jhb171achill

I'm not sure if they still bore D & K lettering. It's possible they were repainted green under new ownership, but much more likely they never saw a paintbrush again! They might have been touched up here and there - as recently as late NCC and late GSR days, coaches could go into traffic with one newly painted door on one side, a recently repainted panel on the other, the rest untouched. In UTA days, only 60 years ago, make do and mend paintwork was almost the norm on goods stock!

Just thinking aloud... I saw that layout and thoroughly enjoyed watching it. The operator (at some exhibition I can't remember) was carrying out slow shunting manoeuvres, very realistic. It had occurred to me at the time that it would lend itself very well to an Irish setting - an imaginary Great Victoria Street or Dublin / Cork quays type of site. It's a layout that would suit a British situation, as it is, but substitute what's running on it for a few black'n'tan GMs and rakes of fertiliser or oil wagons, or endless strings of H vans......

Mayner's post reminds me of another livery nickname of sorts. Long after the DWWR had taken over the Dublin & Kingstown, they kept in reserve a handful of very old open 4 wheel coaches got many years. At least two survived in occasional traffic as late as the very early years of the 20th century. Despite years having obviously passed since the classes had been colour coded, these carriages remained green, the D & K colour for third class. They ended their life in green, never having received DWWR standard deep maroon. Railwaymen had always referred to them as "the Greens".

They certainly will, Heirflick.... Having been involved in the Grand Atlantic Tour, I can confirm that the clientele who would book on tours like this are used to the very highest standards world wide. If IE supply them with a dirty loco, Mr Franks would get a very loud flea in his ear! For the Grand Atlantic, a beautifully clean newly painted 071 was at the head of it - excellent!

The DSER was the "dirty, slow and easy" in Senior's day. The LLSR was reputed to have been mentioned in the Bible: "On the sixth Day, The Lord created all creeping things"....

I remember hitching a cab ride in one, I think it was 233, on a ballast train from Clonsilla to North Wall, about 1979. Excellent stuff.

Imagine..... a blue or blue and cream 071 on the Railtours train with RPSI Cravens and a green and cream 071 with Belmond....

I just saw it as GSWR livery!

Most 071s are also grey ghosts now!

Waterford & Tramore?

My own preference was the black'n'tan...

UP, it was BNCR - however, BCDR green was very dark as well. BCDR also used a lighter (almost Isle of Man style) green at some stage - I think it was pre-war; this is what's on No. 30 in Cultra.

Excellent stuff, Happy Christmas!

GSWR post 1915 / GSR / CIE locos in "battleship grey". The shade was technically slightly darker that used on battleships!

A bit of light seasonal cheer.... From railway sources mostly, but often enthusiasts too, I've picked up the following over the years - anyone know any others? CIE 1962-72 livery: black'n'tan CIE 1972-87 livery: supertrain (or just orange and black) IE 1987 - recent: Tippex (ie orange and black but with the white lines added IE amended livery for 2600's when first introduced (black and white below windows): Fanta Can IE livery on later railcars of navy, white and line green (commuter): Lilt can Current green and silver as on 2600's: Seven-up can, or lately, in comparison to NIR's "red bull" livery, "green bull"! NIR current livery: "red bull" CIE logos: 1945*-1962: flying snail 1962 - 1987: broken wheel IE logos: 1987 - 1990: set o'points 1990 - 2000-ish: three pin plug 2014 onwards: tricolour UTA logos: 1948-1963 red hand 1963-1967 coat of arms

WOW!!!!!! Those are superb. Details, colours etc just spot on, brings back very early memories of seeing green streak past me when I was taken to Kildare station by Senior..... I remember seeing one train swish past, but the last (of maybe 10) coaches was in a strange orange and black livery. Senior remarked to the signalman* "Is that the new livery?" Cue the signalman "yeah... ye'd think we'd seen the last o'the black'n'tans..." Thus was born the real name of that livery; the official description of it as "golden brown" and black being a bit odd...... * senior knew that signalman well.... and guess what: it was possible for a small child, his parent and the signalman to be in a signalbox without day-glo clothes visible the far side the world, PTS, health and safety courses about the correct and safe ways to open a door, lunch box or newspaper, and the correct way to put your socks on, thus avoiding strangulation. We live in strange days. No green, no black'n'tan. Let's go to Downpatrick. With that off me chest, a very Happy Christmas to all IRM-ers.

The GSWR had it somewhere, I think. Possibly the BNCR too.

That little scene there of the goods train is a pure cameo. Love the corrugated open....

It's almost impossible to tell which photo is real and which model! Amazing work.

And still to be seen, heard, travelled behind and enjoyed on the DCDR, thankfully!

Absolutely invaluable information, Kirley, which will satisfy many, many queries here!

I have a notion I saw one without an instanter at one stage but I'm not certain. I'll have a look through pictures I took that day and see what I can find.

Beside it a GSWR profile coach of 1900-15 era. Light green line positioned at same level for uniformity, as was the policy.

Preservation is a very unreliable source of livery information, as the majority of preserved locos and coaches have major inaccuracies. In terms of preserved goods stock, I can't think offhand of a single example that is correct - or anywhere near it! Double snail logos were an extreme rarity but in cases outlined above did exist. Generally speaking, liveries were indeed the standard of the day.

Generally, carriages carried one "snail", or, as in the Park Royals, none. This was the rule at Inchicore. However there were oddities, both in lining and logos. Anything painted in Cork or Limerick could throw up surprises, for example a couple of old CBSCR bogie coaches on the West Cork system had two snails, dark green paint, but no lining at all. Cavan and Leitrim coaches had dark green paint on original stock, with only one light green band - above the windows, none below. The Inchicore rebuild of C & L coach No. 1 was, like most stock on the West Clare, turned out unlined and with no snail - nothing but the numeral. The West Clare railcars never carried lining or snails, and both shades of green were used on different ones. Done old T & D stock turned up in both Ennis and Ballinamore, with no lining and either no snail or one. On the main line, postal and all-parcels/brake vehicles often had no snail. When new stock was silver, no snails were carried.