DERAILED

Irish Railways (Irish Environmental Library Series: 44). by Kevin Murray. Coloured illustrations by Peter Jay. Published by Folens in 1978. 82 pages, full-colour illustrations. Text is crisp and clean, saddle-stitched binding is tight. Scarce title. €15 including p+p or can be collected from Enniscorthy.

@Wrenneire I know there was somebody reproducing these fence signs a long time ago and your one seems in remarkable nick for something attached to a fence for years.

A wonderful Art Deco GSR brochure aimed at the visitor to Ireland. 40 pages, folded brochure with maps, fares hotels and more. In virtually unread condition. See scans for details. €20 including p+p or can be collected from Enniscorthy. collectireland@gmail.com will get the quickest response.

There's some unhealthy level of toxicity in the world of Irish railway preservation - I'm so glad to be long out of it. There's some pictures of Moyasta here - no date - but I suspect quite recent. http://www.industrialheritage.eu/2021/European-Year-Rail/ENDANGERED/IE/rolling-stock-at-Moyasta4 I moved on to check on the ITG and there's some appalling stuff about them posted by some Aussie (?) nutter on Facebook - evil people etc. They are probably responsible for Covid-19 too. There would be no standard gauge diesel preservation in Ireland were it not for the efforts of WISRA, GSRPS and head and shoulders above the rest - the evil ITG.

Surely there's acres of space in Inchicore Works that this "state of the art" centre could be built in without removing causing any problems?

Perhaps they been moved to Waterford for the Waterford/Rosslare preservation scheme - that old GSWR six-wheeler would be a major asset. More seriously, I heard that the Halfway stuff still exists on a private site in West Cork.

Amazing footage. I was sure one of the lifting rigs was going to topple on top of the guy directing operations. What weight is in one of those locos - 200+ tons? Also amazed that the road under the bridge was still open to traffic given the combustible cargo on the train. Only in America do they just get stuck in and get on with it.

Never seen a photograph of the Halt before. The strange angle of the photograph makes it seem like the line is blocked by a landslide - so much so that I had to look it up on the Geohive site to make sure the hotel platform wasn't on a Curragh siding style branch! Anyway, I assume you will be including Jotter's postcard of the Hotel in your book? I have a spare copy if needed.

Love that sound!

An April 1921 view of the front of the LNWR Hotel (right hand side of the building) and a group of Black and Tans put on a show of bravado after surviving an IRA attack on the hotel. More here: https://www.facebook.com/eastwallhistory/posts/837545859647959 and more railway pictures on that FB page.

Some more here: UTA Pocket Calendar for 1957. Rare piece of Railway ephemera from the Ulster Transport Authority. Pocket laminated calendar for 1957 illustrated with a painting of a UTA MED railcar. UTA Pocket Calendar for 1956 Rare piece of Railway ephemera from the Ulster Transport Authority. Pocket laminated calendar for 1956 illustrated with a painting of a UTA bus with Newcastle, Co.Down in the background. €20 including p+pl on the island of Ireland.

Irish Railways Today By Brendan Pender & Herbert Richards Paperback, 168pp, illustrated with b/w photographs and drawings. A 'working' copy in nice clean condition throughout but at some time in its life the bottom right hand corner has suffered water damage. This damage has resulted in slightly rippling of the very bottom corner of each page (the bit containing the page number) and does not look bad or take away from the otherwise good condition of the book. Cover is worn - see scan - but show me a copy of this laminated type cover that isn't. €20 includes p+p on island of Ireland. A Guide to Ireland’s Railway Heritage by Gregg Ryan and Bernard Share Read but in very good condition. Published by Iarnrod Eireann (2002) Paperback, 104pp, illustrated, and translated into four languages. Without doubt the worst guide ever published on the topic. €8 including p+p on the island of Ireland or can be collected from Enniscorthy. IRISH RAIL WORKING TIMETABLE Sunday 25th September 2011 242 pages, ring bound in almost unused condition – no writing in or other damage. €10 plus p+p or can be collected from Enniscorthy. Bord na Mona Bog Train leather bookmark In mint condition. €5 – incl. p+p on island of Ireland. OTHER ODDS AND ENDS TO ADD OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS

Fake news.

