Patrick Davey

Saw that, but no way I could manage that level of fine painting!

So I was all set to get numbering No. 74 when I saw that I had no number 4s left - I'm using the Railtec GNR(I) railcar decal sheet and it only has 2 number 4s and I used them on the renumbering of my OO Works UG. Another sheet has been ordered but I went ahead and lettered the tender in the meantime.

Lovely stuff John - always enjoy these updates.

Started painting the red buffer beams and matt black on the smokebox and running plate.

Black more or less done - the white metal castings can sometimes cause difficulties with coverage, but overall I’m pretty happy with the finish. Next will be the red on the buffer beams and possibly a few other small parts picked out, then transfers, before she returns to Alan for some final weathering and tightening up. The builder plate was a small red oval, located halfway along the running plate in front of the leading driving wheel splasher, so I may explore options for replicating this, although my eyesight might protest The smokebox and running plate will be matt black too.

They are the one loco more than any other that scream 'GNR' to me! Imagine a warm summer morning in 1955, as this magnificent machine simmers at Dundalk as she prepares to take her semi-fast service to Omagh onto the Irish North. She gently rounds the curve away from the main line, leaves Co. Louth and enters Co. Monaghan, calling at all stations and halts to Clones, where she must await the corresponding up service (hauled by sister No. 75) before heading off into Co. Fermanagh, calling at all stations to Enniskillen, then at Bundoran Junction she enters Co. Tyrone and eventually arrives at Omagh, several hours after leaving Dundalk......

Thanks Alan - mighty building sir!

PP No. 74 has left Clogherhead and entered the paint shop at Dundalk. These photos show the result of day 1 in the care of the GNR’s master painters (in reality, me with a rattle can)

Interestingly the first of the 800s to sell out on pre-order is not the class leader!

A mighty collection. And a mighty layout.

Wow

At first glance it might seem like the loco from a ghost train but it’s actually GNR PP No. 74 built by Alan Nixon @Tullygrainey from a Studio Scale Models metal kit, and looking rather fine in grey primer. Alan has done his usual amazing job and the locomotive has been finished to perfection - she runs exceptionally well on Clogherhead, and even the ancient double slip doesn’t cause her too much difficulty. I am going to spray paint the livery shortly, GNR plain black, then apply the lettering, before she heads back to Alan for some basic weathering. A work of art! With sincere thanks to Alan for this - I have long dreamt of having a GNR PP loco and here she is!

Great - now I know who to call for my next signal box interior details........

More photos from a work week travelling around Ireland. Located on ‘The Burma Road’ from Claremorris to Collooney, Kiltimagh is always an interesting place to visit, with plenty of original features remaining. The buildings are all in excellent condition as they have found other uses subsequent to the line’s final closure in 1975, and it’s good to see the lever frame remaining in the signal cabin. There is a museum in the old goods shed and the old carriage was brought here in 1988, I think I have seen photos of this unusual working, does anyone have a link?

Back in the kingdom this week, and I decided the collection of photos at the Farranfore railway park needed some sprucing up….. here is the cleaner version, along with some of the gems which can now be seen in all their glory! Last week: Now: Gems:

I stumbled upon an interesting location on my travels today - the long closed station at Croom, Co. Limerick, which last saw a service train as far back as 1934, although goods traffic lingered on until the 1960s. The station was one of three on a short line which joined the Limerick-Tralee line to the Dublin-Cork mainline, potentially providing a more direct route from Cork to Limerick than via Limerick Junction, but for reasons which I no doubt would not fully understand, the potential of this does not seem to have been realised - knowledgeable folk here will inform! Here’s the location of Croom: Croom station, before final closure, photo by Roger Joanes: https://www.flickr.com/photos/110691393@N07/11451633084/in/photolist-irWBxJ-2qEvnks-2qEu9AD-2qUSb1V-2qEkqFN-2qEu1Vo-2pwo2v1-2qEpsk7-2pwpX7J-2pwoJLo-2pwrbPr Nice photo survey of the actual station building before demolition: https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/21828022/croom-railway-station-croom-croom-co-limerick The station area was quite cluttered, with one platform on which was the station building, goods shed and signal cabin. Croom goods shed, photo by Fred Dean, not sure of the year: https://www.flickr.com/photos/be216cd1/14008474790 My photo of the goods shed from today, the roof has collapsed since Fred’s photo: The road overbridge at the Limerick end: There was a water tower on the far side of this bridge, towards the end of the passing loop. Just one of many interesting abandoned Irish railway locations.

To be sure, to be sure, to be sure........? Taxi.......

Working close to Adare today and I just happened find time to drop by the site of the station, noting a lot of progress since my last visit: Barriers and lights in position View form the LC across the Maigue bridge towards Limerick View from the LC into the former station site, towards Foynes This decent looking building is an emergency generator room, one of 3 along the route, I am reliably told! Nice to see a building like this given a pleasing and almost traditional appearance. A work colleague here tells me that services for the Ryder Cup will operate to and from Limerick Junction and not Limerick, due to the track layout there, anyone verify? I am not overly familiar with the layout around Limerick. He was also bemoaning the €3M temporary platform that will be built at Adare for golfing folk.........

Very impressive, love the neat trackwork and, well, everything else! Any videos?

Quite a rough shunt there! Great work!!

More up to date photos on the Facebook page, amazing job! https://www.facebook.com/p/Mohill-Station-House-61578187328947/

Nice - plus Mohill has just been beautifully restored for community use: https://mohillstationhouse.com/

Just watched the video above - again. Wow, just wow.

Lovely T&D shots - am in Kerry at the moment so nice to see these. Still a good few remnants to see around the former T&D routes. Great view of the train approaching Bundoran Junction too. Thanks Ernie!

Glenagalt is one of the many locations photographed by PW and other legendary photographers, across the whole Island - I have been looking at these photos since I was a youngster, thinking of them as mystical places in some far off fantasy land that I would never see, but now I have a job which makes visiting them almost routine. Suits me!