jhb171achill

Yes, she certainly did.......... GNR locos never had plates - always gold-leaf transfers of numbers (like the lettering and crests).

What timetables has he?

Absolute poetry in motion. I love the weather-worn look on the coach No. 4..... What overall length is that?

Nice!

The idea that there was a fair bit of experimenting in colours isn't actually correct; aged weathering, and the same paint in some cases on timber, others on sheet board, and others on metal surfaces, gave that impression. As you say, though, on the West Cork system there were some vehicles painted in a sort of "secondary stock" paint scheme. This was the standard dark green, still used on station buildings, road vahicles and buses until 1963; but without any lining. In some cases no snails either. While it was indeed to be seen in West Cork, it was also seen on the Cavan & Leitrim (the "bus-coach") and even more so the West Clare, where by the end every vehicle on that line was variously in the standard light green or the standard dark - in neither case with any lining at all, and few with "snails". Some secondary wooden bogies and a few six-wheelers got the unlined "secondary" dark green too, on the main system. I'm unaware of any diesel other than "A"s ever getting a snail; if anyone finds a pic of a "C" thus adorned I'd be interested to see it. Just about every model "G" seems to have a snail; in reality not one ever did. You're right about the railcars. They were introduced before the lighter green ever appeared, so would have had the dark colour, but from the outset only had the thin waistline lining, not the full version. After '55, they were gradually repainted the lighter green. One at least - and this was a one-off - had UTA-style yellow and black stripes, but on the front of the roof, rather than below the cab windows as the UTA would have a few years later. And this railcar certainly worked in West Cork.

The light blue was almost certainly a primer, and anything brownish could be weathered / dirty red lead as an anti-rust treatment.

Ah! The long awaited Connemara greenway awakes!

Indeed; Kingsbridge brass would have had kittens if they knew, as the instructions were - rightly of course - VERY strict! As per your variations, I've seen pics of a single loose-coupled wagon stuck on the back of an AEC set on the Kerry road, and similar elsewhere. Naturally, of course, all of the above were very much the exception rather than the rule, but they did happen. Normal was loco, coaches, unfitted wagons, van. I'd say in GSWR / MGWR days, this was always the case. The old companies were extremely strict.

Superb! It's amazing what you can get into 4ft x 2ft. Just what I'll need in a few years to get jhbGrandson interested...............................

That is a lovely little set-up. Is there a traverser at one end?

They most certainly WERE knowledgable, indeed! And yes, this is to me the responsibility of the historian, and the antithesis of it is lazy or inaccurate recording of detail. While to many it doesn't matter a jot, if an engineer took that view then no locomotive could ever have been preserved in operational order...... the historian MUST get the details precisely right; once the job's done, those who want to use that info can, and those who don't need not do so........ Hence my own incessant whinging about wrong liveries on real-life preserved things*, or inaccurate dates about building, withdrawal, the dates lines opened and closed, etc etc etc etc...........yup, serially boring to many, but to a FEW it's vital to have....! (* In Ireland, a big majority of things preserved are not correct livery-wise; some just in detail, others in their absolute entirety). This includes the "big three"; RPSI, DCDR & Cultra..........

The first two, RPSI; other three ITG, of which 146 is operational at Downpatrick. Someone mooning at it?

I never had the privilege of meeting Fry, though friends of mine did, but I toured India with James Boyd in the 1970s. Fascinating and very knowledgable character, with whom I got on very well (especially when the Tralee & Dingle or Isle of Man Railways were the subject of discussion), but I was aware that both he and Fry each in their own way were very prickly characters indeed - who couldn't stand each other. Drew Donaldson could be a bit that way too, and the very fact that he was friendly with Fry wouldn't have elevated him much in Boyd's opinion! Don't we love our railway enthusiast colleagues who are as eccentric as just about anyone on the planet......................................! .....and as we know, there's NO shortage of them today either........

Was thinking that even as I typed it! A bit too fiddly for my eyesight, though - he'll have to just whinge about me to the two eejits who are always on the platform............! There's another thing; I have yet to start the station building at Dugort Harbour, which will be of the Kenmare / West Cork / Valencia school of corrugated iron sheeting architecture........... so those lads at Dugort, they must be out in all weathers right now........

