Old Blarney

Iarnrod, I am not hero worshiping. I'm stating a fact. No company or individual have produced, or commissioned, the proportion of Irish Railway Models that Murphy models have. I have spoken to major manufacturers over the years prior to Murphy models bringing their products to market. None of these were interested in producing genuine Irish RTR Models . Reason - Compared to their existing markets the Irish Market was too small, and not worth their effort. Based upon this fact, we have to conclude that Murphy Models have provided us with the product we wish to have, that these have been of the highest quality. Unfortunately, the latest batch of products (I have not seen these) would appear not to meet the past production standards. This is unfortunate, but it is not the end of the world. High expectations that fail to be meet what is expected, will always lead to disappointment. Where the cost of the product to be purchased is perceived as expensive, and the quality and reputation of the manufacturer are both perceived as brand leaders, then the disappointment of a faulty or inferior purchase tends to annoy and disappoint. I am genuinely sorry for each of you who have received a product that disappoints you, but, you do have the option to refuse the item you have pre-ordered if it has a flaw or flaws in it. If the fault is discovered after your purchase has been accepted, be it a car or a model railway coach you have the right to return to the supplier and ask that they replace or repair the item. If they will not do so then you insist they return your money to you. End of story. Perhaps the solution to this saga is this. The retailers and Murphy models discuss the practicality of offering a range of solutions to any customer who has received a faulty coach, or is offered one! This could include any of the following. We will offer you a choice of 1) Re-spray the faulty areas 2)Weather the coach to hide the fault/s 3)Offer a discount on the product 4)Offer the customer a replacement 5) Apologise and thank the customer for their support when purchasing this product.

I must say I agree with jhb171achill. I have not seen the latest version of these coaches, thus, I cannot make comment on them. However, I have a substantial number of Murphy Models products all of which have given me, and many others hours of enjoyment. Please remember this fact. Without the investment and risk Paddy Murphy has taken on our behalf, with his money, there would not be any Murphy Models. Our hobby, our enjoyment of his models, on our railways, would not exist. Please put yourselves in his position and ask yourselves this simple question! Do I, for one moment, believe Mr Murphy would be willing to knowingly, yes knowingly, accept a product that is below the standards that all previous products have achieved. My personal view and knowledge of the man is that he will be disappointed beyond belief at flaws in his products. Paddy - good luck to you Sir, and Thank You.

Hi Gang, Another point of note regarding the "Speed on Wheels" logos, or their irreverent title "The Flying Snail" is that there are two variants of the symbol/logo. As there are two variants, the symbol is sometimes incorrectly placed on models. There is a Left facing version and a right facing version. The symbols upper wings should always face in the direction of travel. This is obvious on a bus where the Left facing symbol is on the near-side; right facing symbol on the off- side. For a railway coach this rule does not apply. Take a look at the way CIE placed the symbol in their AEC - 2600 - Railcars. The symbol faces the way the railcar will be, or was, driven. A left facing Symbol is used on both sides of the Railcar. When viewed on a double track railway, the passenger always saw the symbol travelling in the direction they were going. The misunderstanding of the placement of the symbol can be this; passengers waiting to travel in the opposite direction standing on the opposite platform will view the snail as travelling in the wrong direction. Railway Coaches and Goods Wagons should always have the left facing snails on them. Oh, I too have incorrectly placed snails on my models.- must do something about this soon.

Burntthebox, Two of these locomotives were built. There is detailed information on them in a book "Locomotives of the GSR" by Michael McMahon. My copy is out on loan at present. If memory serves me correctly there is gap of a number of years between the building of the first and second locomotive. They were used in the yard at Kingsbridge but were prone to damaging the tracks there. To rectify this problem the rear wheels were disconnected from the coupling rod thus transforming the locomotives to 4-6-2. They were scrapped by the GSR.

