LNERW1

4 hours ago, Flying Snail said:

The metrolink will be hugely beneficial to more than just the people living along its route: it connects the airport to the city centre and rail network and provides 3,000 park and ride places.

And the parts of Dublin it serves directly are not insignificant. There will be 53 million trips annually. Swords in particular will benefit massively.

 

 

 

More than a million trips a day- fair impressive, I’d say thats about 10x LUAS isn’t it? But then I’d use a rail line if it was built by my house so fair enough.

Anything for good public transport. It's long past time we got a proper European metro system, never mind rail. Hopefully this leads to more development of the Luas and new rail lines in cities around Ireland.

Headed to Stradbally to volunteer at the railway this morning, and as we were approaching on the road in from Ballyroan, I was shocked to see a driving car of a DART 8200, in a field to the left of us as we drove in. Two other volunteers, one in the IÉ CME department and one in timetable management, had no clue what was going on. Even stranger, it appears to be gone as of a few minutes ago, headed home the same way. Can anyone help shed light on this? The working theory is it’s for the Electric Picnic, as it’s held on the Cosby Estate.

23 hours ago, Westcorkrailway said:

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 

Just started playing the NIR game, has better in-train physics than SCR as far as I can tell, which is a nice quality of life improvement.

As everyone adores and is deeply emotionally invested in this, let me just drop a bit of lore that will seismically change the lives of all who read it.

Been working out the route and lore of the Ardree line for a bit, so here's the general overview, as of right now anyway:

The line initially ended at Salthill, with a roadside tramway being established north of the city (at the time) in 1887, and in 1893 a more direct line was built, connecting with the Clifden line north of where the hospital stands today, west of the Corrib, crossing the viaduct along with its sister Connemara line- meaning the short section after the junction was open until 1974. After Salthill the line had stops at the following:

Knocknacarra: 2-platform passing station that had the line's eastern locomotive facilities (a 40ft turntable behind a 2-road shed) until absorbed by the GSR in 1925, after which the shed roads were used as wagon storage until demolition in 1966. The turntable bridge was removed in 1927 but the pit was only filled in upon tearing up of the line in 1981.

Silverstrand: Single-platform halt. Closed 1942.

Barna (Bearna under CIÉ): two-platform passing station with goods siding (siding torn up 1970)

Garrynagry passing loop is believed to have had short wooden platforms between 1879 and 1884, when two trains collided at the loop and caused a fire, killing 2.

Furbough (also spelt Furbogh and Furbo in printed material): 2-platform passing station with 1-road carriage shed and two goods sidings. Closed to passengers 1967 and to goods in 1969

Ballynahown: Single-platform halt with one goods siding (torn up 1936). Closed to passengers in 1942.

Doorath sidings: a 200m loop off the main line to allow transfer with a short-lived 18in gauge line that ran to a fishery (closed 1930) and a small sand quarry (closed 1931) on the coast nearby. The line was ripped up almost immediately and everything was sold off to try make a tiny bit of money. The loop was no longer used after except very occasionally to allow trains to pass. This practice ended when a minor derailment occured in 1946, when CIÉ removed the points at both ends of the loop. However, the loop itself, and the wooden transfer platform, stuck around until well after the line's closure, rotting away until removal in 2013.

Spiddal: 2-platform passing station, with a short branch to the pier that opened in 1882 and was last used in 1906, being removed as part of road renewal sometime in the late 40s. Station closed to passengers with the line in 1967. Beyond the pier line the town never had goods facilities.

Inverin: opened as a 2-platform station on Inverin loop in 1889, rationalised with the removal of the loop in 1936, and closed in 1945 with CIÉ takeover. (note: this served one of two communites named Inverin, this one being east of Loughaunbeg)

Loughaunbeg: actually located in Cornaron, single-platform station with a goods siding, however this siding was so rarely used it was thought to have been abandoned from construction until a photo of a train using the siding and an oral account from a driver on the line surfaced in 2009. The siding was built with the station in 1894, but was torn up around the 30s, likely 1936 as much rationalisation took place then, and the station closed in 1960.

Creggan: 2-platform passing station serving Creggan, Baile na hAbhain and West Inverin. Opened and closed with the line, no goods facilities.

