Patrick Davey

Nice! Always great to see trains running.

This is charming!

* BCDR double tracked from Belfast to Bangor and Belfast to Comber * NCC double tracked from Belfast to Ballymena and from Bleach Green to Whitehead * GNR was a bit more complicated, definitely double tracked from Belfast to Dublin (interlaced at the Boyne Viaduct) and Dublin to Howth but there were other sections too including from Portadown to Clones (I think?) and also from Portadown to some point between there and Dungannon and also the final section of the Derry Road, from one of the Donegal stations into Derry. @jhb171achill can fill in the missing details there! Also wasn't the Cork, Blackrock & Passage line known for having the only stretch of double tracked narrow gauge line in Ireland?

It is interesting to speculate on the route and operation of any future line from Derry to Letterkenny. Presumably as this would be a brand new line, it would take a southerly route out of Derry rather than follow a longer northerly route as the Swilly line did. Also, as the talk is about 'reconnecting' Donegal to the rail network, would this line somehow connect to NIR metals at Waterside, presumably via a new (and expensive!) bridge..... OR would it exist in isolation, in the style of The Waterford and Tramore Railway..... Plus.... who would actually own it....and work it........? Have plans been drawn up I wonder........

Lovely work Noel!

Here's some video footage from the above escapade! With continued thanks to Alan (Tullygrainey) for his excellent company and for making this all happen! The BCDR at Brookhall Mill.mp4

