leslie10646

Hi @Westcorkrailway

I have the GAA book - you can have it for a pile of money (joke). it'll save me listing it on my new AbeBooks Shop.

I'll PM you - it's so thin that it might get past the Thought Police (aka An Post and the Customs).

Colm was a delight to correspond with, but when we tried to get him to publish his books "properly", he wouldn't budge.

I've only speed-read the CBSCR books twenty years ago, but I particularly liked his way of dealing with the history almost day by day. It gave an immediacy to the story. I'm unaware of too many railway histories following quite that approach.

Thanks @Flying Snail for bringing the archive to our attention.

1 hour ago, Mol_PMB said:

 

Pages 65 & 67 have one of @leslie10646's brake vans in a slightly ticklish position.

 

Of dear, so my brake van has!

I must have words with "The Boys"!

Darius

This is a Master Class at card modelling. I have a station building to remodel (wrong windows!) so I'm looking for tips!

Great stuff.

By the way, @Galteemore will tell you who to go to to get a 4mm scale model of the late Mac Arnold, Whitehead's other famous resident. The first was, of course, Harold Houston, designer of the B&L corridor coaches and the magnificent North Atlantic Express coaches. They'd make a nice pair for the platform!

5 minutes ago, Westcorkrailway said:

This one is allegedly before the line opened…the train is for GSWR directors

That seems the most likely situation. Everything looks new and tidy.

The directors would have been admiring "their own" handiwork, as the GSWR built the railway themselves, not a contractor.

Great set of thought provoking photos, so thanks for sharing them.

The Lawrence Collection has ever been a go-to source for early Irish railway photos.

31 minutes ago, Mol_PMB said:

There are items on there (mostly historical documents) that I might be willing to pay a fair amount for, if only there was a better description or more photos. But I'm reluctant to take a punt on the basis of the awful information presented.

Only one thing for it @Mol_PMB, attend the auction!

I agree with others that the descriptions are woeful and His Lordship is being badly served as he won't get the sort of bids I expect he's hoping for.

Add to that the massive auctioneer's fees which they're going to charge a buyer and Lord O'Neill. I've wasted my life in IT, I should have been in auctioneering which seems to a branch of King Midas's Ltd Co.

The starting price for the bound set of Journals is ludicrously low. Assuming that it is a full set and in decent condition (the covers look ok!) then I would have thought several hundred Euros?

Otherwise my set has deteriorated in value faster than driving a new car off the forecourt! (I've NEVER done that).

1 hour ago, LNERW1 said:

Very poetic. You should write a book! Oh, wait...

But in all seriousness it's interesting as a much younger enthusiast to think back to a more human railway, that wasn't just a metal and plastic tube rocketing around, diving under motorways and through sanitised, bare stations. It's all very dull and grey now, no sign of bright CIÉ green or striking black or all-silver bullets with a thousand horsepower inside. I do envy you who has seen all these interesting, characterful railways, I wish I hadn't missed them.

And I say that as someone who has every intention of working for Irish Rail and being part of that big grey machine I'm complaining about, but train travel still has much more character than driving or being driven. I have to say at least for me taking the train is still far more special than the car.

My goodness @LNERW1 a youngster who calls diesels "Bullets"!

That's exactly what we Northerners called the diesels after we saw the silver A Class.

Little did we think that sixty years later we'd be pleading for Crossley sounds from our silver models!

The morning after the night before?

Just twelve hours after closing at the SDMRC Exhibition, a very tired Richard drew his car up to the front door in Reading after a heroic drive in xxxxing rain from the Holyhead boat. 

So, how much can you get into a modestly sized Merc?

The Duty Free (Feckin' Good Gin from Co. Down), my rucksack has the money box in it, you can see the two paintings which I bought from the DARS stand on the right, while under the wire book stand is the painting of the Turf Burner (formerly owned by David Parks) which had been collected from the auctioneer in Belfast on the way out and the box of RTR vans which I didn't sell! Finally, under the Turf Burner painting is the 0 Gauge layout known variously as "Dargle Crescent" and later as "Little Dribbling MPD" - bought from NDMRC to show off Bob Sankey's lovely MGWR locos. 

But NOT six boxes of books (sold on behalf of the IRRS) which I sold out of!

The layout is safely in the Railway Room here and I'll post photos of Bob's beauties arranged around it soon!

Thanks, SDMRC for a great exhibition and to all who called by and bought things. Great craic for three days.

Leslie and Richard

Thanks for the advice, Ivan. I'd considered a Garratt, having travelled on them in South Africa!

On 26/10/2025 at 3:24 PM, Darius43 said:

I used superglue and swearing.

Cheers

Darius

The late Drew Donaldson used solder and a lot of words which I had never heard before when building his wonderful Ranks Grain wagon.

