minister_for_hardship

8 hours ago, DiveController said:

Would love one (or three) in this livery! Would be great to have some stuff in GSR. I imagine most people (including me) would buy one of these regardless of their modeling era, some would buy all three (including myself) and those crazy enough might even buy and reminder with 803 and 804 (me-self included one again )

There is still a lot interest in pre grouping and BR steam across the pond but almost none in Irish pre-CIE despite the population disparity. Lack of model availability of course doesn’t help either. 

I think the interwar years are looked upon as a sort of golden age in the uk and kept alive in popular culture whereas here seen as "bad times" of economic and cultural stagnation, unemployment, emigration and best forgotten.

I think if you asked the average person they probably have never heard of the GSR, it having just about passed from living memory.

On 25/1/2024 at 12:16 AM, Horsetan said:

For extra authenticity, you'd need some of the modern buildings to show signs of mica damage....

Maybe flaking paint and streaks of green stuff down the walls? Maintenance seems to be an afterthought here with modern developments! One for the weatherers.

On 17/10/2023 at 10:51 PM, jhb171achill said:

 

Prior to the GSR, the Irish language and script style were studiously avoided by railway companies, whose directors would almost to a man been of the opinion that it dodn't matter.

Oddly enough, the GS&WR Clerkship examinations had an Irish exam, in that hard to read script. Granted it was about 1920 and perhaps the writing was on the wall (excuse pun) of the old regime at that point? If I recall, they did refuse to handle parcels with addresses written in Irish at an earlier stage.

Shame. It was good PR when turned out like that. Now it's just another grey loco.

28 minutes ago, Galteemore said:

There’s also a reason CIE effectively mothballed these locos fairly quickly. Irrespective of loading gauge, they are designed to do one thing and one thing only - haul heavy trains out of Cork and Dublin, and speed between those two places at pace. Swiss Army knife they are not. The other Irish main line express locos of the era - represented by 85 and 105 are far more versatile express locos and can get far more places = more viable for preservation.  Santa trains to Maynooth and back are not 800 class diagrams….Arguably, for far less cash, a new build of a GSWR 4-4-0 classic D19 or an MGWR 2-4-0 would be a better way of getting a southern speed queen on the rails. Having said that, I understand the fascination with 800, having glimpsed her first c 1976 in Witham St Museum - so big in that space you couldn’t really sense her beauty but only her sheer mass over all the other objects crammed in there. At least  in Cultra there’s space to see her properly. 

A 4-4-0 or 2-4-0 wouldn't have both pulling power and speed to have max bums on seats and not hold everything else up on a modern railway. Something like a go most anywhere, modestly sized new build 4-6-0, perhaps a version of the 400 or 500 class. The new build Mogul may be a good compromise.

11 hours ago, Horsetan said:

It goes with the longstanding culture of being able to extract something for almost nothing wherever possible.

The "wouldn't it be lovely if..." or "someone should do something" Facebook comments.

There are heaps of preservation projects up and down the country in dire need of funds and boots on the ground help. 800 is fine, it's not under threat, it's under cover and being looked after.

The difference between here and the US are more generous clearances and (again) the level of interest. 

The general public here, say on Santa trains, are maybe a faintly interested Daddy and a Mummy looking for a vaguely "old timey train" experience for the kiddiwinks with Santy. They couldn't care less if 800 or 131 or an 071 hauled it. Hell, one of those road train yokes going to a Santa village would do them just as well.

Apart from visiting enthusiasts mainly from uk, these are the people that help pay the bills and keep the heat on for the RPSI, not Irish enthusiasts.

It can be both.

There is a common misconception that the word Xmas stems from a secularizing tendency to de-emphasize the religious tradition from Christmas, by "taking the Christ out of Christmas"; nevertheless, the term's usage dates back to the 16th century, and corresponds to Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Church of England, and Episcopalian liturgical use of various forms of chi-rho monogram. In English, "X" was first used as a scribal abbreviation for "Christ" in 1100; "X'temmas" is attested in 1551, and "Xmas" in 1721.

The retina-burning old IRRS page, had forgotten that.

1 hour ago, bt_ie said:

Hi, We moved into a new house and started insulating the attic and came across this beauty. Base on the newspaper it was wrapped in its been up there since 1976.

