jhb171achill

Locomotives With the exception of the three 800 class, all locomotives adopted the livery which the GSWR had used since about 1918; namely a very dark "battleship" grey which was spray painted over the entire locomotive, including the cab interior, motion, and between the frames, as if the engine had been driven through a sheep dip. The only relief was the red buffer beam, with ornate shaded number on it. Former GSWR engines were inherited like this, and continued thus, right into CIE days, and indeed all but a very few ended their days uncder CIE in grey. Locomotives from other companies were gradually treated the same, with numberplates being replaced usually by standard GSWR pattern ones (a few exceptions, e.g. ex-Cork, Blackrock & Passage narrow gauge engines transferred to the C & L). Old liveries such as the elaborately lined MGWR and WLWR ones, disappeared. The numberplates were often painted over, but occasionally had the raised rim and lettering / numerals picked out by sanding them down, i.e. bare metal, other times by painting them. Eye witnesses (several of whom I have known) noted this painting of numberplates was sometimes a lighter grey or a creamy colour (possibly off white), but more usually bare metal. Numberplate background was the same overall battleship grey. describe locos fresh out of the paint shop as having a slight bluish hue, something to be seen on RPSI No. 186 when very clean, or when initially painted thus at Whitehead. In use, after a while in traffic and many "cleanings" with oily rags, locos began to look much darker, almost black. A close look, though, showed they were not black. The three 800s were a lightish green, much lighter than the later green as seen on 800 in Cultra museum. It also had a distinct bluish tint, and the recently releasec scale model of it advertised on these boards has captured this perfectly. Lining was light yellow and black and number and name plates had edges and numerals polished, with dark blue backgrounds and red buffer beams. Bear in mind, incidentally, that 800 in Cultra has CIE green, but GSR markings, if ever photographing it for modelling purposes. GSR carriages initially continued the GSWR tradition of a very dark maroon, so dark it looked brownish; this was known as "crimson lake". The exact shade may be seen on ex-GSW coaches 836 and 1097 at Downpatrick; 836 also having accurate GSWR lining, crests and lettering. Coaches of other companies gradually got this colour as well, with GSR coats of arms and large "1", or "3" numerals on carriage doors to indicate class. Lining was gold. By the mid 1920s an experimental livery was tried on corridor coaches on the Cork line. This was a chocolate brown up to lower waist panel level, with cream above and grey roofs. The cream had a thin black line seperating it from the brown, and two black lines just above the window level, and just below cantrail. Crests and numerals were the same as before. This livery was gradually extended to more corridor and bogie coaches, but was never used on six wheel stock with the exception of a very small number of vans (probably treated thus for ioperating on Cork line, but one at least was photographed bringing up the rear of a branch line train in Mayo). Nor was it ever used on the narrow gauge, and many secondary bogie coaches remained in the dark lake colour. When the "steels" (the first steel sided coaches, often known as "Bredins") were intorduced in 1935, they were painted a much lighter shade of maroon, almost idenitical to that used by the LMS NCC / LMS in GB, all over. Again, the same numerals and crests were applied to the sides, and the lining was also like that of the LMS - a black line edged in yellow at waist level, and two thin yellow lines above windows and below cantrail. Some lowly branch line carriages, most narrow gauge stock, and things like horse boxes were unlined. A very small number of very old passenger carriages even then used as emergency accommodation only, has the letters "G S" instead of the crest, and no lining, same as on horse boxes. Newly painted brown and cream coaches were in evidence up to about 1933/4, but after the late 30s the new LMS style maroon spread to most stock, before the advent of the earlier CIE green livery after 1945. Inherited wagons were a mixed bag. The GSWR had painted its wagons dark grey or more usually, black, but companies like the DSER and MGWR used various shades of grey (yes, possibly even fifty shades of grey!). The GSWR had painted departmental stock a sand colour at one time, but this was discontinued. Gradually, a grey colour became standard across the board. The shade was darker than that later used by CIE, and probably very close again to LMS wagon grey. Narrow gauge wagons were also treated thus, though one interesting exception to the rule was that the Cavan & Leitrim had painted its ballast wagons yellow - just like a century later! The GSR continued this, using yellow 4 wheel open wagons with "G S" on the sides in smaller than usual letters. In common with most railway companies of the days, the owner's initials were prominent; large bold lettering "G S" was on the side of the wagons. The same size numbers were used on narrow gauge wagons, looking even bigger due to those wagon's small sizes. Stations, buildings and signal cabins had dark green paint round doors and frames, with cream used on upper panels or round window panes. Hope this helps.

Standard length for all GSWR horse boxes was 15ft6 or 16ft for all built prior to 1911 (9ft wheel base); 19ft length after that, with 12ft wheel base. Livery dark crimson lake initially, as on GSWR coach 836 at Downpatrick. The GSWR dimensions were fairly standard among other railway companies - all Irish horseboxes were short wheelbase / short length.

