jhb171achill

Didn't know they got to Clifden of Shillelagh, Mayner! ......adds to their appeal...... As I said, I thought a J26 would be a great one the DCDR had it survived. The GNR No. 93 in Cultra would do just as well, and had "Argadeen" have survived.....

Correct! And he did a bit of footplate travel too...

Here's an interesting "wander" from the archival catacombs....

The lining on a scale model UTA loco seems to be quite hard - it generally appears very overscale on models... Livery detail - buffer beam numbers were (almost uniquely on an Irish railway) completely plain straw colour - no shading or lining at all, like modern computer print - when in initial and short lived NCC livery (maroon lining only). The "N C C" on the sides was likewise. The UTA used conventional shaded numerals. I've seen models with the pre-1963 UTA "red hand roundel" but I don't think I've ever seen the 1963-7 crest on any model. This would look well but would need to be scaled down as it was quite small - I think, from memory about a scale 2.5 - 3mm in height. The UTA painted the main connecting rod red, again I think unique in Ireland.

Just saw photos tonight of J26's shunting Amiens St station about 1961 also.... which means probably Westland Row / Grand Canal St saw them too in latter days.

Masterpiece!!!!!

".......Anyway steam just had a host of other issues ....." As I said, good times! :-)

This is the Panda Recycling annual special train for their day out.

Ideal for a layout as they were very well travelled after the 1925 amalgamation.... Castleisland, Fenit, Albert Quay, Courtmacsherry, Clonakilty, Kingscourt, Athboy, Killeshandra.... Possibly Banagher, Ballinrobe, Mitchelstown and Newmarket too..... they shunted in Dublin and Cork, both Glanmire and Albert Q. And of course, Waterford & Tramore.

Priceless!!!!!! :-)

I love the old MED parcel van!

Private owner wagons were indeed looked after by the railway companies here. Which I suppose is why many ended up in the standard CIE colours of the day.

And the steam engines were heavier too. Good times!

It never bothered steam engines, says jhb171 the dinosaur.

You're 100% right, OB. It is "think" that had led to numerous careless, unforgiveable errors in museums and preservation. The one certainty is that on the rare occasions that Irish wagons were in a unique livery, the chassis usually was too - not always, but generally. Thus, if I was modelling these things I'd go for red chassis, heavily weathered with brownish brake block dust. This could be corrected if appropriate in the future.

I'm so baffled now, Eoin, that I've forgotten how to work out which way up I am myself!

I think 560 (originally no. 115 "Achill") was the last one standing. It was still in traffic and seen in Tralee, Fenit and Cork, right into steam's last year on CIE, 1963. I always thought one would have been ideal for Downpatrick.....

There we have it. They were red prior to being grey! Mystery solved. (Chassis red, grey or black, OB, can you recall?)

No, I always drink Guinness instead of Fosters.... And I've never eaten a kangaroo. I also have a footplate pass from Derry to Burtonport and back....It's actually for a first class coach seat, but he travelled on the footplate of one the tender engines. I think it was No. 11, as the other one was by then out of use.

Excellent, OB! I'm typing this while gnidnats no my daeh. llitS isn't right.

Now that would be good! G scale Irish layout. Who's for G scale laminates and H vans?

Absolutely right, Mayner, you've reminded me of a couple of other places I saw them. I wasn't aware that any survived to get the standard CIE brown (red-oxide). I suppose, for historical accuracy, we need to be aware that we now have proof of them in both CIE liveries. Thus far, the red.... we all know of examples of where incorrectly applied liveries, or incorrect recollections, fuel theories that something was a certain colour, when it wasn't. It's so easy for a modeller who hasn't had the requisite number of birthdays, aches and pains, to assume that if the UFTM, RPSI or DCDR paint something tartan, then it must have been tartan. Not so, as many examples in all three can show us. So - one wonders where Alphagrafix got their information from? Was it reliable information, and if so, did their printing process produce it correctly? Their SLNCR coach, for example, is red. It should be deep maroon, although that one's understandable as the very few coaches on this line that saw a paintbrush in the "colour" era (Nos 4 & 11 spring to mind), faded to a weathered nondescript browny red colour in the Leitrim wind and rain quite quickly. Red would be colourful on a layout in world of almost all grey. It MIGHT be accurate. However, if realism is the preference, we at least know grey is accurate. And post-1970 or so, brown with broken wheel too. Incidentally, for all wagons, the brown started appearing about 1970. Prior to that all grey. By the time loose coupled stock was done away with in the mid 70s, about 60% of stock was brown! the rest grey still! the odd one still sporting a "flying snail" stencil.

I have sampled same in Brogans and the Old Ground - excellent. Great town, if I remember rightly, for diddly-dee music too. And it might now, Michael, so it might.

Ah! Da wisht. I know it. It's between Skibbereen and Buncrana.

Where's Clare, Horsetan? Doesn't sound like somewhere on the main line.....