Mayner

The signalling of manned level crossings was largely dependent on local conditions in particular whether the driver of a train could see a signal or gate in time to safely stop short of the crossing! On passenger running lines crossings were normally protected by a working distant signal, the crossing barrier or gate was normally classed as a home or stop signal although separate home signals were usually provided where there was poor sighting as a result of a curving approach or a crest between the distant signal and crossing gates. In some cases signals were operated without a lever frame by physically opening or closing the crossing gate, a lever frame interlocked with the gates was usually required on crossings with working home and distant signals such as those between Liffey Junction and Maynooth on the Midland main line Crossing signals were normally fixed at danger at un-manned crossings on goods only or lines with no regular passenger service like Drogheda-Kingscourt. A lot of crossing signals were based on steam stopping distances and had to be moved out with increasing train weight and freer running rolling stock, there was an incident in recent years where a Liner ran through a set of gates on the Mayo Line despite the driver applying the brakes as he passed a distant signal at danger. Signals where the arm slotted vertically within the post to display a clear aspect were phased out following the Abbots Ripton disaster where a signal arm in the 19th Century, but continued in use in the North East of England into the British Railways Era, the SLNCR no doubt continued with it antique signalling because it worked and did not have the money or see the need to modernise.

The IRM 42' flats are models of the 42'9" wagons, the overall length of the bogie and some CIE flat wagons was longer than the bed or load length in order to carry 8'6" or 9' containers within the loading gauge. 27301-27767 22'6" 14' wb 4w flats 1973. During the 1990s these wagons were used on the Foynes-Ballina Coal and Oil trains, Foynes-Portlaoise Grain Traffic, 27658-27767 were used for Guinness traffic. Post 1996 approx. 40 of these wagons were converted to carry timber traffic including logs from Ennis to Waterford or Clonmel. 30001-98----42'9" bogie flats 1971 BR Ridemaster Bogies ----91-98 steel floors for Irish Steel traffic from Cork 30099-30218---42'9" bogie skeletal flats 1978 IRM model some were fitted with spark proof brake blocks for use on Dublin-Ballina Ashahi liner & Shelton Abbey-Marino Point Anhydrous Ammonia Trains. 30219-30278---47'6" bogie skeletal flats. introduced for keg traffic 1978 Currently used to carry 45' containers-------------------3D printed model available https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/130341-42ft-47ft-container-flat-wagons/&ct=1598912053 30501-30540---62'9" air braked skeletal flat wagons. Initially used on 12:00 North Wall-Cork Liner and Dublin-Galway Night Mail-Liner converted to carry timber post 1994. Possible Hornby Tiphook container wagon https://www.hornby.com/uk-en/tiphook-kfa-container-wagon-93367-with-20-and-40-one-containers-era-11.html Molasses was imported through Foynes tripped to Limerick as a block train, the molasses tank wagons were attached to the rear of scheduled liner trains to be forwarded to their destination. There is a YouTube video of an UP Sligo liner attaching empty bagged cement and empty Molasses tank wagons at Mullingar during the mid 1990s. Initially apart from re-gauging to 5'3" there was little visual difference between the Irish and UK versions of the ESSO tank wagons when originally introduced. The Esso Teoranta wagons lost their ESSO shields and logo during the 1970s, CIE fitted reinforcing fillets between the tank and underframe similar to tank wagons built by CIE during the same era. SSM produce a detailing kit for the Irish tank wagons. http://www.studio-scale-models.com/img/K31.jpg