A pleasure Heirflick. I notice, looking at it again, the wagon has a painted departmental "A" series number 650A. The example shown in photos at the top of this post has a standard CIE wagon plate (and with a standard 5-digit number), but the above doesn't.... (unless there's a plate on the other side, or my eyesight is suffering from too many years of Guinness imbibing...!)

I should add that well into CIE days, little used vehicles best described at peripheral passenger stock (like horse boxes or very old secondary passenger brake vans) could be seen still in GSR maroon. By this stage it was badly faded and weatherd to become a browny salmony pink. There is a beautifully detailed layout somewhere of Dingle station - I am sure many here will have seen it at exhibitions - and the carriages on that are (accurately) reproduced like this, rather than in fresh maroon. That sort of colour, heavily weathered, would suit an old horse box operating in "green" CIE days too.

Yes, horse boxes were generally in passenger stock. In GSR days they were standard maroon, though without lining or crest; just shaded lettering "G S" and running number. In CIE days, plain dark green, without "eau-de-nil" lines, but with "flying snail" and number in that colour. Any lasting into black and tan era were never painted that colour, and indeed I doubt that even those that survived were used at all post-1962. One at least ended up in light wagon grey as a departmental vehicle; I saw it as such in Athlone about 1977. It had, by that stage, an orange surrounded "broken wheel" with white lettering. But it was not in use as a horse box by then. I saw another derelict somewhere in the mid 70s with flying snail on it and nothig else. It was in very badly faded green, impossible to tell whether it was pre-1955 darker brunswick green, or post-'55 lighter green as seen on RPSI (Dublin) and DCDR carriages of ex-CIE provenance. If you want to model a horsebox in traffic in a black'n'tan era layout, i would go for faded dark green with snails and numerals, no lining, heavily weathered chassis and roof of faded nondescript colour.

Anyone remembering them will recall livery details that differed from the norm. They were delivered (as seen above) with CIE roundels on the ends which were of slightly bigger diameter, and all white, instead of the usual one with a tan "broken wheel" surrounding white lettering. The shade of "tan" was also much browner than the norm. Against a set of Mk IIs the darker colour stood out. At first repainting they got the normal CIE standard of the day. Looking at the model above, the cabside numerals are all white. I can't remember myself whether this was the case after delivery, though I suspect they were shaded in black. (Runs to look up old pics!). An EXCELLENT looking model, worthy runner up to the 141s.

I didn't know there was a 7mm kit of a MGWR J26 - or did you build it? Either way it looks very good. Should you manage a visit to Downpatrick, you will be made welcome re checking over the SLNCR articulated railcar which is there.

The one in "Rails Through the West" was knocking about that part of the world carrying a digger in connection with the rebuilding of the R. Fergus bridge. I saw one somewhere about that time with a digger / JCB or something like that on it. Might have been in Limerick or else Inchicore, can't recall.

AAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Can ANYONE save us from what already seems light years of olympics, olympics and more olympics..........zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

I have to say, I never cease to be astounded at the quality of many modern scratch built layouts. This one leaves me speechless - that initial distant view of the station with the locos in it is fantastic. If this is a first effort....wow!! Words fail me - truly excellent.

W O WWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is amazing! I'm starting to gather funds already.... A D17, as Des men tions, would be a lovely addition too, as would (and yes, i'm biased) an "Achill Bogie" D16! That model of 800 is a credit to you Des - absolutely superb. Can't wait to see one running.

That looks spot on popeye..... Doubtless you've seen green G611 at the downs of patrick.... the handrails would be green also, though. There is anecdotal (but not photographic) evidence that G611 was delivered as you have her above, but repainted black before entering traffic. G612-7 were delivered in black. I am not sure whether they were just black and white, or black, tan and white at first, but during the next 15 years or so until they were all withdrawn, the seven members of the G611 class had both variations. The earlier three, G601-3, were delivered and ran in silver, then green as above - though at least one had the chassis green as well - possibly all three. Then they were painted black and white. None of these three ever had the tan on them.

That's got to be the best weathering jobs I've ever seen... the graffitie'd one makes me want to go out and find whoever is spraying them and tie him to the rails! And yet, it would look fantastic on any layout. Was there (I hope not!) a prototypical graffiti job as bad as that on a loco?

Yes, 186 was done by these morons. Disgusting.

