jhb171achill

Once in a blue moon, especially towards the end when they looked shabbier than ever, you’d get a repaired door that was unpainted….. saw that once or twice…

OUTSTANDINGLY realistic! Exactly as they were, and I saw them almost daily.

This one…… history? Is it Irish?

That’s as good as anything. It certainly wasn’t brown, and the term used “golden brown” just doesn’t make sense. Nor was it pure orange, as such. It was an orange shade with a distinctly brownish tint, so “amber” or, unfortunately, “tan” were (and are) probably the most technically apt descriptions…..

First time I heard “black’n’tan” was in Kildare signal cabin about 1963, even though the term didn’t come into more widespread use until comparatively recent times. It was always known as “orange and black”. Only the IRRS, with its often oddly archaic internal vocabulary, and the old Irish Railway News, ever seemed to use the frankly inaccurate “black and BROWN” description. Anyway; I was with Senior, who knew the signalman, and they’re chatting away. It was a very hot summer day like today. A train sped through, an up Cork or Waterford, perhaps. The loco was a brand new 141, straight out of its Murphy models box. It had about 6 or 7 bogies and a tin van on, all green bar the very last one, which was newly repainted. Senior: “Is that one of the new engines!” Signalman: “Yes, you’ll see them a lot now” or something to that effect…. Train swishes past… Senior: “and they’re painting the carriages to match…” Signalman: “Yeah, ye’d think we’d seen the last o’the black’n’tans by now!” True story.

Spotted during shunting procedures on the day before All-Ireland semi-final day in 1973 at Dugort Harbour, A23R assembles a special train prior to a very early departure the following morning from West Kerry to Connolly Station. An Irish Freight Models Park Royal is behind the loco on the middle road, and a new IRM one sits at the platform. No issues on curves - although - I’ve two IFM ones and one bogie on one of them isn’t keen on one curve! All in all, the IRM one is truly a whole new level in excellence. Absolutely stunning model.

“So, ok, it’s the IFM one that came in with 2.30 yesterday. That’s the one behind the engine. The one on the RIGHT is the new IRM one, that came in this morning”. ”Ah - it’s very clean, must be just out of Inchicore?” ”No, it’s actually just arrived from China, believe it or not….” ”I suppose they’re both going back on the 8.30 in the morning?” ”Dunno - if that clown downstairs would stop faffin’ about on his computer and come up here and RUN SOME TRAINS, ye never know….” ”What’s a computer?”

It IS possible, yes, but I’d sway towards early CIE. One thing can be taken as certain, though; IF it’s old GSR numerals, and cuts a very big “if”, the coach will indeed be badly faded maroon. The coach numeral at the far end is CIE style too, again suggesting green.

The latest I’ve found evidence of, still operating and still in by now VERY badly faded GSR livery is about 1956/7 - one coach on the C & L; and an old bogie brake of some sort on the main line about 1951/2/3. This is in CIE green, but hasn’t seen a paintbrush for yonks. They’ve put new pale green later-era numerals on top of the badly faded predecessors. The faded numbers visible don’t have the elaborate gar style, so they’re early CIE eau-de-nil.

At different times the GSWR, GSR AND CIE used both versions!

That’s almost certainly what it is. It’s a conversion of a standard GSR cattle truck.

I kept you one. There's a pint on for you....

Much to think of there, folks. Mol, I'm intrigued by your 50ft coach; I would certainly take one of those etches if and when available from your supplier. Can I ask, will it be body on;y or will there be chassis, bogies, etc., with it?

I must say, I like that!

Bit like replacing the titanic with a rowing boat….

The Hunslets absolutely DID haul those! They also were (albeit very rarely) seen in ballast trains, and I saw one with at least 7, maybe 9(???) bogies en route to Portrush - NOT Mk 2s; STEAM (ex-NCC & GNR) bogies - about six - with three de-engined AEC / BUT cars at the rear. All were in NIR’s non-Mk2-coach livery of all-over maroon with a 3” grey waistline. 7, let alone 9 bogies behind one of those things was a serious load.

Those look extremely well, Darius.

I've seen that website and pics of models made up - they look very well indeed. I think it would be more carriages I'd be looking for. Some LMS types were similar to those of the NCC, of course.

