Edo

Hi Leslie - if u were to go ahead with it - I'd be interested in 6 or so Simply - anything that ran on CIE lines south of Dublin between 1950 and 1980 - Im interested!! Ed

an average of over 33 wagons per cattle train ..........................flipping hell.........I best start saving pronto!

Cheers Leslie - I'll be in touch

I find saying nothing at all and a parcelmotel account to be most effective...... "Where did that come from" "Shure i've had that for years.....must have been underneath those boxes over there ...shure ye keep tellin me my den is a kip"....etc etc and so on...... she'll totally guilt you in some extravagance for her in the end....they always do

You are definitely getting up to Irish levels of muckiness there - can hear the squelching across the yard from here!

Cheers Wrenneire

Ten-T is a financial instruement for funding Transportation projects as opposed to a EU directive. When you actually look at the detail its the Shannon Estuary that has Ten-T core network status - which means its open to matching funding from EU sources for upgrading transportation infrastructure which meet various criteria................that last bit is kinda important. the Shannon Harbour development companys' own plan "2041" mentions the upgrading of the line to Foynes briefly - but their priority is the upgrading of the Port Facilities and increasing the harbour and docking space and a new upgraded road. The Department of Transport's own 2030 plan plus Limerick county councils plan prioritises the building of the new road to Foynes while saying " no decision" has been made on the rail line. the only funding drawn down in connection with the Rail line has been 800 grand to conduct a feasibility study - which started in 2015 and still hasn't been completed - how much research does a 25 mile line need? seriously? In the same time - the Docks project has gone ahead full steam and the road project has passed all planning and designed phases and will now be fast tracked because of the Ryder Cup - expect it to break ground next year - its definitely happening. forgive my cynicism here - but I fully expect when the road is completed for the rail line to dropped forthwith - ie no business case for a line that barely made 25 000 euros in its last year of operation in 2000 - unless some operator with a compelling business case and need for rail transportation - the odds are long - then foynes line will continue its transition back to nature. I expect by 2041 that there is a 80/20 chance of the greenway the whole way from Limerick Station to Rathkeale with the decomposing line to Foynes left in the place on the other side - Castlemungret will be lifted and long gone by then with a cycle way in its place. The EU is not this all powerful entity that our nearest neighbour is desperately trying to flee from - it does most of its work in co-operation with the nations and regions of its memberstates - politics is the art of the possible (well it used to be - we might be entering the art of the Rhetorical on current developements) - the Western rail corridor was in Ten-T until Varadhar looked at it in 2012 and concluded that it made no business or strategic sense and decided the states funds could be better spent elsewhere and it was removed - Its the Irish State that decides what stays or goes in the Ten-T core network - because all Ten-T is is access to funding to help build whatever projects the State wants to go ahead with - and those priorities change all the time . the Foynes line - even with Ten-T funding - in the absence of a serious business case and real prospects - ie customers - is a non starter - as much as we might all wish otherwise.

JHB So the six wheelers would kinda work on the 1930-1950's/early60's GSWR/GSR/early CIE rural branch setting?...........even slowly composting on an overgrown siding....or used as offices beside the engine shed etc etc...

Any news? More particularly any price and delivery dates?

Jhb and Noel - you 2 old romantics ! - we'll all be ice skating in hell before any of those lines open again. Im in Cork on business about once a month and am well familiar with the notorious Cork traffic and the dire need for more public transport - however if u were to compile a list of those needs - a train to Youghal would be at the very bottom of that - in fact there would be more justification for relaying a line to Kinsale or Bandon than Youghal based on commuter traffic. Yeh the time to have done it was in the silly money noughties at the same time as Midleton and Ennis - Athenry....there is no economic justification now - and no popular clamour either. I've lived in Limerick for the last 10 years - Foynes comes up every year - yet every year the line gets more overgrown, broken down and closed off. In my heart - Limerick to Foynes would be a fantastic heritage line - ideal - but it would cost loadza money and even more in political capital that simply isnt there. My head tells me that its a dead line sleeping - there is no population on the line beyond patrickswell - there is no freight - dont mind all that auld guff about feasibility studies looking at re-opening to Foynes Port - that is just political cover while Adare is bypassed and a proper national road is built off that bypass to Foynes that will connect to the new motorway between Cork and Limerick - thats whats really happening. Unless the Irish State and its agencies choose to reverse its transportation policies since 1970 which has been road orientated and make it mandatory to move a certain % of freight by rail - then there is no future for rail freight in Foynes or anywhere else in Rural Ireland outside some tiny exceptions. Foynes and Castlemungret are dead - they might aswell become cycleways than disappear altogether as adjoining landowners gain squatters rights by stealth and neglect and the line vanishes bit by bit. Once CIE want rid - and they want rid in these cases - then thats it.finito. If in 50/100 years time , ie long after Im gone - the population has expanded and fossil fuels are verboten - it will be much easier take a cycleway back into service than nothing at all - tho something tells me that , in the case of Foynes and Youghal - something more amphibious might be required if the predictions are right ( and they sadly have been so far) My two cents on it all !