Irish Rail was much more freight orientated before 2000 modelling Limerick or the Junction would require a hell of a lot of freight rolling stock. The best option would be to obtain an Irish Rail Working Timetable (WTT) for the era, the WTT included paths for bagged cement and fertiliser specials in addition to the scheduled liner trains. There were significant changes in rolling operations and rolling stock use after the railway ceased operating mail trains and carrying Sundries Traffic in 1993/1994, there was a greater focus on bulk and trainload traffic post 94 with new traffic flows including logs to the new mills at Clonmel and Waterford, grain traffic for Avonmore Co-Op Portlaoise and molasses traffic (cattle feed) to a number of destinations in the Midlands. The 62'9" airbraked wagons used to carry Liner & Mail Traffic on the Cork and Galway Lines were converted to carry timber traffic, grain was transported in open containers on 4w & later bogie flats, molasses in redundant oil tank wagons. Excluding the ore and shale trains Bell Liner Trains: Operated until the company was liquidated in 1997 with daily Cork-Waterford & Limerick-Waterford Bell Liner Trains 42'9" wagons. CIE Liner Trains: Two Cork-Dublin Liners, One Dublin-Limerick Liner, Limerick later served by a connection into the 12:00 Dublin Cork Liner, Keg and Container traffic. Keg liners may also have worked from Dublin to Cork and limerick Limerick-Waterford Liner Mail one each way daily. Limerick-Ennis Liner daily trip working from Limerick container and keg traffic Limerick-Roscrea Liner daily trip working from Limerick (pre-1993/4) container and keg traffic. Bagged Cement traffic (usually weekly cycle) Castle Munget to Ballina/Westport/Galway/Tralee/Cork/Roscrea/Clonmel I am not sure if Waterford and New Ross received bagged cement form Limerick or Drogheda Bulk Cement Castle Munget Athenry, Cork, Waterford (also served from Drogheda) Fertiliser: Originating points. Arklow (NET/IFI) New Ross (Albatros), Foynes, Galway to destination points in midlands south and west. Deport. Athenry, Ballina, Castlebar, Claremorris, Clonmel, Cork, Ennis, Faranfore Mallow, Nenagh, Thurles, Rathluric, Rathmore, Tralee, Waterford, Westport. The majority of fertiliser depots were capable of handling a train load. Fertiliser traffic from New Ross or Foynes was likely to have been routed via Limerick and Athenry to destinations in the west

The Newry, Warrenpoint and Rostrevor and the Newry & Armagh certainly fitted into the disreputable minor railway category until absorbed by the GNR in the 1870s. GR Mahon wrote a series in the IRRS Journal ( late 1960s-early 1970s) on Irish Railways during the 1860s & 1870s the sections on the two Newry companies read like a soap opera as the companies struggled to operate their lines. One possible scenario would be to presume that the NW&R was built as a pioneering narrow gauge line with similar stock to the Ravenglass & Eskdale sharing a cramped joint terminal with the Newry & Armagh. Dublin Bridge anyone?