Having arrived very late indeed to the party as far as brass is concerned, I see that manufacturers of this type of kit are becoming fewer and fewer, and those folks I've got to know in recent times who are old hands at this dark art tell me that they feel they're the last generation that will do such things, has me thinking. Worsley is packing up. They had a good range of Irish stuff. SSM have less available than they used to. Their Bredin thirds and composites seem to no longer be available - and just when the IRM 800 class is about to appear too! They'd have been ideal. There are an impressive number of manufacturers of brass kits over in Starmerland, but they are either too expensive or too complex for anyone but the experienced, or both. Plus, even there they seem to be thinning out. I found one website online - can't remember which - and it said they were taking no new orders and packing up due to retirement. Plus, in almost every case, the prototypes offered look no more like anything that ever ran in any corner of this island, than an ICR looks like the Lartigue. So - to the future. Many brassers that I know are already of the view that this medium is a dinosaur about to die out. I dunno, but simply to parrot-like repeat what they say, the feeling seems to be that 3D is absolutely the future, and indeed we've seen this medium going from completely unacceptably crude to very high-end in a very short few years. The future for 3D seems very much assured and when we see the excellent quality from the likes of CK Prints, who could argue that. So, my brass-ish thoughts. I spent a few evenings bumbling about on the internet to see what I could find. The answer was nothing whatsoever that even with considerable alteration and artistic licence would be the slightest use to any Irish modeller - other than the REMAINING Studio Scale kits, and this: https://mousa-models.co.uk/scales/4mm-scale/coaches/bck1671-4-nsr-family-saloon/?v=25400724d737 A very GSWR-esque design; would go well with SSM GSWR kits as a first class saloon, or with "Genesis" six-wheelers, as being a British prototype it would be the same "narrow gauge" width, as all things from that area. They do many other kits from the same era, but they are of Midland (England) prototypes, so they are far too long and have curved ends - not remotely like anything here. Personally I am not interested in attempting a locomotive. I won't live long enough to finish it at my rate of output. As for wagons, British wagon design has always been quite unlike any company here, with the exception of many standard OPEN wagons, and I suppose much modern container stuff. Even British Rail 1960s palvans weren't like ours. So I have therefore drawn a blank regarding wagon stock. With the superb output of Provincial / CK Prints, SSM, IFM and of course IRM, I don't think there's any point in pursuing wagons in brass, but as for carriages - I wonder does anyone know of any brass kit etch makers who produce anything that would suit any pre-CIE / UTA Irish company? And finally, any thoughts on getting etches MADE for some sort of prototype HERE? Doubtless the market would be minute, with a production run possibly of less than ten items. Can things like this be done? Thoughts?

I’ve warned them accordingly…..

Yes. I have pictures of this in the book. As well as the fact that had the line survived, the Gs were going anyway, another thing that ended that year in any case was cattle, and yet another was mixed trains. While right to the end, the timetable still officially showed services operating as mixed, in practice the midday goods did the job, usually with 616. By this stage, inward goods consisted typically of one or two vans mostly containing supplies for McInerney’s supermarket. In late autumn / early winter beet pulp too. Incoming general goods, beer, oil (in cans) fertiliser and all the other normal stuff had slowed to a tiny trickle. OUTWARD goods was virtually non-existent and has been for years, bar a few parcels in the guards van. Cattle traffic halved between the 1930s & 50s, then halved again by about 1963. After 1968 or 9 another steady drop. Passenger figures were usually single figures with one exception - daily school traffic Dunsandle - Loughrea and back. With cattle traffic finishing in 1974, the most optimistic pro-rail folks still couldn’t have made a case to retain the line. Moreover, the entire track would have needed to be ripped up and replaced, the ballast too, and even the lineside drainage.

Yes, an IRRS jaunt.

That pic is Fenit, not Foynes, and yes, the G611s (while delivered green) were repainted before turning a wheel and were always either black and white or orange, black and white in use.

True! That’s exactly as they looked in the weathered maroon!

* bodywork by jhbSeniorx2!! (also cars C & D of the Drumms) Woohoo!!!!! Yes!!!