GVS and Adelaide lookalike

[heirflick]

Not much modelling been done lately,but,inspired by the above photo,I decided to recreate it on my own layout!

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]12006[/ATTACH]

 

superb Andy - as good as the real thing ...well done!

[josefstadt]

Lovely recreation!

[ttc0169]

Brilliant recreation there Andy....

[heirflick]

.........now all you have to do is recreate the recovery operation!

[Hunslet 102]

.........now all you have to do is recreate the recovery operation!

 

Thankfully Seamus the recovery operation swung into action very quickly and the photographer was still at the scene to record NIR DH locomotive No2 arriving wrong line with the NIR crane and its usual motley bunch of mixed wagons.The CIE crane has also just arrived to help at the scene behind CIE 141 locomotive No182.

 

 

At the real scene,both the NIR and CIE brakedown cranes attended the scene.

[Dunluce Castle]

Great recreation, well done.

[Hunslet 102]

The following photos show the changing face of both Northern Ireland and NIR in 1970.The first shows an army 'Pig' truck setting up a checkpoint,with the soldiers dispersing into their various positions.As was normal in everyday life in Belfast at the time,life goes on as normal and in the background a brand new Hunslet 101 Eagle can be seen beside a BUT railcar.

 

 

The next photo was taken from an army helicopter and shows a more panoramic view of the above scene,with the Hunslet pushing the Enterprise towards Great Victoria Street,passing the soon to be replaced BUT railcar.

 

 

The final photo has panned round to give a more frontal view of the Hunslet and BUT.

 

[patrick]

Its always a treat to see new photos of the layout. How did you model the roadways?

[Kirley]

History recreated in model form. The attention to detail on this layout jumps out at you. Everywhere you look you see small details that makes it so lifelike.

[Hunslet 102]

Its always a treat to see new photos of the layout. How did you model the roadways?

 

Thanks Patrick.The street roadway comes in a roll form made by Noch,you just peel of the backing paper and stick down in place.It is for European type roads with a white line down either side,I just plonked the houses on top of the white lines which made the road narrow and more like a typical Belfast street.

 

History recreated in model form. The attention to detail on this layout jumps out at you. Everywhere you look you see small details that makes it so lifelike.

 

Thanks Kieran.Not the type of history we would ever want to see again,apart from the Hunslets,but I am trying to recreate my own childhood memories,which despite the troubles,were happy ones.

[UP6936]

Hunslet, the roadway looks great, the whole street scene really conveys the look of a Belfast street convincingly

[Hunslet 102]

Hunslet, the roadway looks great, the whole street scene really conveys the look of a Belfast street convincingly

 

Thanks UP6936,I was born and bred in the terraced streets beside Adelaide station,the Metcalfe kits are very close to the typical Belfast terraced house.

[Hunslet 102]

Sometimes the 80s trains get a run out on the layout and below is one of those rare occasions.An 80 class railcar set in the new maroon/grey livery has just pulled into the station,while the Hunslet is heading to Belfast with the then more modern hoppers.

 

[Kirley]

Excellent as ever.

[BosKonay]

Looking brilliant as always:) Gorgeously evocative

[kevrail]

Really love the pics of other parts of the layout. GVS Station brings back memories of travelling to & from Dublin and I remember the customs at GCS Station. Keep the pics coming, another fantastic layout

[Hunslet 102]

Thanks for the comments guys!Been a while since my last update with not much work being done in the station area due to the building of a couple of railcar sets.The following photo's show the changing face of NIR from when it came into existence in 1968.

 

The first photo is from 45 years ago,in 1969,which shows AEC railcar 111 still in the UTA regional livery of blue/cream,a livery it carried to the end.Beside it is sister AEC railcar 112 in the UTA green livery,which she carried to about 1969,before being painted into the NIR maroon/grey livery.

 

 

The next photo shows 112 leaving GVSt,with the K15 and AEC railcar 116 in the NIR livery.

 

 

The next picture is a side view of the rest of 111s train,witha K15 in blue/cream livery and AEC 118 in NIR maroon/grey livery.

 

 

 

 

The final photo is an overall view of Great Victoria Street station in 1969,with CIE 141 loco in the foreground of platform 2 at the head of the CIE Enterprise comprising of cravens and laminate stock.The 2 railcar sets can be seen in platforms 3 and 4,while in platform 1,the recently arrived DH loco,3 of which were bought by NIR in 1969,is at the head of the NIR weedkilling train.

 

Edited July 20, 2014 by Hunslet 102

[Kirley]

Good to see you back posting Andy and your time away from the layout had been so productively spent. Great to see the 3 liveries together. How did you do the Railcars and what did you use to motorise them? Would love to see more pictures please.

