Mayner

For much of the 20th century the majority of traditional jointed flatbottom track used on Irish main and secondary lines was laid on cast iron baseplated and fixed with fang-bolts (bolt with a large integral washer) to timber sleepers rather than with spikes. Photo from Kiltimagh on the Burma Road, though same baseplate and fixing detail used on the majority of lines laid with FB rail on the CIE system though rail section and baseplate size may vary. e.g 85Lb & 90Lb rail shared the same foot & baseplate width, 95Lb used onmore heavily trafficed lines had a wider foot & baseplate width. A 3D printed track system with a integral baseplate would assist in gauging the track, possibly with a trackpin as 'spike", interestingly American modellers where handlaid track still remains popular spike every 5th tie/sleeper.

Its possible that the open topped container/framework were intended to safely carry Lancashire Flat swap bodies popular for Irish Sea unit load traffic in the 60s. B&I Cork-Dublin Liner/Container train was introduced in 1969 following B&I withdrawl of Cork-South Wales freight services, the photo at North Wall indicate that B&I Lancashire flats overhung both the sides and ends of a 20' road trailer. Its possible that the 'framework' containers were a quick fix for handling existing Lancashire Flats until sufficient ISO flats became available. The bagged Fertilier swap body appeared during the late 60s and operated on 20 wagon "Back to Back" fertiliser trains until supreceeded by the bogie wagons in the mid-70s. Sometimes both Bogie and Back-to Back fertiliser wagons ran in the same train, I remember an empty fertiliser made up mainly of bogie wagons with a single Back to Back at the tail end passing Dunlaoire at speed in the 70s with a noticeable jolt as the 4wheeler ran through a facing point.

SSM once produced etched w irons suitable for 21mm gauge and a separate single lever brake gear fret W irons could be set up to assemble a rigid or compensated chassis Best conact Whesty on this forum to check availabiliy. Another alternaive is to widen OO/EM/P4 w-irons b. soldering in a srip of brass, (I used his mehod on 21mm sock built in the early 90s

The CIE/LHB joint venture proposal appears to be based on the assumption of manufacturing coaches for export in addition to CIEs own needs. Not unlike Leibherr manufacturing cranes for export in Killarney since the 1960s. Coaches would have been LHB design most likely Continental rather than British outline similar to the "Dutch Vans' & LHB DART Units. Export stock likely to be built to suit the customers loading and track gauge.

Don't touch the stuff Jonathan Just a laptop keyboard thats recently gone kaput with several keys no longer functioning resulting in a lot of missing 't' in the message. Funnily enough the manager of the Bridgetown and Harrison narrow gauge in Maine ran into similar problem in typing a letter to an enthusiast with an old style ribbon typewriter in the 1930s, the more things change the more they stay the same! Retrieved new wireless keyboard borrowed from teenager for gaming.

Bi. la.e for Chrismas! Just arrived in .he land of Ice and Snow Firs. .ime our kid saw real snow for famil. re-union Happ. New Year everyone Keyboard jus. abou. kapu. several ke.s no longer funcioning

There was an article on the GSR grain wagon in Railway World following their introduction in the mid 1930s the GSR built 10 wagons 16401-16410 for general traffic use in 1936? The 8 Ranks wagons no1-8 were built the following year. Interestingly the RW article talks about the grain hopper bodies being fabricated from 'rust resistant' steel which may have been a factor in the condion of he paintwork one these wagons in CIE days. CIE may have considered that a strip down and complete may not have been absolutely necessary with a rust resistant body, Photos indicate tthat a number of wagons received partial repaints in he 50s retaining their original GS pattern numbers and lettering after they received 'flying snails" transfers, in one case the large GS initials are grinning through the painwork on a wagon with a snail logo. Interestingly one wagon 16406 retained the original solid GS style of running number in combination with the 60s snail logo in the light grey livery of the mid 50s onwards, with the excepion of 16404 & 16406 photos of grain wagons have sencil pattern of running numbers.

