jhb171achill

Genuinely, that IS what will happen - it actually HAS to be what happens. And 50% as a bare minimum, I'm afraid, possibly added to by 50% of the planet becoming uninhabitable, through either being too hot and dry, too stormy, or submerged. In such a scenario, a 50% reduction in numbers would solve nothing - it would have to be a very great deal more. Gloomy and apocalypic as it sounds......... that's what nature does.

There's one pretty large elephant in the room, and that is the world population. Without doubt, fossil fuels are finite, and without doubt they pollute and add to global warming, which is real. Without doubt, it's better (if we can) to walk or cycle. Without doubt, it's better to grow our own food and not import. However, not all can do any of these things, no matter what Green parties in every country say. Public transport will cost so much that taxes will go up massively to support that alone - if it is provided with as comprehensive and frequent cover as people would need to replicate the life of travel freedom they already have. Battery powered cars are fine if you live on an island the size of ours, but travelling across America? Canada? Russia? Australia? Mainland Europe? No, just no. The tech is nowhere close to being good enough to enable the same flexibility that a petrol or diesel (or even hybrid) car gives us - and even if it was, the cost of these cars is beyond most people's budgets. I, for one, will never be able to afford one. So, governments subsidise the price of them to satisfy emissions targets - watch the tax bill go higher again. Also, the environmental as well as fiscal cost of making the batteries is huge - and LITHIUM is as finite as coal! The elephant in the room is this; while we can mitigate much of what we do, we cannot solve it entirely, and that is for one reason and one only. There are FAR TOO MANY PEOPLE on the planet. In 1700, the world's population ws 600 million. In 1900 it was 2 billion - over three tyimes as many in only two centuries - and there have been humans on the planet for tens of thousands of years. In 2000 it was 6 billion - three times THAT in just ONE hundred years. Today, just over 20 years later, it is almost 8 billion; or 30% more than only 20 years ago. Some predictions suggest that it will reach 10 billion within ten years. A population of that quantity of two-legged mammals on this planet is simply not sustainable, no matter what way we look at it or organise society. Just think about all of that. Exponential growth, thus exponential need for food and commodities - and FUEL. The food production methods - cattle emissions - is yet another driver of global warming as well as smoke from fuel. I'm sure there are others too. No, I've no solution, because I don't think there is one at this stage. Mother Nature will stage a "correction" at some stage - that's the way she works, and then we can whinge all we like. Sobering thoughts, as we tuck into our air-imported kiwi fruits for dessert.

It seems that the coaches at Ballycastle were never repainted into UTA livery, ending their days in unlined NCC maroon. Unlike the (British) LMS, secondary and narrow-gauge NCC coaches generally received neither lining nor LMS crests after about 1940. The Ballycastle stock, like some on the 5 fut 3, were plain maroon with dark grey roofs, with the letters "L M S" and "N C C" and the number, all in shaded gold, on the sides. Upholstery in those yokes was blue, I believe.

Year “S” Class 2.4.2T “R” Class 2.6.0T “P” Class 2.4.0T (IOM “Peveril” class) 1877 Grey area denotes period BEFORE the specific locomotive mentioned below was built. “The Bruiser” 1 Larger tanks 1878 4 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 5 1884 BNCR BNCR 68 BNCR BNCR 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 63 64 1890 1891 1892 69 70 M R N C C 1893 New boiler 1894 1895 1896 1897 110 111 109 104 105 1898 1899 New Boiler 1900 1901 1902 1903 MR NCC MR NCC 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 112 1909 113 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 103 1920 102 101 104 Withdrawn 1921 1922 1923 L M S ~ N C C LMS NCC 1924 1925 Livery Unknown Livery Unknown 1926 Lent B’Cast 1927 1928 Reb SOLD CVBT 1929 (No. 6) 1930 Reb No 1931 To “S2” 2.4.4.T Number 1932 | Carried 1933 | Scrapped 1934 | Withdrawn 1935 | 1936 | OOU 1937 | OOU 1938 | Scrapped 1939 | 41 (B’Cast) 1940 | 1941 | Livery Date change approximate 1942 | 42 1943 | Paper Mill 43 (B’Mena) 1944 | 1945 | ** ** 1946 Scrapped … … 1947 … Armoy Snow To B’Cast 1948 44 (B’Cast) … … 1949 U T A UTA U T A 1950 UTA Livery UTA Livery UTA Livery UTA Livery 1954 Scrapped 1954 Scrapped 1954 Scrapped 1954 Scrapped 1954 NCC Narrow gauge locomotives Livery key (background colour) Darker Green (at top): Ballymena & Larne Rly. Lined green Lighter Green (post-1884): BNCR extremely dark lined green Pink: NCC maroon, lined White: NCC black, unlined – approx. change 1941 White, 1950: UTA lined black Regarding the track, I think that perhaps the sleepers look to short and too narrow - but the massive advantages that you state in terms of using 00 scale track and chassis, etc., (also carriage bogies!) is a very compelling argument. The good news is that a lot of narrow gauge track wasn't in the prime of its life, and the sleepers were half-embedded into Mother earth, so the sleepers thing isn't really a big deal to me, and certainly passes the 2ft rule........ The above info may be of use. Livery details included, of course.

