Wooden carriages on CIÉ in the 1950-70 period

[jhb171achill]

I was asked recently by an esteemed fellow member of here about what older passenger rolling stock might be suitable (possibly with a 3D print in mind) for layouts set in the post-1955 period up to the present, and where they might have operated, and in what circumstances.

In the late 1940s CIÉ did a massive purge of older wooden stock, resulting in the elimination of most types beyond MGWR and GSWR standards. DSER stock, in particular, took a big hit - although the GSR had been drafting "foreign" stock into the DSER since the late 1920s - many MGWR six-wheelers on the Harcourt St line and GSWR main line types on the Amiens St - Wexford route.

By 1955, the Park Royals were appearing, and within the next few years a large amount of varying types of laminates and their derivitaves, rebuilt early 1950s stock, and tin vans by the squillion - the latter replacing older six-wheel passenger brakes in many places.

By 1960 and shortly afterwards, now many branch lines were closing.

All of this meant a sharp decline in the late 1950s in older stock, but very many still remained in use up to and following the end of steam in 1963, into the "black'n'tan" era, and on into the mid-1970s; the VERY last wooden stock, including one or two non-corridor types, appear to have been withdrawn in 1974, by now confimed to Dublin peak hour traffic and the odd Cork-Youghal excursion.

Six-wheelers which carried passengers were last seen in traffic in early 1963. However, several (I think six) six-wheeled full passenger brakes remained in traffic, the last couple ending up in black'n'tan (the only six-wheelers ever to do so) and surviving until 1968-70. All of these six or so were ex-GSWR types; one, as a convert to a brake first, is No. 69 preserved at Downpatrick.

Hardly any two of those which were in use in the mid to late 1950s were precisely identical, especially the bogies. There were many, many one-off alterations and rebuilds over the years. Some of these vehicles were seventy years old and more, and still in daily use. Therefore, on the face of it, where does one start when deciding what is a good "typical" model of an all-too-necessary WOODEN coach for a 1950s or 60s layout?

If we look at the different lines, and what was to be seen on them, we get a reasonable answer - MGWR six-wheeled 2nds and 3rds, and GSWR six-wheel passenger brakes; and in the world of bogies, GSWR side corridor composites and non-corridor 2nds and 3rds.

By the late 1950s, a typical branch set on many lines was a GSWR bogie as above, with a tin van or two (one LV, one HV) topping and tailing it; thus, the guard could switch ends at the terminus. The north & south Wexford branches, Kenmare, Valentia Harbour, the West Cork branch lines, Loughrea, Ballina, Ballinrobe and Ballaghaderreen often had a make-up like this. Before the railcars the West Cork main line often had a similar consist, albeit with an old MGWR bogie apparently resident for some time at Albert Quay also; this set tended to be two bogies and a van. On the main line, GSWR bogies, albeit corridor ones, were still commonplace amongst main line and secondary trains, in amongst Bredins, Park Royals, laminates and even Cravens in the 1960s. The Cork line also had quite a few old GSWR bogie and six-wheel mail vans - the bogie ones lasting well into the 1960s.

Few MGWR bogies seem to have made it into the diesel / black'n'tan era; there were a few, but GSWR stock ruled the roost in this category. On the other hand, MGWR types dominated in later days (up to 1963) amongst the passenger-carrying six-wheelers. These tended to run with ex-GSWR passenger brakes.

Thus, if typical wooden stock is sought after by modellers, inasmuch as anything could be termed "typical"; we must look at three types:

Up to 1963:  6-wheel MGWR 2nd & 3rd, 6-wheel GSWR passenger brake and GSWR bogie composite; all green.

1963-74:  One of two GSWR 6-wheel passenger brakes, GSWR bogie composite, both black'n'tan.

AS suggested, this is neither definitive nor absolute; there were a small few other types, but most wooden-bodied survivors tended to be of these types.