There was an interesting series of articles on the GNR dieselization proposals from the mid 1950s in New Irish Lines several years ago, both GM and Metrovick tendered to supply locos to the GNR in 1955, including the EMD standard G8 export model and Metrovick 1200hp A Class interestingly the A Class was more expensive than the G8 and one of the more expensive of the British diesels. Its possible the deal to buy the Metrovicks may have been tied up with improving trade relations with the UK in preparation for the Anglo Irish Free Trade agreement. Its possible that CIE accepted the Metrovick tender as the A Class was the only British design that met CIEs specification for a 6 axle locomotive in terms of power and axleload. The choice of the two stroke Crossley engine may have been an attempt by AEI to design a relatively high powered light axle load diesel to compete with GM in export markets, contemporary 4 cycle diesel electrics were heavier considerably heavier and likely to exceed axleload limits within a BoBo or Co Co format. CIEs choice of Sulzer engine and Metrovick electrical equipment for the pioneering diesel electrics 1100 & 1101 was nearly ideal in terms of choice of reliability of equipment, but effectively restricted to the Cork line in terms of axle load for a Bo Bo, the B101 A1A A1A BRCW version was the near ideal in terms of a British built diesel electric but underpowered for a main line diesel electric locomotive. The English Electrics attempts to produce a 1600hp 15ton axle load diesel electric for New Zealand based on the LMS twins resulted in 60' long 2-Co Co-2 behemoth NZR Df Class, which had a short life their V12 engines were plagued by engine problems, NZR selecting the GM G12 & G8 export model 5 years later to complete the North Island main line dieselization programme, though EE locos in the 600-900 Hp power class were more successful than the Df. The Brush Type A1A A1A design may have been suitable for use in Ireland, Brush built similar locos for Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) in the early 1950s, BR modernization Plan Brush locos would have been too heavy for use on CIE, the Brush diesel locos and components supplied to BR gave considerable problems in service, the Mirrless engines originally used in the Brush Type 2/Class 31 developed signs of stress when they were uprated beyond the manufacturers original specification and were replaced with EE engines, the twin Bank Sulzers used in the Class 47 locos gave trouble for similar reasons and some were later replaced with re-conditioned GM engines for heavy freight use. The Brush electrical system was considered problematic the final batch of BR Type 4 "Peak" Class 46 locomotives were fitted with AEI electrical equipment which proved even more problematic. Part of the problem with British manufacturers seems to have arisen from a sense of entitlement than develops in a protected market essentially closed to outside competition, it would have been politically unacceptable up to the mid 1980s for British Rail or other nationalized industry to award a large contract to a foreign company. Another problem was manufacturers failing to understand the long asset life of railway locos and rolling stock. British Leyland literally itself in the foot by failing to understand the market and shutting off part supply for locomotive/railcar/dmu engines and transmissions for CIE/UTA/BR and NZR when it upgraded engine and transmission design in the 60s and 70s. In Ireland and the UK first generation railcars and DMUs basically were made obsolete within 20 years of their introduction when Leyland ceased to supply spare parts, NZR had to re-engine its fleet of DSC shunting locos when Leyland ceased to supply replacement engines/parts within 10 years of the classes introduction.

Personally I will probably get more enjoyment out of re-building at least one of the tanks back into its original state as a wagon, than waiting in the expectation of IRM producing a rtr model, I also need to design a 21mm gauge w iron assembly suitable for other wagons with triangulated underframes. One of the attractions of the conversion is that IRM have completed the really difficult work in modelling the tank anchors and triangulated underframe. The wagons were originally built on a standard 16'11" 10' wb triangulated underframe similar to the corrugated opens and later H vans. The wagons were converted into de-mountable tanks during the late 70s for use with the new weedspray train. These wagons were smaller in capacity and quite different in design to the tank wagons built by CIE from the mid 1960s onwards and the Class A & B Charles Robetrs tank wagons imported for ESSO oil traffic during the late 1960s

I am planning to use the tanks as a basis for the tank wagons built by CIE in the late 50s early 60, looks like a matter of cutting off the ISO twistlock frame extensions, designing and installing suitable running gear

Kader (Bachmann) dropped the ball about 10 years ago when the decided to concentrate on high volume production for their own brands and ceased OEM work for companies like Hornby and smaller commissioners like Murphy Models. Although this lead to some short term disruption it opened up an opportunity for a new generation of Chinese OEM manufacturers that supply large companies like Hornby and a multitude of smaller commissioners like Accurascale, IRM, MM, Hattons, Kernew, Rails, Revolutions Trains etc who have lifted expectations in terms of quality and detail while long established businesses Bachmann & Hornby struggle to respond. Rails and Hattons appear to have similar purchasing power to the big supermarket & retail chains being price setters rather than takers will treat suppliers like Bachmann & Hornby in a similar manner even establishing their own brand models like the Hattons SECR P & 14XX and Rails collaboration with Dapol on the A1/Ax and Accucrascale on the Class 89. I would not discount Irish business initiative or enterprise; low volume Chinese manufacture and significant gaps in the market opened up an opportunity for IRM & Accurascale to enter the Irish & UK rtr market in much the same way as Irish owned businesses like Kerry and Glanbia (Avonmore co-op) have become Global food businesses, CRH (Cement Roadstone Holdings) an international building materials business.

The DC Kits G Class may not fit a Hornby 0-4-0 chassis, the loco was designed to fit a Black Beetle http://www.steameramodels.com/bbeetle.htm . The Black Beetle motor bogies were very good, the power bogies may no longer be available Mashima the company that manufactured the motors have gone out of buisness If you are using the Hornby chassis it might be better to see if you can pick up a used Hornby diesel shunter body at an auction.

