Irishswissernie

Uploaded this one to flickr today.B129 at Boyle 8 June 1961. What makes it even more interesting to me is the footbridge. I like the shed built in to the footbridge support on the left and also the black painted panels above the tracks - add details like these to your layout .

I always went early in the morning and departed before noon prior to some of the locals arising from their slumbers. I was asked once if I fancied a one way trip to the Wicklow Mountains! There was always something going on (railway wise that is) 144 + 149 shunting June 2001

The Drowes River viaduct at Four Masters Bridge is now awaiting painting. Its still in 7 separate pieces to facilitate painting. Just chanced putting a wagon on it rather than a pair of 121's Construction is Plasticard, Plastruct odd bits of wood and plaster hole filler.

A39 Gort 27 March 1999 Photographer G Roose

A bumper bundle of Irish narrow gauge uploaded to flickr; 71 Londonderry & Lough Swilly and 7 colour slides West Clare Diesels and railcars. I thought there had been a colour shift on some West Clare slides but there does appear to have been 2 shades of green as both appear in some of the views.

The Drowes River Bridge Deck is ready for painting so I took a few photos to check out the layout sight lines.

Found a photo of 223 coming off the Waterford line at Cherryville June 2005 hauling a Push/Pull set Driving Trailer first. Now were the 201's all push/pull fitted when first into service. My Platform 5 first edition indicates that only the 4 dedicated Enterprise locos 206-209 plus 228,229 & 230 were push/pull fitted initially. A quick check through my photos from May 2000 at Drogheda only confirm 228 and 229 on the push/pull sets. Coincidence? Muine Bheag 220 October 2000 This video also shows 220 running round the set at Kilkenny and also illustrates that the trailer was somewhat noisy to travel in. footage between 5.17 and 7.10

Dublin - Waterford 2003 -2005 trains were a mixture of MK 3 sets, Push/Pull sets and Cravens. Some of the Push/Pull sets I travelled on were not worked in Push/Pull mode by the 201's and they ran round at Kilkenny and Waterford. One of the Cravens sets sometimes included a coach with the buffet at the end. They all appear in Ernie's Archive on Flickr either photos or on video. One from up the hill at Waterford in June 2005

The railway viaduct over the Dowes River at Four Masters Bridge under construction. I am constructing the deck first and then building up the piers to meet it. Hopefully this will avoid messing up the track levelling.

Added this one to Flickr today. Birdhill, Silver B109 6 June 1961

Thankfully not in the UK, My wife says I am only one of the four words and its not the first two or the last one! I have pre-ordered from Hattons for many years and whilst you don't pay up front on a number of occasions the order was cancelled by them as they didn't receive enough stock from the manufacturers. I noticed yesterday that I had requested an e-mail for pre-ordering a new Hornby model. The email hasn't been sent and the model is now sold out on pre-order.

I don't think this has been mentioned yet, but books and magazines are still Vat exempt so there should be no extra charges beyond postage costs whether importing or exporting between UK and Ireland. Having said that there still seems to be long postal delays, it took 12 days for the GS&WR Loco book to make its way via An Post and Parcelforce from Dublin to Haltwhistle whereas I ordered a new book on the Reseau Breton in France which was ordered on the Thursday from France and arrived the following Tuesday via La Poste and Royal Mail. My main problem is the second batch of Casserley Irish Negs I won in the Auction last December which ultimately I wish to transfer to the IRRS for their Archive. Slides and negatives are subject to VAT. I didn't realise this some years ago when a friend and I purchased some 1950's UK original slides from a photographer/seller in Canada and we were presented with a £300 demand for VAT before Customs would release them.

A couple at Cork, Albert Quay, 90 shunting 12 September 1960

Thanks Alan, They look great and hopefully I can come over and collect them once lock down ends - possibly before the arrival of the A Class locos. I've actually done a bit of modelling this weekend. This is the road bridge at Four Masters under construction. This will form the backdrop to the girder railway viaduct which is planned to have an open deck hence it will have to be built before any tracklaying on the extension from Glengarriff can be laid

Yes its all coming back to me now! I also have scans of photos taken by the late Ken Groundwater (courtesy of the Armstrong Railway Photographic Trust) Ken was on the Tour and took a couple of shots of No 4 receiving 'treatment' It does look as if the fitter is kicking the pony truck back onto the track whilst his mate is holding the loco up. Big strong lads at Limerick One of Ken's photos I put on here a few months or years back shows a number of Tour participants using a 141 as a bandstand.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Murphy-Models-071-Class-Locomotive-071-in-IE-Grey-Livery-OO-Gauge-New-Condition/164723763640?hash=item265a4d29b8:g:F2sAAOSwFNhgN30E Is it this one?

4 was at Limerick! Probably a good idea to check my own slides/negs first! 26 april 1969. 171 was also used

Excellent evening and presentation with a record 276 (I think) attendees. Probably the only benefit from the Covid Pandemic has been the development of the Zoom meetings wherein members worldwide can attend and/or participate. The IRRS picture Archive is also being rapidly augmented (More SLNC images added recently!) DON'T DELAY JOIN TODAY! You can do it all on-line. Ernie

I am thinking Limerick , the old steam shed yard

I have been sorting out a batch of slides from 1968/9 supposedly Class WT's working Sunday School excursions and specials between Belfast, Portush and Derry. Amongst them is this one of No 4 said to be at Coleraine but definitely not so with the collection of CIE stock on the right which also includes a shunter. Can anyone identify the location. I have also added one of the others ,a double headed Portrush excursion leaving York Road in June 1968.

My mate Geof Poulter at Contikits will probably give you a price for British as well! Ernie

I recently acquired a set of Railway World Magazines for 1959 primarily to obtain a copy of an article on the SLNCR Auction at Enniskillen in 1958 but on glancing through the articles in the other 11 issues my eye was caught an article in the April 1959 issue entitled 'The case of the Vanished Engines' This actually covered the fate of 22 withdrawn steam locos 19 tenders and 20 spare boilers etc sold at auction by CIE and subsequently exported from Dublin Docks to Spain. The author J H Price determined to find the actual fate of the locos and if they had been exported for re-building for further service ( Spanish railways had a history of importing old locos for further service although the gauge of the Irish locos would have entailed extensive rebuilding) Sadly whilst some Tunisian metre gauge locos imported by the purchasing company were re-conditioned at the same time, the Irish locos all met their fate in the blast furnaces of the Ensidesa Steelworks. Ex GNRI 25 below thus met her end a long way from her homeland some 10 years after this view on 19 April 1948 at Derry shed.

My copy has finally arrived in the UK; it was posted on the 4th Feb and has just appeared on the Parcelforce tracking as awaiting customs clearance! I purchased 4 packs of Gypsum wagons on the 10th on the IRM UK site and Parcelforce have not yet confirmed that they are in the UK (I presume the stock is actually held in Dublin) or can give any info on the tracking! Ah Well at least I can continue scanning and cleaning 60 Irish slides from 1978 - er that's when they were took not when they were posted!

Here's a 'plug' for a model C Class today. C221 on the return Banagher Goods 8 June 1961

I have finally tracked down a copy, it was a 6.5 page article in the Railway World June 1959 covering the Auction on 1 October 1958, 4 photographs and a detailed plan of the station annotated with the wagon numbers of ones stored on the various sidings. A very interesting (if sad) article on the disposal of the railways assets with a description of many of the Lots and the prices achieved.