BCDR VISITORS TO BROOKHALL By the late 1930s, the GNR(I) had begun supplying Brookhall Mill linen products to other railway companies, principally the neighbouring LMS-NCC and BCDR. These shipments became less frequent once the mill was called upon to contribute to the Northern Ireland war effort, and they did not properly resume until after 1945. One exception to this however was an order received from The Slieve Donard Hotel in Newcastle, Co. Down, in early 1943. The hotel was owned by the BCDR and the railway company wished to refresh the hotel’s stocks of tablecloths, napkins, bed linen and certain staff uniforms, so after negotiations with Brookhall it was agreed that this order could be fulfilled by mid-1943. The delivery day was scheduled for Wednesday July 7th 1943 but the GNR had informed the BCDR that due to operational demands with wartime traffic, they could not supply locomotives or suitable rolling stock to assist with delivery. Prior to the war, the distinctive cream-liveried Brookhall linen vans would occasionally have been seen in Newcastle, having travelled via Banbridge in either passenger or goods trains. But in 1943 the NI railway companies were making an essential contribution to preparations for the imminent invasion of Europe, and the GNR found themselves sufficiently stretched that day that they would not be able to deliver the order to Newcastle nor to Belfast Queen’s Quay. The BCDR was therefore tasked with collecting the order using their own rolling stock and this produced possibly the most unusual BCDR workings to Brookhall, involving both steam and diesel traction. The day started at 10:03 in Newcastle, when BCDR 4-4-2t locomotive No. 30 departed in the Castlewellan direction, with a short train consisting of three covered vans and a brake van. The train ran onto GNR metals at Castlewellan where a GNR driver was collected, and made its leisurely way along the scenic northern foothills of the Mourne Mountains via Ballyward, Ballyroney and Katesbridge to Banbridge, arriving at 10:40. The train had to wait at Banbridge for 17 minutes to allow GNR traffic to pass, before being cleared to continue to Lisburn via Dromore & Hillsborough. The train was signal checked at Knockmore Junction for 3 minutes before being cleared to proceed into Lisburn, arriving at 11:45. No. 30 ran around her train at Lisburn and departed for Brookhall at 12:01, taking the Antrim line at Knockmore at 12:09 and arriving at the mill at 12:16. This was when things started to unravel, when it emerged that due to a staff shortage and other operational difficulties, the shipment would not be ready at the agreed time of 14:00, and instead it would take a further three hours to before it could be checked, packed and loaded. This presented the BCDR with an immediate problem in that No. 30 was rostered to bring a troop train from Tullymurry to Belfast at 14:35 and of course the troop train would have to take priority. Experiencing similar wartime demands as the GNR, the BCDR did not have another locomotive available to haul the troop train so after a frantic telephone exchange between Brookhall and Queen’s Quay, it was decided that No. 30 would return immediately to Newcastle to collect the carriages for the troop train, and the BCDR vans would remain at Brookhall to await collection later. After having her water and coal topped up, No. 30 departed Brookhall at 12:55 and due to anticipated congestion at Banbridge it was decided that the locomotive would run non-stop through Lisburn and on towards Belfast, take the Belfast Central line and then bypass Queen’s Quay to join the BCDR main line and head directly to Newcastle. There was a signal check at Ballynahinch Junction at 14:05 which caused some concern to the locomotive crew, but this cleared after 3 minutes and after a lively run via Downpatrick Loop No. 30 made it to Newcastle for 14:29. It was decided that to save time, she would run bunker-first to Tullymurry, which was reached at 14:42, where the awaiting soldiers were taken aboard with no further delay, and only a certain amount of grumbling from the officers in charge….. Back at Queen’s Quay they were having to think hard about how to retrieve their vans from Brookhall, as the manager of the Slieve Donard Hotel was getting impatient to receive his valuable shipment. Then someone realised that diesel No. 2 had been in the workshops at Queen’s Quay and had that very morning been released for duty. It was normal practice for a recently-outshopped locomotive to be given a short running-in trip so it was quickly decided to send the diesel to Brookhall to bring the vans back onto the BCDR. The diesel was usually found on the BCDR’s Ballynahinch branch but due to the aforementioned wartime demands, a locomotive from the Great Southern Railways had been borrowed in 1941 to help work the branch - this was ex-DSER 2-4-2 loco No. 430, which eventually retuned south in 1945. Diesel No. 2 left Queen’s Quay at 15:23 and after reversal at Ballymacarret Junction to access the Belfast Central line, the locomotive ran directly to Brookhall, with only a short stop at Adelaide to collect a GNR driver. Brookhall was reached at 16:21 and immediately upon arrival, the BCDR crew were informed of another unexpected problem. The three BCDR vans which had arrived behind No. 30 that morning were not sufficient to transport the complete shipment, so the GNR offered to provide one of their own linen vans to resolve the situation, knowing that it could be easily returned from Newcastle via Castlewellan. There was some concern that four fully-laden vans plus a brake van might be a bit heavy for the little diesel to haul, but after a further telephone exchange with Queen’s Quay, it was agreed that the load should be fine for the locomotive, as long as a speed limit of 20mph was observed on the descent towards Knockmore Junction. The GNR had helpfully shunted the vans ready for the diesel’s arrival and after the paperwork had been signed, the train departed Brookhall at 17:01. Lisburn was passed at 17:25 and in one final unusual act of the day, the train slowed to a crawl as it passed through Adelaide, to allow the GNR driver to alight onto the platform without the train actually stopping. This was done due to concerns about the diesel’s ability to restart the train after a stop because the thought of a BCDR train blocking the GNR main line so close to Belfast wasn’t particularly appealing to anyone. The train continued onto the Belfast Central line and although the climb over the ‘shaky’ bridge was taken at a snail’s pace, the little diesel didn’t stall and successfully made it to Ballymacarret Junction. The train reversed into Queen’s Quay station, arriving at 18:25 and the vans were coupled to the 19:55 Newcastle train that evening, arriving at 21:27. The GNR linen van didn’t quite make it back to Brookhall that same evening but it was eventually returned the following day. And so ended a rather unusual day of BCDR workings to and from Brookhall Mill.

If the BCDR main line had survived into the 1960s, then the new CIÉ diesel locomotives may well have appeared at Loughan Quay: (It might have been possible for a new A class loco to have reached Newcastle (Co. Down) - the locos started arriving in Ireland a few months after the GNR closed the line to Newcastle in May 1955 but presumably the track was still intact during the rest of 1955 at least, so it might have been physically possible......?) And with even more of a stretch of the imagination, had the line survived into the 1970s then NIR's Hunslet locomotives may even have reached Loughan Quay as well: With thanks to Alan for welcoming these unsual visitors to his absolutely stunning layout!

Not this time - it was actually composed by one of my students under my direction! A GCSE composition project!! Aren't Alan's BCDR models amazing JB, the Loughan Quay layout has to be seen to be fully appreciated and I feel very privileged to have seen it twice now. And it was a true pleasure to have such stunning BCDR models visit Brookhall Mill.

