Westcorkrailway

Not sure if I ever posted these here. But this is from a local modeller who wishes to be anonamous. @Mol_PMB noted that many industrial lines were in the cork/Kerry region. And while I can’t speak for the rest of the network. The West Cork System had a number of private sidings. Beamish had one in Bandon. A small branch for the mills at Desert, Allmans Distillery famously had its own locomotives, Coffeepot and latterly a Peckett 0-4-0 which later became GSR 495. Ironically this locomotive was not only purchased for its age (being less then 10 years old at the time of purchased versus the rest of the aging GSR fleet!) and used for the Fords/Dunlop siding. The tight curves on some Cork City Railway Curves around the quays and the Corn Mills on the marina making it ideal anyways I’m missing a major one here. Shannonvale mill in between Ballinascarthy and Clonakilty still stands tall, it closed a year or two after the railway line that served it closed. Shannonvale mills had its own 400 odd meter siding off the Clonakilty branch. Rather than a private locomotive, a horse worked the branch. The last horse work the line known as paddy, who retired to a local farm rather then facing the scrap! Gravity would work the wagons into to Mill while paddy would bring them back out. A deadly dangerous quick release system would engage at the top of the gradient and paddy, along with the workers would have to dash out of the way. the track may have been lifted by CIE funnily enough as according the local accounts was lifted by a rail tractor (which CIE used to lift the T&C branch line among other light track some footage of paddy https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxL5hDnFAZ6geNU215dcVm84m_Tt7wHGfk?si=6t1xIjELaKddy9Dp https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxYZD5EQbx7WjEFkncZEAksHxedcphB8wA?si=O9mofvztnjWiukhZ interestingly Cork and Bandon Railway are recorded as saying that locomotives did end up going down there. Impossible the verify other then word of mouth and one recorded interview from the 1960s. Beet was certainly stored down there during a particularly busy season in the 1950s according to Ray Good 31/03/1961 taken from the cab of the last Ex-Clonakilty mixed train the pulls up to the mills where the last wagons will be taken (C) Brian Baker anyways this layout is supposed to capture the mill, not long after closure. Enjoy!

Some more early photos

And if it wasn’t already clear. AEC Built the 1953 stuff whereas the later wedge heads were Icore built

These photos hopefully provide a simple answer

On a Thursday, the railcar set was almost always strenghtened by 1 or 2 - 6 wheel coaches attached to the back of a 3 car railcar set. This was due to a promotion on the west cork lines where return tickets could be bought for the price of a single (original poster below, @jhb171achill might like to see this one! Poster https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxQF4Buudcm6Fpt_QuezPg38y0eB_trIBC?si=zd1tSo9ybV6je8Qy Footage of the Thursday railcar passing Bandon station with a single railcar in towe Usually a van being sent out on a railcar set was a horse in a cattle wagon. Often these would be left at the station for the goods train to shunt them later on! This actually happened on the 17th of march 1961 and the IRRS no.464 had to shunt it out of the way causing a delay, albeit some photographs to be taken I don’t have the high resolution versions, but some wrecks also served as intermediates in West Cork. a john Langford shot outside Drimoleague - that coach certainly isint new! there is a reason this was chosen as a book cover…2 green railcars and a dark green Park Royal crossing the viaduct

At the greatest gathering today.

I think that’s a windscreen wiper?

The last train on the harcourt street line was also a wedgehead I think. So those dates might be handy One is in this footage here https://youtu.be/JKLtyavDH98?si=mWEk92YeYLynAG7e

Some photos from the 31st of march 1961. 2660 worked the West Cork Mainline in the final day so some good photos exist at Clonakilty junction heading to Cork just East of Bandon Station Crossing innishannon viaduct At Albert Quay final train to Bantry (Note GSWR 90 in the left foreground whistling the final train goodbye!)

Some more West Cork 1950s stock IRRS excursion in crossbarry https://flic.kr/p/2pr95zUan interesting first class coach https://flic.kr/p/2jUqfLt Weathering inspiration anyone? https://flic.kr/p/24MCWeK

We will never have it as good as these wagons. An extremely beyond generous move

Ah those ones….they may have been tried on the West Cork line to be fair. Though I certainly don’t remember that being recorded by anyone

Chris Larkin Collection photo of Rocksavage works which more or less exclusively dealt in painting and light repairs post 1925. Interestingly as that Colm creedon points out in his book. The workshop was used post West Cork Closure for a while painting secondary stock into the new Black and Tan. And yes, it would have been more then just west cork stock using the paint shops though I imagine it was stuff that didn’t get much an excuse to go to Dublin! by driving trailers which do you mean? The bullied wedgehead ones?

So a few photos of unlined CIE green used on what I would describe as “surplus” stock in the cork area used for courtmacsherry excursions primarily 3rd coach back has no lining (what a beautiful train this was by the way) All 3 coaches here seem to have gotten the “quick” green paintjob first C class to Courtmacshwrry hauler some of these coaches an unusual coach in the formation (at least one or two like this) had numbers and snails but no lining! The following are screenshots from a video I have of a courtmacsherry steam special double header showing these unpainted and weathered coaches finally - a photo from the back of a recent IRRS journal. And while I know it’s a bit shameless to show photos from the journal here - it is the back cover so it’s not twinned with any reading material if I was to guess. These coaches probobly got painted in rocksavage paint shops in what would have been a “quick fix” that was never rectified for the sake of time and cost. These coaches were quite well clapped out!

Truly anything could manage to be in a West Cork service if it was useful enough

I wish some of the other existent timber/iron buildings out our direction had an excuse to get restored to a level to match kells!

Probobly unfair to compare a German designed 1930s loco to and an 1875 loco that was further kitbashed in 1915 and was already over 80 when it retired!

the photo of 90 shunting the tin can was the IRRS excursion to Courtmacsherry. I think it was the 20th of October 1960 However, 90 often worked seaside excursions…sometimes in multiple….see below

my 3 hand lamps. I find the modern version fascinating, a completely arbitrary battery and an expectation date! Where as the old bardic (with modifications) works perfect 40 odd years later. I have no idea how to make a burner work on the CIE hand lamps so I just threw a candle in there to show the principe

Yes it is EXTREMLY weird. Especially around the Dublin area, and the fact they needed an entirely different one for Sunday Differently not my own unfortunately. Infact if anything I’m looking to expand same as yourself! (CBSCR and GSR particularly) If you’re willing to pay steep eBay prices. You can get public ones for slightly cheaper via abe books usually

You’d be suprised how much consider this there favourite loco….im tempted….

Infairness. Modern stations and stock don’t allow much for variety. For instance how many places had large and interesting layouts for them not to even have a loop in 2025. Equally how many of those places are exclusively served by an ICR and not much else. Even now, the days of 2 car railcar formations is coming to and end in the short/medium term the late 50s-early 60s is the best era. Change my mind

Roblox has a set distance at which you can make in terms of memory (considering that you don’t download the game, you load it up every time you play!) so afaik it’s Dublin-Kildare and that’s really it! Although it’s theoretical to go to portarlington or further. The current preferred option would be doing all the way to GCD in the opposite direction Also, quite a large update is happening on the previous NIR game, which may not be of great quality but does have a small loyal fan base