Mayner

The photo is of the Swinford end of the station, the gates appear to have been operated by at crossing keeper who lived in the cottage to the right of the photos. The signals and crossover are likely to have been controlled from the signal cabin which is out of view at the Claremorris end of the station. Interestingly the wicket gate was removed and a 3 lever ground frame installed to the right of the buffer stop at some stage after the photo was taken. The frame may have been installed to interlock the level crossing gates with the running signals, so that the signal man could not lower the signal for the section to Swinford or the signals to enter the station unless the crossing gates were open There is another level crossing at the Claremorris end of the station that was operated by the signal man, the gates appear to have been operated by hand rather than from a "big wheel" in the cabin. https://www.flickr.com/photos/152343870@N07/39574108574/in/album-72157713183200497/

Kiltimagh on the Burma Road, I have been planning but never got round to building a model based on the station for many years.

I would ignore most of the thread apart from Noel's & NIR80s replies of 29th Feb and 1st with photos of Peco HO and Bullhead track on their layouts. Peco track systems are the standard for mainstream use in the UK and Ireland as they are robust and relatively simple to use and the large selection of points, crossings and accessories. The Peco Streamline HO (Code 100) is probably the best option for someone building their first layout as it is fully compatible with their fixed geometry Set Track System. Set track curves and straight track can be useful if space is restricted or if you want to experiment with a track layout without having to cut flexible track. I would avoid using small radius set track or Hornby points and recommend using medium or large radius points rather to achieve smooth and reliable running particularly with large diesel locos like an 071 and 201 and bogie coaches and wagons. Two foot is the minimum recommended radius for OO gauge, No2 or No3 radius set track curves should be used if you are not able to achieve a 2' minimum. The Peco HO/OO Streamline (Code 100 rail) system was introduced in the 1960s as a compromise system suitable for OO (1:76) and HO (1:87) scale as a universal track system suitable for British and international use. The Code 100 rail section was considered "fine" by the standards of the time but is larger than scale for most rail sections used internationally and the Continental HO sleeper size and spacing is incorrect for both British OO and American HO Scale. Peco H0/OO Streamline Fine (Code 75) system was introduced in the 1990s in response to demand for a finer more accurate rail section by both OO & HO users. There is little to choose between the original Code 100 & 75 systems in terms of durability, ease of use and range of points, crossings and accesories. Peco have since introduced an American HO Code 83 scale track system in response to competition from American track manufacturers and British Bull head track systems in response to increasing demand for a OO gauge track system from the scale end of the UK market. The American and Bull head track systems may be less suitable for an experienced user or someone with a restricted space than the the Streamline HO system. The track may be more fragile to work on than the earlier systems and a larger space may be required to build a layout as the points in the American and Bull Head track systems based on full size railway geometry rather than the small, medium and large radius points available in the Code 100 & 75 systems. Peco Streamline track uses a flatbottom rail traditionally used by railways outside of the United Kingdom. British and the majority of Irish railways used bullhead track with an I beam rail profile for main line track until replaced by flatbottom track from the late 1950s onwards. Irish railways tended to use a mixture of bullhead and flatbottom, with Bullhead mainly used on main lines with the heaviest traffic, with flatbottom used on some main lines incl Dublin-Galway-Sligo and Westport and the majority of secondary lines and branches throughout the country. I Bullhead track & point work Irish standard flatbottom track on baseplates on wooden sleepers

American 3' Gauge track. Como Colorado Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad Irish Broad gauge jointed track flat bottom rail on baseplates.

Try and get your hands on a copy of R.M. Arnold's NCC Saga https://www.amazon.com/N-C-Saga-Scottish-Northern/dp/0715356445. it includes quite a bit on the Derry Central & NCC branch lines. The line appears to have survived mainly on traffic to and from the local linen mills and a brickworks, the section from Magherafelt to Kilrea survived as a goods only line until 195, the Derry Central and NCC Cookstown Branch lost their passenger services in 1950. Mac's Arnolds books focus as much on the "kitchen sink" drama of the personalities that worked on the railway as the locomotives and operation, retired railway men and women became anxious when he announced that he was about to publish a book.