Frank - about half, maybe just over half, were brown. Yes, the fitted / unfitted idea was the same here, though beware: from memory (open to correction),wagons started being fitted before the brown started, so it was possible (I am nearly sure) to get fitted grey ones. Those wagons left in grey by the early to mid 70s generally had CIE roundels, but there were more than a few faded "snails" about. Not so much on cattle trucks, though - more on standard covered "H" vans. Beware also the modellers (and preservationists!) frequent error of picking chassis and body ironwork out in black! This was standard on most British companies, but you will see from photos it was almost unknown in Ireland at any time, right up to the end. If you ever saw a newly painted grey, or brown, CIE wagon - just like today wheels, bogies, buffers and couplings - everything - is "sheep dipped" in the body colour, roof and all. Chassis would of course get discoloured a brownish colour by brake dust, while roofs turned darker due to wear and tear and loco exhausts. Roofs should almost always, and certainly always in later years, be the same as the body colour

W O W!!!!! that is amazingly realistic!

Excellent work - keep 'er lit!

Very realistic!

There was a similar type of book published a couple of years ago about the greater Dublin area. All in black and white, but some amazing and long-forgotten pics. Can't remember title, but it was in the RPSI book stock on the tour. Re the Midlands, anything's possible!

GSWR D14 (4.4.0), MGWR D16 (4.4.0), GSR B1a (800 class 4.6.0), CDR Class 5 (2.6.4T), GM 121 class. Ah, there's more. MGW J26 (0.6.0T), GNR(I) "S" Class 4.4.0, Tralee & Dingle Nos 1-3 (2.6.0T), Cavan and Leitrim 4.4.0T, DSER (RPSI!) 461, "Bandon Tank" 4.6.0T, Isle of Man 2.4.0 tank locos, and my all-time favourite loco, an Indonesian 3ft 6in gauge "B50" class 2.4.0T, a wood-burning 2.4.0 tender looco, some examples of which survived in passenger traffic as late as 1987. Or an Indian Railways YP 4.6.2 metre gauge express passenger loco.

My recollection is also of a mixed bag, though in later years the vast majority seemed to have separate short ones.

This weekend, DCDR and Down Museum host "Railways At War" again, after a very successful pilot a couple of years ago. Courtesy of a DCDR member resident in Dublin, a "taxi service" will be provided for limited numbers in Dublin. You will b e picked up and left back to your door. The cost for the trip to Downpatrick plus an all-day ticket on the DCDR is €30. Numbers are very limited and this trip will only operate if every seat is filled. Please email jhb171@aol.com to express interest. Departure time will be finalised later. The trip will operate (subject to support) on Sunday 3rd June only. Modellers will be able to have access to non-operating rolling stock and locos through guided tours though inspection of operating locos / stock will only be possible from normal public platform positions. See ye there!

FrankS - the green used by British Railways on steam locos would be somewhat closer. SR green is a quite unique (though attractive) shade. But there vwere several definite versions of SR green - one more limey / yellowy, the other more like the BR. The pic of A2 above is somewhat lighter than the pre-55 green, and somewhat darker than the later; however this could be due to the vagaries of the internet. If it is called BR multiple unit green, that would indeed be the case. The darker CIE green can be seen on Loco 800 in the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum. That said, the pic of A2 above looks very well indeed and has been very well finished. At the end of the day, the only arbiter on what colour your models would be, is your good self; if it's right for you, then it's right! I wish you well with your endeavours.

The wagons referred to first were made from old long-wheelbase CIE flats. Only one of the carriages had an interior; the bodies were of little more than plywood but really looked the part. They were loosely modelled on what would have been running on railways out of London in the 1850s - the time and place the film was set. The BR-liveried carriages pictured in scenes of "Educating Rita" were done in Pearse (Westland Row) and are CIE "laminate" type carriages of the day. As mentioned above, they were painted on one side in water-soluble (and washable) paint; very convincingly too. The scenes in the "Quiet Man" are true gems, showing a GSWR "60 class" in steam, and showing carriages of varying GSW and MGW origin. The station paintwork, footbridge detail and painted stones round flower beds, as well as the grey paintwork on the loco and 1945-55 period darker CIE green livery are very accurately shown. This should all be of great interest to modellers. The only thing non-authentic is the "Castletown" station nameboard. As most here will know, the scenes were filmed at Ballyglunin, between Athenry and Tuam.

The flying snail lasted on some wagons (always grey) well into the 80's - I photo'd several in Ballina about then. CIE wagons were grey all over (note - NEVER black chassis / buffers / metalwork - a common mistake as British wagons had black in those places). Roofs were grey too - but got dirty. Vacuum braked stock started being painted (again, ALL OVER) brown in the early 70s, and as loose coupled stuff was withdrawn, everything surviving became brown, so that by the mid 70s after which loose coupled stock was withdrawn, brown became the norm. By the mid 80s, wagons only carried stencilled numbers and the application of CIE roundel logos was discontinued just before IR / IE took over - under their watch (post '87), no logo has been put on wagons. Exceptions were the initially blue Tara wagons, the dark green and white ammonia wagons, and the cement bubbles. The latter started in grey, then became orange, then cream with "Irish Cement" on them; latterly all over covering in cement obliterated any livery. All repaints of Taras were brown, until graffiti artists and dirt rendered them livery-less.