Westcorkrailway

Young people are well able for volunteering. Particularly if it’s accessible. On my own visit to the DCDR I was amazed by the amount of younger people on site. myself and “the other 2” who ventured from Cork that day would probably be there every weekend if it was within arms reach. The simple fact is that it’s either 5 hours by road, 7 by rail, and a garunteed hotel stay! Cork actually does have plenty of people volunteering, quite a significant number head to Maam cross, and a few also go to RPSI and the Cavan and Leitrim. All of these journeys though, are a cost and means your volunteer is already out of pocket just to turn up on site! Just goes to show the enthusiasm that is out there that people make that journey regardless

I know it’s ambitious but could you imagine a Galway-Sligo service. Yes there is very little in the way of but intermediate stations on the Claremorris - Sligo route but then again, places like adrahan and Craughwell got stations and there doing ok.

I was one of the members involved. The only driver in what turned into 17 hour road trip The sprite van was unintentional, but ironically since allegedly parts of 90s boiler came from GSWR’s “Sprite” locomotive.

For the pictures Colm actually took. There are some negatives about. I’ve seen about 300 negitives of his photographs at a certain west cork man’s house. God only knows where the rest of them are. But that evening echo 1954 article….i wonder would they have better versions of them photos

I would like to think that the weight bridge was always there and the office added later has nothing to do with it and is some sort of administration office/building ??? Only another theory based on nothing but the photos

Over the years there appears to have been some confusion as to what Rocksavage works actually was. The sheds you see behind this A class and UTA coaches (probobly needs explanation in itself) is the works. The CBSCR did need a works as they were a pretty extensive company and were completely independent of the GSWR rail system until 1912. Rocksavage works built a locomotive in 1901, a charming 4-4-0. CBSCR No.7 - GSR 478 1901-1934 the mobile caravan! CIE The link - August 1951 the works was utilised up to and beyond closure. The below photographs from the Colm creedon collection The last use of the workshop I recall is about 1963/1964. As stated before it was used for painting certain stock Black and Tan

If I’m correct it gets really bad north of claremorris. There is 3 crossings of the n17, mostly around Ballendine. I think all of which in some form or another could be bridged if necessary and are level crossings of this nature unheard of? there is one on the R445 just outside of Limerick which I always considered on a busy large road

There is a 00 gauge CIE flatbed truck on the market. I have one at home that’s “roughly the right thing” no idea if the lorry itself is accurate to CIE that time. once again, I might get onto Ray. After the West Cork, he worked with Irish Rail Road Freight in cork until that closed

Yknow, with something as obscure as a D class. I don’t think most would mint a simple repaint with some tooling changes. Can’t have been to many of them around and all gone by the mid 1970s

3 Beutiful EX-CIE PAL Vans. The frame is actually in decent nick in these so somone could have had a go at restoring them into sheds. Unfortunately as far as I know, they’ve since been lost to history

I was just looking at that first photo you sent about to send it in. the other side of the wagon is in much better nick. Unfortunately it’s completely inaccessible. Though for the fun of it I might try again some evening it would be unusual to me to buy a cattle wagon body as a pose to a covered wagon body. What could possibly be the use? Yes maybe animal storage but at that stage it’s a bit ineffective. in the last days of the west cork. These wagons were parked in Albert quay. I wonder if one of these wagons is the one that ended up in crossbarry. The other again itself is only about 200 meters from a LC https://flic.kr/p/2pwjsTY

Yknow, I was thinking exactly that looking at it….but then I thought “nah couldn’t be”. Now that is an interesting find! the key to identifying is the fittings, and matching that to something in the IRRS or something

It’s hard enough to come across colour photos of CIE green in actual use. A rare livery but I do think it’s a shame it was not adopted wider due to its impracticality. Fry’s model of 670 I think show how it looked ex works. 2 types of locos got this livery. Tank engines on the DSER doing the commuter work. Or Cork-Dublin Express locos. And even then not all of these were repainted green. Express locos 406 in weathered green (credit unclear) This unidentified mogul shows the extent of identifying being a problem. The loco is black but the tender shows it must be green beneath the grime! DSE area locos 455 at bray head 467 was moved to Albert quay after Dublin and retained its green under layers and layers of muck. after all these years of course. 800 was never repainted when it was received from CIE in 1964.While the paint has no doubt faded a little over the years. It’s a nice example none the less