There is an IRRS paper on the early stages of CIEs plans to modernise freight handling in one of the 1969 Journals. One of the plans was to design and build special containers or swap bodies for specific traffic flows including bagged-fertiliser and keg traffic that could not be accommodated within a standard ISO 20X8 container or half height. Other specials included an ISO hopper container for malt traffic, a hopper was selected as it was not feasible to discharge the container by tipping due to height restrictions in the customers premises. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swap_body Besides being wider and longer than a standard ISO container the open containers in the photos of the B+I Liner are particularly unusual in that the floor of the container is considerably higher than the floor of a standard ISO container. The open swap-body appear to have been designed for a light but bulky packaged traffic to the UK mainland which would not fit in a standard ISO open container. Its possible that the swap bodies on the train and B+I trailer are a hangover from the widespread use of" Lancashire Flats" by haulage and shipping companies for unit load traffic between Ireland and Great Britain during the 1960s before the widespread introduction of ISO containers and direct road transfer using ro-ro ferries using accompanied and un-accompanied trailers.

The 1st photo is a great discovery the B+I liner possibly at East Wall yard (The Polling Fields) late 1960s with a reasonably clear view of those unusual open containers and 25436 series flat wagons in grey complete with load securing stanchions. The B+I truck on the right appears to be carrying a similar open container which indicates that they were used for Cross-Channel rather than domestic freight traffic. The B+I Liners initially ran from East Wall yard to Cork Goods as a replacement for B+Is Cork-South Wales cargo sailings before a siding connection was provided from the Alexandra Road Tramway into the B+I North Wall Terminal. The silver container appears to be the CIE aluminium equivalent of the British Railways B container used until replaced by ISO containers in the early 1970s.

It happens often enough with mast forklifts one of the reasons for the shift to reach stackers for container handling.

I had a bad experience on a flight from Melborne that basically put me off international air travel for nearly 10 years, there was a problem with power and we were basically stuck in the plane for an hour on the tarmac without ventilation with many passengers crook with colds in the middle of winter, it took nearly a month for the wife and I to recover. New Zealand has effectively closed its borders to international visitors apart from the Pacific Islands, people returning home and long term visitors/immigrants with arrivals since Monday having to self isolate for 14 days since Monday. The economic effect has been severe on some industries that export to China with some logging crews laid off since January and reduced Chinese demand on food exports is causing a knock on effect for farmers and food processors. I suppose the main upside is that being off work, less social contact or self-isolation is that there is more time to catch up on modelling projects, I even made a start of clearing some of the junk out of the railway room just in case.

Never mind overload the bay, the forklift is grossly overloaded! The forklift is likely to tip over attempting to load 4 pallets in one lift.

There is nothing specific to 44 in "A Decade of Steam" Bill Mc Donnell writes about his experience working with the class as a cleaner and later fireman while stationed in Cork. Besides branch line passenger services, the class were used on pilot duties at Cork which included occasionally assisting main line passenger trains to Blarney. McDonnell writes that the hard slogging assisting trains to Blarney left the D19s "short-winded" with the water level dangerously low in the boiler. They could recover pressure quickly but it took the injectors a long time to restore boiler water level. Drew Donaldson also observed in a Model Railways article(1973-4?) on his small 4-4-0s that Kingsbridge Carriage Pilot duties left the D19s winded and built this characteristic into his model of the Class, Drew built several small GSWR 4-4-0s including D14, 17 & 19 and the ex WLWR D15 Class.

The blocks behind the front buffers seems to have been a standard feature on standard GSWR passenger tank and tender locos including 0-4-4BT, Ivatt & Coey 2-4-2T & 4-4-2T, D14,17 & 19 4-4-0 and some of the larger Coey 4-4-0 classes. The designed the brake gear for my D17 on similar principal to No 44 but is likely to be a lot more fiddly to assemble in 4mm scale. The loco number brings back a vague memory of an engine-man's song. "The Gallant 44 her buffers were never wore.........."