Depends on whether your an enthusiast or an 'ordinary' passenger being from Dublin an Aunt and an Uncle once took the train from Amiens St to Bundoran for a holiday in the early 50s. My excitement at their having travelled on the Bundoran Express was cut down to earth by their comment that they train journey was slow seemed to 'take forever".

I like the reversing loop quite popular for city terminals in layout plan books of the 60s-70s era. One of the biggest advantages of setrack is that you can test a track layout to check that it meets your needs before you finalise the design. Usually reverse loops were wired through a DPDT switch to the adjacent section or a separate controller with isolation gaps (Isolation track or insulated railjoiners at both ends of the loop or isolated section) Gaugemaster recommend a min of a train length for DCC. One of the advantages with DCC is a reversing loop can be controlled by a 'reversing module" which allows a train to run round the reverse loop and on to the rest of the layout without stopping. Gaugemaster have published some useful info on wiring reverse loops both for DC & DCC.https://www.gaugemasterretail.com/rightlines-article/reverse_loops_part1.html I would recommend installing more track feeds if you are powering the layout with one analogue DC controller and additional section breaks either with Insulation Tracks or Insulated railjoiners if you are thinking of adding a second controller. https://www.gaugemasterretail.com/rightlines-article/layout-control-and-common-return.ht The sketches are for the track feeds and isolation breaks for the main elements of your layout and buillt on experience having built both analog and DCC layouts.

Visited Colarado in 2016 and ticked off a lot of bucket list items including the Durango & Silverton & Cumbres and Toltec for me the highlight was exploring the remains of the Rio Grande Southern on a snowy day in late May! Another highlight was having a beer on the terrace outside a bar in Chama that overlooked the main street and engine terminal as a couple rode on horseback into town and hitched their horses outside.

Finally managed to run a train on the garden railway today after carrying out track/trackbase repairs on different sections of the railway. Tradiionally I have a running session on Christmas Day, but today Christmas Eve looked a better option with rainforecast tomorrow so a brief chance to play trains before we head to the land of the ice and snow for a family re-union on Friday. Before running anything 1st job was to secure the pilot (cowcatcher) on DRGW K27 # 463, the pilot had worked loose catching on points just like 5T while working on the C&L in the 50s. The bolts that secure the cowcatcher to the sheet metal pilot beam had worked loose being tapped into the beam, I took the simple option of using the existing bolts as captive bolts loctited to the beam and securing the pilot with some nuts I had in stock. Although the loco was in good overall condition wheh received (2nd hand) from the States, the pilot beam had taken a knock either in service or transit to New Zealand several years ago and only carried out the minimum repairs necessary to use the loco., hence some distortion and damage to the beam. Bolts are a mixture of those originally used to both the pilot to the beam and from my stock of Accucraft spares. Nuts now securing he pilot to the locco. Alll the visible bolts/boltheads are functional! 1st freight to run since April! this area had a tidy up with weedkiller, hedge clippers and blower to remove debris. This is one of the origional sections of the railroad, trackbase (open topped baseboard) installed early 2008, ties/sleepers replaced and No4 switches replaced with No6 2018. original rail still in use! 1st train over the re-built section of line mixture of Stock and freight cars 463 slipped on the crest of the grade visible in the background despite dry conditions. Motor #6 is a Bellyn Locomotive Works Korean Brass comission produced about 20 years ago, a US E-bay purchase. Motor# 6 was a conversion of the original RGS Motor #1 which was in turn a conversion of a Buick "Touring Car", several photos og RGS Motors with bonnet sides open to aid engine cooling! Tie load custom machined cedar used as ties in early days of railroad. 463 returning with freight, RC transmitter controller for helper loco in foreground. #348 sent out to assist, caboose correctly coupled behind loco as wooden underframed caboose not up to use in pusher service. Train proved too much for 463 & 348on "High Line" will have to reduce loading or "double the hill", second K27 464 currently out of service awaiting parts.