The Cork and Macroom railway is one Irelands most underlooked railway companies. So much so that I used to joke at every announcement “I hope it’s a CMDR inspection van”. It’s been over 60 years now since the last publication about the railway. I’d love to tackle it someday if no one wants to get there before me. most photos of CMDR stock that’s findable on the IRRS archive is of passenger coaches in use for other stuff (per way, peat wagons, one even ended up as an ambulance). The policy at the time being to keep the MGWR and GSWR ones going to make the 6 wheel range a bit more standard. Even so the CMDR’s coaches were on average already ancient at the time of amalgamation. But they did seem to travel. I beleive the two Macroom coaches in Dungarvan had been transferred to tramore at some stage

Went to check it out and it’s barley recognisable as anything!

There is an S&S van in Drimoleague village there is a H van near Skibbereen there was 2 H vans near kilrush, I bet there both gone now though I have seen There is a grounded van near crossbarry. I’ve never investigated it but maybe I will soon

Looks very nice. I’m not a van expert but I’d this perhaps narrow gauge One coach I notice missing here is the pair of C&MDR coaches in Dungarvan. Fairly well fecked (I tried to walk in them and came out cut and bruised) remnents of GSR maroon and a GSR coat of arms & Number are present It’s deffo a CMDR, looking at some of the photos of CMDR Coaches on Flickr. But the exact coaches have not been identified. But here are a few close matches https://flic.kr/p/2pwq7Y8 220A https://flic.kr/p/2pwinK8 14RA https://flic.kr/p/2pwpysF 204A https://flic.kr/p/2pwoMwY 4R https://flic.kr/p/2pwnW6M 13RA https://flic.kr/p/2pwnW6B 11RA It’s likely that this coach may not be photographed. Seems to me as it was withdrawn pre war and never made it to being used as a turf wagon as many CMDR coaches did. Fascinating as there very old style with there straight sides

I used a rattle can recently for Leslie’s van and found the colour to be spot on for GSR grey to my eye, if a little glossy! Cork loco 299 was supposed to work the branch. What a site that would have been

The picture of 193 freshly repainted in 1962 shows it best imo.

It’s been in a farmyard ever since those photos have been taken. It hasn’t moved an inch and is impossible to get close to. I have asked to no avail! im starting to doubt that it will ever actually make it to its new home… The white mark 3 EGV is just the undercoat used on them now. It’s very jarring to see in reality.

I will always paint 464 Satin Black as that’s how it looked, and Infairness it fooled pretty much everybody into believing it was black that day. So eyewitness accounts and photos would say so However Upton closer inspection, it probobly was Grey underneath all that. Problem is though. Is it more accurate to paint it the colour it was underneath the dirt or the livery it actually presented itself in. Usually I’m not a weathering guy but in the case of Late CIE steam is it just as inaccurate to turn these locos out in Grey as is black? some IRRS views. The 17/03/1961. Under the spring sun from some angles, you can see grey https://flic.kr/p/2psQWnf https://flic.kr/p/2psSoCg https://flic.kr/p/2psSoBK 464 was also involved in another IRRS special later that year. Again the extreme sun reveals an interesting shade https://flic.kr/p/2psSoBp It’s seen here about 1962. Boiler looks more grey! It sat around in inchicore for about 3 years post withdrawal. By which stage the dirt seems to have been removed by the elements . 463 which was grey and has weathered to the same colour proved the theory. However. Im still looking for the holy grail. As at least 1, possibly 2 Bandon tanks were painted Green in Dublin. I’ve yet to see a photo that shows this livery aside from this very weathered look at 467 at Albert quay in the 1950s

I heard there was a driver down that way who stayed away from this loco where possible. Very superstitious man, The loco was involved in a fatal acccident earlier in its career.

Yes. It’s something not yet utilised yet, but things like vac pips and buffers can be purchased in. The other thing mr 3d printer does not like is handrails. Which are a much more eccumenical matter as making those from scratch is a good bit more difficult although Infairness. Marks Dunleas prints does an ok job with both printed At the end of the day, if your looking for a GB chassis your already making accepting your going to have to make compromises. However stuff like the GSWR J11, i wouldn’t think there would need to be too much given how much space there would be for motor within it. A J26 for example, would be much harder, Infact I don’t think you could ever make one that looks right unless it was the SSM kit or a RTR model