over the Midland, and post-1925 the while GSR / CIE system. They wandered as far as West Cork even. A vehicle like this is an almost essential ingredient to a pre-1960 layout. This is REALLY giving me indigestion. They were ALL the RIGHT way up. I'm becoming obsessed now, and it's making me ill....

Indeed..... with the benefit of opium, we might imagine transshipment onto the narrow gauge for onward transit to Letterkenny! I had planned at one stage (but never got around to it) a layout based on F class locos and Walker railcars as they might have been had the West Clare last into the 1970s, complete with contain wagons..... Maybe some day. I wonder what a West Clare railcar would look like in black'n'tan, and an F in black!

Or this; GSWR main line dining cars... [ATTACH=CONFIG]21690[/ATTACH] AND THEY'RE ALL THE RIGHT WAY UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Gimme a medal. Guinness, since you ask.

The dining car refer to in earlier threads, pictured in the middle of a then-new AEC set, would have been one of these:

The mind wanders..... had the Derry Road lasted another few years, maroon / grey AECs and 80 class would have landed into Foyle Road, along possibly with fertiliser wagons.....

It's one I'd like to do, aclass, but I doubt if I could get enough quality colour material for a full book. I've one or two other projects in exploration stage at the moment, but getting time is the thing. I'd like to finish off one I started years and years ago, though - doing bits and pieces on it right now. I've a little research done for another future colour book though. To give an idea of time, Barry and I had initially thought in terms of having the coming one ready for the market about two years ago!

Backgrounds were always grey, Horsetan (not black, as suggested in the "big" GSR book), unless the engine was actually black! Raised rims were usually picked out in pale yellow, but occasionally polished as currently on 186. I have seen pictures which appear to show this picked out in white, but the subjects of the withdrawn and work-stained, and it's likely that this is just the pale yellow faded. The GSWR, GSR and CIE never, ever (for the record) picked out lettering / numerals etc out in red. And while I'm on the subject of red, only the UTA painted connecting rods red! And - red again - inner motion of GSR / CIE engines was plain grey, not red as on GNR locos...

Initially, the "tan" was indeed a much darker shade, but at least, if not more, noticeable was the CIE logo. It's not the normal template - significantly bigger - but also white circle instead of tan!

I came into possession of one of 560's plates some years ago and to my lasting regret had to sell it due to a scarcity of ££ at the time. It retained its CIE grey paint, rim and letters picked out in pale yellow....

Many thanks, folks. I'll advise when Colourpoint are likely to be ready to go. It covers 1955 to the present, in colour. Rarities include an extremely rare outing of a 121 on the line, a G on the Foynes passenger, brand new Castlemungret wagons in duck-egg blue, green A and C in Carey's Road yard, the direct curve, colour on the erstwhile Croom branch, Castleisland goods and Fenit, and the steam cranes on Fenit Pier in action. Many a goods and passenger special on Newcastle West and on the Barnagh bank, and a whole chapter on every post-closure weedspray, one of which our intrepid photographer travelled on. Locos in filthy silver, green, black, black'n'tan, "supertrain", IR and IE liveries. Green AEC on the passenger, and all manner of laminates, PRs, Bredins and Cravens - as well as one of Mayner's "hot water bottles" on passenger specials.... I'm afraid there's even a modern railcar at Tralee....

A good juncture at which to make the point that the modern reddish brown on wagons is considerably more "red" than in the past, when it was pure (or "proper"!) brown. The above wagons were never painted the reddish shade used in the past few years - only container flats have been.

Just to say that myself and Barry have finally got "Rails Through North Kerry" (Limerick - Tralee in colour) off to the publisher. Today's email confirms they're starting on it. It'll be too late for the Christmas market, but soon, soon.... It's a lot later than we initially intended due to one thing and another.... Now to the next one.....