I see yet another abandoned railway gets a new lease of life https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/work-on-15m-midleton-youghal-greenway-to-start-next-month-1.4041543 I know Greenways cause mixed feelings ( to put it politely ) on forums like here - but lets face it - these railway lines are never never never ever coming back as railway lines - those days are long gone. The Greenway network is slowly building up - with the success of the Waterford Greenway - the Waterford - New Ross (including the Red bridge and Mount Elliot tunnel) getting the go - ahead - this is probably ( and hopefully in the absence of any feasible rail line) the future for: Limerick - Foynes - hopefully linking up with the rest of the old limerick-North Kerry to Tralee the Western corridor north of Tuam Waterford - Rosslare Strand - i think its curtains for this line - anything to preserve the Barrow Bridge. At least Greenways preserve the alignment and a lot of bridges , tunnels and viaducts etc etc - maybe more preservation orders should be made on the station buildings ( if they havent been completely destroyed by CIE already) - these lines will never re-open - the Irish will never give up the private automobile again - there will be flying electric cars before any new rural rail lines open again in Ireland At least Greenways keep the echo and ghost of the railways now past - In a way its a pity that so many of the lines closed in the 60s were got rid of so quickly - they would have made fantastic greenways.

It looks great and it moves great. But then I knew it would! - ye guys have set high standards for yourselves. I've worked for more than a few start ups in my time and i know the time, resources ,effort, frustrations and the rest that goes into getting a product from an idea , to a plan, to a cad, to that first physical sample in your hands...... Well done and dont forget to enjoy the moment of accomplishment - hope the rest of the production process goes to plan. Now I must really get my own plan going regarding a layout to showcase this wonderful model....the kitchen table doesnt really cut it anymore!

Thanks Well I have a rake of bubbles too Well the J15 stable is full for the moment - I'll be in touch soon for more wagons once the wallet recovers from a second J15 in a couple of months - not to mention a couple of weeks in France with my Boss (wife - of course!) How are the Cattle wagons coming along and do you have any more single level beet corrugated in stock yet ? Ed

Defo not less than 8 .......... My "budget" will prop stretch to 2 packs of these - they are unique and 4 will probably look fine on my proposed layout.....the agony of choice eh! - I've just about got the A"s order squared away and the liners - tho i know ill be coming back for seconds on the As....then there is the rest of the 42 project...and Paddys Ms 121s ....not forgetting Leslie's cattle wagons and more beets and Hs........its not a bad complaint tho!!

Can I borrow it after yer done.........I promise to properly dispose of it after Im done!.......

It is now gone to a good home ............... He still has 3 Black J15 s left by the looks of things... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ooworks-J15-ExGS-WR-101-locomotive/113859069208?hash=item1a82878518:g:veMAAOSw8aBdWu2X

Looks great - when is order book opening? As an aside - what track is that on the layout? Peco 83 bullhead?

Just magnificent ! All its missing now is a 20 something year old version of me bursting for the exits late for work down Westland Row !.....

Brilliant - just Brilliant! - they look the absolute business - bodes well for the rest of the project if a bit ominously for my finances! Just sent ye a mail there to ask if I can add another 2 sets to existing 2 sets I've ordered ( and Yes I am cheekily asking if there is any chance of qualifying for the 4 pack discount!) Ed

Looks fantastic - cant wait.

If I reneged on all the rolling stock that I've committed to over the next 12 months or so....i could make a serious offer

Evening All I'm looking for information on Palace East Station - one of those typical Irish junction stations in the a*@e end of nowhere - in the middle of County Wexford. It was where the GS&WR branch from Bagnalstown met the DSER from Macmine Junction ( another one!) to Waterford line. In Particular Im looking for pictures of the station - I've seen the James O'Dea Collection and a couple of random images on flickr - they are all from roughly the same angle - from the top of the bridge on the Macmine Junction side looking down on the station. I was wondering was there anywhere else I could look for photos and records (if they exist) looking in the opposite direction and around the yard generally....any collections anywhere? libraries? I appreciate that this is probably a big ask - in fairness - the James O'Dea photos are great and give a great idea of the station to folks like me who have only ever seen a forest on the site of the old Station - I'm in advanced planning to do a fairly accurate model of the Station as it closed in 1963 based on those and OSI maps etc - but there are a few details that are still a big vague for me - ie what design were the 2 bridges that crossed the line , bookending the station yard -what were they made of? - I've a fair idea that one was of iron construction but Im clueless of the other one. Maybe the some of the...ahem....more experienced members of the crew here who might have passed thru Palace East might be able to recall a detail or two? many thanks for any info or pointers in new directions for same Ed

Im in awe of that Weathering job Eoin - as u say - all that is missing is a bit of sh^^ty straw peeping out underneath the doors......fantastic.

Not really Its more " well you were part of the group that initiated this , were part of the consultancy group that spent probably the best part of a decade formulating it - your ministers signed off on it , your meps voted and amended it and your own parliament discussed and voted for it ......what are the chances you might put it into action along with everybody else" The EU commission is like quality control or a standards body - they are there to enforce and check that u are doing what you said you were going to do - they issue directives to enforce the minimum standard that all 28 member states signed up to and without which a single market with open borders simply cannot function. Unfortunately there has been a tendency to nationalise success and stuff we like that the eu does and europeanise failure or anything we dont like or that might construed as tough politically.....all member states politicians and media do it to a degree - tho nothing as extreme as the lads across the irish sea - which is deeply ironic as the single market and all that has flowed from is very much a British conservative construction - go figure as the yanks say....... This railway directive is just a box ticking exercise that our poor overworked civil service havent got around to doing yet......it wont effect anything on the ground as Ireland is barely railway country anymore......The Greeks probably had more pressing issues in the last decade - tho they are building new railway - the old narrow guage Pelloponessian railway that i used everyday when i lived in Greece many moons ago is no more and gradually being replaced by a standard guage "modern " railway and all that entails......

I was going to say his wife deserves Sainthood - then again when u marry a traindriver.........