Ardree Town (coloquially Ardree McKenna after the 1916 renamings in 1966, nicknamed after a local poet): 3-platform station (2 bay, one through) with a wooden overall roof akin to Foynes or Tramore and a 3-road goods yard with a goods shed covering the two roads nearest the station, and a 2-road engine shed with 60ft turntable. The through platform was for the Ardree Quay branch, one goods road (outside the shed) was removed in 1936, the shed was demolished in 1960, and the turntable was left in situ until 1990, when the bridge was removed and destroyed for scrap and firewood, and the pit was used for bonfires by local youth. The station closed to passengers with the line in 1967, but several IRRS specials visited in 1967, 69, 70, 72, 73, 74 and 77, after closure. The goods yard closed in 1974 and was torn up in 1981.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                However, the station was left largely intact, with the two bay platforms being repurposed to display four carriages preserved by local enthusiasts (two Cravens and two Park Royals), with the roof being refurbished and the bay platform used by the Ardree Heritage Railway in 2000 (see below)

Ardree Quay: 1-platform terminus station with a loop and goods shed, opened in 1882 on a short (1.6-mile) extension from the original terminus. Between 1882 and 1936, the line extended onto Pier A of the harbour, but this section closed after Pier A was struck by a ship and required rebuilding. The station was otherwise kept largely the same until a bridge was built over the station throat in 1962, allowing road access to a new ferry terminal, built to allow better access to Aran and Sheehaun. The station closed to passengers in 1967, and to freight in 1974, but the line between Town and Quay was not torn up with the rest of the line in 1981 as the cranes could not fit under a road bridge in Ardree. This allowed the Ardree Heritage Railway to reopen this section in 2000, operating with a CIÉ G class and a Mk2. This operation closed in 2009, but all stock was moved to Downpatrick and Whitehead, and was returned to the site in 2021, with operation recommencing February 12th 2024.

Obviously nobody cares but I needed something creative to do and I like worldbuilding. If there is anything particularly unrealistic about this please do point it out- I am far from the smartest person on this forum and so welcome any constructive criticism. I do hope someone finds this at least a little interesting. Thanks.

All the best,

LNERW1

Hate to be pestering with all the questions, but will TIC be freeplay or have set routes?

1 hour ago, Westcorkrailway said:

Although keep in mind, there are quite a few people who object to this game even existing in the first place, so that was a headache

Odd thing to object to, a Roblox game.

when is the game planned to go public?

On 5/6/2025 at 7:21 PM, LNERW1 said:

About a year ago(probably embarrassingly less) I went through a phase of complete confidence in my modelling ability and went posting any idea that flew into my brain, touting them as definite projects when I had never done any modelling whatsoever before. On an unrelated note I may have just done an ADHD assessment… but that’s beside the point. Anyway I thought I’d find a more useful outlet for those ideas and ramblings with a dedicated thread (yes I know I made one a while ago but that’s beside the point, it was shite ignore it). Anyway, at the moment I actually do have a functioning layout but it’s one I’ve been quite clandestine about for no real reason other than I’ve learnt my lesson. It’s a 00 double-track loop, I'm not sure of the exact dimensions but a loop of 3rd radius curves with two short straights (Hornby) fits nicely enough with maybe an inch on each side and at the apex of the curves. It was just an old board found in a relatives shed and I’ve never measured it.

Here’s a photo- nice and neat and tidy as ever.

I also have a tiny layout that represents a preserved railway in early spring 1970, somewhere in the English Midlands. This is a layout inspired by obsessive reading of the Micro Model Railway dispatch and is as such tiny. 

Sorry about the focus! To the right of the platform seen, I plan on adding another abandoned line, with overgrown tracks and one of the double tracks removed, leaving only sleepers behind. Other than that there are some details I have planned but I shan’t say more, for it will spoil the next story. As it’s a small, fairly manageable project I have quite a lot of confidence in it and may even set aside Ardree Quay temporarily while I build it. I am very much desperate for some semblance of achievement so may have to settle for the dopamine boost rather than the serotonin.

But that is all a moot point if I get nothing done, so now I must go to the kitchen table (God forbid I have a workbench) to build a Metcalfe kit because of the aforementioned dopamine.

Best Regards,

LNERW1

I should have noted that the loop is shared with my younger brother- it’d be more accurate to say it’s his layout, in fact. He does most of the running trains!

