jhb171achill

Noel, if you were hanging onto these as they are - go for it - but if you wanted to operate them on a layout and wanted greater realism as I found myself years ago, the usual repainting of chassis and roof in brown (as it should be) does wonders. "Black chassis disease" for Irish goods stock is a Hornby-inspired inaccuracy which bedevils many a good layout.... (AND many a good preservation project; witness DCDR's plough van and CIE "H" van, RPSI's "Ivan" and the gunpowder van in Cultra - for starters....!)

Ah..... I was never in one of the "comfortable" ones, me being in GNR (God's) Territory an' all.......

I'd see it as the dreaded navy and lime green things seen about Connolly - prob a half hourly service. It would be extremely interesting though, and I often thought of a model of it too. Albert Quay would be another interesting one for modern times - prob lots of 2-car 26's and little else! Maybe a stray 141 still.....

That actually amplifies my point, Mayner - the "Railway Modeller" was in fact your point of reference for those same formative years - same as me. My layout had BR class 31s, Hymeks, stuff I had never even seen. Apart, of course, from the pages of the eagerly awaited annual Hornby catalogue! Later, crude attempts at CIE were to follow. Today's youthful modellers have RTR or kit-form CIE stuff, a luxury you or I could only dream of.

The one NCC 4.4.0 that was used as an experiment on GVS to Cavan was by that time in UTA black! So it's probable that apart from the odd foray of an NCC loco to Aldergrove (from Antrim; this did happen, esp. during ww2), little or no maroon ever went GNR side. As others have said, though, you're the boss on your layout! You could have 85 "Merlin" on loan to the NCC and repainted maroon...... (jhb171 runs and dives for cover before someone issues a fatwa.....!!!!!!!!)

The only info I can throw in, Liverbird, and I know it's probably not your question, is that the current NIR loco blue, as on 111-3, and "red bull" blue, are not the same. The red bull livery will not be as easy to replicate as others, as it's slightly metallic in hue (as ICR silver). Metallic colours have yet to look all that convincing on models! Maybe weathering will assist realism in the short term....

Extremely realistic weathering. The standard and quality of modelling on this website continues to amaze.

I VERY much look forward to seeing this layout develop. The loco weathering looks ideal too.

How did you re-gauge the 071? Would such a thing be suitable for a steam loco kit?

Looks very good.....!

While at it... imagination suggests a few interesting scenarios for layouts in the last half century.... 1. Newcastle West type location, still with passenger in the BnT era. Stacks of loose coupled H vans and beet trucks.... 2. Imaginary Portadown if still a junction in 1975, and a few Jeeps left coming off they Derry Road. 70s, new 80s, ex-NCC & GNR stock, Enterprise with Hunslets, laminates from Monaghan... 3. Claremorris type location in 1958 - MGW or GSW steam, A, B101, C, E, G classes; AECs, a visiting SLNCR railcar "B" ... Ah well.

Nelson, you're one of a select few. Psychologists have shown us - I read about this years ago - that we are drawn out of a sense of security to an era in our young childhood. You will therefore often find that modellers (how many of us here?) concentrate on a period around their childhood / teenage years, especially when older and they realise that the current world is no longer so familiar and unchanging as they imagined as children. A few model past times they would never have known. These are usually people with a very deep interest in, and understanding of, the era of their parents or grandparents. I remember seeing an article maybe 40 years ago in the Railway Modeller about a superb scratch built model of Brunel's broad gauge line - it looked extremely accurate and the modeller had gone to great lengths to ensure absolute accuracy. But such things are an exception. Personally, given huge amounts of extra spare time, and possibly better eyesight nowadays, I'd like a layout based on a country terminus or junction in GSR (MGWR) territory about 1930. But I'll never have the time; being retired results in me being far, far too busy.......

4472 - I think there was some delay in fitting them....

I was weaned on noisy MED*, MPD* and AEC railcars, Park Royal / Bredin / Laminate / Craven mixes, UTA "Jeeps", and CIE A, 121, 141, 181, C & E classes. Loose coupled wagons pre-all-brown livery (i.e. all plain grey) and steam breakdown cranes. I remember track gangs, PW & weedspray workers before they had to dress in all bright orange like Halloween ornaments, nobody ever dying from wearing "proper" clothes.... and before anything maintenance-orientated on wheels had to be garish bright yellow from nose to tail! Mechanical signalling, staffed graffiti-free stations, and jointed track. Yes, I'm a dinosaur. But a happy one..... (* MPD and MED cars were the most uncomfortable things ever to run on rails apart from the ghastly 450s.....yes, I plead guilty to "dinosaur", m'lud.....)

They were turned.

goods and passenger alike! (apart, of course, from iconic Maedb x 3...) Hardly a colourful era... plus ca change....

That is exactly the right colour for original blue. Obviously the later shade (as nowadays on 111 / 2 / 3) is a darker shade.

The coal was in a tiny bunker behind the driver. This can be seen on DCDR's 90.

The buffer is as "very rare" as a blade of grass! I suppose it shows that it's no bad thing to check claims made by internet sellers.....

I believe that Dundalk works built a series of wagons got the NCC after that, but nothing went south for storage. I seem to remember reading somewhere that they started storing stock in places like Ballymena, Magherafelt, and even on the Draperstown branch. The NCC seemed to always keep itself very much to itself.....

Very true, Mayner; another factor was the great amount of tine and craftsmanship given to preparing surfaces properly - not always the case nowadays when time is money. The reason the initial GSR coach livery was the dark crimson lake, and that the GSWR's all-over grey spread to all locos, was exactly what you suggest - Inchicore had a large supply of both again the time of the amalgamation, and GSR management took the view that since the GSWR was the largest company by far it was cheaper and took less time to paint the locos and stock of all the other companies in GSWR colours. In fact, the brown and cream for carriages didn't even start appearing until about 1926/7, and even then only appeared on main line stock. Other stock remained the dark shade until the GSR introduced the lighter LMS shade in 1933 when the first "steels" were built.

I'm awaiting the day when a mod issues a fatwa..... :-)

And very convincing it is too, Kirley.

I remember seeing the odd UTA special and looking among a hotch-potch of GNR and NCC coaches to see if I could see a BCDR one! But they were all gone from traffic by then. The odd BNCR (obviously pre-NCC) one was about until the early 60's. You could tell them by the straight sides.

See how little anyone posts on railway enthusiast websites now - there's little these days to be interested in on either NIR or IE..... Or is it just me?