Irishswissernie

CIE 1955-08-04 Dublin Harcourt St. D14 89 KCorig 249005. CIE 1956-07-xx Waterford 223 + 133 249015, The goods yard & loco shed with 2 J15's in the foreground. GNRI 1965-07-19 Belfast 'Shaky Bridge' Antrim-Bangor Exc 48 JGD6512087.

CIE 1962-09 Youghal 262 yj203. CIE 1961-3 ca Roscrea 125 xing A16 yj205. CIE 1982-03-15 Thurles 052 fertiliser yj204.

Still going strong then Dave! The chap who built them reckoned his wrists were never the same from punching all the rivets out. I have some more photos somewhere.

SLNCR 1957-06-08 Glenfarne 'Lough Melvin' LN1114. IE 2000 ca. Sligo 083 j166. NIR 1969-06 Cloghans Point, WT4 Spoil train.

Snap Galteemore! I had 2 of the North Star PP's probably over 20 years ago plus a JT which was a white metal kit .They are standing in front of a diorama of Enniskillen shed. All reluctantly disposed of many years ago.

This could be my personal wish list! CB&SC 1957-xxCA Clonakilty C210 yj124. CIE 1961-06-05 Fenit 560 yj215. GNRI 1965-09-11 Portadown shed 171

Signs from the times. CDRJC 1958-08-16 Raphoe, Midland NCC Poster JGD580129. MGW 1964-CA MGW Trespass sign yj227. Tuam GS&W Trespass sign yj286

Back to Ireland now! CBSC 1954-09-04 Baltimore F2 , 432 K Cooper ref249011. NCC 1967-05-12 Larne Harbour ,Dual gauge track yj089. GMK047 GNRI 1955-xx Dublin Amiens St. B7

Nowadays the FR is geared more to pre on-line booking of a specific out and return journey with no timetables displayed on stations for tourists staying in the area looking for something to do. The service can therefore vary from day to day depending on how many pre-bookings there are although if you turn up 'on spec' at Porthmadog if there are seats available I am sure that they will oblige. Gala tickets are not available on the service trains which meant that the shorter 'Gala' trains were mostly fully loaded whilst the 2-4 pre- booked higher priced 'Service ' trains looked half empty. Apparently this system works and is more economical to run but I am personally not a fan, however if this system helps the Fffestiniog/WHR to survive then fair enough. This is 'Tank' curve near Campbells platform taken from the rocky cliff above with a down Service train passing the disused water tank.

It was a good weekend Mike but not so good since, as apparently on the Saturday I was bitten by something on the hill above Tank Curve. What I thought was a scratch had turned in to a 4cm red circle by the following week and a quick trip to Casualty (5 min walk) resulted in a course of Anti-Biotics plus last week I have had my Covid and Flu Jabs! On with the Show! GNRI 1953-07-xx Portadown 85 ADH yj044. C&L 1955-CA Ballinamore goods sdgs. yj048. CIE 1961-06-08 Sligo B132 yj046

A poor negative at Buncrana ca 1953. L&LSR 1953-CA Buncrana yj021. UTA 1956-07-xx Antrim 84 Lissanoure Castle 249010, a hurried snapshot but I like the rust on the van. J G Dewing showing how to take a photo! NCC 1959-05-13 Cookstown Junction 13 JGD590821a. Lastly a video still from my trip last weekend to the Ffestiniog 'Bygones' weekend. Really good weather over the 3 days culminating in a return trip to Dinas on the 'Subscribers Special' hauled by K1 . Normally now resident at Statfold Barn K1 managed the journey albiet with a 'Blow Up' at Camp and Tryfan Junc plus some tinkering at Dinas shed. I nicked a seat next to the Guard and Paul Lewin (General Manager) so I could nick out to video when the Guard got out at Stations (most of the carriages had locked doors during journeys) The Flickr Album is https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishswissernie/albums/72177720321094300 2024-10-04a FR Porthmadog. Dawn Departure

Back from the Ffestiniog Gala where amazingly the weather was dry (during the day) for most of the 3 days! CB&SC 1958-05-xx Cork Albert Quay excursion to Courtmacsherry C232 yj125. CIE 1964-06-06 Enniscorthy 186 +2641 Yj173. CIE 1964-06-09 Limerick 2627 on curve to North Kerry line yj175.

Yes that's mainly my reason for going too. I've got a seat booked on the 'Subscribers Special 'on the Sunday which is going from Minfford up to Dinas for the passengers to inspect it. I've had strict instructions from Madame not to go walking on the hills round Dduallt so will probably have to crawl rather than walk

The S&DJR's ex GNRI 205 heads a goods crossing the Drowes River in 1959. Purchased from CIE to alleviate the Sligo & Donegal Railway loco shortage caused by increased traffic after closure of the ex GNRI Bundoran branch the re-numbered 205's purchase was at the behest of the S&DJR Chairman who had fond memories of the class on the 'Bundoran Express. This was much against the advice of the General Manager who wished to dieselise and didn't go down to well with the loco crews who saw the improved working conditions of the CIE Diesel Drivers working some of the through traffic from Dublin. In reality 205 doesn't work much on the layout as it has the usual 4-4-0 weight balancing problems. Second view, The original 204 shortly before purchase 16 May 1959. Oops ! I'll have to invent a few more 'facts' er The Chairman particularly liked 205 but the UTA wouldn't sell it so he purchased 204 and re-named and re-numbered it. Phew! I am off on Thursday to the Ffestiniog Gala, my first solo trip away since March 2020, hopefully back intact next Monday.