[Hunslet 102]

Good to see you back posting Andy and your time away from the layout had been so productively spent. Great to see the 3 liveries together. How did you do the Railcars and what did you use to motorise them? Would love to see more pictures please.

 

Thanks Kieran,glad you like the railcars.I will try to get a few more photo's taken of them and post them up.All my railcar sets are powered by Lima pancake motors which I have found very reliable and have given me great service for many years.That said,my layout is small,DC controlled and all area's of the track are accessible by hand for track cleaning,which is essential for good pick-up and running of these motors.

I will PM you soon with details of how I done the railcars,but bear in mind they are not 100% accurate and certainly not for the rivet counters.Like my layout,my models are more like lookalike tributes rather than accurate replica's

[33lima]

Yes it's great to see the AECs brought back to life. Good to see somebody else had a go at the short-lived cream and sky blue, like it or not as a livery, it's a little-seen part of local railway history, now preserved in miniature - what it's all about, really. First class, and pun intended!!

[jhb171achill]

Couldn't agree more - that layout is very atmospheric - captures a rarely modelled prototype beautifully.

[Hunslet 102]

Thanks Ivor and John.It seemed to be a favourite pastime of both the UTA and NIR to paint their railcars in various liveries during their lifespan.I actually like the blue/cream livery,but the maroon/grey is still my all time favourite livery.

[jhb171achill]

Somewhere or other I have a slide of an AEC set in Lisburn in 1968 or 9 with one car in blue and cream (111, I think), one in green and one in maroon and grey. Must try and find it!

[Hunslet 102]

Somewhere or other I have a slide of an AEC set in Lisburn in 1968 or 9 with one car in blue and cream (111, I think), one in green and one in maroon and grey. Must try and find it!

 

John-you mentioned that slide on a previous post somewhere else on the forum,just cant remember where.Anyway,when you mentioned it and the date,68/69,I done some digging and found that all 3 colour schemes were still around at the start of the NIR era,which surprised me as I had assumed all the green liveried vehicles had been painted into the blue/cream livery.With that knowledge,I happily embarked on doing all 3 liveries all within my NIR framework period,so thanks for your initial input.

Would love to see that slide.

[Glenderg]

Top stuff as always Andy. I have to say that the NIR stuff was a mystery up until kirley got me into it, and I'm a little obsessed with the many variations of rolling stock and mad liveries especially from the times when being a gricer with camera round belfast may have attracted suspicion at least!

[33lima]

It seemed to be a favourite pastime of both the UTA and NIR to paint their railcars in various liveries during their lifespan.

 

Yes indeed, all the fun of the fair. I'm tempted to paint a complete MED set in the 1959 eau de nil colour, in memory of 'the Turquoise Train'* seen on the Bangor line for a season or two in the early 1960s, but I've never unravelled that mystery. Colm Flanagan's 'Diesel Dawn' has a colour pic of what's said to be the only MED car known painted in that light shade but it has cream or ivory uppers. I'm fairly convinced of what I saw - a complete railcar set in overall eau de nil, probably including at least one slam-door trailer. But I'm reluctant to take the plunge until photographic confirmation is unearthed, or someone else tells me, 'Yes, I saw the Turquoise Train, too!'

 

Funny enough I have no recollection at all of the c.1965 bright green and cream Bangor section livery carried by some MED sets but I do recall that elusive eau de nil one.

 

* The scene - on holiday in a rented bungalow, Carnalea, one balmy summer in the very early 1960s, watching the trains go by from down by the shoreline. 'Look at that train! What's THAT colour called, Daddy - turquoise, you said?'

[ttc0169]

Couldn't agree more - that layout is very atmospheric - captures a rarely modelled prototype beautifully.

 

Well said Jhb-I agree also.

[Hunslet 102]

Thanks Richie and Noel.Richie-the late 60s,70s and 80s on NIR threw up combinations of anything and everything and with me living beside Adelaide freight yard and the comings and goings of the CIE loco's and various freight that was around in those days,no wonder I spent most of my growing up days hanging around the railway all day,8 weeks of summer holidays well spent!Looking forward to seeing another addition to the layout that will bring back memories from that era.

 

Thanks must also go to Colin (River Roe) who gave me the UTA logo's for the green railcar-they set ther unit off well.

 

Ivor-dont ever remember an MED set in eau de nil,but then I struggle to remember the green diesels also!I will make some inquiries to try and throw some light on it.