Very well done indeed! I can attest to the quality of Dempsey's weathering, as it is his by his fair hand that my Woolwichs, 00 Works J15s, 141s and "A"s were made work-weary, equally realistically. Regarding the cement wagons, yes, in real life they got a good coating of actual cement. One thing I do remember is that this seemed to get much worse with the passing years. In the latter-day "cream" livery (with either logo!), they were always absolutely filthy - so much so that sometimes they could have been painted tartan and pink for all the world knew. However, in the original standard wagon grey, and earlier days of the later orange, they were kept much cleaner.

Those would be CIE barges retained after normal trading ceased in 1960, for maintenance purposes. I remember seeing one of them at Baggot St Bridge years ago.

Next: the DCC-fitted Fintona horse!

Wow - that's some of the very best weathering I've ever seen!

Sorry, yes - other ads, certainly not his.

And another of Barry’s photos in “Rails Through the West” shows cattle being loaded from the up PASSENGER platform in Ennis about the same time. Cattle traffic finished finally in 1975. By 1976 most of the remaining cattle wagon fleet, some not even 20 years old, were in Cork goods yard awaiting scrapping.

Some dud stuff on there too - a supposed "antique" sign (modern forgery) and some sort of supposed "wagon plate"....not railway at all.

Yes, that ties in with what jhbSenior spoke of - seeing the shunting in Enniskillen in "early evening". Also, there's no way they'd have allowed cattle trains to get in the way of the evening commuter trains along the Lagan Valley. So anything heading to maysfields was probably very late evening, which for over half the year is in the dark. Hence less (or no!) photos.

Quite possibly Charlie Friel is the man to go to for pictures of cattle specials anywhere on the GNR. There WERE quite a few. Senior used to talk about busy cattle days in Enniskillen and Clones too, and I believe the Oldcastle branch had busy enough cattle traffic at times. As did the Banbridge lines.

Possibly - but still a dearth of photos! You think of all the "spotters" along the Lagan Valley, and all the pictures of all stations Lisburn - Belfast, and not a picture in sight. I remember seeing the remains of the cattle platform at Lisburn. I think someone told me one time that they would have "watered" the cattle there occasionally if the thing was running late........

That is OUTSTANDING!!

That’s looking amazing, Steve. You’ll be joint top of the Q with me when IRM bring out their AEC railcars!

You're absolutely right on the dearth of photos - maybe it was whatever time of day they went through places east of the bann, where people had cars and cameras! However, as jhbSenior would have attested, cattle wagons - mostly of older CIE (GSWR / MGWR) or Provincial GNR / SLNCR varieties, especially the latter - very definitely rattled over the derry Road and down the Lagan Valley; he saw the "Shipper" from his office on a daily basis. As I've posted here before, he was watching it shunting one evening in Enniskillen, and the loco hitched up to a Sligo Leitrim wagon. As it moved, off came the buffer beam of the wagon - it was in such a bad state. Unload the "beasts", find a GNR replacement, stare suspiciously at any other SLNCR wagon on the train, and away ye go.

Perfect branch line for a model!