About a year ago(probably embarrassingly less) I went through a phase of complete confidence in my modelling ability and went posting any idea that flew into my brain, touting them as definite projects when I had never done any modelling whatsoever before. On an unrelated note I may have just done an ADHD assessment… but that’s beside the point. Anyway I thought I’d find a more useful outlet for those ideas and ramblings with a dedicated thread (yes I know I made one a while ago but that’s beside the point, it was shite ignore it). Anyway, at the moment I actually do have a functioning layout but it’s one I’ve been quite clandestine about for no real reason other than I’ve learnt my lesson. It’s a 00 double-track loop, I'm not sure of the exact dimensions but a loop of 3rd radius curves with two short straights (Hornby) fits nicely enough with maybe an inch on each side and at the apex of the curves. It was just an old board found in a relatives shed and I’ve never measured it.

Here’s a photo- nice and neat and tidy as ever.

I also have a tiny layout that represents a preserved railway in early spring 1970, somewhere in the English Midlands. This is a layout inspired by obsessive reading of the Micro Model Railway dispatch and is as such tiny. 

Sorry about the focus! To the right of the platform seen, I plan on adding another abandoned line, with overgrown tracks and one of the double tracks removed, leaving only sleepers behind. Other than that there are some details I have planned but I shan’t say more, for it will spoil the next story. As it’s a small, fairly manageable project I have quite a lot of confidence in it and may even set aside Ardree Quay temporarily while I build it. I am very much desperate for some semblance of achievement so may have to settle for the dopamine boost rather than the serotonin.

But that is all a moot point if I get nothing done, so now I must go to the kitchen table (God forbid I have a workbench) to build a Metcalfe kit because of the aforementioned dopamine.

Best Regards,

LNERW1

On 2/6/2025 at 4:36 PM, Niles said:

A few places left on this, steam and diesel traction to feature

 

https://www.tailtetours.com/event-details/the-on-the-laois-tour

Can I have an 071 pin if I drag one of the turf wagons out of the bushes for the group's entertainment?

Plenty of progress up ahead so. Well I look forward to it.

I gave Dundalk the interim name MacMahon, after my mams old hairdresser who hailed from there and who, somewhat ironically, referred to it as Fun-dalk.

For something like that I plan on using something akin to Manchester Metrolink, where the vehicles can run as both trams and mainline vehicles. Luckily I was too lazy to use accurate 1600mm gauge track, so interchangeability shouldn't be a practical issue, though it may draw some logical concerns!

3 hours ago, Branchline121 said:

I assumed they’d have used the names of the Forgotten Ten if they wanted to name more stations after revolutionaries, or instead maybe pre-1916 figures like Charles Stewart Parnell or Daniel O’Connell.

Pre-1916 had occured to me- I believe at one point I replaced North Wall with a huge station and named it Dublin Tone. Sounds a little too much like some sort of perfume or a song though, I think monosyllabic names rarely work. The only reason Pearse works, in my opinion, is because it's a very sharp word, and defines itself enough that it doesn't just sound like punctuation, which Tone unfortunately does.

1 hour ago, jhb171achill said:

Maybe some people in more rect times, like people involved in the 1998 peace treaty, or maybe some President who had broad popularity and cross-party support?

Peace activists and widely respected politicians are something I had in mind for the North. I would have to be careful with the placement though, as obviously the huge levels of division would necessitate a lot of consideration as to what stations would be named after who, I'd say it'd especially cause issues along the Dublin line as the line divides East and West Belfast and so naming a station on the border of the two after a political figure would be an issue as the vast majority of politicians in the North are hated by enough people to be controversial, so more nonpartisan names, such as artists or performers, might be the best solution in that case, although an unfortunate bulk of art, especially from an area as politically charged as Belfast, is not entirely nonpartisan. Overall most art to emerge from the city in the past half-century is pro-peace though.

Thought I'd share a newer network, started a couple of months ago as my early mistakes were proving troublesome.

Whole Island:

Galway (the start point of this attempt):

Limerick:

Kilkenny:

Belfast area:

Greater Dublin Area and beyond:

I've also got two closeups, one of Dublin proper:

And one of Drogheda McAleese HSR station:

I really can't reccomend this game enough. The "world" you build on is in fact OpenStreetMap, meaning you can build anywhere-and I mean literally anywhere- on the planet and the tools at your disposal are simple but allow almost any level of detail, plus there are a huge number of buildings, track types, trains, map styles and translations available. I really do recommend the "show existing railways" map overlay as it allows recreation of networks that you can then improve, or just play around with.