Edited July 23, 2014 by Hunslet 102

[33lima]

Ivor-dont ever remember an MED set in eau de nil,but then I struggle to remember the green diesels also!I will make some inquiries to try and throw some light on it.

 

Cheers Andy. My distinct railcar memories start with the wasp-stripe era, tho I recall seeing an 'ivory' upper on a railcar with a corridor end leading as it negotiated the bridge at Bridge End just beyond Queen's Quay which must have been no later than about 1961-2. And some eau de nil stuff at Yok Road - and that elusive 'Turquiise Train'. I know many MPDs were turned out in that colour from new from about 1958-9 and wonder if one of those was tried out for a while on the Bangor line, tho they say there were only two MPD visits to Bangor and neither fit that period. But when no less than Richard Whitford doesn't remember the 'Turquiose Train' (I quizzed him in the mid 1990s) I begin to doubt my sanity...

[33lima]

Cheers Andy. My distinct railcar memories start with the wasp-stripe era, tho I recall seeing an 'ivory' upper on a railcar with a corridor end leading as it negotiated the bridge at Bridge End just beyond Queen's Quay which must have been no later than about 1961-2. And some eau de nil stuff at Yok Road - and that elusive 'Turquiise Train'. I know many MPDs were turned out in that colour from new from about 1958-9 and wonder if one of those was tried out for a while on the Bangor line, tho they say there were only two MPD visits to Bangor and neither fit that period. But when no less than Richard Whitford doesn't remember the 'Turquiose Train' (I quizzed him in the mid 1990s) I begin to doubt my sanity...

 

PS Richard kindly had me down to see his railcar slides when I was researching the MEDs and MPDs back in the early 1990s. He was quite happy for me to photograph the projected slides with my trusty Praktica BX-20, directly from the projection screen. I'm sure he won't mind my reproducing these GVS ones for a fellow enthusiast. Naturally these don't reflect the quality of the originals which are copyright, Richard Whitford. Moderators please delete if I'm doing anything unmentionable! Richard's pics are a wonderful source on those long-gone days, especially as regards the railcars at which many seemed to turn up their noses.

 

 

 

 

[jhb171achill]

Hunslet - yes, there was considerable variety. Bear in mind that within the period 1960-7, all of the following were to be seen:

 

- Standard UTA green with plain green ends (mostly GNR area)

 

- Above with part white on ends (mostly NCC)

 

- Above with yellow panel and "wasp" stripes - thus was a post-1962 replacement for both above, but didn't happen to all cars overnight!

 

- "Catherwood Blue" or actually light turquoise. Occasionally referred to nowadays as "eau-de-nil", but this description was more accurately given to the light green CIE used for lining their darker green pre-1955 carriage livery, their bus lining, and the colour of the "snails" on loco tenders.

 

 

- "sectional" liveries: there were SEVEN in just two or three years!!! The first: all over maroon, unlined, for main line loco hauled coaches, though very few ever wore it. The UTA crest was not carried.

 

- 2nd: lime green with narrow cream band across windowsill Bangor line

 

- 3rd: above with broader cream band

 

- 4th: above with red patch on the front

 

- 5th: NCC area maroon with broad light grey (NOT white or cream!) band across windows, for railcars as opposed to all-maroon loco hailed stock. These did not carry the UTA crest.

 

- 6th: GNR area "riviera blue" with narrow cream band across windows, no crest.

 

- 7th: same with broader band, no crest.

 

Once NIR came into being, main line coaches retained the maroon, but with the introduction of a 3 inch wide grey line below window level, and a strong smell of damp mustiness inside. Railcars all started being repainted in NIR's maroon and grey.

[Hunslet 102]

Great set of photo's Ivor,thanks for sharing and thanks also John for the detailed information for the colour schemes prior to the NIR maroon/grey era.Your info plus the photo's have confirmed what I thought I had done right on my models,that the blue/cream colour scheme did not carry any logo's.

[jhb171achill]

Again, Hunslet, absolutely superb job!

 

All you need is a drunk from across the road in the "Crown" being refused entry at the ticket barrier.....

[heirflick]

superb set of railcars Andy - fine job on the wasp stripes on the green liveried aec=D in the pic below i spotted the little 'class 1' diesel shunter..she looks a beauty. any chance of a few close ups please?