MR. WEAVER’S TRIP TO LOUGHAN QUAY One afternoon in 1944, a BCDR train arrived at Brookhall, hauled by BCDR diesel No. 2. The train was there to collect a shipment of linen for Loughan Quay near Dundrum. The driver, Mr. Nixon, was a friend of Mr. Weaver’s from years earlier and soon an invitation had been issued to Mr. Weaver to have a cab ride in the little diesel, and enjoy some hospitality at Loughan Quay. Mr. Weaver was very fond of No. 2 and immediately accepted Mr. Nixon’s invitation. Soon the two old friends were making their leisurely way in the loco’s small cab along the Lagan Valley towards Belfast, before taking the Belfast Central line and then the BCDR mainline, passing through all the East Belfast suburban stations and eventually reaching Comber, where they had to wait for a few minutes to allow a Donaghadee train to enter the station. Soon they were on their way again, passing Ballygowan, Saintfield and Ballynahinch Junction - this latter station was the diesel’s usual workplace but she was away from her regular duties this week and instead, a CIÉ 2-4-2t locomotive was working the Ballynahinch branch. After passing Crossgar, Downpatrick Loop platform and Tullymurry, the train slowed for the junction for Loughan Quay, arriving shortly after. Mr. Weaver certainly enjoyed the hospitality at Loughan and indeed he spend much time getting to know the locals. Later on, Mr. Nixon and diesel No. 2 brought Mr. Weaver to Newcastle, just in time to join the final GNR departure to Belfast - Mr. Weaver alighted at Lisburn where a locomotive was waiting to bring him back up to Brookhall. With very special thanks to Alan (Tullygrainey) for making all this possible, by letting me create this little story using his fantastic BCDR stock and also his stunning 'Loughan Quay' layout. Mr. Weaver's Trip to Loughan Quay.mp4

Sensational images Ernie, my continued thanks for making this invaluable resource available to us.

So after almost three years, I think I can officially declare that Brookhall Mill is finally finished!! With grateful thanks to everybody on this forum for all the support and encouragement along the way

Amazing work - very very realistic!!!

How remote does that look!

Cheers GL - happy Easter to you and to all here!

The last major item on the snag list - the inset track which crosses the access road to allow vans to be shunted into the mill. I could for some reason never get this right - the check rails always sat too high and the vans would ride up over these on their way into the mill, so I have admitted defeat and applied timber inserts. And they are actually timber - made from coffee stirrers!!

Fantastic Alan! Will you be going for BCDR or UTA livery?

Just catching up with this incredible thread - amazing work Ken, truly amazing. Hope you are keeping well too.

THE COPING STRATEGY Nearly there with the 'snag' list before I can officially declare Brookhall Mill to be 'finished', if a layout can ever really be described as such. One of the two remaining items on the list was to replace crumbling card coping stones: thin ones on the gun emplacement and thicker ones on the boiler house under the water tower. The card was only crumbling because I didn't quite prepare it properly. Anyway I wanted to use DAS clay to fabricate new coping stones. DAS gives a really good 'stone'-like texture I think, so that was where I was going..... The smaller ones for the gun emplacement were straightforward enough - DAS was rolled out to a thickness of around 2mm and once dry, appropriate lengths were trimmed off and shaped accordingly. The thicker blocks for the boiler house were produced as follows: 1. Plasticard formers were assembled - careful measurement was needed to ensure consistency. 2. DAS was spread inside the formers and left to dry for a few days. 3. Once dry, the lengths of dried DAS were carefully removed from the formers then sanded and scribed to represent individual stone blocks. 4. The blocks were coloured using a HB pencil and glued in place. I might add in some greenery for weeds later. This is the gun emplacement with the DAS coping stones in place and coloured: Good old DAS!

That scene of the loco steaming through the countryside on the approach to Newry is almost timeless!! Sensational stuff! Taking your life in your hands with the others though!! She's fairly moving up the bank past Fr. Murphy's!

All splendid vehicles David and I am full of admiration for your prolific scratchbuilds and modifications - those turf loads must have taken a long time to prepare, are the carriages full of the chopped matches or have you inserted a raised level inside each vehicle so less turf is required? As always, quite inspirational!

Looking good - following with interest John.

Nice touch with the headboard - another stroke of genius from an RPSI legend, whoever that was, take a bow! Super HD quality videos as well.

Cracking video!!! Bet the gentleman was a bit emotional

Those are magnificent videos - sorry folk got drenched but the rain adds atmosphere!!! Amazing to see 131 steaming past the location where she spent so many years as a static exhibit, sporting those 'Hornby'-esque white wheel rims. Amazing work by all involved to bring her back to the mainline. They deserve all the credit in the world. Am sure Noel Playfair was on the minds of many people yesterday. Thanks for sharing those fabulous videos!!