jhb171achill

I have to say I'm fascinated at the continuing development of this highly unusual layout, of a very interesting and unusual prototype. Excellent stuff, superb model, well done!

Pity it didn't survive. In any event, it would make a fantastic basis for a layout!

And to go back to the original subject matter, the key for accuracy in putting together a train in pre 1970 times, irrespective of what engine was pulling it - would be the fact that rarely if ever did you get a train made of a rake of carriages all the one type. variety is the key; only in post-1970 NIR Mk 2 times, or CIE AC Mk 2 times did the spectacle of a whole train of the same coach type grace the rails. Even Cravens, during the 1960s and 70s, were not in sets of same; they were interspersed with the last few Bredins, laminates (of various types) and Park Royals. They were to be seen with four and six wheeled "tin vans", BR vans and Dutch vans also.

Don't worry, Broithe: I'm fully clothed...... and, as for internal combustion, don't forget the County Donegal's railcar no. 1, of 1906 vintage!

"The Ironroad Eireann Co. Persons applying graffiti to any edifice, locomotive engine, passenger carriage or goods wagon belonging to the Company are hereby warned that the penalty for all such offences or outrages will be a minimum of ten years slow torture, followed by mandatory death penalty; this as a minimum. By order of the Management"

Or, what / where were Ireland's first three internal combustion driven railcars?

Oh yes, heirflick. Here's one for you. What is the difference between a duck? Answer - one of its legs is both the same.... ;-)

While translink has the awful "train stations", IE has "customers", but seemingly no longer carries any "passengers"...... Don't start me on NIRs adding "8" to loco and railcar numbers, or IE adding 09 98 44533221.556 9 - 98 -3 to plain old "071"........ Well, I suppose it guards against 071 accidentally ending up on the Bucharest - Moscow commuter train.

Has that banana been to Newry? It looks well weathered...... ;-)

Guinness loco's were originally dark green, but all received the dark blue carried by the survivors at some stage, possibly immediately post war. Correct, the RPSI's No. 3 only acquired its name within its preservation era. The loco is currently being restored having spent many recent years as Whitehead shutter, and before that a spell on the DCDR. The reason that the brewery's loco's were originally green is probably the same as for Allmans in West Cork, i.e. this is what they were delivered in from the makers. Few breweries were concerned with adopting a formal corporate livery image for their locomotives, any more than a builder would repaint all his JCBs, tower cranes and wheelbarrows in his house colours. Look at the Derry Harbour Commissioners loco no. 1 in Cultra; it carries its original livery to this day. And it is different to that on its erstwhile stablemate, the RPSI's "R H Smyth".

Dix points to Minister for Hardship! It was owned by Allmans, then the GSR acquired it. They affixed a standard Inchicore number plate to it (299) but it retained its makers lined green - in very shabby state - right to the end. Good possibility for a dock shunting type of layout. I always thought a layout based on Albert Quay terminus would be fascinating!

Yip

Wow! Fantastic modelling, extremely atmospheric..... Now back to the holiday home in courttown harbour....!

Nope! Much smaller....

An afterthought. If you model late 40s, early 50s, interesting livery variations apply. While your loco would need to be dipped into a pot of grey paint, with only the buffer beams being picked out in scarlet / red, the carriages could include some older wooden ones still in faded and weathered GSR maroon livery. This faded to a reddish brown colour when combined with brake dust. Pristine maroon was gone by this stage. Pre 1955, all CIE coaches were the darker green, including the Bredins and the 1950/51 built CIE stock, which was to much the same pattern. Needless to say, in the scenarios painted in all 3 posts above, all wagons are all-over grey. No black, no brown! And goods brakes were ten years away from getting the yellow / black wasp stripes on the duckets.

...meant to add, re the * beside 800 class.... The GSR had one more green loco. Does anyone know what it was? It lasted in dirty state to CIE days.... It was a one-off which might make an interesting feature on a layout, after a heavy dose of Anthony's weathering, of course!

The good news, cg, is that just about anything goes - although a typical train would have had hardly any two coaches alike, a rake all of one type being inaccurate! Only one "Woolwich" was ever black, and it was painted thus for the Rosslare - Cork boat train. That's not to say it didn't turn up elsewhere... Probably it did. The black was short lived too. So my first assumption is you are modelling somewhere in the "deep south"! Others of the class, like all other loco's, were either lined CIE green (in a small number of cases) or the standard unlined battleship grey. If you model pre-mid-fifties, then everything bar the three 800 class* was grey, including all Woolwiches. So I assume your layout is based late 50s. So here goes. Your train will have a motley selection of brand new Park Royals and laminates in silver or lighter green if you're closer to 1960/1, but mostly old corridor GSWR stock, and more than a few Bredins. One feature will probably be one of the three clerestory coaches, possibly including the RPSI's twelve-wheeled 861, which was a brake tri-compo built as part of a set for the "Rosslare Express" in 1906. These older coaches will be in the darker green with the broad light green stripes above and below window level. A few horse boxes or a parcel van might bring up the rear, and somewhere there is likely to be a 6 wheel passenger brake or mail coach. Hope this helps.

Damn! I have had to change my plans! While the boys in blue are beating Cork on Sunday, I'll be in Kerry!!!!!!! Aaaarrrrghhhh But there ye go. I'll get a chance to see them lift the Liam.

Jedward; one manages each of two CIE subsidiaries. But which ones?

What is S gauge?

It's probably an Austin A35, possibly a hillman Imp.

Superb!

What about an IRM group meeting after the hurling on Sunday... Anyone going?

Can't argue with that, train model, but we ARE de boyznbloooooo! ;-)

Boys in blue for the double! (Hoping!)