Syra_One on YouTube has a couple of tutorials, it's probably best to check them out here before you get started. I didn't, and now I have to deal with a frankly messy network unless I completely relearn how to use the software. Well, I say software, really it is just a game.

It does take a bit of memory to download but the game itself is very unlikely to cause any performance issues even on older and/or less capable computers, so even if you only have an old work laptop, it is not at all performance intensive, unless you want to do something silly like recreate Japan's entire rail network down to every siding, with thousands of trains. It's currently €18.49 on Steam (the page is linked in my first post), and all mods can be downloaded for free, safely, and usually within only a few seconds from the Steam Workshop, in fact they can be downloaded and enabled while the game is running. You can literally pause for a moment, open up a side menu, and in about a minute have a brand new train model to run. There's a respectable amount of good quality IÉ and NIR stock available, and absolute swathes of British stock. There's also different tracks available, with the appearance modified to represent narrower gauges, tram tracks, metro tracks, and even bus lanes, trolleybus wires and sea and air routes, all of which have supported vehicles, although it's all still nice and simple as it's only re-textured tracks and trains. I cannot recommend the game enough as the sheer scale and level of detail possible is incredible and really is worth the price.

5 minutes ago, Mol_PMB said:

If you’re looking for more names I’m sure there are some railway pioneers, promoters, engineers etc that would deserve something named after them. Dargan, for example. 
But if you’re looking for a name for a closed station then perhaps someone like Beddy would be more appropriate? 
 

Yeah another good one. Presumably Carlow works best? Although there is a plaque to him at Portlaoise as well.

Also, having just headed back on over to continue playing (digital) trains, I was reminded what I'd named Drogheda's new high-speed station:

So I seem to have accidentally made the argument for more recent political figures myself.

10 hours ago, GSR 800 said:

And this would be unwise, it is, after all, a rail transport network, people from every corner of the country would be coming to and from Dublin. Dublin as a whole was quite pro-treaty. Far better to avoid it altogether.

I was joking a bit but you are right, that hadn't occured to me.

5 hours ago, Flying Snail said:

As mentioned above - had Harcourt St. and Broadstone remained in use in 1966, they would have received two of the names of the executed leaders that were allocated to other stations.

In addition to Dev and Collins, another prominent name associated is Countess Markievicz - she ended up on the anti-treaty side of the Civil War, so she probably presents the same civil war politics dilemma (btw, we have since had public buildings and spaces named after all three of these). But, if you want to continue the 1916 theme and pick a name that would be acceptable to both sides of the Civil War - then I suggest you also think about those who died in the fighting in 1916. The most senior of the rebels to die in the fighting was probably The O'Rahilly, who had tried to stop the Rising going ahead, but still turned out to take part. He died covering the retreat from the GPO - cut down by a machine gun, he was refused medical treatment and left on the street to bleed out despite the rebels' surrender. He lived in Herbert Park, so Harcourt St would be a good candidate for him.

Another prominent death was the pacifist Francis Sheehy-Skeffington, who was arrested while trying to prevent looting and summarily executed. 

Now all that being said, if a station was being named in more recent times I think it more likely that the search for names would be broadened out to include literary and civic figures as well, so if your scenario involves a modern day renaming of the two stations you might consider some of those too?

I feel it likely would happen that, should 1916-style renaming start up again, figures other than solely rebels would likely be chosen, but your suggestions are quite good. Frankly there is a lot of politics involved so I see the point. I will try put this all to use, so if I do come to any conclusions I'll share them here to be dissected.

Free Staters on the south side, Republicans on the North could have a chance at reducing immediately local controversy. 

I think the logic was just that the then (and probably now) 15-biggest/busiest stations would take the names of 1916 martyrs. I do quite enjoy the precedent we have in Ireland of naming stations after people- when designing networks in the software I mentioned, it's usually quite fun finding someone to name a station after- where it makes sense.

Just for reference, here's the network I have at the moment- I actually started with suburban and light rail in Galway and worked my way eastwards. As such, the MGWR has the most attention, as it should having been so neglected for so long!

