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These are images of the actual
miniature sheet and booklet. The self-adhesive booklet contains 4 x 1st class red definitives coded M13L MCIL and 2 x 1st class Ulster Transport Authority W Class stamps. Acknowledgements UTA W No. 103 © Dr C Kenneth Benington; UTA SG3 No. 35 © Colin Boocock; Peckett No. 2 © railphotolibrary.com/Richard Casserley; CDRJC Class 5 No. 4 © Colour-Rail; MS background image of UTA Class Z No. 27 Lough Erne crossing Larne Lough courtesy of and © Derek JA Young |
The stamps in detail.
1st Class
– Ulster Transport Authority (UTA) W Class No. 103: The W
Class locomotive Thomas Somerset pulls an up-express through County
Donegal in 1950*
78p – UTA SG3 Class No. 35: The SG3 Class locomotive shunts wagons at Portadown in 1963.
88p – Peckett No. 2 reverses wagons into the British Aluminum Works at Larne in 1937.
£1.28 – County Donegal Railways Joint Committee Class 5 No. 4: Meenglas shunts a carriage at Strabane in 1959.
The miniature sheet’s lower margin shows the UTA Class Z locomotive No. 27 Lough Erne crossing Larne Lough.
* The designs and captions were provided by Royal Mail and brought much critical discussion on our blog entry for this issue. The general conclusion is that the train on the 1st class stamp "is not shown in County Donegal but emerging from one of the tunnels between Downhill and Castlerock, County Londonderry. The land rising in the distance, across the sea, is part of Inishowen, County Donegal." One writer suggested that "Royal Mail have made the classic geographical error and confused Northern Ireland (6 counties) with the Province of Ulster (9 counties - Donegal being one of the extra 3)." In discussion about whether the line actually crossed the border, John points out "Perhaps we shouldn't say that the railway crossed the border but rather the border crossed the railway (it was there first).".
Further background: The locomotive stock of the Northern Counties Committee (NCC) of the London Midland & Scottish Railway was combined into the UTA in 1949, not being part of the 1948 nationalisation. The locomotive Thomas Somerset was named after the Chairman of the NCC Board of Directors.
Postmark sponsors seem to have similar problems of identity. The Strabane postmark (12876) shows the arms of the County Donegal Joint Railway Committee. Strabane is a border town with Co Donegal being across the river Foyle. The CDJRC (set up in 1906) did run lines into Strabane and did operate the line to Derry, although that was owned by the Midland Railway Northern Counties Committee.
78p – UTA SG3 Class No. 35: The SG3 Class locomotive shunts wagons at Portadown in 1963.
88p – Peckett No. 2 reverses wagons into the British Aluminum Works at Larne in 1937.
£1.28 – County Donegal Railways Joint Committee Class 5 No. 4: Meenglas shunts a carriage at Strabane in 1959.
The miniature sheet’s lower margin shows the UTA Class Z locomotive No. 27 Lough Erne crossing Larne Lough.
* The designs and captions were provided by Royal Mail and brought much critical discussion on our blog entry for this issue. The general conclusion is that the train on the 1st class stamp "is not shown in County Donegal but emerging from one of the tunnels between Downhill and Castlerock, County Londonderry. The land rising in the distance, across the sea, is part of Inishowen, County Donegal." One writer suggested that "Royal Mail have made the classic geographical error and confused Northern Ireland (6 counties) with the Province of Ulster (9 counties - Donegal being one of the extra 3)." In discussion about whether the line actually crossed the border, John points out "Perhaps we shouldn't say that the railway crossed the border but rather the border crossed the railway (it was there first).".
Further background: The locomotive stock of the Northern Counties Committee (NCC) of the London Midland & Scottish Railway was combined into the UTA in 1949, not being part of the 1948 nationalisation. The locomotive Thomas Somerset was named after the Chairman of the NCC Board of Directors.
Postmark sponsors seem to have similar problems of identity. The Strabane postmark (12876) shows the arms of the County Donegal Joint Railway Committee. Strabane is a border town with Co Donegal being across the river Foyle. The CDJRC (set up in 1906) did run lines into Strabane and did operate the line to Derry, although that was owned by the Midland Railway Northern Counties Committee.