Different horses for different courses I get my enjoyment out of creating/doing rather than possessing things. Although I enjoy playing trains (protypical operation) I tend to loose interest in a modle one I complete it or (worse still) the kick wears off soon after I buy a RTR model. At the end of the day my 3D printed wagons were a very quick way of adding a lot of wagons to my collection that would have taken me years to scratchbuild or assemble from conventional kits, I have a stash of over 20 of Leslies wagons awaiting to be assembled for the past 4-5 years that arrived as part of a barter deal for a rtr MGWR 2-4-0.

Loughrea was an exception on CIE surviving as a classical rural feeder branch until closure in 1975, Ballina was more of a secondary mail line terminal than a feeder branch for much of the Black & Tan era with through freight services from Dublin and the terminus of passenger trains to and from Limerick between 63 and the closure of passenger services over Limerick-Claremorris line. Branch line passenger services were re-instated in the early 70s initially as the Claremorris Pilot hauling a daily 'through' Ballina coach off main line trains before the re-introduction of 3 times daily feeder service that connected with main line trains at Claremorris. Personally I think Irish secondary main line services such as from Dublin to Tralee, Westport, Sligo and Rosslare had more in common with the West Highland, Kyle and Further North lines in Scotland during the loco hauled era approx. three (relatively short) passenger trains and a goods/mail daily from Glasgow to Fort William and even a mixed rather than a goods to Mallaig. Similar service North and West from Inverness with Further North passenger trains dividing at Georgemas Junction into portions for Thurso and Wick. Modelling an branch line terminus and the relatively short trains (5-6coaches + loco-s) that ran on the Sligo & South Eastern is going to take up a lot of space in OO, one of my most successful layouts was in N gauge an 11'X11' room the terminus station based on Foynes could comfortably accommodate 5 coaches & a pair of 121 diesels was on a 5' baseboard with a 2'6' scenic section that also incorporated a loco depot and head shunt. The same layout would require a space of 15' in OO. The station layout was basically single platform station inspired by Foynes with its overall roof, runround loop with turntable release with 3 long sidings in the goods yard freight area. Operationally there were two through morning & evening daily passenger trains from Dublin hauled by pairs of 121 diesels, a141 hauled branch line set Coach & Van provided a connection in and out of the midday mainline trains and night mails. a 001 hauled an overnight goods or Liner train, plus odd workings with beet specials and oil trains. At the time no Irish rtr was available locos had scratchbuilt plasticard/modified rtr bodies on American diesel chassis, goods and passenger stock was repainted British outline rtr. Going back to JHBs point on passenger train consists on the Loughrea and Ballina branches a Brake Standard coach (initially Comp-later Standard Class) with storage heaters were allocated to both branch services, so a Heating Van was not required on these services while the Brake Standard was operational, additionally 1442 a Main Line Park Royal was fitted with Storage Heaters and allocated to Ballina branch services. Ballina was allocated 1904 a 1951-3 Brake Standard and Loughrea 1910 a 1959 Laminate Brake Standard which appears to have been withdrawn at some stage before the branch closed and a single carriage and 4w Heating & Luggage Van used on the branch in its final year/s. CIE appear to have experienced reliability/riding issues with the G611 Class on the Loughrea branch in its final years. At one stage two G611 were allocated to the branch and mixed train operation abandoned, with the G Class double heading (two drivers) a goods around mid-day from Loughrea to the Junction and return, final branch trains including some beet specials (post closure) all appear to have been worked by B201 Class. Silver Fox produce a passable rtr models of 1951-3 coaching stock including Brake 3rd and Irish Freight Models once produced a Laminate Brake Standard in kit and rtr format. Silver Fox and IFM have produced quite basic models of 4w Heating & Luggage vans. While a branch terminus would take up a lot of space a small intermediate station such a Dunsandle on the Loughrea branch or Ardfert on the North Kerry are quite compact, have simple though attractive buildings and would add operational interest to a diorama on a 4' or 6' baseboard with fiddle year at either end possibly fitting within an overal length of 10-12'

I don't want to name the particular business as I did not speak to the owner. Its not Peco more of a 'cottage industry' operator like myself who mainly produces etched loco and rolling stock kits. Interestingly 25-30 years ago when I was modelling British outline, I though the Parkside BR Iron Ore tippler was a finely detailed 'state of the art' model superior to what was available in contemporary RTR. The Ply sided Parkside van was my go-to for modelling a CIE H Van (21mm gauge), new plasticard ends, etched or pressed corner strappings and modified brake gear.

