jhb171achill

That's the issue, David, and it is related to what I said in a different post - that manpower and money resources, let alone time, in the Irish preservation world are a great deal more limited (for a variety of reasons) than across the water, for instance. The main framing of "B" is nothing like as bad as it looks and as stated there's a spare engine. But no control gear whatsoever - this will have to be acquired or newly made. No brakes, no electrics for lighting etc. None of that is rocket science especially for 1940s technology; different if it was a 70 year old De Dietrich! So, if and when funding appears, this will happen, but efforts have been made on and off for quite a few years to secure same, thus far to no avail. PS - can you enlarge your workshop? There's €200k in it for you... ;-)

Is it planned, tony?

Wow! Well, in all seriousness, and to go back to the subject if CC1, existing technology would allow an electrically heated live steam one in 00....,

Maybe Dustin could go to the Eurovision in a Dublin bus with a mascot - single journey.

I remember reading of 00 gauge live steam in the past... presumably lighter fuel fired, but I am nearly sure I read of a coal fired loco on that scale somewhere?

Will do, Warbonnet, thanks.

As David says, the railcar is now at Downpatrick. A detailed examination of it was done when it was acquired from IE a few years ago, and it was found that the engine was as sick as the bodywork. The roof, miraculously, isn't too bad, but the thing needs to be sent away. The specialist firm in England to whom it would go quoted a figure not far short of €200k which given the necessary work was about right. An appeal by DCDR some years ago yielded just enough money to secure a good spare engine, which is now in store at Downpatrick. The railcar is under a tarpaulin. If and when grant aid can be made available, it will be sent to England (or maybe to David Holman!) to be fully restored to working order. When CIE acquired it in 1957, it was repainted in the then standard lighter carriage green, and numbered 2509. After 1962 it got the black'n'tan which it still carries.

The reality is, as many existing and even more proposed preservation projects have discovered, there just isn't the critical mass of railway enthusiasts in this country, and above all not a critical mass if them with both the money and the inclination to throw large sums of it about, to make many preservation projects succeed. It's not a case of "someone" put up the money, and, sure the thing'll run itself.... unfortunately, but there we go. The good news is that in the modelling world, anything and everything - real or "what-if"'s is possible! The technical details of CC1 have survived. Could anyone, I wonder, build a working turf fired 31/2 inch gauge version?

That is surely not real. I checked to see if it was 1st April. If taxpayer's money was spent on that rubbish, I want a tax rebate.

A few points..... indeed, CIE didn't ever exist to preserve anything and I would echo the comments that they always cooperated very well with any preservation group which showed that it was responsibly and properly organised. It is, though, a shame that CC1 and other things weren't preserved. This, however, is the fault of short sighted governments and possibly their subsidiaries that looked after tourism stuff. As to the lining on CC1, it looks eau-de-nil in those pics all right, but it's a bit faded when those pics were taken. I suspect it's the same light yellow (or dark cream?) used to put cabside numerals on locos. (The tender "snails" were eau-de-nil, but cabside numbers pale yellow!) I would agree that initially it was standard loco grey, or something extremely close.

Folks, I may have posted this before (can't remember) but I am interested in getting hold of a model of the type of bus that would have done the No. 10 route in the late seventies / early 80s, and done up in the (dreaded!) desert sand livery. Is there anyone who would have one, or could advise me on the type, or point me in the direction of whoever might be able to supply one? Possibly also whatever would have done the same route in the early 60s.

W O W ! ! ! Best yet! Absolutely top class work! You can't get more realistic than this layout and everything on it!

It ended up in green, though early pics of it look greyish. The serrated edged stripes on the ends were pale yellow, and the lettering / numeral probably was too.

The reason they got so many was that there was talk of NIR re entering the bulk freight market following the opening of a lignite mine near Crumlin, Co Antrim. This never came to pass as the mine project was eventually deemed to be uneconomic and no mining ever commenced.

I look forward to the festering process, Heirflick!

In the mid thirties, the forerunner to BnM, the Turf Development Board, made tentative investigations into establishing a turf harvesting operation at a site between Newport, Co Mayo, and Mallaranny (Mulrany), on the about-to-be-closed Achill branch. Had this come into being, an Arigna-style operation would have had narrow gauge wagons taking turf down to a long siding off the branch. There's an idea for a very unique layout. A cross between Shannonvale Siding, the 1940s GSR turf trains, Coolnamona, Arigna and BnM! Fast forward to today, and we have an 071 backing specialised wagons under a loading bay, where BnM trains dump turf into them.

The north cabin at Strabane was left after the line closed, but our travelling friends helped it on its way to oblivion.

Possibly, Patrick, can't remember...

I'd be tempted by either a GNR or MGWR prototype, just brought into CIE days in the case of the former. I would prefer as close to absolute accuracy over a large track layout. I'm researching products at the moment.

Never would have doubted, Weshty, excellent! Once I've moved house in the spring, it will be Layout Time. I'm planning some sort of rural Ardee / Castleisland type outpost as a small terminus, just with a fiddle yard, set about 1960 - 1972. I'll be darkening your door to buy various things you have!

One detail which comes out particularly well on your model is the stencilled logo and numerals, and the apparently recently repainted immediate area round it. That really adds total realism. I'm a bit out of date on to, but do manufacturers of transfers / decals like these routinely produce numerals which look like the prototypical stencils?

Absolutely superb!

Full marks, Burnthebox..... You're the first person I've ever a asked that profound question who has got it! :-)

What is the difference between a duck?

That pallet wagon struck me too! So common once...much needed nowadays for a layout like this. Excellent stuff!