The Turf Trains appear to have run to Dublin and possibly other cities when imported coal was unavailable for domestic and industrial use as a result of WW2 during "The Emergency" possibly late 1940 until coal supplies returned to near normal after the ending of hostilities. Turf was transported from bogs in the West and Midlands to Liffey Junction with the Phoenix Park converted to a vast fuel depot. The unemployed were enlisted to cut turf one of my Uncle's a dapper city gentleman successfully avoided the draft possibly by finding a job or medical reasons. A Ballina- Belmullet Line would have been a good candidate for turf traffic from bogs in the Bangor Erris and Bellacorrick area to Dublin during the Emergency or possibly between Bangor Erris-Bellacorick if the power station came on line in the late 1940s. Bogs in the Bangor Erris area were used to supply turf to the Bellacorrick Power Station from the mid-1960s on-wards https://www.mayo-ireland.ie/en/towns-villages/bangor/bangor-activities-bellacorrick-station.html with development work commencing on the bogs in the early 1950s. The late Jack O'Neill wrote about his first experience of fast main line running as a passed fireman on a double headed turf train behind 656 and 660 from Mullingar to Liffey Junction in a "Decade of Stream". The Turf Trains were given the best available coal and ran at high speeds given priority over all trains except passenger and mails. Jack O'Neill described the trip as one of the most enjoyable of his career marred only by a fire breaking out on the train as they passed Clonsilla with 4 wagons ablaze when the reached Liffey Junction where the firebrigade dealt with the problem. Turf trains were unloaded on two long sidings served by a wide concrete roadway at Liffey Junction on the site of the current Broombridge LUAS light rail terminus and Depot. The sidings were disconnected and removed following the closure of Liffey Junction as a blockpost and re-alignment of the main running lines during the 1990s

The Back to Back fertiliser swap bodies appear to have been carried by the 25436-25982 steel floored flats. The Back to Backs appear to have been in service between the late 60s and mid 70s when they were replaced by the bogie wagons. According to an IRRS Journal a couple of laden Back to Back specials ran to Newcastle West before central section of the North Kerry line closed in November 1975. Some time mixed rakes of bogie and back to back fertiliser wagons ran to and from Shelton Abbey with the 4w wagons marshaled at the rear of the train. I remember watching a southbound empty fertiliser train passing Dunlaoire in the mid-70s, the last wagon looked like it was lifting off the rails and about to derail as it ran through the facing point that leads to the bay platform/original Dunlaoire Station. The bodies of the swap bodies got very scruffy looking after a while in service with not quite horizontal battens nailed to the sides at crazy angles. 4:55. The battens may have been a replacement for the angle iron lifting brackets in the photo of 25970 may not have been up to handling by forklift.

I just completed the assembly of the prototype build and everything fitted together thanks to the good work of our designer Ben on his first model railway project. The assembly was a bit of a rush job to make sure that everything fits, I haven't fitted grab irons or couplings (Bachmann tension lock in NEM pocket mount). Chassis is designed for OO or 21mm gauge It was touch and go on whether our printers Clone 3D https://www.clone3d.co.nz/ could get the prototype SLA prints for the model out this week under the Covid restrictions, but did a very good job considering the number of small parts in the design. I am planning to make a decision on the manufacturing phase of the project during the next 4-6 weeks and expect to be able to make an announcement in connection with whether the brake van will be produced as a rtr model or a kit, price and expected availability before Mid-October. We expect to have samples for review/inspection in Ireland from late September onwards. The lamps and the brakes are non working but we might consider it if we blow the model up to O or Gauge 1.