Think GSR 800 may have been thinking of one of the early GNR railcars A diesel version of Cyril Frys streamlined model of Drumm Train C would have looked impressive. The as built styling of Trains C & D is remarkably similar to the LMS articulated railcar also introduced 1939 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LMS_railcars#/media/File:LMS_Diesel_Multiple_Unit_80000–80002.jpg Interestingtly mechanically the LMS articulated railcar appears to have been a development of NCC railcars 2-4, GSR tended to buy Leyland trucks and buses so potentially access to the technology if there was a will. Everything is interrelated as they say, when I first arrived in New Zealand a Maori colleague asked what part of Ireland I was from and replied that his daughter worked in the IFC in Dublin when I told him.

The GWR, Midland and GSWR would have been concerned/alarmed by a LNWR being involved in a merger of the MGWR & GNR and possibly a Government (Westminster) and local interests (particularly Sligo) at the mergers impact on competition in a laissez-faire era when the railways had an effective monopoly on surface transportation before the onset of large scale competition by motor vehicle. The Free State took a very centralised approach to government including reducing the power of Local Government to make decisions which was also reflected in the Amalgamation of the railways into the GSR and the establishment of ESB, Sugar Company & BNM, where more localised decision making would have been more effective. In the UK Councils/Cities retained responsibility for their Tram and Bus networks. Interestingly while the GSR held its board meetings at Kingsbridge, the GNR alternated Board meetings between Amien St Dublin and Gt Victoria St Belfast which may have reflected a more devolved level of decision making that the GSR While apart from the Drumm Battery Train (driven by political pressure) and limited use of Steam Railcars the GSR was conservative in its approach to passenger rail operation, the GNR introduced diesel railcars and railbuses to improve services and reduce operating costs on marginal lines, the CDJR and SLNCR largely largely replaced steam hauled passenger services with railcars/railbusses. While apart from Ballybay-Carrickmacross the majority of GN lines in the Republic retained their (relatively frequent by Irish stds) passenger services until the late 50s the majority of branch lines in the South lost their passenger services between 1930 and the 47 fuel crisis. The branch lines lines that remained ran 1-2 passenger/mixed trains daily until closed in the late 50s-mid 70s. I think one of the possible drivers behind the Clifden, Achill and Killala closures was that the construction of the lines was largely funded by Government grant and their closure did not involve a significant write off of capital potentially affecting GSRs borrowing powers at a time the railway was building new 'modern' coaches and had began design work on the 800s. The closure of the three lines in the West is in startling contrast to the survival of the Kenmare and Valencia lines though CIE failed to exploit the tourist potential of either line with reasonable rolling stock or a reasonable passenger service. An diesel powered version of the Drumm Battery train would have made an excellent 'Tourist Train'/observation car for the Kerry or West of Ireland branches, interestingly CIEs 1st diesel programme included railcar set specifically for "Tourist" traffic. Probably better to go totally freelance than model a particular prototype in my teens I drempt up totally freelance railway systems both in Ireland and England complete with their own history and designs of locos and stock

I won't be proceeding with the Wagon Kits at this stage as I did not receive sufficient enquiries to proceed to production. One potential customer commented that the owner of a British Outline manufacturer (that has produced high quality kits in 4mm since 1972) said that 'people say they will wait until it comes out RTR" than assemble a kit. John