How he would curse to see the ease of production and excellence of @Mayner/ Enda's super 3D printed one!

Thanks for the Heads Up Dave, but the link gave me an advert for Google Mail!

The link below should take the millionaires among us to the "goodies".

https://www.mullenslaurelpark.com/catalogue/9d22e715a6e7d7c91bc03c1c1c1a3535/8d18a33c49d230f6f512e23c3c7b4265/the-lord-oneill-collection-of-railwayana-live-online-auct/

With the greatest respect to His Lordship, I think that the "starting prices" will cause much amusement. Some are very optimistic, while others show a lack of knowledge of the rarity of some items. The auctioneers have not done much work for their outlandish fees, as the photos of paintings are very poor and reflect everything else in the room where the painting was hung.

Nonetheless, there are some gems for the art lovers. I am sure that the late Vic Jaycock will be impressed by the prices his paintings are going for! The Sean Bolan works are worth a look, as he was a true Master.

Happy viewing

Any reason why the Grey/Blue set does not include a driving trailer? I don't see one on the website.

5 minutes ago, murphaph said:

It was lovely catching up with some of you IRL today. Thanks to the participants, organisers and sponsors.

Good to meet you and your son also, Phil. Save journey back to the Fatherland!

As well as my residual kits, this may be my last "Dublin" as a trader:

I shall be selling some pretty rare Irish books and booklets on behalf of the IRRS - at sensible prices.

Also recent UK published Irish railway books including some Lightmoor Press books not normally seen here.

I'm just inside the door of "Platform 5".

At least call by and say hallo!

A master class, as ever, David., thanks.

I need something similar for Rosses Point and the layout I hope that I'm bringing back from Ireland - especially to show off Bob Sankey's lovely Midland locos!

Just brilliant, Darius.

Others have puzzled over how you did it so quickly - you might remind them that you are a KING and simply get your people to get on and do your bidding .......

Perhaps I'll change my name to Xerxes, or Rameses ........

Perhaps someone could take their family on a short holiday - each one with an empty suitcase?

1 hour ago, Darius43 said:

 

Quarryside scenic background completed.

Cheers

Darius

 

 

Oooooohhhh.....

Nice wagons.

I wonder where you got those from .......

As others have said, a brilliant layout coming together at breakneck speed!

Not an open wagon, but the same size ....

Lance King collection, Copyright IRRS

Guess what? I supply an equally tiny Snail with my kit of this wagon (on sale at Blackrock, of course!).

TONIGHT - IN CASE ANY OF YOU LIVE IN THE AREA!!!!

19 hours ago, Patrick Davey said:

GNR(I) brake van for me!

Yes, Patrick, I have it here for you.

Also a wagon from @Galteemore for your new, Top Secret, new layout.

Well, I'm attending, so time to get your pre-orders in!

If I may be so bold, remind me of anything I owe you and it will be put to one side for you to collect.

Looking forward to it! Always a great show.

Yes, great to see the little known-about through carriage off the Express at NPQ - a Summers only arrangement in Leap Years, as I expect you all know.

Bravo to David for having one of the most active layouts there today. 

Great to see The Two Davids, who will be starring for one night only on Zoom at IRRS London on Friday, 16 January 2026. Put it in your diaries and make sure that you tune in!!!!

22 hours ago, jhb171achill said:

The morning local, ten years apart; 1960 and 1970. Todd Andrews has retired now, but strangely he overlooked the Castletown West to Dugort Harbour branch, despite it only seeing twenty or so passengers per day, except fair days.

Nothing, of course, to do with who the local TD is……

Rhubarb!

I'd sack the local shed master for turning out locomotives in such a filthy state.

The crews obviously didn't view their locos as the Spoil Train men did in the late 1960s, when they often cleaned another bit of the engine between turns .....

Admonition over, @jhb171achill it shows it the way it (unhappily) was!

Well done @Signal Post for tuning in!

For those who didn't - you missed one  of the best "Railway / Modelling railways" talks which I have ever heard. Gordon gave a brilliant, well-researched account of how the town and harbour grew, the coming of the railway and then the remarkable lengths which he went to to get things just right on what is an almost brick-for-brick model of the station, harbour and surrounds. Gordon's attention to detail has no equal, in my experience.

You won't be able to get near it at Blackrock, as people just stand and stare as they pick out the endless detail.

Thanks, Gordon, for coming and entertaining us. I'm sorry that you weren't rewarded by a bigger in person audience - unhappily a feature of society meetings everywhere after Covid. 

If you don't attend your local railway society meetings, then think about doing so, otherwise it won't be there.

The talks are a good listen and the craic afterwards is priceless.