leslie10646

Leslie McAllister pays a tribute to his late friend Lance King, with a selection of Lance’s colour photography taken in the North of Ireland in the last years of steam traction. Leslie witnessed much of what is included, as a schoolboy! The 1960s saw a halving of the Province’s railway mileage, but not before Lance faithfully recorded train working on the former Great Northern Railway lines. Both the main line from Dublin, the much-lamented route to Derry (which closed in 1965) and several branches will be covered. Steam hauled both passenger and goods trains and saw extensive use at holiday periods - all faithfully recorded. Even a glimpse of the Sligo Leitrim and Northern Counties Railway and the County Donegal narrow gauge lines. Lance did not ignore modern traction, which appears from time to time during the presentation. A heady mixture of nostalgia at a time of change! ----------------------------------------- WHERE? The talk is being given at Marlow & District Railway Society which holds its meetings in Eghams Hall at Bourne End Community Centre, Wakeman Road, Bourne End SL6 5SX, commencing at 7.30 pm. and finishing around 9.45 pm.

That scene looks very familiar .........

LIVE + ZOOM : 18.00 - 21.45 : Friday 10 October 2025 Gordon is an active member of the RPSI and the Ulster Model Railway Club. His special interest in Donaghadee stems from childhood and he has now built a highly acclaimed, award-winning model of Donaghadee station and its environs. In the context of a brief history of the BCDR, he will focus on the Donaghadee branch, the life and demise of the station, and the rail-connected harbour including its novel form of construction. And he will recall the highs and lows of building his superb model during the difficult Covid years. At The Gallery at Alan Baxter, 100m from Farringdon station, now the most accessible location in central London. Door opens at 17.30. The Gallery is a smart and spacious community space, ideal for our talks, and with stepfree access available. We hope as many as possible will be able to come along, see the speaker live, contribute directly to the discussion, meet the Committee and other members, and enjoy refreshment in a nearby pub afterwards. LIVE MEETINGS are at The Gallery at Alan Baxter, 77 Cowcross Street, Farringdon LONDON EC1M 6EL.

Well, I'm just off to Deutschland to celebrate the centenary of the German Class "01" Pacifics on a six day tour. As I leave kits are arriving to top up my stock ready for the Show, so it's a good time to speak up if there's any of my wagons which you need. I'll also be selling some of a huge collection of Irish Railway books given to the IRRS, London. I have almost everything published on the subject and in astonishingly almost mint condition. If there's a hard top fill gap in your library, just PM me and I'll have a look. Keep up the modelling while I'm playing with big trains - I want to have something to look at when I get back.

My hatred of the narrow gauge is renowned (too slow), but I salute you @Georgeconna for this Master Class in layout-building. In particular your patience and skill with the "knitting" which looks a job and a half. You say you've barely visited the place, but I recommend it. I usually spend ten days in the Tirol each year - like Switzerland it has mountains - but at half the price! I stay in the same hotel in Jenbach every year, but most years barely glance at either the Achenseebahn or the Zillertal. I probably do the steam train on the Zillertal about every other year - happily the Big railway still has lots of good stuff if you look hard enough. Keep it up, I'm sure that we are all learning from this thread.

They are a wonderful set of photos, Ernie. I particularly liked the human one of the queue at the booking office. I agree with Jim that the goods photo is wonderful, BUT: Were all those vans well-loaded, I think not. Probably a lot of air being moved around, for if i'm not mistaken, if there was a single bulky object for somewhere, it was loaded in a van and the van dropped off there. That was a big problem for the common carrier railway, lots of goods which did NOT pay its way. Jim Edgar's brilliantly-researched talk to the IRRS London Area on the demise of Ulster's railways really brought this unhappy point to the fore. Without the legal requirement to carry the goods, we might have had a lot of lines still there usefully carrying passengers and keeping cars off the roads!

All right and proper, @Galteemore, although it's sad that the closure of the mahogany and black railway caused the death of the little cousin?

Well, we all know who that will please? Or did you write it @David Holman or @Galteemore ????

This didn't sell and I forgot to bid, but my offer was accepted, so it's in Belfast waiting to be picked up en route to Blackrock. It's for my son who is named for the Blessed OLIVER, but if he doesn't want it, it will end up in the iRRS HQ in Dublin after I go to answer for my many sins.

Just wait, I have "plans" to replace everything on Portadown Jct with Southern Railway stuff - very little goods, but nice Bulleid era steam, diesel and electric.

What was the base material of the signal box, Darius. It really does look the part!

Yep. Rather nice looking bulky tank engines!

Just to say that my GNR vans ARE still available. I should have a supply at Blackrock in a month's time.

Thanks, but I really meant did you receive the book effortlessly and without An Post impounding it and sending you a bill! I will bring a stock of Michael's books over with me to Blackrock, as we have been "left" copies of Rolls 1 and 2 and might as well make up the set! No postage, face price.

Please let us know how you get on with this. I know another major publisher who won't export their truly wonderful books to Europe. Perha[ps Robin Fell at TT has found an easier way!