jhb171achill

In the late 1920s, the GSR still had all its narrow gauge lines. With the exception of the suburban (and double tracked) Cork, Blackrock & Passage line, all were rural. Carriage stock ranged from the primitive box-like 4-wheelers on the Schull & Skibbereen, to the well appointed compartment stock of the CBPR, the lengthy majestic but spartan bogies on the Cavan & Leitrim and the austere but solidly built West Clare six-wheelers. Loading gauges varied hugely, the S & S having the smallest. Against this background, the GSR proposed to build a new series of standard styled narrow gauge carriages. Drawings were prepared but have not survived. It is believed that they would have ended upon unlike the late (1958) rebuild of C & L No. 1, ie bogie stock with ran lime longitudinal seating inside, and enclosed end vestibules. Had they been built, they would have been used on the West Clare, Tralee & Dingle (possibly) and Cavan & Leitrim. The three Cork systems were soon after to go to the scrapping list.

In the pic of 22 230 at Port Laoise, is that Dracula on the platform about to board?

Forty years ago on Tuesday, CIE withdrew all services from the following routes, all of which except Loughrea were goods-only, having lost their passenger services in 1963, or in the case of Ardee, about 1933. Collooney - Claremorris (The "Burma Road") Attymon Junction - Loughrea (the last traditional country branch, last mixed trains, and last cattle traffic in Ireland) Ballingrane Junction - Listowel (Listowel - Tralee would remain (at least officially) for a short time afterwards) Dromin Junction - Ardee Rest in peace!

Good thinking, Leslie. Only 2-3 passengers per coach actually makes the difference - and is certainly prototypical for Ballina - Limerick - Rosslare, Nenagh, and many another sparse service in black'n'tan days!

Are they the Irish Freight Models ones? Absolutely TOP CLASS!!!!!! So now, the typical Irish passenger train of pre 1980 is possible in so many ways; ie no two carriages alike hardly! You could have a set containing a tin van, a couple of laminates, a Craven, a Bredin, a Park Royal, a laminate brake and a BR or Dutch Van..... I'm beginning to rethink my Austrian 009 ideas.

I think the silver and black would have suited a 201 better than an 071..... Often wondered if buses would have looked well in black'n'tan!

A 141 in NIR maroon, had they listened in 1968/9 to engineering people instead of buying the "Hunslets" for political reasons? That was actually a possibility, and one preferred by their loco people as the Hunslets turned out to be a bad buy, underpowered for what they were required to do.

I have two black'n'tan 141s - I'm not planning to sell, but when I was, at one stage considering it I got lots of interest.

Selling old RPSI brochures!!!!!!! You can pick them up for half nothing on any RPSI train.....

Given the date, the wagons are very certainly Bullied corrugated. Wooden opens weren't much in evidence after 1970. The brake van us a standard CIE 30-ton, as the SSM kit.

That really looks amazing. Love the weed grown siding on the left. I remember when the 26's first appeared like that, some in the railway called them "Fanta cans". Soon they were to be repainted as "Lilt cans"! Today, of course, they're "diet 7-up", while NIR's railcars are red bull cans.......

Well, Blaine, there was a "flying snail" in my father's old house..... and indeed, it did come from Inchicore!

If the grass isn't the correct shade of tartan, DiveController, I'll be dribbling into my soup for the rest of my days, wandering about mumbling about my false teeth, and seeing unicorns in the night....

Saw this on YouTube. It's something called "boulder creek railroad" and the person who puts up YouTube clips shows himself making quite uncannily realistic scenery. Just wondered if anyone with equivalent skills here (there aren't many THAT good, but the are some!) would be interested in some sort of tutorial for scenic idiots (like me)! It would be an interesting way of enhancing skills and the hobby....

There's another wild card in all of this. When newly applied, this colour appeared somewhat more orangey than when weathered and faded. Many colour photos of engines in the "black'n'tan" era appear very much mo brown, but this is because they were often taken when locos were in their later times of that livery. The colour on the back of the journal may be different, but equally it may be a combination of the light and the fact that the locomotive is dirtier. And I'm not trying to muddy the waters here! :-) That picture was taken in 1992, by which time the locomotive could have been carrying the livery shown for up to five years. Carriages were cleaned far more often too. As others have said, it's hard to get the tan / orange right. It's not without precedent: across the water, arguments and debate has continued among modellers for at least fifty years as to what the correct shade of LNER green is, and LMS maroon.

They could be lamp rooms, minister. The Croom branch closed in 1967.

The station buildings, being of GSWR origin, were the same, but the main difference would have been the GSWR-style very low platforms, little more than a foot higher than rail level. Many, if not originally most, of the GSWR platforms were low like this, continental style. If you look at the edging of Mallow platforms, which were like this into the 1990s, you'll see. The signal cabin and goods shed would have been in use and busy. Signal cabin and station painted dark green and cream; footbridge, shed doors, in fact pretty much anything else, CIE green.

".......I have a massive problem with the contention that the tpo at downpatrick represents any shade that actually ran on irish metal, but that's an argument between me and JB!......." ...I should have clarified..... It's quite faded now, and the shade on G611 is getting that way. But when newly painted it was pretty good! If you rub it down a bit when close up, it shows.

hahaha brilliant!!

Excellent, popeye, but due to the flash it shows up way too light; Cultra is very poorly organised for natural light on the sides of its exhibits. Looking at other pictures in the books I mentioned, you can clearly see "forty shades", but my initial point was that the ones I identified have reproduced on paper (for whatever reason; lighting on the day, camera or film quality..) as the most accurate.

Ah! Sorry, I thought you meant green livery. My mistake - re-reading posts I don't know where I got THAT from! Looking at the picture you refer to, while the loco is dirty, the picture and printing process do indeed reflect the colour and shade accurately for that version.

Which book? If you mean his "Irish Metrovick Diesels", the various locos in green are in the later light green. For the dark green, the best representations in modern colour books would be A46 (I think the only A to get dark green) on P59 of the recent "Irish traction in Colour" by Derek Huntriss. In the same book, look at the railcar at Limerick on P79, and now-preserved C231 at Bray at the top of P90. Other pictures in the same book and others show the dark green, of course, but it hasn't translated into print quite as accurately as the above.

They needed a few extras to rotate stock. Original 1970 sets were of five coaches (with one loco) or six (topped and tailed). Later traffic required more.

To replace original 1970 "Enterprise" stock and add to the fleet.

I would agree. Nelson, when you get a minute PM me as I may have some info for you which might be of use.