Seems to have been Light Ale a popular summer drink in Great Britain, the Isle of Man and Australasia. Both Ivo Peters and Norman Lockhart (the other photographer) were English and had decided to drown their sorrows following the general managers refusal. Having many English and Welsh friends (drinking buddies) I know from experience that they are as serious about their ales and bitter as the Irish are about Guinnes, Murphy's or Beamish. I once spent a very enjoyable fortnight in California with a group of British enthusiasts watching trains and taking photographs the only downside was that the popular American beer brands played havoc with our digestion until we found craft beer in an Italian restaurant with an Irish name in a sawmill town called Quincy. Only problem was that we cleared their stock of decent beer in one evening.

Ivo Peters an English Railway photographer (of Somerset & Dorset and Bentley fame) called into Skibbereen station in the Summer of 1950 having heard a rumour that an Ivatt 2-4-2T was working the Baltimore Branch train and was surprised to see one of the narrow gauge engines (6S) in steam pulling out the other two. Peters published photographs of the Schull & Skibbereen locos and mentions Fry in his books "Narrow Gauge Charm of Yesterday" & "Somewhere Along the Line". Ivo Peters spent a number of holidays in the South West and recorded steam working on the Kenmare Branch & Tralee and Dingle during the early 1950s. In Somewhere Along the Line Peters simply notes that Cyril Fry had arranged for the locos to be pulled out to be measured for modelling purpose. Photographers of Ivo Peters generation tended to work by the book and obtain permission to take photographs on the railway rather than just turning up or trespassing. In Somewhere Along the Line" Peters recounts an "interesting" 1961 meeting with Mr Sheard the General Manager of the Isle of Man Railway to request permission to take photographs of the railway. At the time the Company did not allow photography on railway property and refused to issue photographic permits to visiting enthusiasts. The meeting appears to have been reasonably civil until a rep. from the Tourist Board told Mr Sheared that Ivo Peters and a friend were recommended by British Railways, the General Manager nearly exploded banged his fist on the table twice and said "Permission Refused". The General Managers assistant and the man from the Tourist Board left leaving Mr Sheared seated with the two very disappointed enthusiasts, Peters asked the General Manager if he would like to join them for a beer and warmed to them after the second round and literally ended up giving them the red carpet treatment.

There is at least one influential modeler who models the Irish Broad gauge on EM gauge track. Using EM (18.2mm gauge) eliminates the narrow gauge head on appearance of a British or Irish OO gauge model and the conversion process is much more simpler than 21 mm gauge with drop in wheel sets and conversion sets suitable for the majority of rtr models, which largely eliminates the need to widen or replace coach bogies and wagon underframes. There is the added bonus of being able to run Irish and British outline stock on the one layout if you feel so inclined.

I think the most exceptional thing about the original Fry models is the sheer size and broad scope of the model collection rather than the actual standard of modelling which was pretty typical of the era Modeling complete trains in Irish Broad and Narrow Gauge, British and Continental including pre-Grouping/pre-Amalgamation to 1950s & 60s modern image. At the time scratchbuilding using hand tools was the normal practice for modellers that wanted anything different to a very limited range of expensive rtr in all the major modelling scales. Fry's original Irish International Railway and Tramway system appears to be a typical System model railway of the 1930s and 40s similar to Drew Donaldson's & Sam Carse's Irish layouts and the Rev Beales West Midland Railway. At the time it was not uncommon for modellers even in OOO (N) gauge to cast their own wheels and build their own motors and electrical control systems, some modellers in the larger scales O gauge upwards still cast or fabricate their own wheels. Fry had the advantage of being an insider with access to drawings and information on the prototype, there is a story of Cyril Fry arranging for the Schull and Skibbereen locos and stock to be pulled out of the shed at Skibbereen to be measured and photographed. He may have knowledge of production techniques and access to machine tools and skilled labour at Inchacore to assist with his modelling, there was an old joke that the Model Railway Society of Ireland was really the Aer Lingus Model Railway Society as some of the founding members had similar levels of access and assistance to the airlines metal working shops. Modellers have applied production techniques such as the use of profile cutting, jigs and fixtures to speed up or simplify the repetitive aspects of scratchbuilding from the early days of the hobby. 3D printing, laser cutting and etching are modern examples of these techniques. The quality of the finished model is as dependent on the knowledge and experience of the modeller in preparing working drawings and understanding the characteristics of the materials used regardless of whether the model is produced by hand using traditional scratchbuilding, by profile cutting, engraving or additive technology. The necessary knowledge and experience can only be gained by practice-practice and even more practice. Personally the main advantage of 3D printing and photo cutting over traditional scratchbuilding techniques is that it eliminates the risk of error in transferring a design from a drawing to the raw material and in machining or cutting out parts as aging effects my eyesight and ability to cut to a line or read a dial on a machine or gauge.

