Patrick Davey

Splendid!

The Ardee branch trackbed is now crossed by the M1 motorway near Dromin, so that would probably rule it out

Bingo - from page 13 of the 2006 Colourpoint edition of EM Patterson’s ‘The Ballycastle Railway’:

McKinnon’s scheme for laying the track with light-section rails went a stage further when, on 12 March 1879, the Board asked Evans to obtain prices for 30 lb and 40 lb rails. By early April, 14 companies had replied, but none could roll rails as light as 30 lb, and they offered either 40 lb or 45 lb rails at prices varying from £4 18s Od to £6 11s 6d per ton. The West Cumberland Iron Company's tender was the lowest and the Ballycastle Company decided to take their 45 lb rails, a wise reversal of policy. The Company then tried unsuccessfully to get the price brought down to £4 12s 6d. Half the rails were to be delivered to Ballycastle and half to Portrush; those delivered to Portrush were to be railed over the Northern Counties line to Ballymoney and the track was to be laid from both ends.

One might assume therefore that the rails at Limepark came from the Armoy area, and with Armoy being closer to Ballycastle than to Ballymoney, these rails were most probably from the consignment delivered directly to Ballycastle. 

Anything is possible!  Definitely more research needed

My day jobs bring me to many very interesting places throughout Ireland, and recently I was working at an event & wedding venue called ‘Limepark’ which is situated near Armoy in County Antrim.  My work colleagues and I were standing at the bottom of a set of stone steps at the side of a building, when the handrails caught my attention….. I quickly recognised them as being lengths of narrow gauge rail.  The venue is not far from the track bed of the Ballycastle narrow gauge line, which closed in 1950.  On closer examination, I could see that each length of rail bore the following inscription:

West Cumberland Steel B C R 1879

A quick Internet search located the company operating in the north of England from 1872 to 1916, and the date of 1879 would suggest that these are some of the very original Ballycastle line rails, as the line opened in 1880.  I’m not sure what ‘B C R’ means, but it would be nice to think it meant ‘Ballycastle Railway’.  Obviously, I may not be able to find out when these rails were installed at the venue, so either they survived in use until 1950 and were then sold off, or the selling off happened much earlier than 1950, during a presumed relay.

One of the staff members at Limepark was able to tell me that there are a lot of lengths of rail in use around the venue, and he says there are also original railway sleepers there as well, so a return visit is now very much on the agenda!!

Yum

Lovely selection Ernie!  Amazing early view of Fintona Junction with what looks like the familiar tram car in pre-blue & cream livery.

There’s an article today in The Derry Post newspaper, about my model of Knockloughrim station.  And that more or less draws this very enjoyable little project to a conclusion!

Knockloughrim.pdf

RM Arnold has provided the answer:

Actually......I wonder was it double track through Killylea, @jhb171achill can you verify or correct?

I always thought Portadown - Clones was double.

Or maybe it was doubled at one stage then singled later on...

No reference books to hand just now.....

32 minutes ago, Mol_PMB said:

Nice idea! I look forward to seeing what transpires. 

Won't be this week or next....

On Saturday past, work brought me to Armagh, the 'ecclesiastical' capital of Ireland.

Armagh was once a 4-way railway junction, with the last surviving lines through the city closing in 1957, although there seems to be a remote possibility that Armagh might see trains again, sometime in the future.  Armagh was located on the Ulster Railway route from Belfast to Cavan, later taken over by the GNR(I).  The first station beyond Armagh on this line was at Killylea, and the station is an absolute gem of a preserved station, with station building, goods shed and signal cabin all surviving, along with a tiny brick building on the down platform which may have been a - very small - waiting room.  There is also a huge stone overbridge at the Cavan end although this has been partially filled in.  I visited Killylea once before but I did so again on Saturday, and with the kind permission of the owner, I took some photographs:

Looking back towards Armagh

Looking towards Cavan

Goods shed

Goods shed and signal cabin

Main station building

Signal cabin, with station name evident

Rear of signal cabin

So naturally this has started me thinking of a project for the future.  Plans for my next project are well advanced so these musings would be for the one after that......

Killylea would be an excellent subject for an exhibition layout and it would suit my interests, and current rolling stock collection, very well.

Even before the 'what if' is considered, a Killylea-based layout would offer the following:

* Double track main line

* Attractive and varied architecture, with a mix of (presumably) original UR buildings and later GNR(I) buildings

* Passenger and goods workings, featuring fast passenger expresses as well as local services, with steam locomotives & railcars in attendance

* Classic overbridge scenic break at one end

* Goods shed for operational variety

I also have a suitable signal cabin built already.

Then 'what if' the route didn't close in 1957 - CIE diesels could appear on diversionary services via Cavan and Clones, and at a stretch, if the line survived into the 1970s, NIR Hunslets and 80 class railcars could feature.

The cogs are turning.......

Lovely - some nice wagons there too!

Such a collection - please come back soon Darius!

1 hour ago, airfixfan said:

Photos and some captions are not great

Beg to disagree - the topic is possibly the biggest one in the genre and Dónal is a highly respected and experienced author, and his captions always come across as thoroughly researched with appropriate detail. The book sold out so it can’t have been that poor. 

On 20/5/2025 at 7:42 AM, airfixfan said:

Poor book anyway

Why?

Exceptional!!!!

Safely delivered!  That’s me presenting the diorama to Aidan, the current owner, who is very interested in the station and its history.

Final tiding up done tonight and the surround was strengthened with additional layers of foam board.  This is the diorama's final night with me - tomorrow it shall be moving to its new home, in the very place that inspired it!

More amazing work Kevin - love the contrast in the glamping pod!

Great website too - best of luck with it all.

More gems Ernie!

I finally arrived at a finish for the bridge which I liked, so after a bit of weathering and adding some vegetation, I called in the Royal Ordnance Corps to blast holes in the riverbank, and the bridge was eventually placed in position on the diorama:

Looking fab Leslie!

Painting of the bridge has gone in an unexpected direction, it’s producing something of a sandstone effect, which I actually quite like:

Am with @derek - your ideas shall be duly stolen Alan!!  Great to see you back making progress on the layout, can’t wait to see The Golfers’ Express hurtling through the station and past this amazing shed, hauled by No. 6…. or maybe No. 30….. or even No. 12……?