[33lima]

Some other observations on railcar liveries:

 

- I don't think I have seen an MED or an MPD with plain green ends - they either had 'ivory' upper cab fronts; or that plus wasp-stripes; or just the wasp stripes. The only plain ends were those MPDs turned out c.1959 in 'Catherwood Blue' and by about 1961 these had wasp-stripes added;

 

 

- likewise I think the UTA's AEC and BUT railcars went straight from GN blue & cream to UTA green with wasp-stripes, tho I think one of the articulated sets acquired wasp-stripes on top of the blue and cream, first;

 

- credible captions indicate wasp stripes were in widespread use by 1961 - for a time on some cars, underneath the 'ivory' cab front uppers, in others and as standard, on a plain dark green (or 'Catherwood Blue') cab.

 

I would be fairly sure these were introduced after the court case which followed the accommodation crossing crash in 1959 in which brand-new MPD 58 was lost. The motorist was held mostly responsible but some blame was placed by the court on the UTA because hedges hadn't been trimmed as they might have, so visibility was an issue (reported in an IRRS journal). It is surely no co-incidence that wasp-stripes appeared soon after this court case.

 

Incidentally, photos in a Co Down railway society booklet I can no longer find had an article on this crash (or was it on the role of the steam crane) and some pics showed that 58 was in 'Catherwood Blue'. She was on her side, not quite on her roof, and as the late WAG MacAfee (later NIR CME) confirmed she was recoverable but was burnt out after sparks from an acetylene torch - being used to cut engine mounts to enable lightening and recovery - fell through a floor hatch and set fire to upholstery. A bucket or saucepan brigade from the nearest house was all the water available but didn't succeed in preventing the brand-new MPD from being burnt out.

 

- the 'white' (which I'm calling here 'ivory') that was used on upper cab fronts in the early 1960s (and before that, for upper cab fronts and other trim) was officially called 'Pale Green' and was a 'shade of white' with a very pale green tint. I suppose it's possible this was replaced some time by the late 1950s with a different, more white shade but Pale Green is what the colour was officially called (in the UTA's April 1952 booklet 'Multi-Engined Diesel Train Development') that was applied to the first MED set and it looks no less white, or off-white, than any shade applied to later MEDs or MPDs. So I think that description stands, unless there is written proof that a different shade was used.

 

The same booklet (a copy was available at the UFTM and the Linenhall Library, last time I checked; mine is a photocopy, courtesy of Mark Kennedy at the former) describes 'UTA green' as 'Deep Brunswick Green'. Notwithstanding variations in colour photographs, I'm not clear what the evidence is that the shade of dark green changed, over time; the slightly bluer cast on some (but not all) earlier photos can I think be explained by variations in light, film, processing, variations in different batches of what's nominally the same paint etc.

 

I THINK I've only every seen one pic of a vehicle - an MED slam-door trailer, in 'Diesel Dawn' - painted in maroon with the narrow grey side panel. Even the few slam-door 'suburban' MPDs that were repainted into maroon & grey before conversion to open seating - obvious candidates for the 'suburban narrow stripe' livery - seem to have got the broad grey stripe.

 

 

- I don't recall seeing a confirmed pic of a Bangor line bright green and cream 'sector' MED without the red 'artificial buffer beam. The most likely candidate seems this shot of a set led by 26 at Queen's Quay in the 'narrow band' version, which carries its number high on the cab front, not as was usual on the red 'buffer beam', indicating that it may have lacked this feature. Certainly, the red 'buffer beam' seems to have been the norm on this short-lived livery;

 

 

- were there two shades of blue in the GN sector blue and cream? There are so many photos, including some possibly taken at the same time, which suggest that the blue on some BUTs was darker, like what I'd call royal blue, while others, mainly AECs, had a more sky blue shade, more like the GN passenger loco colour. Were there two different shades of blue? I've no idea!

 

- and last but not least, what was the 'Turquoise Train' I recall seeing from near Carnalea in the early 1960s? An MED set in 'Catherwood Blue'? An MPD set on trials? Or an apparently unphotographed and un-remembered repainted GN AEC set on an excursion? The latter must be very unlikely tho it seems the likely candidate, a 'Catherwood Blue' overall MED set is also unphotographed and un-remembered (the one with cream uppers pictured in 'Diesel Dawn', MED 14, is close but doesn't fit the bill).

 

Noted modeller of Irish railways and author Steve Johnson in the 1990s compiled on a PC a fairly extensive set of coloured profile livery drawings of UTA, NIR and CIE diesels and multiple units, going through a few iterations as we discussed their accuracy. Possibly this was with a book in mind but they never made it into print or surfaced online. Steve's site ( http://website.lineone.net/~sjohnson40/IR1.htm ) no longer works on my PC beyond the home page and I haven't been in touch in ages but it would be great if he'd publish his profiles online somewhere. If he'd permit it, I'd scan and put on flikr the set I have.

Edited July 27, 2014 by 33lima