Irishswissernie

That photo is of one of the cement Silos for loading the bubbles and Bulk wagons at Mungret and much larger than the storage silos for road delivery vehicles as at Tullamore (top photo) and Waterford. (Bottom photo) Ernie

Done; Good luck!

Many thanks for the cards boys, Festive Greetings and all the best for 2019. Here's a slide just acquired. Ernie

I thought I had seen one at Limerick and on checking here it is. May 2003. I don't think they were regularly serviced here though. Ernie

I visited Dundalk in October 2000 and video'd a pair of light 141's heading north and later 072 arrived from Belfast with 3 container wagons and half a dozen bubbles. After shunting the Dundalk yard a couple of 4w Guiness, 2 or 3 containers and some more bubbles were added to the train. This is 072 after shunting off the bubbles from Belfast so that the Dundalk bogie wagons could be added to the head of the train. Traffic to and from Belfast was becoming increasingly sparse. Ernie

Progress has been slow over the Summer and Autumn but I have started basic scenic work on the remaining station board. The arrival of my Tara rake today was an excuse to take some photos and actually run a train.

Here is J15 119 arriving at Sligo late 1940's early 50's.. Checking through the files I have discovered another 75 odd JW Armstrong /ARPT images to upload to Flickr when I get the time. Smoke box door handle and the tender differ from the 00Works offering. Ernie

2 Nos. 21 & 22 supplied to the Dublin & Belfast Junction Railway rather than the Dublin & Drogheda Co. BP 1159 & 60 July 1872. Re-numbered 41 & 42 on formation Of GNRI and re-built 1888-89 and again 1913-15 by which time they bore little resemblance to the 101 Class. Scrapped 1937 and 1934. Info from Norman Johnston's Locomotives of the GNRI Ernie

I was thinking if he had 9 children the rubber would have just fallen off the tattered remains of his stick anyway or possibly being of an irritable disposition somebody had had it in for him (several times!) Ernie

Dark Blue number 27504 (Might be a digit in front of that!). It features in the extra bit added on to the latest version of the Markle video "Irish Rail Archive Volume 6 SUGAR BEET UPDATED" This covers 1984 to 2005 with plenty of A Class coverage and also views inside the Beet unloader at Mallow and on top of the loading gantry at Wellington Bridge. Ernie

Ah! The youngsters of today. Back in the good old days of the 1980's, Newcastle (Geordieland!) Show at the Guildhall on the Quayside. Show opening hours were Friday 11am preview for Press, disabled etc, Public 12 Noon until 9 PM, Saturday 10am until 9pm followed by a social for club and visiting layouts etc; Sunday 10am until 6pm. Add on the setting up and dismantling times. The Hall was crowded every day and there were families with young kids attending unlike today where on the saturday at Newcastle's show the average age of the visitors work out at 50+ and by 4 pm the halls were almost totally deserted. Modelling standards and the layouts on display are nowadays much higher and more realistic but model railways have lost their appeal for Joe Public. Cest la vie! Ernie

Back to the late 1940's early 50's Foynes Loop Speed Limit with official and un-official speed limit. Thanks as usual to the Armstrong Railway Photographic Trust. No idea who the chap was, possibly an early selfie! Ernie

I had a message from Tommy Brady (Irish Freight Models) yesterday. He hopes to have another batch of 100 Park Royals (kits/RTR) available soon. The rebuilt Dutch Van will probably be ready around March/April 2019. Ernie

The only colour view I have which shows some of the internal colours Ernie

I think the photos were in a collection belonging to (I think) R Valentine but I am invariably wrong when trying to remember names! Also uploaded this one acquired from EB recently There is a link to this topic ! B&NCR/ NCC had an A Class which were rebuilt and this is an A Class also rebuilt Ernie

My mate Dave Dunn has recently received a collection of slides/negatives etc from a relative of a deceased photographer which will be added to the Armstrong Railway Photographic Trust Archive. All 'big island' images apart from an album containing 17 old postcard prints but no negatives taken in April 1949, mainly on the old NCC at Belfast, York Road. I have added them to ERNIE's Railway Archive although the Copyright is not known,as it is possible that the negatives no longer exist. Does any of the ones below ring a bell ? EDIT : I keep forgetting that if I bung em on here it doesn't display the flickr captions. The shed is Ballymena and the yard York Road. Date for all the photos is 6 April 1949. A couple of the others are Coleraine and there is one at Portrush. Check out the flickr album it also has most of the loco numbers/details. The remainder are in this album https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishswissernie/albums/72157626750300070

This one! Just quote the ref number as already given by Tarabuses. The one below is in the right livery. Class AL1 Ernie

I invariably if I am posting photos put a copyright overlay on the photo because one can't stop them being copied or 'snipped'. With over 25 million hits on my flickr site and over 6 million this year already it is inevitable that some are going to be snipped and posted elsewhere but at least their origin may be partly protected. Ernie

Just acquired this original slide off EB EB!!

Its all go! THe EGV has been sold; meanwhile Tommy Brady advises that he is doing a refitted Dutch Van soon in kit and RTR so Charlie has kindly cancelled my order for his Body Kit. Ernie

Yes, I had a built one; I think from Charlie a few years ago but in the grand scheme of things it moved on . I have ordered the kit from him just now basically one step forward and 2 steps back! Ernie

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/283248588625 This one is a rather embarrassing 'cock-up' of mine! I should have realised that the Mark 2A's apparently only ran with the Dutch Vans. All I need now is a Dutch Van! Ernie

Over in Brugg Switzerland, there is a model railway built by 3 successive generations of the Lang Family who own a private hotel ; the Hotel Terminus opposite the station. The layout is housed on the entire top floor of the hotel and is some 60 feet x 80feet , Gauge 1 and Gauge 0. THis is the web site which includes a history of the layout and a photo gallery http://eisenbahn.terminus-brugg.ch/geschichte-en.html I have stayed at the Hotel over 20 times and on one visit Alfred Lang showed me a Gauge 1 british loco acquired by his grandfather before WWII which he didn't know what the prototype was. It was a North British Railway Atlantic 4-4-2 in original livery. There were also numerous Denver & Rio Grande ON3 brass narrow gauge locos on display. I began to understand why Swiss Hotels are so pricey! Ernie

I recently tried to order an A Class from Silver Fox and passed on to Chris Dyer but luckily didn't get anywhere with my emails!! Must have been fate> 2 A Class ordered and also the Container Bundle tonight. Ernie

I can't get to Raheny today as there is no Public Transport from Haltwhistle to Dublin. However I am going to Newsham, Blyth Show which is the biggest event in Newsham with a footfall of at least 25 per day (Hang on people have 2 feet so that's 50 per day!) I will have no internet either so my Container Flat order will have to wait a few days, hopefully there will be a 5 pack left then. Looking forward to reading the 11am proclamation when I return this evening. Ernie