jhb171achill

About 40+ metres of gauge 1 ("G" scale) track and 4 or 5 turnouts available. Can be delivered or collected in greater Belfast or Dublin areas. Offers?

That brake van - a much neglected but necessary prototype - is a really superb job. Excellent weathering too.

That looks absolutely fantastic!

Yes, the original one. It was gold lined in white and was "upright" rather than slanted script.

Mayner's post there got me thinking... I assumed you wanted livery details for CIE days or GSR... The pre-1925 details are as Mayner says... Would look well in pre 1905 green! Not unlike late 50s CIE green, according to the late Bob Clements.

...and I'll be spilling custard on them, Horsetan, dreaming of dinner on the Cork line in a 1956-built 24XX series dining car way back in the seventies.....

There ye go, John, that's the technical expertise, and from no better a man....

Just a thought.... By the time the history is written on 2600 / 2700 / 2800 / 22000 / 29000 classes of railcars, think of the many variations that have taken place already! I'll be doing crosswords in a nursing home....

Eiretrains wrote: For some reason, some of the re-engined A Classes in their black & tan livery, still had the high-tan sides unlike most which were altered to the low-tan, the preserved A39r, and A51r being such examples, there may have been others. Indeed. However, an additional detail is that in later days all, or almost all, had "low-tan" sides.

I have updated and included further detail in my original posts on this subject.

I presume that like with 00, there would be British RTR locomotives suitable for even approximate conversion to NCC, GNR, CIE (RPSI?) prototypes.

BR bauxite is indeed close enough for the brown. After new painting it adopted a much flatter hue very quickly, as old photos (and recollection!) will testify. In more recent years, post 2000 at a guess, it shows a reddish hue when newly painted, but again this dulls down, as a quick look at any Tara timber wagon shows. The grey used by (initially) the GSR, and on into CIE days until probably the mid fifties or so was very much like LMS grey, and may have been exactly, as their carriage maroon post-1935 was. The NCC also used a shade like this, as did the GNR. It was fairly standard. The very much lighter shade started appearing around the very late 50s of early 60s, and would initially have been associated with the then current production run of H vans, though earlier H vans were the darker shade. This lighter grey was also applied at this stage to pallet vans, repainted wooden open wagons and guards brake vans, the latter having yellow and black flashes on the ducket (NOT white and black, as on the one in Cultra!). How to describe the shade... Grey is always a hard colour to describe! I would not be the expert on reference numbers etc, but I'll see if I can find a suitable picture to illustrate it.

As an aside, many railway companies painted carriage roofs white or extremely light grey prior to about 1918; even after it in the case of the GNR, at times. A less suitable colour for the roof of anything in the steam era could not be found! Thus, modelling such things would require substantial weathering to varying shades of grey (fifty, even!). Companies which did this that come immediately to mind would be MGWR, GNR(I) and even the LLSR at one stage!

Generally painted same colour again, John, though I am sure I have seen a grey roof on a brown wagon, but never the other way round. However, a bit like grey steam engines, or orange roofs on diesel locos or carriages, the wagon roofs didn't stay that way long. Weathering on the roof would be thus almost obligatory!

All over dark grey, smoke box, chimney, motion and cab included; the only relieving detail was the red buffer beam with shaded numerals (loco only, never tender) light yellow painted cabside number, and light "eau-de-nil" green "snail". I have seen many pictures of these locos over the years, and most would have "snails" on their tenders, but tenders could be swopped, and running with a plain tender would be possible. None were ever green. Six of the twenty lasted into the 1960s so a very late repaint in black is possible if you are modelling post 1958, say. However, I never saw a picture of one that was definitely black. Prior to that, they were all grey since the late 1910's. This became, even in CIE times, the "default" livery to the end, not black. Having said that, a combination of dirty oily rags and soot, as well a natural wear, tended to darken the grey so that in many photos it looks as good as black!

That really looks superb, David! As I said, I can't wait to see this beast finished! My parents were very familiar with it 1950-7....

Interesting! Looking forward to seeing progress!

I had one of those at one time. I don't know how accurate it is in comparison with the original, but it looked fine repainted as it would be here.

Absolutely, David. Over the years, many a model has appeared on various layouts of the 80 class, and until the spectacularly excellent examples seen in recent months on IRM looked at all convincing - and as for AEC's! Your own stuff is top notch as we all can see. I know from my own experience trying to make an AEC car many years ago, it was an absolute and total mess and ended up in the only suitable place for it - the bin! The SLNCR railcar would have a slight curve on the front rather than a flat front... but I have great faith in your finished product - it will be a worthy addition to your layout.

Amazing as always!

I don't think it was ever publicly accessible, certainly not for a very long time.

The curve below window level on the front is very slight, presumably? (Looking at drawings and photos of real thing)...

Didn't know that, Hunslet - I live and learn! Thanks. I had only ever seen the full tan band, and somebody told me years ago none of them ever had tan at all! The only ones I ever saw myself were all black, but the "tanned" versions were generally earlier anyway. My first sighting of one was probably about 1971.

I think they were property of oil companies at one stage anyway.

Folks I have a large collection of the RM dating from 1920s onwards, full set until early 70s, and a few on into the 80s. Any reasonable offer considered, and I can deliver in the greater Belfast or greater Dublin area. PM me if interested.