Patrick Davey

Just when you thought it was safe to visit YouTube again...... If you frequent this forum, you will hopefully have seen the various videos which I have uploaded to my different layout threads - a big shout out to everyone who has reacted to these, all very positively, which has given me the inspiration to create further videos. The number of videos is increasing, so I thought now would be a good time to gather them together into one place…. So I am pleased to announce the launch of my ‘Brookhall Mill’ YouTube channel, which currently features 28 videos, with another three scheduled to upload over the coming week. Most of the videos have been seen on this forum before, but there are a couple of new ones there as well. There are currently four playlists: Previous Projects - currently 2 videos featuring Ballynahinch Junction and Capecastle Brookhall Mill - currently 15 videos of my OO gauge GNR micro layout Clogherhead - currently 14 videos of my current GNR/CIE DCC layout Structures - currently 2 videos which show the different stages during the building of Clogherhead station and the church Future playlists will hopefully be added, which could feature visits to friends’ layouts and also model railway exhibitions. I will be very grateful for any feedback on the channel, and of course, feel free to….. “Like, share, comment, and hit that ‘Subscribe’ button!” Thanks everyone! https://youtube.com/@brookhallmill-f9b?si=h6vimZarlmLgnUgn PS - I made the decision not to feature myself in any videos, so it's model railway action only!

Close - A30 edited to A3 and A33!! Similar cheats for the others too

Has anyone worked out how I cheated with the above......?

A look at some of the other locomotives which visited Clogherhead over the years.

Jim it’s a Facebook group, don’t think it has any privacy restrictions though?

I know Sam doesn’t usually get much positive feedback here, but I liked his review of the recent Dapol UTA-liveried Jinty. He got it at a seriously knockdown price as well, so I’m tempted! He doesn’t quite get the railway history of this part of the world, but I wouldn’t say I do either!!!

Definitely your best yet Alan - lined to perfection!

SUMMER SHENANNIGANS AT CLOGHERHEAD - 1956 It all started off so well too...... Clogherhead 1956.mp4

Fabulous. It CAN be done!!! Yes I know this line was still largely intact but let's be optimistic

Just came across this cracking aerial view of Ballymena from 1943, which clearly shows the NG line crossing Queen Street and diving between the houses!! https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=2788669854589162&set=a.422306921225479&locale=en_GB

David unfortunately each time I visit Moorfields, it seems that progressively less of the signal cabin remains. It was but a shell yesterday although the elegant front finial was still hanging on for dear life. Yes I know Headwood well and was sorry to see the building demolished. The nearby Clements Wood offers a lovely walk along part of the line.

Exploring the narrow gauge routes of County Antrim with Alan @Tullygrainey yesterday started me thinking about the former and very short-lived terminus of The Ballymena & Larne Railway in Ballymena. The line from Larne opened in 1878 and terminated at Harryville, on the southern side of Ballymena. The location was provided with fairly extensive facilities including a coal store, goods shed, engine shed and turntable, although the passenger facilities were very limited, maybe due to the realisation that ultimately a connection would be needed to bring narrow gauge trains into the broad gauge station. This connection was opened fairly quickly, after only two years, and narrow gauge trains ran up to the broad gauge station from 1880. An avoiding line was built around Harryville station on an ascending embankment, crossed Queen Street on a girder bridge before plunging through a row of terraced houses (two houses had to be demolished to facilitate this) to meet the broad gauge line and run parallel with this into the station. The B&L had a short independent existence, bring taken over by the Belfast & Northern Counties Railway in 1890. Much later, in 1928, under LMS ownership, the line was provided with a fleet of quite luxurious bogie carriages, the finest to run on the Irish narrow gauge, which served the declining passenger traffic on the boat trains to Larne. These unique carriages only saw 5 years of service on the Larne boat trains, as passenger services on the line from Ballymena to Larne ceased in 1933. What a memorable trip that must have been. The former railway facilities at Harryville are long gone but the gap in the terraced houses in Queen Street survives. The fabulous Britain from Above website includes a decent selection of aerial views of Ballymena and in the background of one such view taken in 1953, the remains of the layout at Harryville can be seen, along with the avoiding line embankment, and the old goods store and coal store.

Excellent - so probably not B&L unless the BNCR decided to copy this pattern more widely! I’m interested to know how many of these survive on disused lines throughout Ireland. Although, it’s probably not something to talk about publicly for obvious reasons.

Yesterday, @Tullygrainey Alan and I enjoyed some explorations of the former narrow gauge routes in County Antrim - 'twas a fine sunny day for such an excursion! We took in the delights of Doagh, Ballyclare paper mill, Ballynure, Ballyeaston, Ballynashee, Moorfields, Harryville, Martinstown, Cargan, Parkmore, Glenarriffe, Ballycastle and Capecastle, and along the way we were shown something interesting by a kind landowner - a very rare Ballymena & Larne Railway milepost. The gentleman told us he restored it after researching the most likely colour scheme but he realised later that he painted it the 'wrong way round' It is also mounted on a length of rail. Anyway it's just great that it survives - 91 years after the last of the grandest narrow gauge trains in Ireland thundered past. Another milepost survives at Moorfields - I wonder how many others are waiting to be discovered.

Bravo!

Magnificent!

One afternoon back in 1968 I was taking a walk along the beach at Clogherhead and happened to turn round to see A15 departing with quite a varied van train...... View From The Beach.mp4

@Darius43 I'm guessing you are waiting on someone saying 'nice chopper'?

He insists on wearing the same suit day after day, supposedly to demonstrate their durability of Brookhall Linen - he completely ignores anyone who points out the parts that need patched! That’s his mother beside him and she’s very embarrassed by the state of his suit…..

SATURDAY MARCH 14th, 1970 Some comings and goings at Clogherhead, featuring a few characters from Brookhall Mill - how many can you spot? CHD.mp4

You almost have it David - because the reverend ladies seem to be always on the move, they have named themselves ‘The Sisters of Perpetual Motion’ One dreads to learn of the chaos that will have inevitably accompanied their visit to Clogherhead…….

Oh-oh……..

Makes sense - yes.

That's an interesting point about a triangular junction at Portadown - with possible implications for the proposed link to Letterkenny..... Would there be much demand for direct rail services between Letterkenny and Dublin I wonder - if so then a triangular junction at Portadown might be justified with possibly a new line from Strabane to LK along the old County Donegal narrow gauge route? And....could this compete with the established Donegal-Dublin air service? Donegal airport is quite a way from Letterkenny though so we'd be back to the familiar discussion about air v rail and how town centre to city centre times compare....? Or does the bulk of LK's traffic go towards Derry - if so then there would be more justification for the direct link into the Maiden City, as per the old Lough Swilly route? (Does anyone know if the proposed link follows the LLSR route or is it totally new?) Ideally - both lines would be built, our forefathers had more foresight!! #fantasy!!

Very interesting replies everyone, thank you. A quick look along the remainder of the formation would suggest that the biggest challenges would be how to bring the railway back to Omagh and Strabane, as well as how to make it work in Derry. There has been a discussion about making a future Derry Road connect with existing rails at Waterside but I am wondering is that necessary - it wasn’t the case in the past although if a Letterkenny link was constructed then it would probably be required. I imagine that there would be zero chance of bringing a line anywhere near the original formation through Omagh (how convenient was that station) although it looks to be less of a challenge in Strabane - the Foyle bridge still exists to the north of Strabane for local road traffic so has am sure been maintained, so I wonder how feasible it would be to upgrade it back to its original purpose?