The blue line from Dublin to Drogheda is the under-construction Northern Highspeed Line. At the moment Galway, Dublin, Limerick and Belfast have internal/suburban services as well. I won't clog up this too much longer but, for reference, here's Dublin:

Just wondering- if Harcourt Street and Broadstone were reopened and given 1916 names, what would they likely be? De Valera and Collins jump to mind, although as far as I'm aware all the executed leaders' names are taken. I'm building an ideal Irish network in NIMBY Rails, a software I've mentioned before on this forum and want to use the two as underground high-speed stations, but am not quite sure what to name them. Obviously I could just use their original names but it does feel a little out of place among Dublin's 1916 stations, plus a surname is usually less clunky than a geographic location (Although De Valera is probably more of a mouthful than Broadstone- more than likely it'd be shortened to Dev in real life). I'd appreciate a bit of help as this problem's been sitting with me for a good couple months now so I thought I'd turn to the much smarter people on this forum for a hand.

4 hours ago, jhb171achill said:

4. I did my last leg in a 29 class. It was spotlessly clean inside, had clean windows inside and out, no graffiti, no Lino patches on the floor, clean upholstery, and the seats seemed comfortable. First time for everything! So, question, have some of these been internally refurbished in recent times?

No graffiti? Jesus that actualy winded me with shock.

Maybe the cleanliness is a subtle reminder that the 29s are on the way out (at least on suburban work AFAIK) with DART+ units coming. Didn't they always say if a station had a fresh coat of paint it would be closed soon? Maybe the same principle applies if you do enough mental gymnastics.

On 29/4/2023 at 3:49 PM, Kevin Sweeney said:

The Harcourt Street station house was 362 feet long by 138 feet wide. In OO this building would have a footprint of 1.448 metres by .552 metres. That would be a tight enough squeeze in the space available. In OO it would need 2 metres to accommodate the full width of the station. You could half that with N scale, but there is no Irish rolling stock available in that scale.

Starting a modelling career by scratch building a big station like Harcourt Street would be incredibly ambitious, a bit like learning to fly in a fighter jet rather than a Cessna. Dundrum or Foxrock would be a more realistic project to learn the craft and a better fit for the space available.

If you want to try card modelling for making buildings, Scalescenes have some free download kits. I started my modelling career with the free Scalescenes coal office. I spent several years building Scalescenes kits before I moved on to scratch building. As a scratch builder i have developed many techniques of my own, but my basic method is still based on the Scalescenes method.

R024 Weighbridge/Coal Office - Scalescenes

I know you are anxious to get cracking and do some great modelling, but realistically you are at the beginning of a very long road, you face many steep learning curves in the years ahead. I love modelling because it is such a contrast from the instant gratification and speed of the modern world. All progress in modelling comes from slow, diligent, application, there are no quick wins. You can build a model of Harcourt Street, all that stand between you and that goal is acquiring the technical and artistic skills to do it. But that will take time. In my early years modelling I was always in a rush to see a finished product and would cut corners to speed things up, time has taught me the virtue of patience.

I would also endorse Flying Snails suggestion to check out the Chandwell Youtube channel. Michael at Chanwell is the man who sets the standards I aspire to achieving.

For some practical tips on surveying a building you want to model, check out the second half of this classic BBC Model World video.

 

 

 

That's such a lovely snapshot of the early 70s- or at least I assume that's the time period we're talking! Everything down to the half-hearted hi-vis jacket worn by the wonderful gentleman presenting. And a lovely layout to boot. Thanks for posting this clip.

34 minutes ago, Mol_PMB said:

Yes, little trickles of white paint on the coping stones and a few streaks on the front wall. They would need to be very fine in 4mm scale though, a very fine brush would be needed.

I have five different species of gull on my Ship Canal layout and the row of dozens of them is quite prototypical for the present day but probably a bit excessive for the 1960s period I'm modelling, as there was more pollution back then. I enjoyed adding them to the layout though, and they help to set the canalside scene because I only have room for a tiny bit of water on the front of the layout. 

The bigger birds are sold for 7mm scale and are about the right size for large gulls (e.g. Herring Gull, Black Backed Gulls) but for the smaller gulls (e.g. Black Headed Gull, Mediterranean Gull) I used 4mm scale gulls. This is probably way more information than you wanted! I do like birds...

This forum is basically solely info dumping so your explanations of gull species are very much welcome. I do find birds in general interesting, despite having only a very basic knowledge of them. And when they're not using my layout/soldering area as a public toilet I must admit I don't have much against them.

Given I’m modelling a seaside location that would probably be a nice detail. Is it just a trickle of paint? Frankly if I was doing it more than likely I’d just use Tipp-ex.