To me the big question is what would the LNWR have gained by absorbing the MGWR as a high proportion of cross-channel passenger and goods traffic from the Midland was already routed by the LNWR's North Wall-Holyhead sea route. The LNWRs involvement in Irish railway companies were hardly the most successful, the DNGR struggled to make a profit and passenger sailings on the Greenore-Holyhead route ceased in 1926, the GNR taking over maintenance and operation of the DNGR in 1933 the British Transport Comission closing the line in 1951. The LNWR became a major supporter of the DSER contributing a load of £100k to complete the New Ross-Waterford extension and paid a "virtual' annual subsidy of £20k to the DSER. The DSER plagued by tramway competition on its suburban services to Dunlaoire and Dalkey and coastal erosion the DSER paid a 1% dividend on its ordinary shares in the years before the Amalgamation. Its likely that the Midland would have been in a strong position in any negotions with the LNWR, Sir Walter Nugent the Midland Chairman became the 1st GSR Chair and Midland Officers took charge of GSR financial management, with a strong focus on cost reduction including singling double track sections of ex-MGWR lines. The other interesting one is the Baronially Guaranteed narrow and broad gauge line, where effectively the GSR was forced to swallow a 'poison pill" by absorbing the lines with the Free State continuing the guarantee ( guaranteed return on capital and making up of operating losses) for a period of 10 years. The GSR absorbing the lines would have been popular with ratepayers in the affected areas, immediately relieving them of the burden of supporting a railway that 'could not pay its way", but transferred the burden to an already struggling GSR after 10 years. The GSR lost no time in closing marginal branch lines after the 10 year guarantee period ended. A better option might have been to continue the status quo with Baronial Guaranteed lines continuing under local management and allowing the local community (ratepayers) decide whether to close the line or continue paying the guarantee, a number of lines including the Dublin & Blessington (outside GSR), Tralee & Dingle and Schull and Skibereen were operated by a Management Committee appointed by the Local Council. In Northern Ireland local control of the Clogher Valley was particularly effective under the leadership of Henry Forbes (of CDR fame) train services were improved and operating costs introduced as a result of the introduction of a diesel railcar & 'The Unit". The Stormont Government agreed to 'buy out' the shareholders and fund road improvements when the railway ceased to fulfill a useful function.

One of the more interesting aspects of the collision was that the farmer had apparrently adapted the practice of moving stock along the line between scheduled services and was caught unawares by the Knock Special. The reports into the derailment of the Knock Special and the 93 Knockcrockery derailments on the Mayo Line are not available on the RAIU website but should be discoverable under freedom of information. The whole business of Government(Ministerial) knowledge of CIEs concerns with the crashworthiness of older coaching stock is an interesting one and in this day and age would warrant Government Ministers, Senior Civil Servants and CIE Board members being held to account. In Annual Reports and no doubt meetings with the Department of Transport the CIE Chairman raised serious concerns with the crashworthyness of existing stock and expressed frustration with the (FF) Governments failure to approve the construction of new stock. At the time CIE was persuing a joint venture with LHB to build railway coaches for its own use and export at Inchacore, the Transport Minister who represented Longford-Westmeath refused to approve the project. The MK3 project assembling BREL kitsets at Inchacore was approved following the Cherryville Junction collision by a FG Minister of Transport who represented the Ballyfermot Constituency where CIE & the Works was an important employer. Things could have turned out significantly different during the past 40 years if the Government had approved the CIE-LHB joint venture with GM locos hauling Continental rather than British outline stock, would Irish modellers have turned to HO rather than OO?

One of the 1969 Journals as far as I recall, donated my collection of IRRS Journals to the Model Railway Society Of Ireland before I departed for NZ in 2004, perhaps MRSI or IRRS Libriarian may be able to help. Another oddity during the late 60s/early 70s CIE shipped several trainloads of export sugar (for Nigeria) in 8'6" containers on 4w Flat Wagons from the Carlow Sugar Factory to Dublin Port as out of gauge loads. Presumably CIE would have checked clearances beforehand and imposed speed restrictions at overbridges & other structures where clearances were tight.