Cripes, Are these colours genuine or photo-enhanced? ? The colours to my eyesight look to be dark brown- white-orange brown. The coach looks as if it is being prepared for painting so, was this an experimental colour scheme? Coach colours are, I believe, a very personal matter. When I was a child, CIE coaches were green with eau-de-nil lining, the emblem, "Speed on Wheels" irrelevantly known as the "Flying Snail. There were still some GSR coaches to be seen, I remember sighting these in one of the sidings at Foxrock, possibly 1947, but not later than that as the family I visited moved to Killiney late that year. In my humble opinion, I like green rolling stock. Perhaps this is because I saw this as a child! Oh the joys of memory - Green trams (proper trams) in Dublin, green buses, green trains. Of course the Great Northern stock needs to be mentioned - Teak Brown Coaches, hauled by Blue Engines. Their Oxford Blue and cream buses and trams were something to behold but, the majority of our transport was painted green and looked extremely well in it too. It's green for me.

1. How did you get interested in Railway Modelling? The start of my interest in this wonderful hobby goes back to the mid 1940. My parents lived on a farm at the top of the hill, between Chapelizod and Palmerstown, Co Dublin. From their home, I was able to listen to trains as they travelled over the lines to the South and West of Ireland. I was told by my Mother and an Aunt, that I made train noises from an early age; that I would scuff my feet in dust to imitate steam being emitted from the cylinders of a locomotive, so that was the beginning. Both sets of Grandparents lived close to railway lines. My Paternal Grandparents in Islandbridge, Dublin. Their home occupying an area adjacent to the Phoenix Park Tunnel at the river Liffey end. My Maternal Grandparents lived close to Sydney Parade Station to the south of Dublin. It was at this station that I spent many hours sitting in the signal box watching the signalmen at their work. I was allowed to assist them as I grew older, and it was my job to open and close the level crossing gates as and when required. Oh, happy memories. When I was very young and suffering from whooping cough, my father bought me a clockwork railway set. I can only just remember this incident and I think it was during World War II that this happened. My father was killed when I was five and it was to be another seven years before I had a model railway again - Tri-Ang model railway. Thought it the bee's knees. Princess Elizabeth locomotive and three cream and red coaches. I drifted in and out of this hobby as life progressed and situations came and went. Today I have two model railways. One exhibition railway, Old Blarney. Details of this are available from the Perth and District Model railway Club WEB Page. The second railway is here in my home. Both railways share the same rolling-stock 2.What do you enjoy most about your hobby? I enjoy the pleasure of creating the scenes in which the model railway will run. When this has been completed (If ever) there is then the pleasure of running your railway in your world. The railway can be what you want it to be. Real places in miniature, or a world from your imagination. Building model railways offers many pleasures and it teaches one the art of patience. You cannot rush certain tasks. It is a world where you need to solve problems on your own and/or with the help of others. If you are a member of a model railway club there is the opportunity to learn from others who are experienced in this hobby, and for some, the companionship too. 3. Do you go to events and if so how often and where? I go to a number of exhibition here and Ireland too. Looking forward to Bangor this April and thoroughly enjoyed Cultra last November. 4.How much do you spend per annum on railway modelling? I prefer to think of my expenditure as an investment. I hope this information is of use to you and that it tells a wee story. Should you wish to have additional information on Old Blarney - please refer to The Perth and District Model railway Club WEB page. http://www.perthmrc.com/page10.htm David.

Hi gang, jhb171achill, perhaps I am misreading your post on Flying Snail Colours, if this is the case then I apologise. However, if my understanding of your post is there were no CIE locomotives that carried yellow numbers or snails, then I beg to disagree. - Flying Snail - in Yellow/Cream, it did exist and can be viewed in a number of photographs. To prove this point I refer to this book - KEITH PIRT COLOUR PORTFOLIO Irish Railways in Colour - Volume 1 References:- Page 11 - Class J8 0-6-0 588 Yellow/Cream numbering and Snail Page 12 - Class G2 2-4-0 655 White numbering Page 13 - DSER 2-6-6 461 Yellow/Cream numbering and Snail Page 15 - Class I3 0-6-2 673 Yellow/Cream numbering Page 18 - Class D14 4-4-0 85 Yellow/Cream numbering Page 19 - Class B2a 4-6-0 402 Yellow/Cream numbering There are additional photographs of Yellow/Cream numbers shown on broad gauge and narrow gauge CIE locomotives in this publication. I hope this information is of use to my fellow modellers and enthusiasts of Irish Railways.

