Irishswissernie

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

I forgot I had that view in the archive, here is another with a slight variation in the positioning and size of the "10ton brake" lettering and also metal sheeting on the ducket. Also at Youghal Ernie

They were freelance scratch-built, mainly plastikard on Bachmann GWR mogul or Manor chassis, based on the Dingle Kerr Stuart plans. The boiler was some plastic plumbing pipe, smoke box, a button from a charity shop, Cab windows- brass marine modelling port holes. Chimneys/domes were 7mm Drummond style white metal but I can't remember the manufacturer. Slaters hand rail knobs. I think I built about 20 narrow gauge locos in this way; I needed perhaps 10 for the layout but I used to take completed models along to various model railway shows and was usually persuaded to sell them. The same thing happened when I took along coaches, wagons etc. When I built stock I always found that something wasn't quite right in my eyes so I was usually quite happy to part with it and try again! My main regret is that we didn't take more photographs. Ernie

Yes its Letterkenny shed, its captioned so on the Flickr album but I keep forgetting that the captions don't come up if I link one of my flickr photos to here. There is a CDRJC tank hiding in the undergrowth at their yard on the right of the photo. Ernie

RM Arnold's Golden Years of the GN Vol 2 has some information on the Belfast Boat Express. It would appear that the train ceased running after the accidental sinking of the LNWR Passenger steamer 'Connemara' when it collided with the Clanrye Steamship Co 'Retriever' at the mouth of Carlingford Lough on 3 November 1916. Arnold seems to imply that the GNR provided the motive power from Greenore, probably a PP or U or similar small 4-4-0 as nothing larger was permitted. Express due in 1913 at Edward Street, Newry 6.42am a GNR Breakfast car was included in the consist and arrival at GVS 7.45am. I have the GNRI Working Timetabl;es for 1917 together with additional working notices etc and there is accordingly no mention of any boat express's or through coaches off the DN&GR to Belfast or Derry. Ernie

I don't think there was a standard design as such, but the 4 sections of line had certain characteristic features. Graving Dock to Buncrana no distinctive style although Buncrana was fairly impressive. Tooban to Letterkenny , Newton Cunningham, Sallybrook, Manorcunningham and Letterkenny shared various architectural features. The Carndonagh extension buildings shared similar brick decorative work. The Burtonport extension buildings were pretty basic. The Swilly was fond of curved corrugated iron roofing on its goods and loco sheds and also on Graving Dock station. Smaller signal boxes are best described as single pitched roof 'garden sheds' The revised edition of Dr EM Patterson's Lough Swilly book recently published by Colourpoint has some small line sketches of various station buildings. Ernie

Hope this link works http://www.bluebell-railway-museum.co.uk/archive/photos/jjs/b04/4-56-1.htm Definitely not 31 feet! You can buy copies of the print from the Bluebell Railway, this is the link http://www.bluebell-railway-museum.co.uk/archive/photos/buy.htm The prices appear reasonable if the web site prices are up to date. Quite a selection of Tooban Junction photos. Ernie

voted! Ernie