There is a very good article on CIE freight modernisation programme appeared in an IRRS Journal (1969?) written by one of the engineers/managers in charge of the programme. CIE designed and built a small number of hopper containers to carry grain (malt) traffic for a particular customer. CIE would have preferred to have used a conventional bulk container that could be discharged by tipping (from a truck), but had to go for a hopper with bottom discharge due to height restrictions at the customers premises. Traffic appears to have originated in Tralee as there are several photos of cuts of wagons with these containers in the North Kerry Yard, traffic appears to have been short lived and had ceased by the 1980s

Apparently in Midland days 'the authorities' became alarmed with very fast running(speeding?) of the 'Night Mail' from Sligo regularly arriving in Mullingar ahead of schedule. Reminders & notices to run to schedule appeared to have no effect, eventually departure from Sligo was delayed so that crews could not make it to Mullingar before pub closing time. Although running speed was unlikely to have exceeded 40-50mph with short wheelbase 4w non-passenger stock of the day (8'6" wb Horseboxes & Vans) running must have been pretty lively, particularly before the 1920s relay of the Sligo Road with 60' rails on baseplates that saw the line through until re-laid with CWR in the 1990s. Going back to the Esso oil trains, I one saw a laden oil train stabled on a siding at Maynooth on a Saturday morning late 90s/early 2000s. Spoke briefly to a driver who had taken it from the North Wall, who did not know when the train was likely to depart for Sligo. Reminded me of the American practice of a Yard Crew would make up a train and then move it to a location well clear of the yard to be picked up by a Road Crew who would arrive by Crewbus or Taxi.

The springs/suspension of the Heljan model like the Airfix/Dapol kit appears to be based on the original late 1950s fittings, from the early 1960s onwards wagons appear to have been fitted/built with modified suspension with spring dampers. The ESSO tank wagons used in Ireland appear to have spring dampers. Paul Bartell's pages of ESSO Vac Braked tank wagons includes photos of wagons with original 1959 and modified 1960s suspension and how the wagons weathered in service, he also has a page on ESSO tank cars converted to carry bitumen. https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/essoatankwagonvb The Bachmann "ESSO" tank wagon is a model of a larger 1960s built airbraked tank wagon which effectively rendered the 1959 designed tank wagons obsolete, freeing up a batch of wagons for use in Ireland to replace older loose coupled ESSO tank wagons.

General layout, quality and fit of the castings is remarkably similar to the whitemetal CIE 001 kit supplied by Model Irish Railways (Portadown) during the 1990s. The 001 in supertrain livery as 018 powered with Athearn SD drive parts mounted on a simple scracthbuilt brass frame/chassis was one of my pride and joys at the time. At the time some modellers were re-powering British outline 6 axle diesels (possibly Class 31 & 47 )with Atheran PA1 chassis.

Livery wise the IRM ESSO tank wagons appear correct from Mid-1980s onwards with max speed of 35mph, addition of Hazchem markings are reflector stripes on tank ends & tanks with modified bracing There are two Seanus Lattimir photos dated Aug 86 of 1003 in this condition at Mullingar the tank retaining lugs for the Esso shield in the IRRS Flickr collection. https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53509330394/in/album-72157661623942928 Interestingly there is a July 72 Tom Wall photo of an ex-works (possibly Chas Roberts) photo of 994 at Inchacore in as introduced condition with ESSO shield & electrification warning on a grey tank body & top of underframe original tank mounts, black underframe (incl buffers) red solebars and yellow roller bearing caps. https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53511632134/in/album-72157661623942928 There is a Paddy O'Brien a Mar 74 photo of 998 and other tank wagons in this livery at Claremorris. The ammended tank bracing appears to be a 1980s modification, there is a 1979 photo of the Oranmore-Claremorris oil train in JHB & Barry Carse 'Rails in the West" with the original tank bracing and withoutout reflective strips on the tank barrels. Modifications including ammended tank bracking and ammendments to the tank barrel are likely to have been carried out on a phased bassis when wagons were undergoing scheduled heavy repairs in the Works. Some of the wagons may never have carried the ESSO logo or plate while in service in Ireland, there are several Paul Bartell photos of the wagons in service in the UK with lugs no logo or plate. ESSO tank barrels with lugs no plates were stored for several years during the 1970s in the "Railway Village" outside The Works.