Dave, Thank you. David.

Fellow modellers, For anyone who follows the progress of Old Blarney, she was exhibited at the Falkirk Model Railway Exhibition held on the 29th and 30th November, 2014. This exhibition was extremely busy on both days, and I am proud to say, Old Blarney was awarded two accolades: - Kerr Cup. This was donated by two founder members Wilson and David Kerr and is voted for by the public. If you visit this exhibition you can register your vote or you may be asked to tell the Club your impressions of their show in an exit survey. President's Shield. This is awarded by The Chairman to the layout he judges the best on display. I am extremely proud of the fact that Old Blarney won these two prestigious awards, as are my colleagues at Perth and District Model Railway and, I thank Falkirk Model Railway Club for a most enjoyable weekend with them. Old Blarney.

I was not implying we have done a disservice to Paddy. I was stating a fact. There are a number of Murphy Models products held by retailers; Cravens, 071, 201, MKII etc. No retailer who wishes to stay in business, the magical, wishes to stay in business, will hold additional stock above a certain level, especially if their existing stock has not sold out. It's called CASH-FLOW. Money tied-up in stock that has not sold. Many a business has gone-to-the -wall by having too much stock on the shelf. Turnaround is required in business to stay in business. Emptying the shelf at the retailers will create a need. Old Blarney

My fellow modellers, I have read this thread with interest, however, I believe we are all missing a very important point when it comes to our wish list. It is this. This survey is flawed as it fails to determine exactly which model the respondents wish to fund and, most importantly, in what quantity they will purchase these items. 110 votes is a meaningless figure. It tells you that 110 people are interested in "Crowd-funding" but, it does not tell you, which product, and in what quantity they will purchase. Furthermore, the cost of bringing any model railway product to market is horrendously expensive. I speak from experience. Some years ago, I researched the practicalities of bringing an "Irish Cattle Wagon" to market. The tooling costs alone were in excess of £10,000 and that was before you even produced a single wagon. Fellow modellers on this site shewed their interest in such a wagon but, and here is the big, BUT, the numbers did not stack-up. 2 wagons here and there, 10 now and again, 20, if you were very lucky. The arithmetic was not there to make the investment worth THE RISK. Yes, RISK. We talk about times being hard, money tight, come on, the individual or individuals who are financing, yes financing a project like this need to know they will get a return on their money, the money they invested in our interests and hobby. We need to support the businesses that have already invested in our hobby, on our behalf. We need to purchase the products that have produced, and are producing for us. My thanks to MR PADDY MURPHY, of MURPHY MODELS, has been expressed to him. I have also shown my gratitude by purchasing his products. Perhaps, it might have been a polite and productive thing to have asked Murphy Models if they would be prepared to discuss this matter, and disclose their plans and timescale for their future products. Were this not possible, then, and only then should we be exploring the possibility of the route that is being discussed on this particular subject. My personal belief, yes personal belief, is this. I believe we are being inconsiderate to Paddy Murphy by not having cleared the stocks of ALL existing products from the shelves of all of the retailers selling his products. If he then fails to produce products for us, then, and only then, can we, the consumer, have the right to say that we are not being served by him, and his company. It is at this time you look for alternative sources of supplier. Perhaps if all viewers of this forum were to participate in an analysis of:- Product - "A" Class - As delivered to CIE, "A" Class - As first repainted by CIE, "A" Class - As first re-engined "A" Class - Silver, Green with stripe, green no stripe, light green, Black, Black and Tan, Super-train livery, IR Livery, IE livery, and so on and so forth - Only by completing an analysis of this type, for each locomotive group, will you determine what is practical to produce and at what cost the end-user will have to pay. I'll wait for Paddy to tell me what he plans to produce. Then I'll buy it. Until this happens I'm not even prepared to say what I want from this proposal. Apologies for my rant, Old Blarney.