CIE 1982-xx Rosslare Harbour 027s yj229. CDRJC 1957-CA Letterkenny shed KB yj051 CBSC 1953-08-03 Clonakilty Junction C7 37. KCorig 249006

Some Park Royals on view here plus some clean 'bubbles' at Drogheda. CIE 1956-04-23 Bray, 461 on 11.20 to Amiens Street yj143. CIE 1956 xx Dublin North Wall D303 yj133 CIE 1982-xx Drogheda 191sa yj170

THanks, probably a special from Rossnowlagh, Title amended. The slide is annotated as from Strabane but the low sunshine from the west suggests its a returning excursion.

I have now identified most of a recently acquired collection of rather crxppy negatives with no information attached. 9 appear to be of the Tralee and Dingle railway ca 1947-48 and I have added them to Flickr forming a new Tralee & Dingle album together with images of the line formerly in the Irish Narrow Gauge Railways Album. https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishswissernie/albums/72177720320528647/ Here are 3 of the (slightly) better quality ones. The first took a while to identify mainly because the location at the 'country' end of Tralee station is now totally built over. The only buildings still standing today are the higher house behind the row of cottages (now demolished) and in the distance a single storey rendered (then a shop) building next to the line. Photo 2 is at Dingle with a solitary open wagon. yj038 T&D 1948-CA Dingle station with solitary wagon. yj038 Last one is Horse Box 1T in slightly better condition than other photos taken a few years later. yj017 T&D 1947-8 CA Tralee Horse Box 1T

CDRJC 1959-08-03 Donegal Town ,Meenglas from Strabane yj047 CIE 1982-06-27 Littleisland 021 Amonia to Arklow yj160 CIE 1982-09-13 Connolly 111 yj172

Locomotives were scrapped at Sutton in the 1950's I have some negatives on flickr of ex DN&G locos being there then so perhaps these locos stored in the old tram shed had been purchased by the Scrapman. CIE 1963-05-18 Hill of Howth,Sutton Tram shed 562 yj194 .

Ardnacrusha Hydro Electric Station with a Special September 1962, 3 views.

Worked on a few more images this afternoon. Tralee and Dingle Bogie van 39T's location was a puzzler but I reckon its on a spur off the line to the exchange yard just opposite to the present main line station. T&D 1948-CA Tralee Exchange sidings opposite Main station. Bogie van 39T yj010 CB&SC 1968-06-xx Cork City Railway, Albert Quay Trip C209 yj126. CB&SC 1958-05-xx Courtmacsherry C232 Excursion from Cork yj123. EDIT I need to do a bit more cleaning up on this one!

I have acquired 3 lots of Irish slides and negatives in a recent Auction and am busy sorting them out. One Lot is of 41 poor quality un-identified negatives but the subjects are of some interest and include Tralee & Dingle, West Clare, CDRJC and Lought Swilly images (plus some Ffestiniog , Isle of Man and Welshpool and Llanfair!) and are all CA 1950. The other 2 Lots are Irish slides one Lot being all Originals. The other of approx 470 slides was said to contain 150 odd Coulourail Duplicates but actually has over 250 with some duplicates over-written as originals by John Edgington whereas a large number are actually by other photographers where I already have the original Kodachrome slides. Duplicates are useless in my case as I won't use them on the Internet not having possession of the Copyright. Being somewhat peed off at first I have dumped the duplicates in a box but actually the remainder contain some interesting images and there actually are some John Edgington original Kodachromes amongst them. Here are 6 featuring a trip on the Banteer-Newmarket branch with G601 in May 1958. CIE had tried to close the branch by then only open for Goods but after representations by the local Communities agree to retain a daily goods until February 1963. I think there were some attempts to preserve the line but these failed. An interesting prototype, you can get kits for the loco but I would be in the queue for a ready to run model or 2! 1.) CIE 1958-05-xx Banteer, Newmarket Trip wkg. G601 yj129. 2.) & 3.) CIE 1958-05 Kanturk G601 yj130 Views 4 to 6 are at Newmarket.

CIE Ca 1965-67 Wexford North 2608. CIE 1965-1967 Wexford South 2608 (1). GMK033 CIE 1955-xx Dublin Heuston 2621. D171.

Bank Holiday bonus upload today. I was lucky at the Auction yesterday so should be approx 400 + slides /negs in the pipeline. CB&SC 1954-09-04 Drimoleague shed 470 KC CIE 1959-ca Mullingar y003 C&L 1938- xx ca Ballinamore No 1 'Isabel' JDG