That was in the Mallow Beet Factory sidings in 1989 and most of the sleepers and soleplates went into the Fenit line. However, quite a large quantity of materials 'found' their way to Blennerville.

I cannot say, obviously it was intact when we travelled over it and I was never in the area since apart from a flying visit to Fenit in 1997 to remove the ground frame.

The Fenit line had long been abandoned by the GSRPS at the time those photographs were taken. I had given up on it along with most of those involved after our inspection car trip over the line on the 28th January 1987. The last 'legal' vehicle to traverse the line. The Ruston at Fenit was from CSE Mallow and eventually passed to Noel Phair, a scrapman from Clonakilty, who passed it on to the Clonakilty Model Railway Village. It's there to this day with a clock on the front pretending to be a steam engine - all part of an EU/Public funded farce.

Poor old No.90. seen departing from the Bay Platform at Mallow in 198x. The only way was by road - ie along the road on rubber mats. Not a straightforward operation as we had to bring the loco down a steep hill, turn 45 degrees and pass under the mainline, followed by another 45 degree turn and up the hill on the other side into the goods yard. It was winter, the height of the beet season and we had to direct traffic as the Gardai didn't want to know. One JCB pulling and one holding back it took the whole day as I remember and it was pitch dark by the time 90 reached the goods yard. All done to stop Westrail getting it! Sorry about the poor photo - I binned the rest years ago.

At the time these photographs were taken Mallow had indeed begun to resemble a scrapyard as the GSRPS turned in on itself due to difficulties in their dealings with CIE. It need not have been the case and was a sad and expensive lesson for those of us involved. As for all the stock; much of it survives today and would have long ago been scrapped if it were not for the actions of the GSRPS. This is how it could have been had we not been forced to accept Fenit instead of Youghal.

There used to a shop - The Model Centre 73 Johnstown, Waterford - George (?). Years since I was there - is it gone?

Eason did indeed have bookstalls at stations all over the country - the waiting shelter on the Up platform at Dalkey was formerly an Eason bookstall. Anyway, I digress as it's Stranorlar that interests me as my grandfather, his brother (Ross Parks) and their father all worked for the CDR. Ross Parks also operated the bookstall at Stranorlar in the 1960s after closure and for some years prior to that - see invoice below. I see the date on that invoice seems to be 1944 so Ross Parks must have taken it over sometime after Eason's gave up the franchise. Strangely enough my first job was working for Eason & Son Wholesale but by that time the bookstalls were restricted to Connolly, Heuston, Limerick and possibly Cork.

Thanks for the condescension but at 60 I don't have too much time on my hands just a zero tolerance for things that annoy me. Shure it's okay though as long as the IRRS can run a farewell ICR special for the gricer brigade.

They are horrible things, only a slight step-up from the 29000s. Noisy, overlit, overcrowded and grubby. Useless catering trolley which also blocks the aisles for passengers and staff. The toilets are tiny except for the one for wheelchairs. Now that IE have extra staff (the train host) will they reintroduce Fastrack? I mean the train host has little enough to do.

The crane at Mallow was brought from Limerick to Mallow by the GSRPS in 1986 and saw a lot of use dismantling track panels in the Mallow Beet Factory sidings in 1989. Quite why it was 'preserved' in the station car park is beyond me and what happened to the missing match truck shown above? Anyway, the last time I passed it - about 2007 it was returning to earth. RIP. Here's a picture of it working in the beet sidings - sorry for size and quality.

G601 class locos were supplied for lightly used branchlines (Newmarket, Castleisland etc.) rather than as shunting locomotives. Looking forward to visiting the museum.