Irishswissernie

I've been working my way through the Casserley negatives I acquired at the Auction in September. The condition varies from poor to very good, unfortunately the 2 Irish lots appear to have suffered more from scratches, development faults etc than the Scottish Lots. I have cleaned up them up as much as possible. Here are a couple at Enniskillen in April 1953 and a shot of an Irish Sleeping Car! at Mallow. This must have been a crew car; hopefully that's not the bedding being aired on the roof Henry appeared quite fond of taking the same shot multiple times. There are 10+ views of 199 and the same number of Lurganboy at Manorhamilton. I will gradually upload images to Flickr, there are some of Bundoran Junction uploaded yesterday. Ernie

I've added 5 to Flickr taken by the late JW Armstrong ca 1950. I keep forgetting that I still have some Armstrong Irish scans to upload. These 5 are at the beginning (at present) of the photostream. There are other views of the Athlone side showing a little of the infrastructure in the album these are uploaded to. https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishswissernie/ Ernie

Bundle ordered, its been an expensive month thanks to H C Casserley and now IRM, but then you can't take it with you! Ernie

The Casserly Auction went ahead yesterday and I was lucky enough to win 9 lots although only 2 of these are Irish negatives totalling some 200+ ex GNRI Enniskillen/Bundoran SLNCR and Cork/Rosslare/CBSC areas, 1950. THe narrow gauge went for far more but I did manage to get the lot of 150 covering the Isle of Man in 1950. I just have to arrange delivery now, scan them and they will be on Flickr in due course. The Auctioneers told me this is only half the collection and there will be a further sale next year. Ernie

As the Mrs is on school holidays not much chance of getting any modelling or converting more of my old Irish videos for uploading but as she wanted to go to the beach last week we went down to Cambois near Blyth, once a hot spot heaving with rail action but now reduced last week to one train in 5 days. At the end of the video a different idea for modelling a port scene for consideration! Ernie

Photos with the normal "modern" smoke box door date from the 1930's however J W armstrongs photo with the split doors dates from CIE days late 1940's early 1950's - probably a re-boilering/furbishing with whatever was to hand . ernie

Ernie, Copyright Late JW Armstrong/ARPT

Not much progress to report on Glengarriff due to the number of negatives etc I have been asked to catalogue plus Madame being on school holidays . I also keep getting sidetracked. Acquired this negative recently of ex GNRI 154 at the ex DN&GR /GNR quay at Dundalk 7 August 1959 which would make a lovely small port layout/diorama. Link to the whole photo on flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishswissernie/48501689222/in/dateposted-public/ This is a blow up of the loco plus the interesting simple hopper which I imagine was used to load coal off the ship into wagons Ernie

Pre-1926 the ex Manx Northern Railways Harbour tramway had a couple of sidings on the quay behind the ship. The sidings on the quay where I took the photo from were last used in 1948 for the import of rails and loco coal and lifted in 1955. Ernie

This is probably the smallest size of craft you could get away with. It would still scale out at over 2 feet in length. Link to a a view of the loaded ship; personally I wouldn't want my goods on it! If there is a problem getting certain models from China due to the usual Christmas glut or weather problems I hope its not an alternative! ERnie https://www.geograph.ie/photo/5491471

Had an email from Hattons up-dating their estimated price to £154 which I think is still to low, I'm thinking close to the £200 is going to be nearer the mark. I've pre-ordered 4 but will probably up it to 6. Ernie

There are now some 85 video's in the Irish video album all from 2000-2006 I also have a fair number of scans to upload when I get the time (just finished identifying 4500 UK steam/early diesel era negs) I quite like this one: Courtmacsherry, 90 + 100 10July 1955 img490 Ernie

Missed my Copyright overlay off this one! However it got me thinking or maybe I'm just having a 'Senior' moment. Was this traffic originating from New Ross and manufactured by a different company i.e. not Irish Fertiliser? Ernie

Very Interesting! My eldest daughter emigrated to Utah ca 2002 so I have an excuse to visit her and the grandchildren especially as they live next to the UP main line between Salt Lake City and Ogden. Best of all was her second husbands Father (She is now moving on to number 3 sadly!); anyway Father in Law No 2 had a 36 foot RV and the 2 of us did a week long trip to Mesa Verde, New Mexico etc including Durango and Chama. This didn't go down to well with the off-spring but well "A man has to do what a man has to do" The results are in this Flickr album I have converted the video to MP4 and the Cumbres & Toltec has 5 parts & the Durango & Silverton 3 parts at the start of the Album. There are also views of the D&RGW operations in 1964. Ernie P>S> The video's don't all have 'thumbnail' icons, just a black bit with a little camera symbol but just click on them they are there!

NCC wooden square post 'Somersault' at ANTRIM somewhat different to the ex GNRI wooden square posts on their branch into the station. The Crossing gate design looks interesting too. Ernie

I'm pretty sure the Tara's had there couplings 'loosened' before proceeding along Alexandra Road' no doubt for the sharp curve into the tippler and maybe also to facilitate uncoupling each wagon as it was unloaded and switched to the empty road . They used to stop just past Church Road box with the loco just past the East Road overbridge whilst the wagon couplings or possibly just the loco/first wagon one were eased. ERnie

Mine arrived from Tommy about 10 days after he announced them, this is the ready to run version. Ernie

I was under the impression that 133 had had the windows blanked out so I did a bit of digging through my negs and video. Attached is a compilation of 133 in action in June 2001. The first parts where it backed down to North Wall along with 148 and then came back up the bank with a Belfast Liner looks as if the windows are plated over. However I caught the loco the Sunday after at Drogheda and it is apparent that they were just filthy. The loco however on both sides isn't IR or IE although other numbers etc are quite clear. Maybe somebody nicked the template or they had run out of paint! Ernie 133_N_Wall_+_Drogheda_June_2001_Medium.mp4

I've finally got permission to use this collection! I don't have many images of Irish weed killing trains and this ones a bit different. Ernie

One of my favourite lines too! I have a SLNCR album on flickr with about 7 photos of Dromahair: https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishswissernie/albums/72157626762714490 Ernie

I,ve looked at the PRONI site but it only seems to do the six inch to the mile whereas we need the 25 inch/mile jobs. Alan Godfrey Maps have done a few bits of Belfast covering York Road and Great Victoria Street at around 16inches to the mile (reduced from the 25inch plans but I have been trying to get ones on the Queens Quay area and especially the Coal Quay plus the lines serving the shipyards. I have been identifying negatives passed to the ARPT covering these areas and also the Grosvenor Road & Mayfields yards of the GNRI. I'm still awaiting permission from the Trust to use these on Flickr its a bit tricky, because I understand the photographer has dementia and I don't want to upset anybody. ERnie

The Republic that is not the North. Most annoying! Ernie

I have an album on flickr covering Claremorris specifically in 2003 & 2005. https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishswissernie/albums/72157626841836014 At the beginning of the album there are 9 videos each approx 9minutes long covering operations at the station In may & June 2003. The 7 18th/19th june ones were very interesting as the line was being relaid west of the station and at one time 5 locos on various trains were there. Shunting of the Guinness traffic is also covered. Flickr was offline undergoing a massive software migration yesterday and is being a bit of a pain at the moment but should settle down once the backlog of selfies etc has been uploaded by the er younger generation! Ernie

https://signalbox.org/overseas/ireland/claremorris.htm This interesting article has a signal box diagram of Claremorris ca 2000. Ernie

Thanks HG, I for one (probably one of many!) didn't know about the Peat briquette traffic. On examining some of my negatives the lettering on the up-graded wagons is apparent. Ernie