I think that many enthusiasts fail to appreciate that CIE and GSR (post 1933) were transport as opposed to railway companies with a policy of replacing loss making rail with road services once it was practicable. The West Cork and the majority of GSR/CIE branch and secondary lines were living on "borrowed time" once the GSR secured near monopoly powers over road transport services within the Free State from 1933 onwards. In 1938 the GSR submitted a proposal to close 861 miles of uneconomic railway lines, including the entire West Cork system to a Government tribunal on the future of the railways in the Free State. The Kinsale Branch closed completely in 1931 and the GSR proposed closing the Baltimore and Clonakilty lines in 1934 and had considered closing the Timoleague & Courtmacsharry as early as 1925. West Cork operation. 1. Courtmacsharry. The goods appears to have operated as required after passenger services closed with the Clonakilty Branch C Class operating the branch following dieselisation when the morning Clonakilty Junction-Clonakilty Mixed became a Mail Goods which worked the Courtmacsharry branch as required. Integrating the operation of the T&C and Clonakilty Branches in steam days would have been difficult due to the light axle loads and sharp curves on the branch. T&C branch locos were basically restricted to small contractors locos and ex-GSWR J30 0-6-0T until the Mid 1950s when MGWR J26 O-6-0T and later C Class diesels worked the branch. The Clonakilty line appears to have been mainly worked by ex-GSWR & DSER 2-4-2T in CIE days. The Weekly Circulars for cattle fairs and the Beet Season would have been interesting, did the "Bandon Tanks" work passenger, beet and cattle specials through from the Main Line to Ballinascarthy Junction, or did the Clonakilty or Courtmacsharry branch engine work trains from the T&C to Clonakilty Junction or even Albert Quay. Its believed that the J30 0-6-0s could only run light between Albert Quay and Ballinascarthy due to their small water tank capacity. 2. Baltimore Skibbereen appears to have been considered to be the terminus of the main line until main line passenger services were diverted to Bantry following the introduction of the AEC railcars in the early 50s. 6 couple locos were also barred from operating on the Baltimore extension which would have prevented through running of Bandon Tanks between Albert Quay and Baltimore. Its possible that the "Diesel Timetable" with the line apparently operated as two separate sub-branch lines may be a hangover from existing steam era working arrangements or shift patterns and would have helped to support the case that the West Cork lines were un-economic because of high operating costs. The most striking feature about the Baltimore diesel timetable is the absence of a morning service on the Extension apart from Saturdays 3. C Class Loco diagrams: 1960s WTT includes detail of Light Engine workings which helps to flesh out West Cork scheduled loco workings in its final years. A total of 4 C Class appear to have been allocated to scheduled goods, mixed train and passenger workings on the West Cork, Motive Power Control had developed a practice of swapping locos between branch and main line duties most likely to minimise the risk of failures and breakdowns. 1. The loco of the 3:45 Cork-Bantry Goods returned light to Drimoleague at 8:45 to work the 9:40 Drimoleague-Cork Goods. 2. The loco of the 7:00 Cork-Drimoleague Goods ran light to Bantry at 12:00 to work the 12:45 Bantry-Cork Goods The loco of the 12:45 Bantry-Cork Goods works a Drimoleague-Skibbereen-Drimoleague Mixed before departing for Cork at 4:40. 3. Drimoleague-Baltimore appears to have been worked by a single C Class based at Skibbereen. 4. Clonakilty Junction-Clonakilty working the T&C as required worked by a single C Class based at Clonakilty. Irish Railfans News stated that the locos of the Up goods trains appear to have swapped power with the engine of the Clonakilty Branch train on a weekly basis in order to return the loco to Cork for for maintenance purposes, its likely that similar power swaps also took place at Drimoleague avoiding significant light engine milage.