I was hoping you all could help with:

A) telling me what it is exactly and what it was used for (Irish?)

B) recommend where I can get it restored with a view to putting it back into use (electrical rather than gas!).

https://imgur.com/4LreLoG
https://imgur.com/TykDqkF
https://imgur.com/3oYIkcS
https://imgur.com/kspvuKp

 

Not railway at all. It's for a horse drawn vehicle. Candles went into them.

11 minutes ago, Westcorkrailway said:

 

I was expecting many more A’s of the silverfox era to be for sale after they became essentially obsolete. 

There was a flurry of sales of Silverfox "A's" leading up to the launch of IRM's "A", no doubt there's still some out there. I have the black version I'll probably move on.

With new releases of mk2s, the Murphys Models ones may be sold off at reasonable prices. Likewise secondhand Silverfox A class should be picked up for a song now.

Another one for around the campfire.

https://www.dundalkdemocrat.ie/news/home/217954/the-local-ghost-train.html

https://www.newryjournal.co.uk/history/living-history/adavoyle-ambush/

On 30/10/2023 at 8:30 PM, Metrovik said:

What with Halloween being literally right round the corner, it struck me that I didn't know of any ghost stories about Irish railways unlike their British counterparts. Anyone know of any?

I'd say just the sheer density of their railways compared to us. And then there's the affinity British people have with their railways whereas here there is still a lingering notion  that they are a bit "foreign" in the landscape, a product of the invader. There are a few stories, local in nature so not as well known.

A bit late but still..happy listening.

2 hours ago, murphaph said:

But the packs with the flying snail description would be suitable for a layout based in say 1962?

I don't know where getting the flying snail/broken wheel logo bit from. I've never seen a pic of them carrying either of these logos.

15 hours ago, Killian Keane said:

You forgot the two holes drilled in these positions;

The spelling gaffe is proof the maker's first language is not English. The real railway back in the day would never allow signage intended for the public carry an error like that!

The actual text ran

"GS&WR

Notice

Any person leaving this gate open is liable to a penalty of forty shillings."

The holes are often staggered like that on the real notices, depends on what sort of gate they intended to affix it to.

Rather different use of the red flag over there! Here as far as I know, a red flag means "omg STOP!" in pretty much all circumstances.

17 hours ago, Westcorkrailway said:

Something very dodgy going on with Cork and Bandon signs 

 

The guy who “purchased” the last one now has one up for sale 

Multiple profiles?

It looks like something that got a quick roasting with a blowtorch and a spell in the garden.

12 hours ago, airfixfan said:

Will.be on Ebay soon!

Unfortunately, a lot of grounded rolling stock body owners in this country have unrealistic expectations of how much their treasures are worth!

So long as the metalwork is sound the plywood can always be replaced.

It's a little odd they didn't make a set of the light green ones.

Knobs, have heaps of wire.

Had put together a DC Kits G class some time ago and had gotten handrails for it, for the life of me I can't recall where.

Anyhow, I'm firing together the Silverfox G and am a little short with the leftover rails. Mark's don't stock them, would anyone have any spare or direct me to where I'd get more?

TIA.

11 hours ago, jhb171achill said:

Many thanks, Gabhal Luimnigh!

Dunno where she got the "expert" bit from!!!

I had actually forgotten about that interview.... it shows the model railway museum off nicely though; hopefully more visitors.

Serious point of course - people in general DO need to be more aware of their local, social and economic history - and the role of their local railway is a very important part of that - it's from where their Great Aunt emigrated in 1929 to go to  Melbourne, Manchester or Massachusets............. and if you get a young mind engaged, IRM and others will produce more models in 10, 20, 30 & 40 years' time!

I think people here have been more engaged with who shot at whom in the War of Independence (the WOI sequel still being spoken of in hushed tones) but social and economic history is getting more attention than lists of battles in recent years thankfully.

I've noticed otherwise professional historians producing articles and podcasts of excellent 19th/20th century material, but dropping terrible clangers when railways come into the story! Usually it's getting railway terminology and company names wrong.

Good looking locos, but according to the GSR reports, rather a lot of duds. Dated, sluggish runners and poor steamers in the ex MGWR stud.

G2 and J26 classes are probably the pick of the bunch in terms of usefulness and longevity, although both were tiny little things. Excluding the Woolwiches as not being an in-house design.