The photo may have been taken in the early 1970s, I remember seeing a photo on a train with BR containers in wooden open wagons (possibly the same) on the Ballina Branch during the early 1970s. Lyons Tea also had similar containers which were also transported in open wagons https://peco-uk.com/products/lyons-tea-container I bought a set of Bachmann BD containers as a load for open wagons, but end detail needs to be trimmed back slightly tom fit in an SSM IRCH open, I don't know about the Bachmann or Dapol Opens https://www.bachmann.co.uk/category/model-railway%2Fbranchline/accessories. Cable drums would be another good load for an open, CIE transported cable drums for P&T and ESB and parked P&T vehicles and cable drums seem to have been a common feature in CIE goods yards during the 60s and early 70s

Our choice of prototype and era like our choice of friends and life partner(s) is probably a deep seated psychological thing. Growing up in Dublin in the 60s my first serious modelling interest was British Railways western region mainly because of good coverage in the model railway magazines, and the generally poor public perception of CIEs rail services, both my mother and father had bad experiences with breakdowns and dirty trains in the 50s & 60s and did not travel by rail for many years. I did not become interested in Irish Railways until the mid late 70s when I explored the CIE system using Railrover Tickets in my late teens/early 20s, although I was mainly interested in steam my first successful layout was based on then contemporary CIE practice in N Gauge having become frustrated trying to build a OO Gauge layout in a box bed room and the poor running quality of Lima locos. I found that I could build a more spacious realistic looking layout, and run longer trains on a shelf layout in a slightly larger space, running was more reliable than OO with the high quality Arnold, Atlas and Minitrix mechanisms. Despite its success and plans for a much larger loft layout I dismantled the N gauge layout and disposed of the locos and stock after a house move, concentrating instead on building British and Irish outline standard and narrow gauge locos and rolling stock in 21mm, OON3, EM and OO9 gauges with the very odd 1:20.3 kitbash thrown in. Since than I have had brief dalliances with British Railway Western Region in OO & EM & American On30 Narrow Gauge, and had more long term affairs with American and British industrial railways including building a large scale 1:20.3 American narrow gauge layout, an N gauge mainline loft layout and a minimum space EM industrial/mineral railway layout. The American layouts provided a distraction from Irish modelling a chance to get something up and running reasonably quickly (1-2years) compared with the longer timeframes involved in kit and scratchbuilding models. Interestingly my Irish modelling is slipping backwards from CIE in the 1950s to the GSR era as a Golden Age with well maintained locos stock and infrastructure and reasonable train services compared with the more run down state of the railways during the CIE era.

It passes the two foot rule in that it looks the part from normal viewing distance or in a train on a layout. If you want to try your hand at lettering and or weathering there is a nice photo of one of these wagons lightly weathered and with snail loco and a BR van with CIE wheel logo. http://www.derg.ie/albums/workbench/IMG_5337.jpg

Most of the younger (perhaps under 60 ) members of this group appear to prefer the IE points era which many of the older generation thought the railways had gone to pot with fixed formation goods and passenger trains and the railway system at breaking point with de-railments and breakdowns. A 2 car 2600/2800 set or DART or 3 Car IRC and an oval of track would be an excellent start for as a first serious train set for a pre-teen or teenager entering the hobby for the first time. Rail has a far higher profile with more people using the train as part of their day to day routine than in the past 50-60 years. Having operated a Minories style exhibition layout I don't buy into the argument that DMUs are necessary boring to operate. Operating a busy city terminus with railcars kept 3 operators busy enough without the additional work involved in running round and shunting a loco hauled passenger train---------just like the real thing!

There was no specific CIE coal wagon as such. CIE used its standard wooden bodied and corrugated wagons to carry coal, sugar beet, gypsum and bascially anything (including containers & farm machinery) that could be carried in an open wagon. Both types were used for coal and general traffic up to the mid 1970s. In later years coal was transported in open top ISO containers on flat wagons. Provincial wagons produce a kit for the corrugated wagon. Studio Scale Models produce a whitemetal kit of the "Standard Irish" open wagons used by the GSR, GNR & CIE The Bachmann Branchlines 5 Plank open looks reasonably close to the earlier wooden bodied opens https://www.hattons.co.uk/60907/bachmann_branchline_37_061c_5_plank_wagon_with_wooden_floor_in_br_grey/stockdetail.aspx#:~:text=*Click the photo above to see a larger picture.