Leslie, Thank you for all the information you have provided on this subject - and - less of we Oldies, please! To each of the contributors on this matter, an additional than you. David.

Castle Rackrent. It is most certainly operational and it resides at Richards's home. Running this layout requires each station to be manned, all train movements are controlled by each station, all stations communicate with their UP and Down counterparts by Bell Codes and Telephone, just as the real railway did when signal boxes were in use. The railway runs one a month as far as I'm aware, but it is at least six years ago since I had the pleasure of visiting it. Must speak to Richard on this matter. David.

John. Thank you for your help, located a copy (Railway Byelines Annual No 5 ) this afternoon and it should be wending its way to me in tomorrows post. I'll phone the bold Leslie later today. Can discuss the train times from his copy of the WTT and have a general chat with him. I travelled on the Harcourt Street line prior to its closure, just wish I had taken photographs that day of the station and its yard. There are some excellent photographs on the O'Dea pages which were taken immediately after the closure of the line. Was it not you who drew our attention to these photographs? Remember the lifting of the line too. Always thought it a great mistake that this line was abandoned, but by then, the thoughts were that railways were no longer a necessary form of transport in Ireland - the private car and bus would be the preferred methods of transport. I remember reading an article in the "Sunday Times", early 60's? It stated there was the possibility that all railways within the Island of Ireland would be abandoned once the existing rolling stock and infrastructure became life expired by the 1980's. Again, thank you for pointing me in the direction of information re this railway line, David.

High gang, Would anyone out there in our "World of Knowledge" happen to have a CIE Working Timetable covering the Harcourt Street line prior too its closure as of January, 1st, 1959. Last day of services, December, 31, 1958. Ideally, I would like to have details of the train movements for 1958. Know there were restrictions during the "Emergency" and the Drumm Trains were the regular performers during this time. Also know the year 1947, restricted services due to coal shortages because of the severe weather. So any year from 1950 would be great, but ideally 1958. Often try to imagine how this lost line would be today were it operational. I try to imagine a fifteen minute service in both directions covering the line from Bray to Harcourt street. Would Harcourt Street still have has its single platform of 598 feet to serve such a service? Might the former Goods Platform, immediately outside the Train Shed, have been converted for use by passenger trains or, would the third line in the train shed have been removed and a platform built where it once stood? Where would the crossovers have been placed to allow the use of a second platform? Harcourt Street trains arrived and departed from the single platform, there was no direct access to the storage sidings in the UP direction, thus, all movements to these sidings required the stock to first enter the station and then be propelled to the down line. The stock was then shunted to the various storage sidings. What a palaver? After the Valentines day accident this type of movement was meant to cease but it never did. The UP trains simply stopped at Ranelagh before proceeding to Harcourt Street. What a model this station would make? Regards to all, David J. White.

Cultra Model Railway Day May we, Perth and District Model Railway Club wish you; Cultra Model Railway Day, a successful and enjoyable day. We remember with enthusiasm our visit of two years ago with Old Blarney. You never know, I may get a gang of us to travel over on the 8th!! Fondest regards, David J. White.

Gang, Thank you for the replies. I was aware of the Enterprise workings to Cork, remember them well; even remember seeing a Great Northern engine passing through Tara Street when I was a nipper in the late 1940s. I have vague memories of GSR maroon stock stabled at Foxrock Station and seeing Trams that were stored in Donnybrook Tram Depot whilst I was waiting to catch an A Class AEC bus to Foxrock, again I believe this would have been around 1945/6! My apologies to Dhu Varren for being so rude to you - 'it is my railway and I will run what I like on it'. Must have been in one of my hissy fits that day. Anyway, I think I'll take your advice and run some maroon LMS/NCC stock on Old Blarney. Oh, the only maroon engine I have (at present) is an LMC Crab, No 13000, so you can tick-me-off again should you wish to do so! All this can be seen at Falkirk Model Railway Show this November. Regards, David.

Thank you for your reply and kind remark. David.

