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Steam still ruled the roost on fair days anyway at Dugort Harbour in 1960…..

. This is what it looks like at present. At the very least, it will get a dark grey roof.

Back to 1947, and sure you never know what carriages will turn up on market day in remote areas…. Both of these are off-the-shelf. The one on the left, now repainted 1950s CIE green, but as yet unlined and numbered, is sufficiently GSWR-esque to grace a layout which is supposed to be somwehere in West Kerry. I toyed with removing the clerestorey roof and putting a conventional one on it, but it was more trouble than it was worth - these things are really only a stop-gap until (sez he hopefully) some suitably Irish models appear - either completed kits or bought items. The original model was LMS, with the lining and panelling PRINTED on, so once repainted the sides are smooth. However, CIE actually DID do this to many old coaches in the early 1950s. Old beading disappeared under steel or aluminium sheeting, so such a transformationj is entirely plausible. The coach on the right is a SECR rebuilt 48ft vehicle, common at one time in the south of England, and again a common off-the-shelf model. With poor eyesight, poor light, and a 7-ft rule, it's just about acceptable as a 1915-25 era MGWR bogie, given the roof profile and windows. The brake van ducket, however, is no more MGWR than Sir Jeffrey Donaldson's right foot is, so that will have to be covered over by a "proper" one. That's if I see it as being worth the while - maybe I'll just leave it. This coach is in a British maroon livery right now, and would look a lot better if repainted in CIE green - or even black'n'tan, as a handful of MGWR bogies were repainted thus in their very last few years about 1963-5. However, the windows are hard to get out for repainting - I had not anticipated this - so another possibility is to leave it maroon, and weather it within an inch of its life to represent a vehicle in the early 50s still one of the very last with dilapidated GSR livery, for when I'm operating with an all-steam roster. The 1945-early 50s period would have still seen the odd maroon vehicle mixed in with CIE green, just as the 1960s saw CIE green lasting in decreasing numbers into the "black'n'tan" era. For now, a black and white image does the trick.

Thank you, much appreciated. Once the backscenes are proper ones, rather than creased bits of paper, it will improve that aspect of it! I'm hoping to get a good bit more scenic work done tomorrow on the non-sceneried area of the layout.

Market day, so an extra coach on the passenger train tonight, here hurrying away from Dugort Harbour behind B165. Well, “tonight” in 1965, that is.

Need to remove the smoke deflectors - other than that, weather it like mad and away ye go!

They’re absent from my 1924 GSWR diagram book, though they apparently lasted (in some form or other) Neil 1933. There was a bit of a purge of all sorts of very old or redundant stock during 1932/3.

Ah - was barking up the wrong tree. It's not a WCIR one that I'm thinking of. No, no pic....... but I'll keep my eyes open.

I'm looking to see if I can find a WCIR carriage in a photo..... if I can I'll post it here.

Again, pages come out the wrong way = middle image should be below the lower one.

Look at that SKY in Killybegs!!! Typical Donegal weather......... same as the day Airfixfan and myself shut ourselves in the NCC coach at the Donegal Railway Heritage Centre to sift through thousands of photos for his recent CDR book...... and yes, I DID get a Donegal drowning after I'd left......

Your wish is my command….. Don't ask me why the pages post in the wrong order - anyone know? I took them in the RIGHT order!

If you need access to any IRRS Journals, I have a complete collection going back to 1946. If someone can tell me what date the article referred to above was included, I will fish it out and send it to you. With Mayner's 52 class, perhaps some time between 1900 & 1910 might be a better start? I suspect there may be more stuff released in the not-too-distant future which might also be of use. Also, if there's any chance you can get hold of a 00 Works J15 (all sold out, like hen's teeth), then grab one!

I saw one in Limerick in 1976 or 77.