The CIE side door ISO containers appear to have been intended both for use as a traditional van and for Lo Lo operation The side door and half height containers were sometimes treated as ordinary vans and open wagons up to the end of loose coupled operation, especially at smaller yards like Athy, Listowel and Youghal which continued in operation into the late 1970s There are some photos of ISO equipment on the Youghal branch in Jonathan Allens 1978 Flickr album including a side door container being loaded/unloaded onto a flat trailer. https://www.flickr.com/photos/152343870@N07/39623779824/in/album-72157714527034646/ The Asahi Liner would be a potentially good choice for a rtr model and fit in with IRMs 42'9" project. Relatively short train 4-5 -42'9" Bogie Flats --------4-5-22'6" 2 axle flats. The bogie flats carried 40' containers carrying the finished product, 2 axle flats barrier & acrylonitrile containers. 40' containers usually appear to have been unbranded brown/orange containers possibly owned by Asahi Kasei or one of its subsidaries https://www.asahi-kasei.com/company/history/ The 2 axle wagons were replaced by 42' 9" flats during the final years of the trains operation.

There were two distinct families of 20T two axle wagons used by CIE/IE to the run-down of freight traffic in the early 2000s. 1. 20' 12t wb skeletal or steel floored versions introduced in the late 60s/early 70s to carry then current 8' high ISO containers These wagons share a common 12'wb underframe with the Cement Bubbles, Hopper, Ore and Tank wagons introduced during the Mid-late 1960. Provincial wagons produce a kit for both the skeletal and steel floored wagons. Most of the steel floor wagons were converted into Bagged Cement & Beet Wagons. In later years the skeletal wagons appear to have been mainly used to transport oil & bitumen in ISO containers. 20' Skeletal 2. 22'6"---14' skeletal-----------with framing lowered to carry 8-6" containers. Originally introduced for general traffic, these wagons appear to have been mainly used in later years to transport bulk traffic in ISO containers, including Coal (Foynes-Ballina), Grain, Oil and Keg Traffic.

Strange little Beastie! difficult to build a plausible looking model from the photo. The original sketch appears to be the most likely of the two though the leading axle looks like it would barely clear the rear of the cylinders. I would be inclined to sketch out the cylinders and ashpan, the fit the axles to suit. The L&M Planet drawing is a good example of early inside cylinder loco practice https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steam_locomotive#/media/File:Stephenson_110_Planet,_1832.jpg

Signs of a country trying to return to normality looks like Syria has re-opened a section of the narrow gauge Damascus-Beruit line and runs steam passenger trains! Steam loco seems similar to those used in the Lebanese section of the line.

Sounds like a ground breaking project, Mike Sharman funnily enough published an article on designing a loco from a few know dimensions and a photo. An interesting what if would be to include a section of 6'2" gauge to your layout based on the premise that the Ulster Railway did not re-gauge in 1848

The GM6w appear to have a single traction motor presumably mounted in the body driving all axles rather than a single driven axle. The Abt rack system appears to have been used on the Mount Lebanon section of the narrow gauge Beriut-Damascus Line https://beirutdamascusrailway.wordpress.com/intro/ Its possible that the main lines were worked by steam up to the outbreak of the Civil War in the 1970s and the GM6 were acquired for shunting and light duties. Passenger services appear to have been down to a weekly sleeping car and railcar service to Syria on the Beriut-Tripoli line and Sunday excursions with coaches attached to goods trains on the Beriut-Damascus line There are 1971 photos of narrow and standard gauge steam in the Liban Sur Rail U Tube video, and 1974 photos of a narrow gauge 0-10-0T rack locomotive in https://almashriq.hiof.no/lebanon/300/380/385/railways/resources/middleeast/ much more interesting in my opinion than a GM switcher.

