minister_for_hardship

Ah, I knew I wasn't doting....

Makes a refreshing change from the 'death of steam/early diesel' layout.

And ITL had a truely dire theme tune. I don't know how the late Ronny Drew kept a straight face singing that. I'll catch the new show on RTE Player, but I'll not expect miracles.

There's a kit for the MGWR 'E' already, but GSWR No 90 on a Terrier chassis maybe??

Cork City to Passage West (Cork City) Pretty much unchanged, some info display boards around Monkstown/Passage now and exercise machines around Rochestown. Nothing at all to indicate the start of the trail at the Cork end. Carrigaline - Crosshaven has been developed as a proper trail since (I think) Waterfall to Bandon (West Cork) One end of Gogginshill tunnel blocked off with site type fencing, presumably by landowner. Loo Bridge to Morley's Bridge (South Kerry) Loo Bridge now restored as private house after years of dereliction after previous life as a hostel. Glenbeigh to Valentia Harbour (Iveragh Peninsula) Girder bridge at Cahirciveen now fenced off at the town side at least, it was dicey to walk across anyway. Lower Camp to Glenagalt Summit (Dingle Peninsula) Kerry Co Council to develop a bike/walk trail along Dingle road, not on the T&DLR formation though. Tralee to Fenit now being cleared by Kerry Co. Co. as a new trail.

I grown to like the blue, but the lower panel lining with 19th cent scalloped corners doesn't suit a 1960's design IMO.

The uk has more, a lot more, greater population density of scobes. The Middleton seems to have stuff nicked, vandal attacks and break-ins on a nearly monthly basis. I don't know why they don't just call it a day and move.

Esp. over one of Hornby's fuglier creations. Ugh.

1:1 scale bridge portal for sale. http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/buildingmaterials/4118810

The round discs are very much a rarity now. They tended to be enamelled (like an old enamel sign) rather than alum. sheet like the square discs(!) so prob some old ones were still hanging around in stores. I know of ex BR stuff that was used over here, like a LNER marked signal lamp being used in an Irish lamp shed. Round disc may be BR(W), there's a blue tinge to the green glass you don't usually see here.

'Are you a train spotter?' *sigh* It's like saying "Are you a badge-wearing, number-taking, camera toting, anorak clad freak with no mates?"

To get around this, ebay lets you put in alternative addresses. If you have a mate in the uk, use his/her address (with permission!) and make it the 'primary' mailing address. Arrange to get the person to post it onto you or pick it up when visiting. Just make sure to put your primary address back to Irl when you go bidding on other things. Alternatively, contact the seller well ahead of end and they may change the postage settings if you ask nicely. Be warned, I had a Q kits 'A' and it was as rough as a badger's ar*e.

Tell them, "lads, it's a waste of time"...and..."Buy GM" as a parting shot.

I did hear of one Cork-based enthusiast offering to buy a Bandon Tank off CIE but it got scrapped anyway. The W&TR Fairbairn was a great loss, seen pics post-derailment just a dome knocked off and minor-ish damage. Didn't seem justified to scrap it, the GSR were said to be toying with the idea of preserving it.

Would there have been much worthwhile to save that wouldn't need major rebuilding? Ex CIE locos were a kinda clapped out lot, compared to the nearly new BR Standards that got rescued from the scrapheap.

There was a Belfast scrapyard, the name escapes me, that cut up the Courtauld's Pecketts and had a miniature loco knocking around for years under a mountain of scrap until it was rescued. http://www.rhdr.org.uk/pages/04.html

What was the deal over this side of the water? Did CIE/UTA/NIR cut most of them up themselves or were there contractors involved? Were locos marooned after lifting in closed branches and ng lines sold to the local scrappie or were they lugged all the way back to Inchicore for disposal? Read somewhere that a number of old locos ended up in Spanish blast furnaces, CIE not being allowed export them as scrap described them as being working locos to get around this.

The spectacle plate on the small arm is of an older GSR/CIE pattern (timber arm with alum sheet bolted on) than that on the big arm (made entirely of aluminium, CIE/IR/IE era) Imagine making the red section bigger would be erring on the side of *ahem* caution.

You departed his conical-bore, tenor-voiced brass instrument?

+1. I think it was the Sydney Olympics that the spoof mascot (Fatso the Fatar*ed Wombat) was more popular than the official Mascots. Getting back to Hornby, I never did understand why they churned out models of fairly esoteric stuff (the Holden tank and others) with poor detailing and scale speed 100mph motors that hardly changed in decades. Surely there's a huge gap in the market for a Peckett tank or similar popular industrial designs.

Check out 02:34. Reeling In The Years 1967

+1 People still don't get it. I'm sorry but stock like this really does need to be undercover. Otherwise it's like a few other half-assed projects dotted around the country.

scroll down for the 'Pony Express'! http://www.dublin.ie/forums/showthread.php?5372-Old-Photos-Of-Dublin/page1594