Lough Swilly 4-8-0

[airfixfan]

Went to see this awesome 7 and a quarter inch live steam model last Sunday. Simply stunning!

[airfixfan]

Some new photos of these incredible locos in my new book The Lough Swilly Remembered. Published by the Donegal Railway Heritage Centre will all monies raised supporting our preservation work. Book is 64 pages and costs 11£ or 13€ plus P and P, you can order from donegalrailway.com

[airfixfan]

David book.now available from the RPSI website as well

[Killian Keane]

 

[Galteemore]

That is truly magnificent 

[jhb171achill]

An engineering beauty; albeit completely the wrong livery..... nothing remotely close to the colour it had in real life.

 

(I just had to add that, didn't I!)

[airfixfan]

The staff at that miniature railway told me it is too powerful to use in regular service! Has to be seen to be believed

[jhb171achill]

10 minutes ago, airfixfan said:

The staff at that miniature railway told me it is too powerful to use in regular service! Has to be seen to be believed

I could well believe it. It's a monster! That is some serious feat of miniature* engineering genius (* well, not so "miniature"!).

Is it privately owned or will it operate on some public line like Fairbourne?

[Galteemore]

High Legh (yes, no letter ‘I’) miniature railway in Cheshire 

[minister_for_hardship]

1 hour ago, jhb171achill said:

An engineering beauty; albeit completely the wrong livery..... nothing remotely close to the colour it had in real life.

 

(I just had to add that, didn't I!)

The original green was a lot darker, was it?

[Galteemore]

A very rich dark green with gold lining. Swilly engines were also spotlessly clean as a rule, so they looked quite majestic. @airfixfanmay have some quality pics - this is just a screen grab.

Edited November 20, 2021 by Galteemore

[jhb171achill]

16 minutes ago, minister_for_hardship said:

The original green was a lot darker, was it?

Yes, indeed, it was extremely dark. It is quite likely that it was something similar to what the Harbour Commissioners had in Derry, and may today be seen (original paint) on the LPHC shunter No. 1 in Cultra.

Even Fry's model has it wrong.... though livery errors on Fry's models are very few indeed and might - where they exist - be due to unavailability of the right shade when he was making a model......

[Andy Cundick]

 The original loco livery was Pea green similar to the LSWR,the comment in the Railway Magazine article on the line in the November 1899 issue describes  his first view of the Swilly as looking like Waterloo due to the similarity in the engine and coach liveries,it would seem that the livery changed to black lined red during the Great war and the familiar dark green appears in the mid to late 30's. The article in the IRRS Journal No 21 Autumn 1957 comes up with similar information,hope this helps Andy.

[jhb171achill]

34 minutes ago, Andy Cundick said:

 The original loco livery was Pea green similar to the LSWR,the comment in the Railway Magazine article on the line in the November 1899 issue describes  his first view of the Swilly as looking like Waterloo due to the similarity in the engine and coach liveries,it would seem that the livery changed to black lined red during the Great war and the familiar dark green appears in the mid to late 30's. The article in the IRRS Journal No 21 Autumn 1957 comes up with similar information,hope this helps Andy.

My impression was that the darker green was on the tender engines from the start (or possibly black?) - but from your info, Andy, that makes the lighter shade possible indeed. It's possible they got dirty - the earliest pics I've seen of them certainly isn't a light colour, but maybe it's under the gunk!

[StevieB]

Absolutely stunning.

Stephen

[Galteemore]

Patterson’s Swilly book shows a lighter green in the cover painting. But I think for later years the darker colour is more accurate - and shows off the brass work nicely ! 

[Andy Cundick]

An article in one of the early Narrow Gauge magazines has a piece on the 480's by  Ronald Redman who was the authority on Hudswell Clarke  who states that the final finish was "pea green" lined black and white with four coats of copal varnish,.Interestingly having checked the other Swilly album  it would seem that the dark green was applied later than i thought,The Railway Observer  for  December 1944 states that No'3,8,10,12 and 15 were in lined black whereas No6 was in green with yellow lining.Hope this helps Andy. 

[jhb171achill]

True, though paintings can't always be taken as the best guide...

Patterson's paintings in his CDR and C & L books are both incorrect - black boiler and dome on a Donegal loco in the former and brown carriages in the latter...

Either way, of course, that big 4.8.0 would look amazing if it was tartan and lime green with yellow spots, and burning blue lumps of coal with pink smoke....!

 

[Mayner]

Is she 15" rather than 7½" gauge?

Colour does not bother me the owner paid the money and made his or her choice.

Sounds (chuff) like a full sized rather than a miniature loco, would probably need a transporter to carry it rather than a car trailer, generous curves and adequate roadbed with decent ballast and track to run on.

[jhb171achill]

27 minutes ago, Mayner said:

Is she 15" rather than 7½" gauge?

Colour does not bother me the owner paid the money and made his or her choice.

Sounds (chuff) like a full sized rather than a miniature loco, would probably need a transporter to carry it rather than a car trailer, generous curves and adequate roadbed with decent ballast and track to run on.

I doubt you'd get that yoke on a car trailer, unless it had a 141 class engine in the car, right enough..... Could it be 10 1/4" gauge?

[airfixfan]

Catching up on this with some comments. This loco is built for 7 and a quarter inch. Took over 20 years to build and the owner passed away only months after completion.  The issue of colour of the Swilly engines is difficult. The notes of HS Irvine who lived in Derry in the last years have been useful. On the cover of my new Lough Swilly book I have used a colour painting with permission from Lord O'Neill showing both black and green liberties. Backtrack has just published ny article on the Swilly Pacific tanks with a stunning colour photo of Numbet 15 in the black livery from 1953!

[Mike 84C]

Airfixfan, I very much enjoyed your article on the Swilly Pacific tanks, in Backtrack, fresh photos,to me!, and info; I did'nt know. Sad its all history now even the lorrys and buses.

[jhb171achill]

The owner passed away? Sad - but at least he saw it finished.

Any idea what will become of this work of engineering excellence?

[airfixfan]

Thanks Mike for positive comments about my article on the 4-6-2Ts of the Lough Swillynin the latest Backtrack. The model.of No 12 is based on the High Legh Railway in Knutsford. The owner only passed away earlier this year and the future was still.uncertain when I visited this line in September 2021

[Galteemore]

Just imagining a 7.25 line through the Barnesmore Gap…..interestingly, the Bure Valley line in England - 15” gauge - has a loco which was once of Donegal outline -see below - but had to be rebuilt, one reason being the cab was too cramped. The rebuild was done in Leek and Manifold style.

Edited November 22, 2021 by Galteemore