The upper section of the Glen Afton Branch was severed from the main line system and the Rotowaro Township removed with the development of open cast coal mining in the Rotowaro area during the 1970s. Rotowaro late 2005 at a time when locos in matching colour schemes were extremely rare. Toll an Australian logistics company had recently acquired the operating assets of the railway from the former owners Tranzrail, the Government later bought out Tolls rail operating assets as the Government and Toll Rail were unable to reach agreement for the funding for marginal and loss making rail operations and investment. The Rotowaro terminal despatches up to two trainloads daily to a steel mill near Auckland and receives imported coal as required for use in a nearby power station. The Bush Tramway operates using a mixture of small ex-mail line and industrial locos. 185 is basically the NZR equivalent of the CIE J15 the standard motive power for mixed traffic duties until replaced by larger locomotives, several survived in industrial use until the mid 1960s. Mixed traffic 4-6-2 and 4-8-0 locos were the standard steam power in the branch in later years, with General Motors standard G8 export A1A A1A (NZR DB) taking over passenger and freight duties during the branches final years. Drewry 0-4-0 diesel mechanical tailing the const. The loco is basically a smaller version of the British Railways 04 class diesel shunter. Pukemiro Junction the operating base of the line and in 2005 home of an interesting collection of un-restored locos and stock. Pukemiro was the junction with a private railway serving a local coal mine and the only feasible site for an operating and engineering base for a railway. The loco is on the main line reversing back onto the train after coaling, the line on the left is the connecting line to the former mine branch. Climax B 1650 from a former logging line. The Climax and Heisler were popular logging Locomotives (Bush Lokies) a local manufacturer AJ Price developing close copies of Climax & Heisler locos and later industrial diesels. The Climax is currently under repair as a replacement for 185 which requires major boiler work. And now for something completely different a Bush Jigger or rail truck converted for carrying men and equipment on logging lines. This and a similar Jigger No 1 have been restored to working order since I took the photo in 2005. Recent restored Pukemiro Coal Company Peckett 1630 coaling at the Junction in 2014, this loco spent its working life shuttling wagons between the Junction and its namesake mine before taking up passenger duties on the Glen Afton Line.

Its the first time I have been out and about since before the March lockdown, combination of the blues and miserable weather since travel restrictions were lifted. I originally planned to go on a bush walk but decided to check out the top end of the Glen Afton Branch line instead and see if the Bush Tramway Club had made any progress. http://www.bushtramwayclub.com/ The line was built to open up the coal fields west of Huntly and the section of line west of Rotowaro (lake of coal or burning embers) was closed in the early 1970s. The modern Rotawaro terminal both receives and dispatches train load coal but that's another story. The line west of Rotowaro was handed over to the Bush Tramway Club who operated a 5km section of the line as a Hertiage Railway from a base at Pukemiro Junction, while gradually restoring the line towards Glen Afton https://www.flickr.com/photos/46769458@N08/4649947978/in/album-72157623783391937/ Glen Afton station shortly after closure. Station site from a similar view point today. Despite the rural appearance the station served the Glen Afton Coal Company Mine complete with its own locomotive. The railway line is in the cutting behind the post box. The end of the line! Drainage system restored, sleepers replaced track ballasted rails most likely left in place since closure. Trains operate top and tail usually with a steamer at the up hill end and a diesel a the rear, the railway is planning to build a station so Glen Afton can once again become a destination. Looking down the hill line re-sleepered with rectangular hardwood sleepers, fangbolts and baseplates at joints, otherwise fangbolts direct to sleepers, Bit further down the line rails spiked to half round sleepers with every 3rd sleeper rectanglar with fangbolt fixing and baseplates. This was fairly typical of Irish Branch and Secondary lines including the SLNCR, though half round sleepers were gradually phased out as they became due for replacement. Halfround sleepers in closeup. Probably used for economy the Bush Tramway has approx once monthly outside of the summer/autumn months when the risk of fire is high. An other bit further down the line. The line climbs continuously from Rotowaro to Glen Afton steam sound effects are good. An earlier encounter with the Bush Tramway locos are fitted with smoke deflectors for a reason . Some interesting equipment including the local A J Price version of a Climax B Diesel rail trucks