Irishswissernie

I've been experimenting with taking stills off the old Sligo & Donegal narrow gauge layout video. A bit dangerous as I'm now getting the urge to build another but probably not a good idea now.!

I'll start with the adverts this morning! 3 Boxes of unused/never out of the box Cement bubbles listed in the Classifieds. Thanks to Brexsh1t will only post to UK though. ex GNRI Belfast Victoria Street. Looks like a converted Cattle Wagon second vehicle in train. June 1963. West Clare. A poor negative of Miltown Malbay ca 1952. Ennis. Ex Tralee & Dingle Coach 39 same date.

While I think on these are the coaches which will be available in the Irish liveries ie.the actual models but in SR livery.

Mystery solved! I had an email last week from Hattons requesting the use of a J15 negative , I had an inkling it might have been the stock it was pulling rather than the locomotive. Unfortunately I have already purchased a rake of SR 6 wheelers for the S&DJR!

A couple of views at Warrenpoint 24 August 1962.

Class E1R at Halwill Junction in the platform built for the Light Railway to Torrington. Loco is an ex LBSCR E1 0-6-0t one of 10 rebuilt by the Southern Railway as E1R 0-6-2t's to provide more coal/water space.

Dromod B135 on up train, 19-04-1968. CDRJC Lough Eske station ca 1952. Courtmacsherry & Ballinascarthy 5 November 1960. The guys on the right appear to be loading beets by hand, counting each one to make sure they get fully paid

Coleraine 25 August 1962. Dunloy same date. Derry ex GNRI same date.

Dublin Connolly. CA1985 142. Connolly, 122 9 March 1992. Heuston 156 ,8 March 1992.

Ballymena shed , withdrawn locos 13 May 1967. Mallow 175 13 September 2001. Wicklow 071 + 073 2 December 2001.

CB&SCR Cork Albert Quay, 90 shunting 12 September 1960. Rosslare Harbour, 385 12 April 1955. Inchicore 305 ca1955.

Not only are chocolate bars, biscuits and food generally are shooting up in price, manufacturers are shrinking the size of items to save money. Even I noticed the difference in the size of my muffins (not a euphemism , er but now I think on!) this morning when I lost one but it was under my knife.

First 2 Inverness Last 2 Stranraer Harbour.

This negative arrived yesterday and after scanning turns out to be Glenties on the CDRJC after closure but before track lifting. I have guesstimated the date as CA 1952 but maybe up to couple of years earlier. Not many images around of the Glenties branch, its early closure and no doubt the pull of Barnesmore Gap, Donegal, Killybegs and Ballyshannon and their more frequent service attracted the photographers.

Londonderry & Lough Swilly, Van 71 at Letterkenny ca 1952 Ballybrophy 144 14May1988. Limerick 161 13 May 1990. .

Impressive, looks like 25 x 4 car EMU's; the RhB is now well into Railcars for its passenger services. I much preferred it back in the 1990's when most trains were loco hauled and the freight traffic amounted to over a million tons per year. At my time of life I don't think I will be back, my travelling days to Switzerland are over, however I have over 200 hours of video and 14000 slides and negatives to remind me of the 25 trips I made between 1988 and 2009. The snow could be fairly deep in the Mountains Ospizio Bernina on the RhB Bernina line 9 April 2001.

Only to Fort William now as Lynemouth was closed ca 2014. On a brighter note the Alcan Power station which provided the Lynemouth smelter with electricity has eventually been converted to burn biomass and has been re-opened by its new owner. Usually 2 2000 ton biomass trains are railed to the Power station each day from Port of Tyne Terminal when the Power station is 'on-stream'. At present the company is making more money selling the Biomass at Port of Tyne to other Power stations as in the current mild climate demand for electricity is low. Rail shipments and electricity generation are predicted to re-start once colder weather comes next month.

County Donegal Railways today, I have uploaded 6 as I seem to have a few in the pipeline to go on. Stranorlar 21 April 1953. Van 19, Trailer 3. Railcar 12. Meenglas on shed. Strabane 23 August 1954. Railcar 18. Trailer 3. I have also put a couple of 8 minute Swiss Video segments from October 2003 take adjacent to Hardbrucke station which is on the approach to Zurich Main station The action was non stop with fly shunting, mail , infrastructure and freight trains well in evidence as well as numerous passenger services.. I have added 2 links to the segments. Click on the black picture and it will play.

Dublin, Broadstone shed J15 143, 23 Oct 1960. Liffey Junction J5, 640 same date as above. Cherryville 226, 9.30 Dublin-Waterford 7 June 2008.

Ballater ex Great North of Scotland Railway and the terminus for Balmoral. The line actually went further towards Balmoral and was intended originally to extend past Balmoral to Braemar but the line was only completed for a mile or so past Ballater before the project was abandoned. Rumour at the time was that Queen Victoria didn't want a railway that close to the Estate.

Limerick G3 291 5 July 1955. Athlone shed 587 6 July 1955.

A set of the Hattons 'Generic' 6 wheel coaches arrived today which will be re-lettered for the Sligo & Donegal Junction.

2 views at Portstewart 25 August 1962. Dromod, 073 9 May 2005.

Dublin Connolly WT 54 28 October 1966. Donegal Town ca1952, Van 294 and Ballast wagon 214 (ex Paulings 1904). Finally a different view of Killybegs ca1952 in somewhat contrasting light showing the exit from the goods yard to the pier.

Bandon 5 November 1960. Hill of Howth Tower Car 29 June 1959. Aldergrove va1955. Broadstone shed 1955.