Help please! Can anyone out there confirm if the LMS/NCC ever ran a train of theirs to Dublin or anywhere else in the South of Ireland? If they did can anyone tell me the year/s when the train/s ran? What locomotive was used? Any photographs would be really useful please! Reason for my request for assistance with this matter - I wish to run some LMS/NCC rolling stock on Old Blarney, and would be nice to be in the position to state this type of train movement did happen! If such a movement never happened then it will just have to be one of those tall stories that one tells to the unsuspecting viewer at exhibitions!!! Thank you, in expectation, David J White.

Richrua, I note your comment " I've found it difficult to make friends and contacts up north even though I've been here many years but that's another story." I don't know where in the North you reside, none of my business anyway. However there are a number of Model Railway Clubs in the Bangor area and there is the forthcoming two-year Festival of Model Irish Railways at Cultra, this November. It is well be worth visiting this wonderful exhibition, I and my team were there two years ago with Old Blarney. What a wonderful time we had, it is still talked about by us in Perth. A visit would provide you with an opportunity to speak to the operators of the layouts there and it may provide you with the information, tips, hints and perhaps an opportunity to make a friend or friends in the future that will help you in your quest - Model Railways. Perhaps it may also be a day out for your Family too, and show them the companionship our hobby offers. May I wish you success in your quest and also state that, DCC is great fun, however, it is not the answer to all layouts. A simple, yet enjoyable layout can be designed to run as DC, just be practical when positioning points. Practical positioning of point-work using insulated frog points will provide you with the sectional breaks required to prevent locomotives/trains from running into one-and-other.

Richrua, Might it be possible for you to visit/join a Model Railway Club near you? IF so the advice, guidance and support could prove to be invaluable to you. From my experience, I wish I had joined Perth Model Railway Club a great deal earlier than I did. I wasted a great deal of money that need not have been spent on my layout through my ignorance of Model Railways. A club can assist, advise, and may even offer you second-hand units as their own members upgrade their own control equipment. Many of us use Digitrax Equipment in Perth. This allows each of us to assist one and other with any problems we have in our train or layout operations as we have the same controller types and handsets. DCC certainly has the added costs associated with it, locomotive decoders, and the DCC equipment to control your layout. However, this method of operation can add an enormous amount of operational control to a Model Railway, for example, I control each of my points from my handset, and all operating signals too. In addition I have light and sound in many of my locomotives. Some of my Steam Locomotives have sound fitted as well as fire-box lights that simulate coal being fed to the firebox and providing the associated glow when the fire-doors are parted. Yes, it all costs money, but go slowly, pace yourself and enjoy the pleasures as your railway and finances allow. Happy modelling.

Gang, I'm all upset now having purchased two of them 1st Class Craven yokes provided to us modellers by young Mr Murphy. I never thought about how the alignment of the windows to the seats or even the seats to the windows might have changed when the conversions took place. I just thought of the type of passenger that would occupy the first class seats and decided to place a superior type of person in my First Class Cravens. The women wear hats, have gloved hands, matching shoes and handbags whilst the men have removed their headgear and placed it in the racks above the seats. The newspapers and magazines they have in their hands are, The Irish Times, Financial Times, Playboy, Mayfair and other salacious publications that were only obtainable in the North of Ireland. My evening is ruined. I'm going to have to change the interior of the coaches, and ask all of them people to move from out of their seats because they don't have the right to be where they are. Mayhem will be heard in my railway room for days. Seriously, thank you to each of you for providing this interesting historical information. David.

Jimbo321ci Depending upon the era you wish to review, have a look at the OSI.IE site. There is useful information on the railways of Ireland from 1913 to 2014. Historical Map. http://maps.osi.ie/publicviewer/#V1,591271,743300,0,10 Old Blarney.

Dear Northman, I believe I may have worked out the "Private Message" - sent one to you. Hope the link has worked! DJW.

Dear Northman, Working lights on your Hunslet. I could be interested in her. I have two maroon DCC locomotives on Bachmann 20 Chassis so she could join the stable on Old Blarney. Is it the marker lights only that are directional? Do the high beam search light also work directionally? David J White. Ps, I don't know how one sends a private message on this forum, do you? If so can you contact me "Old Blarney" please.