OK, from my records, W&CIR liveries were as follows: LOCOMOTIVES Several liveries are recorded, but the dates when they were introduced and replaced are not recorded. The W&CI became part of the GSWR in 1896, so GSWR liveries are the norm after that, then GSR, finally CIE. 1. Very dark green, probably a shade darker than Brunswick green, brown frames, black and light green lining. It is possible that it was a dark olive green. This appears to be the earliest recorded, but is so similar to contemporary GSWR loco livery that it might actually BE that; in which case the very first W&CI livery is lost to time. Many, if not most, early locomotives on most lines with most companies were however some sort of green livery, or occasionally dark red or brown. 2. Following GSWR takeover, by 1899 the basic livery was the same but the lining was different. The green parts had black and light green lining with another red line on the cab and on the tender. The brown frames had a black border and red lining. 3. Perhaps concurrently with this, some GSWR locos had, again, the same livery but with cream and black lining. 4. Further lining variations seem to have been tried out, with some locos as late as 1902 having the green livery but with light green and black lining again. 5. After GSWR takeover, from around 1901 the green livery started being replaced by all over black lined in red until around 1915-18, after which plain unlined grey (under GSWR, GSR & CIE) until the line closed. COACHING STOCK It is possible that these were at first a dark blue colour, as this is recorded at an unspecified date. Gold lettering and dark red lining was added. However, at some stage early on the GSWR style of livery was adopted, in the form of an extremely dark maroon-brown colour known as "crimson lake" - which in traffic looked almost black - in reality and joking aside, like the VERY dark red of Guinness! Lining was red and gold. In GSR days this livery continued, albeit with GSR markings instead of GSWR; but in 1933 a much lighter maroon, akin to that of the (British) LMS, and (here) the NCC and BCDR, became the norm, with simplified lining. This would persist to 1945, when any carriages which threaded their way through the weeds into Mountmellick would now be in CIE green. GOODS STOCK Wagons were reported as being a very dark slate grey, much darker than grey shades used on such vehicles a few decades later. Once the GSWR took over, wagons were often painted black in the very early years of the 20th century, but reverted to a dark slate grey with "G S W R" and the number on them later. By 1925 they were "standard" wagon grey, which remained the case until almost the end of the life of the line, though lighter shades appeared by then. Lettering was white. In W&CIR days, wagon ironwork was initially picked out in black, but the GSWR abandoned this and wagons were plain grey soon after they took over. The W&CIR crest which appeared on the sides of the carriages had the company name in a garter surrounding the arms of Waterford & Kilkenny. In terms of Cyril Fry's models, he did not make any from this line. However, he did do models of other early railways, notably the Dublin & Kingstown, Dundalk & Drogheda, Waterford & Tramore, and Ulster. Design-wise, you might like to take a run into Malahide Model Railway Museum and have a poke about there - if you tip me off as to when you're coming I can meet you there and get some of them ready for you to take pictures of.

Flying Snail, you are very welcome here indeed. It is an absolute pleasure to hear of yet another modeller tackling the earlier world of the railways. Yes, the W&CI is a fascinating subject matter. In terms of deciding on Mountmellick or Abbeyleix, both of which are excellent ideas, I suppose the main consideration here is whether you want a terminus station or a through station. The former will mean Mountmellick is better, the latter Abbeyleix. I have timetables going back to 1926 for these places, and a few odd ones from earlier, if that's any use. In terms of rolling stock and wagons, I'm not sure what i might have - probably not very much, though I may be able to dig up some livery details. However, I will do a bit of diggin about and see if I can find anything. Early wagons are likely to be much the same as early GSWR ones. If you are indeed going for a later era, the GSR period before passenger services ended at Mountmellick will give you a much wider amount of fodder.

Only if it's steam powered and 5' 3" gauge...........

Z, N, TT, H0 00, O, gauges 1, 2 & 3; 009, H0m, 10 1/4 inch gauge - all will be options. And I'm still thinking it's the DUTC tow-car or "Dick" of Fintona.

Here's today's contribution: I think I posted the top two somewhere before, but for completeness, they are included here too.

Ireland’s smallest passenger coach, 3ft gauge No. 6, of the Bessbrook & Newry Tramway. The body survived as a summerhouse in a convent, and is now at RPSI Whitehead. Fry caught it too….. Officially a “brake van”, in reality it was a passenger-carrying vehicle with a handbrake.

Very best wishes for recovery, Ken, and we look forward to seeing the further fruits of your labours!

SSM have other kits too, e.g. a Bandon Tank, 800, and some GNR types.

This one is a complete scratchbuild, and a top class one at that.

Having been party to the amazing body of research conducted painstakingly by GNRI1959 in order to produce this book, I will very thoroughly recommend it to all here.

Light engine today……