ak425

Nice one Garfieldghost !!!

I remember it well , I would look down at that basement on my way to school most days and dream even when I got to class. I think that may have gone on to become Marks Models .

Spot on garfieldsghost , it was the Modeller's Den. Also I remember now there was a post office in it . Amazing to think we had no real Irish models back then and yet there were many places around Dublin that sold model railway stuff. Despite the superb range of models available to us now, is the interest not as great now in models railways as it was back then ?

There was another model shop on one of the small side streets off Aston Quay - I think it was called Travellers Fare although I cannot be sure on that. It was quite a spacious shop and also stocked cars, boats , planes, airfix etc. Anyhow I got a rush of blood in there one day and bought an N gauge green CIE set with a black steam loco. I never really ran it and that was the start and finish of my N gauge collection.

when we had Park Royals and Cravens, A & C classes , 121, 141 181 class ( single and double ) Yes a far cry !

I got my first set in Monck Place. My dad worked in the Broadstone and my beloved Bohs played around the corner so I was very familier with Leinster Models and as Mayner said you could put in a few bob each week until it was fully paid for. It was a little black 0-4-0 engine and a couple of tank wagons with a cirlcle of track. I would count down those weeks until I could finally collect it. Not long after I went in to the ' big time ' and got the Lima supertrain set. It was 3 mk2s and was hauled by a class 33 - all in the Supertrain livery. How we have progressed regarding the Irish stuff today ! Anytime I pass Monck Place I still think of that great little shop. Of course Phibsboro was a long way away from where I lived in Ranelagh and I had a model railway shop much closer to home. I think it was the early days of Marks Models and was located in a basement in Lower Leeson Street. My main purchase was a Hammant & Morgan Duette controller. This was back in the mid 70s and still operates perfectly controlling the main running lines on my layout today.

Heard from 2 different sources that there is another 071 surprise: 92 60 117077- 4 ? ? ?

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I remember that day very well. I got my first footplate trip between Kilmeaden and this station - Carrols Cross. It was my one and only trip over this line. July 24th 1982. Ah happy days.

201s did work as far as Shelton on Fert and Ammonia trains and as far as Bray on push pulls. They were not permitted beyond Bray on passenger trains. However I recall on one occasion in 1998 seeing 234 beyond Greystones working from Cork to Kilcoole on an Irish Open Golf special which was being held in Druids Glen. It continued on empty to Wicklow to run round before returning to Connolly. That evening the special returned empty to Wicklow to run round and called at Kilcoole to pick up the golf fans, only this time it was 077 in charge. ( did 234 manage to slip unnoticed beyond Bray that morning ?) On that same day two other 201s passed through Greystones - 220 on the empty Ammonia from Shelton and 226 on the laden Ammonia from Marino before returning with a Fert from Shelton. Other than that cement train from the Waterford, I have no knowledge of them beyond Shelton Abbey.