Apparently a number of LNWR signals in the North Wall Holyhead Yard survived the closure of the LNWR North Wall station in the 1920s and were in use at least until the re-modelling of the yard as a container terminal in the 1970s. The risk of a lower quadrant signal failing to return to danger if a signal wire breaks or because of snow or ice is a myth otherwise the Railway Inspectorates would have had to force the railways to phase out lower quadrant signals within a specific time frame rather than the UK Railway Inspectorate advising the railways to phase out lower quadrant signals as part of their signal renewal programme. The myth probably originated with the Abbots Ripton disaster in the 1870s when the arm of a slotted signal froze within the signal post and and failed to return to danger despite the signal mans best efforts. Originally slotted signals may have operated in a similar manner to American 3 position semaphore signals, with horizontal danger or Stop, 45° as Caution or Approach and vertical as Clear. The signal at Abbotts Ripton was set at clear with the arm vertical within the post and not visible to the driver of an approaching train. Early semaphore do not appear to have been "fail to safe" in that Clear may have been the normal position and the signal wire had to be pulled rather than released return the arm to the Danger position as the signal arm may not have been balanced by a heavy weight. In current British and Irish practice both lower and upper quadrant semaphore signals return to danger by gravity by a balance weight as a fail safe when the signaller returns the signal lever to it normal position in the frame or in the event of a signal wire breaking. The actual metal signal arms used by Irish Rail are extremely light in comparison with the weight of the spectacle plate and balance weight and sometimes a lower quadrant arm will bounce against the stop when a signaler returns a signal to danger. The main advantage of the semaphore is probably less effort for a signaller in "pulling" an upper quadrant arm into the off position and less wear and tear on the signalling system because of the lighter balance weight compared with a lower quadrant signal.

A high standard of detail and durability are the main advantages of using sheet metal construction. A well designed kit should be straightforward to assemble with minimum modification to allow components to fit together. I have to modify the pattern for the spring J hanger castings on these wagons as I am not happy with the castings & find the pattern I made for the container cuplocks that were later fitted to these wagons. The wagon in the photo is basically an EP to check fit and appearance, I have revised the design of the buffer beam and beefed up the fold down stanchions that were originally fitted to these wagons.

At least one rake of fertiliser wagons were converted to container wagons as fertiliser traffic tailed off during the mid-1990s. I remember seeing some converted wagons during a visit to Inchacore Works, but don't remember whether they kept their floors.

I don't appear to have posted photos of the assembled & painted MGWR vans. Still have not gotten round to lettering or fitting couplers over 6 years later. Train of fish vans. The original prototype Fish/Meat Van Dogbox end of MGWR Horse Box Grooms compartment end. Underframe showing brake pull rods. The vans live in a display cabinet but have got quite dusty.

There is an excellent article with colour photos of the Killybegs layout in the November 2016 edition of New Irish Lines and the layout also appeared on the cover of the November 2017 edition. Both editions are accessible in the IRM archive https://www.dropbox.com/s/fppdhvdav7vjvos/New Irish Lines Vol. 7 No. 6 - 2016 November.pdf?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/xrgk5h1z95zw5go/New Irish Lines Vol. 8 No. 2 - 2017 November.pdf?dl=0

Classical spread panic and Black Market economy, my Galaxy phone has been swamped with adds for masks for the past month or so. We had panic buying on the weekend with supermarkets in Auckland sold out of baked canned food and toilet paper. Some of the buyers are believed to be stockpiling to sell on the blackmarket if there is a serious outbreak.

Cattle were often driven down the North Circular Road from the Cattle Market at least into the late 60s, I once saw a herd of cattle being driven (or stampeeding) across Summerhill Parade at speed, very little traffic on the roads in those days! I had a Grand Aunt that lived in a house on North Richmond Street her landlady's husband "Christy" was a cattle drover that worked between the Cattle Market and the Docks. My father had a story of a bull breaking loose on the North Circular Road early one morning on his way to work, being from a farming background he felt sorry for the bull who may have been put down.