I would also ask a question - what's the best type of varnish to be used for rivers, streams and puddles, which looks realistic enough and can be had in suitably small quantities for layout - I don't need a five gallon drum full of the stuff.

Yes, that's more like the lighter CIE green. The UTA green was much the same as the ahde used on the RPSI's Whitehead Mk 2s - in fact, that was done deliberately so, to look "UTA-esque" but with the RPSI's own style and colours of lining. If someone here knows the RAL number (or whatever it's called now) for that green, that's the one to go for. Maybe our IRM clleagues might know the reference number for that? The maroon is a slight bit light too, but nothing that a bit of (very prototypical!) weathering won't solve. I should have added, very dark grey roofs.

Brown for those, yes. I doubt if any ferts ever had black bogies - I think the last examples were gone when the black bogies appeared.

171? Almost certainly not….. 131, maybe.

Excellent!

A few items I’ve had for years, and which cost me a possible total of £15 all together, now in the process of conversion. I’ll comment on each individually. First, a rake of four coaches in 1950s green. The type of model will be well familiar to all here. I need to get some "wooden" stock for 1950s use. First, these are very definitely in the "two-foot-rule" category. The ones nearest and furtherst away from the camera are those old GWR brake thirds. These, provided a FLAT rather than clerestorey roof is fitted, are the closest resembling anything Irish - there were two Waterford, Limerick & Western brake thirds (Nos. 937 & 938) which were very like these indeed - except that they had one less compartment. The one nearest is in the pre-1955 dark green, deliberately matt to look worn. The furthest away one plus the two in the middle are in the 1955-62 lighter green, same as applied to A, C, G601 (not G611) and B101 class diesels. They need to be lined, and three of the coaches, having had their clerestorey roofs removed will need to have flat-curve roofs made. (That's in hand). Lining, of course, will be the double pale green lines, one above and one below the windows, on the leading coach, as per the older livery, with "snails" added. The other three, being the lighter green, will have just the single thin line, waist level. I am trying to put together a generic wooden rake to go with my six-wheelers when they arrive. The six-wheelers will work on the branch - these things above will have to do, along with a green K15 and a green Park Royal, for the main line train until or unless a credible GSWR bogie model is made by anyone. The nearest coach will be WLWR 937. Roof, snails and new wheels needed - the existing ones are coarse scale and bump along the sleepers. Next, this coach may keep its clerestorey roof, albeit with the glazing in this part painted or sheeted over. There were a few GSWR clerestorey types kicking about even into the early 1960s, but this design of vehicle which is Midland Railway (England) in origin, is not REMOTELY like any GSWR clerestorey type, but it does look the part; a temporary solution to a dearth of wooden bogie coaches. being a 1st / 3rd composite, it's the sort of thing that could have been found on a mixed train on a branch with just the one coach - 1950s branch lines which had dispensed with six wheelers often had a vehicle like this with a six-wheel full brake or six-wheel brake 3rd. If this thing didn't have these curved-in ends, which in Ireland were only to be found on a handful of WLWR stock and nothing else whatsoever, it would look a good bit more GSWR-ish. The above WLWR-esque vehicle in the dark green was actually one of the very, very few prototypes which did. A short break from carriages; picked this little low-sided wagon ages ago. Gawwd knows where I got it, but its a GWR wagon from Brexitland. However, repainted, but with the "G" of "G W" deliberately showing, it can be an GSR wagon with CIE's paint wearing off. A distressed looking "snail" and CIE number, and weathering, will make it look about right. Another of what will temporarily run on the Dugort Harbour local train, as a GSWR relic. Lining and snails to follow. It would look more realistically GSWR with a flat roof, but I think I'll leave that one. Can't do much about these pesky curved ends though without a lot of major surgery which really isn't worth it. This came with the others. With curved ends, it has to be assumed to be a WLWR vehicle, but that compant never had any vehicle at all close to ths design; however, beggars can't be choosers. It'll do for a while. Needs new wheels too. The darker green one. Lining above and below windows on this. Plus, of course, a roof. The lighter green one the same; this will be WLWR No. 938, the above one 937. They were built (as far as I recall) 1896 or so, and withdrawn in 1954 and 1955.

Interesting! Should be good!