jhb171achill

The barrel over the wall? it was me who threw it there.

Ah - easy, Glover; the SLNCR either closed in 1957, in which case CIE bought "B" and just moved it up the road - or - it survived! But like the GNR has come into CIE / UTA ownership, with both companies operating two daily return trains Enniskillen - Sligo. And the UTA ones are done by Lough Erne and Lough Melvin, while the CIE ones are C class.....

Excellent idea, Airfix - I've been wanting to see Difflin... and its years since I've been in Donegal.

True. And wood fired steam engines, if we had them, would use renewable energy.......

Fascinating concept, Glover. Had the GNR survived, I suppose GNR and UTA joint working would have been the order of the day. The Bundoran line would have had both. The "Bundoran Express" originated in Dublin, so along with pilgrimage trains would be CIE. the local trains ran primarily to and from Enniskillen, so would be UTA. Goods would be mostly UTA-operated. As well as A, C and 121 class locos, an occasional CIE steam loco - at a very creative pinch - could have got there. the UTA would have ended up, I would think, deploying AEC railcars, though any of the old crates of one-off GN or NCC railcars could have ended up there! The loco hauled passenger stuff would have seen laminates, tin vans and GSR-constituent wooden coaches and Bredins making appearances. Maybe the solitary K class?

In me diary. But it's you that's "on the far side of the water"! :-) (I'll maybe stick to the day job..)

As others have commented, the total lack of anything Irish in the past is what is worth bearing in mind. The model looks well proportioned as far as it goes, and while not cheap, Mayner's point about a "proper" kit being a lot dearer if bought RTR is quite right. If the proportions weren't right - e.g. it's way too tall or short or something, then we'd have good grounds for ignoring it, but as others have mentioned, lacking detail can be remedied. Wrong proportions can't. Again, as yet others have mentioned, we may be spoiled by the sheer array of Irish stuff available now - there must be, what, a dozen people on this site (plus Worsley) making various stuff suitable for Ireland. I'll be the first to admit having criticised some of it, but that's usually over livery which is the easiest remedied detail of the lot! And to those I appear to criticise, in fact I admire them for putting their head (and efforts) above the parapet. As one who came from a career financial background, I don't have to be one of them to be able to point out that these people aren't in it for the money - these Irish models are break-even stuff, often funded by the one-man-band-maker's own personal finances. So, overall, while I won't be buying one of these - simply because it doesn't fit into anything I'm planning, no other reason - I congratulate OO models, whoever they are! If I was planning a model of the Bundoran branch in 1956 (now, THERE'S a layout idea; steam and scenery!), I'd probably break the bank and buy a couple....!

Exactly like the real railway.

Suppose so.... though.... that being the case, they can well afford the paltry sum it costs to run the horse trams.

Reading all that stuff, the decision to scrap the trams must rank as one of the most inanely short sighted things ever proposed. the 1950s Stormont government would be proud. if it runs on rails, it's the enemy and must be obliterated. the IOM is a drab. cold, dated, expensive, rainy island. Without the transport heritage and the TT, both of which are in their own ways completely unique attractions, the island would have no visitors at all. There's nothing else to do nowadays. Sit on a rainy beach with a cold deck chair, wind, drizzle and an overpriced bag of chips with sand getting into them? Or a beach bar in the Mediterranean? The IOM councillors need to wake up. This is crass, and completely false economy.

When's Cultra?

Yes - perusal of these is fascinating! I'm mulling over the OS maps for the entire Clifden line at the moment, which isn't doing my eyesight any good!

Have a look at the photos of the line held in the Dungarvan museum.

I'll see about the second lot. Believe it or not I deleted them, so I'll have to take them again! Pints it is then.

For "control" or comparison purposes, the same engine in artifical light. Sometimes the GSWR and GSR painted the cab interior a dull mid-brown. This is shown here too. Also, for good measure, a GSR crest on genuine post-1933 GSR (LMS!) maroon. CH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]22397[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]22396[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]22398[/ATTACH]

Now. Daylight has risen. This thing was built by my granddad while he was an apprentice draughtsman. To paint it, he just nipped over to the paint shop..... obviously, this was in GSWR times, but the shade was the same until CIE abandoned steam in 1963. I pray your forebearance; for what I'm about to upload, the chances are that they'll all be upside down. If I get even one the right way up, I'm sure josefstadt and garfieldsghost will buy me a few pints of black stuff, and sing "Hallelujah"! Now here's a thing. You'll notice how much darker it looks in areas in shade. Thus, from a modeller's perspective, looking down from above, it looks lighter - more true, in fact. At ground level, some bits look dark, and this on a "clean" loco. Add poor light on a dull day, or a little over exposure in photographs, and it's easy to see why many photos of GSR / CIE locos actually look black. The slight "bluish tint" on a newly painted loco is evident. The grey painted con-rods are sometimes prototypical, though many were bare metal. Wheels were always grey.

How many trams are there?

Yes, Courtmacsherry is an ideal small terminus. In the Achill book, I have a diagram of where the original Belmullet station was supposed to have been situated. My understanding is that the original one planned as late as 1909 would have been not at all unlike your "Arigna Road" terminus in layout, albeit somewhat larger. Others I have considered over the years were Draperstown, Co Derry, Dungiven, Fenit, Castleisland, Courtmac or even a scaled-down Youghal. As well as Westport Quay, Sligo Quay would make an interesting small terminus layout if the emphasis was on goods traffic.

Such a shame. If one can be preserved somewhere, maybe in Port Erin museum, or as an exhibit on a piece of track in Douglas station, it'd be better than nothing. I wonder, actually, how many of those trams there are? In this day and age, I can't imagine them scrapping them - but, at 3ft gauge, there are not too many places that could have a practical use for them. Perhaps the Crich Tram Museum in Derbyshire might take a couple - though - who pays to ship them! (The eternal dampener or "good ideas" in preservation...)

That is absolutely top class - very atmospheric! Well done to all. Hope to see it some time!

When its daylight tomorrow, I'll photo my grandfather's model, which is painted in actual GSWR paint (same shade, GSWR / GSR / CIE) and post it here. Tis 1am now, and I'm nearly finished a chapter....

Looks like I may be able to go, ttc. If so, looking forward to seeing you and the folks there.

The grey was uniform all over, smokebox and chimney included. However, occasionally the effects of smoke could cause this area to look a bit darker than it actually was. A single J15 which was repainted in Cork as late as about 1960, had the normal grey treatment, but with a black smokebox and chimney.

We'll talk about it nearer the time. I'll try to establish what's happening. tried to ring today - no answer.

When new, the grey looked very shiny and had, according to eyewitnesses, a "bluish tinge". When the RPSI (accurately) turned 186 out like that some years ago, this was evident. The shade of grey on that beasy is correct. When weathered, it often looked darker, possibly due to being cleaned with dirty rags, and coal dust getting ground in. Numerals pale yellow, snails (if used on tender) light green.....