I thought it did, when put down. But when I saw the cracks, I suspected that the cause, shrinkage, would inevitably have mde it becom detached, and it had. So I just lifted each piece, threw a pile of UHU glue down on the board, and set it back in place, and that worked. Once that was dry and set, I used more DAS clay to fill in the cracks, some of which were maybe 2mm wide. Once all of that was in place, and it looked as if it was solid for good, then I slapped that dark paint over it.

One of the scenic features I’m trying to create halfway between Dugort Harbour and Castletown West is a section of line like the Achill line, or large stretches of the Ballina branch or between Athenry & Ballinasloe; of course, many other places too! I got this bag of “turf” from some German supplier on fleabay, whose name escapes me. I have formed the sort of rectangular pit that can be seen in bogs where they’ve been digging it up. I used DAS clay for the entire topography, DEAD easy to just put into place with a rough surface which will be eventually covered in vegetation - scrawny short grass, weeds, the odd cowpat on firmer ground, an abandoned rusted Fordson tractor stuck in the bog and covered in brambles, etc. The whole thing when dried cracked in a number of places and shrunk slightly, so I had already filled the cracks in and painted it a dark “turfy” colour, semi-gloss to look wet. Left as it is, it doesn’t look at all right, but it was never intended to remain as it is. The “grit” is real, from the side of a boggy area on Achill Island. I just scattered it where it is now - loose - with the intention of spraying it with glue, but this might have been a mistake, as I’m concerned about it all getting sucked into a hoover when I scoop up stray fibres after grass is out down. If anyone has any thoughts on the right way to do this, I’m all ears. The VW vehicle is slightly weathered though could do with more. It will sit beside the bog, or on a nearby track, with a small figure (shown) apparently pitchforking turf into it. The figure is obviously a loco fireman in loco overalls; a little tweaking will fix this, to make him look like a rural gent. I will leave the inside of the turf hole as it is, to look damp, but with a few odds and ends of turf scattered inside it too.

I came all the way down to Castletown West one day in 1968, because someone told me at the start of April that the Steam Dreams will be going there. And what do I get - an oul local with a “yank” up front…..

It varied. For a time the NCC had something like this, as did the GNR, but no other railway did. If you travelled here in the 1970-76 period you'd see a mix of grey and brown wagons. This was simply an old and new livery; everything was grey until 1970, and brown started creeping in after that. By 1976 when the last loose-coupled goods trains were running (other than a few North Wall transfers which went on slighlty longer), about two thirds of the floeet was brown, but a good third still grey. It would not matter whether they were fitted or not. The very earliest fitted wagons were also grey, but most were introduced after 1970 so were brown when new - but because that was the livery, not because they were fitted. As an aside, amongst the grey ones, a very occasional one was still adorned by a flying snail rather then a roundel / broken wheel at the end (mid 70s).

Two green stripes wrong, in fact - the waistline one and the top one! The middle one - which IS accurate, should continue across the doors too...... The colours are correct for the older green livery. However, while there is a black and white photo in existence that appears to show the dark coliur, and with an upper green band, that was certainly not the case for the vast majority, which started their lives silver, with the lighter green livery later - or else were the lighter green when new.

I got a grass applicator the other day, so that scene will soon have scrawny turf bog type vegetation..........

Windows

Had a look at these - nice find indeed. However, I downloaded several just for the craic, but seem to be unable to open them. Any thoughts?

I'd be hoping that just about everyone would have "differences" with that person! ...wonder how he would have fared travelling to Doonbeg on a CIE Gardner / Walker railcar............

Much appreciated, Noel - it looks superb and is a credit to you. I showed pictures of it to Barry Carse too and he was suitably impressed. You've succeeded doing what I initially intended for Dugort Harbour - to have it at exhibitions - but that one is firmly ensconced now in my attic and won't be going anywhere unfortunately - at least until I'm carried out in a box! Love the passenger train with brand-new black'n'tan - but still a tatty oul "silver" van at the back! Must be 1963....................

And a 24XX dining car and tin vans and…..!