jhb171achill

Precisely why oul wans like me cannot, will not, and never could have got fired up by a Ballina timber train having 11 identical bogies instead of 12, an ICR with 4 carriages instead of 3 or 5, a yellow plant machine on rails, or an orange 071 instead of a grey one! Bah Humbug!

Irish preservation has just as many lamenting the lack of "somebody"'s as the Isle of Brexit has also!

Trouble is, there’s no someone! There simply isn’t sufficient interest in this country. If it was England, and A3 was a derelict Deltic, money, volunteers and more and more money would come out of the woodwork!

Who owns 015? I thought it was the ITG too?

Wasn’t aware of that - I had heard of ley lines, but I thought they related specifically to ancient English history - hence my initial as l thoughts that this railway must be over there….. Mr google tells me we have “ley lines” too; but I’d still be certain that railway isn’t here.

I’d say so, yes.

I would be pretty certain it isn't here, to be honest. There would be bound to be at least SOME sort of reference to it somewhere. Has to be Britain. Mr. Google is silent on this location.

"Cross Ley"? Actually sounds English. Anyone know where this is / was?

I believe it’s been opened on a number of special occasions for pre-arranged groups.

In the narrowest gauge place.

Yes, on some services. One per train. They were brown and cream when new - but not Pullman livery brown and cream - GSR brown and cream! (Similar shades to GWR in Britain so actually much the same), black roof not silver as in GB. Senior said that they eventually had standard GSR maroon, with “GREAT SOUTHERN PULLMAN” in yellow above window level. It must have been short-lived as I have not seen a photo like this. In a colour pic, though, of one in a scrap line in the early 50s, maroon can be seen showing under the green. Eventually CIE dark green but unusually no snail, due to the planked lower sides.

Over 30 wagons..... some main line cattle specials were allowed to load to 45 plus van! Tis a special breed of horse that was bred specifically for this use; they were born with lamps attached.

In all reality, the likelihood of a Park Royal behind an 800 class, while technically possible, is highly unlikely. By the time the main line PRs were being introduced, the 800 class were doing very little - Cork trains were largely in the hands of Crossley "A"s, B101s and AEC railcars. The stock needed for AUTHENTIC stock behind an 800 is a selection of both types of Bredins, the 1951-3 CIE equivalents, and various older main line corridor wooden-bodied GSWR stock. The older wooden ones and the steel-sided ones (Bredins onward) were, judging by photos of anything steam on the main line in the 1940s and 50s, about 50 / 50 each. With the actual absence of anything at all RTR at the moment, and (I suspect) for a long time, we must make do with what the nearest equivalents are. Apart from the SSM and Worsley brass kits, for RTR various types of 1930s off-the-shelf LMS designs from across the pond would do a reasonable impression of Bredins if painted in GSR livery (same as LMS, conveniently, down to the lining, but with very dark grey roof instead of silver) though different lettering; and there are some representations of wooden-bodied stock from Britain (go for LMS or GWR types, not Southern or LNER) again repainted. Alternately, the very same vehicles in older CIE green with eau-de-nil lines, as per the re-liveried LMS stock that came in that Bachmann train set with a Woolwich some years ago. The 6-wheelers wouldn't have gone behind an 800, with the possible exception of a full brake carrying mail bags, and alongside a TPO; now THIS is something for which nothing but a scratchbuild would do, but would be present in most 800-hauled trains. So right now, nothing beyond that; but who know what the future would bring. A RTR Bredin or laminate would cover a huge lot of holes in the market.

Certainly looks like it! You’d be aware the palvans were a lot higher….

I ate it all for him.

I think that’s a 1930s GSR van….

This is a truly outstanding layout! More please!

A lot - if not most - of the “soft-tops” were the older, lower-sided, round-roofed body types as shown in the models above. A handful made it to the late 50s.

Yes, there’s an hourly bts service. If you fly to Dublin, Tailté Tours will be operating a day trip from Dublin.

I'd stick with Cultra and Whitehead - Grand Central has all the atmosphere of a Soviet-era cigarette and steel manufacturing factory, and as much charm as a wet February Tuesday morning in Carrickfergus............!

It's true - this is one of many large gaps in Irish railway literature! Other than what's been mentioned I'm aware of nothing significant.

I had several locos finished in CIE grey which I wanted to have realistically weathered to look like they did at the tail end of steam. The results were very realistic - I’ll try to find pics. Dempsey of this parish did some of them; but unfortunately I can’t recall who did the others!

Light engines and other comings and goings today….

1946, and a maintenance train is stabled at Dugort Harbour.

Except he’s a great deal more dangerous and irresponsible than Miranda!