Mayner

As the father of a 14 year society is not likely to be a lot different than its always been the continued struggle for survival facing lifes ups and downs. The majority of my childs friends/class mates are good kids from supportive families likely to grow into responsible function adults, a few manipulative and troublesome ones from disfunctional families, none could be considered to be from an economically deprived background. The worrying thing is the explosion in mental health problems among adolesents and young adults in recent years, a number of our kids friends and class mates in New Zealand are also receiving treatment for mental health problems along with teen-young adult relatives in the States and New Zealand. Growing up in the 60s we had the existential threat of the Bomb and Vietnam War (topic of conversation among grown-ups at family get togethers) but wern't otherwise facing an insecure future my father and uncles all had steady well paid jobs in the days before the Irish economic recessions of the 80s & 90s or serious worries about pollution of climate change. One of the biggest problems at the moment is that political parties have to appeal to the older more conservative sector of the electorate to get elected often offering simplistic solutions to complex problems like crime, and responding to climate change. 'Talking tough" on crime and people on welfare, rather than tackling the causes of crime and long term welfare dependency. Failing to consider the effects of climate change in infrastructure planning despite repeated problems with flooding in low lying inland and coastal areas during the past 20 years. Unfortunately todays younger generation are likely to have lost their idealism and hope by the time they reach middle age just like 'My Generation!!!!!!!! Going back to Horsetans comment about Ireland's proud tradition of vandalism or perhaps a contempt for authority. One of the best examples when the 'locals" completly dismantled some DSER coaches following a deliberate de-railment during the Civil War. The Coaches with the possible exception of the heavier elements of the ironwork had completly gone by the time it was safe to recover the remains of the train. Possibly a case of the locals liberating the material for their own use rather than mindless destruction.

Alan O'Rourke of New Irish Lines may have information on John Campbell "Halfinchacore Works" There is a photo of T&D No6 in Nov 2011 New Irish Lines. He also produced models of the LLSR 4-8-0 and 4-8-4T At the time I attempted to order a T&D 2-6-0T from John Campbell but he was not prepared to ship outside the UK and Ireland I think the locos and stock were 15mm scale on 45mm gauge track which is correct for the Irish 3' gauge. Accuracraft announced a 15mm scale gas fired live steam model of a C&L 4-4-0T aboyut 6 years ago, but never seems to have reached the production stage. https://www.accucraft.uk.com/products/kathleen-lady-edith-cavan-leitrim-4-4-0t/ Best option to locate one of John Campbells Irish locos would be to reach out to Garden Railway specialist retailers and enthusiasts groups in the UK

The one thing that get me about this thread is that while there is plenty of talk about punishing the teenage perpetrator apart from myself no one has mentioned parental responsibility and potentially holding the parents of the teenager to account. In this part of the world a young person under 18 is still classed as a child. There is an oldsaying that the dog you own is the pup that you reared, what were the parents doing to monitor the childs behavior, the company he was keeping in the months, weeks days leading up to the vandalism at Downpatrick.

Ernie Shepherd's MGWR book ( & company records in IRRS Archives) are likely to be a more reliable source than Google. Born and bred in working class area of Dublin in the 50s and 60s we tended pronounce C... as Keltic , One of my friends got into hassle in school for spelling his first name Kieran as he and his family pronounced it rather than Ciaran as the Head expected, as far as we were concerned Celtic was a Scottish football club. MGWR locos with the exception of te F (Cattle Engines) drove on the right hand side with a screw reverser, the reversing lever is visible in photos of the rhs of the A Class There is a photo of the cab interior of 541 (superheated condition) in the R N Clements collection on the IRRS Flickr site.

After over 10 years manufacturing kits and rtr 4mm models, I basically decided that it is not worth it financially to continue producing kits and models mainly as a result of high production costs and a relatively low level of demand. I comissioned a laser cut model of a GSWR signal cabin from my own CAD work through York Model Making several years ago and considered supplying the model as a kit directly through York Model Making (to minimise shipping costs to Irish and UK customers. I had one indirect enquiry from a customer in the UK asking whether he could order the kit directy from York Model Making, but seems to have been put off by the price. Card or etched kit design and assembly tends to be complex as your converting a 2D drawing into a 3D object, producing a 3D model/design is a totally different ball game to 2D drafting but producing a model as a 3D printed object may be a better option than a card or laser cut kit. Hopefully ceasing to produce models comercially will free up time for my own modelling projects, I have already have enough 3D printed wagons (kits and rtr) for my own use, but have several etched loco and coach kits to complete and assemble Kiltimagh Station buildings from Wills material parts and my own custom etches I have had in stock for several years.

Personally I preferred the appearance of the superheated locos to the original saturated version of the A Class, Celtic is likely to have been pronounced Keltic in Ireland. Jack Kennedy a prominent Irish steam age railway photographer and enthusiast once told me the the MGWR would have not been interested in an IC125 unless it was capable of hauling cattle trains. The A and C Class 4-4-0s were built with 6'3" driving wheels and crossed eccentric rods on the Stephenson valve gear (visible in the GA) in contrast to the 6'7' drivers and open (straight) rods on the GSWR express passenger 4-4-0s of the same era. The crossed rods apparrently had an advantage in starting and hauling heavy loads at low to moderate speed required for a mixed traffic loco. The main purpose of the superheating would have been to reduce the running costs of the loco by reduced coal and water consumption, while the MGWR 4-4-0s were considered poor/sluggish engines by the 1948 Inchacore appaisal they were likely to have been considered a 'foreign design" with different arrangement of valve gear to otherwise similar Inchacore 4-4-0s likely to have been quite run down with little maintenance since the beginning of the Emergency. Enginemens comments on the mechadically identical Cs (D5 & D6 Classes) in "A Decade of Steam" and various IRRS papers speak of free-steaming locos that ran roughly at high speed, that were tried successfully on Kingsbridge-Nenagh-Limerick trains. Haven't read of comments of rough riding with the As (D5) Class, the problem with the Cs may have been tied up with raising the boiler centre line when the locos were superheated, the shorter coupled wheelbase of the Cs and the valve gear not like being 'pulled up" for high speed running. Problem seems to have been widely known but apparenty nothing done to improve the ride quailty. Quite a few photos of Cs on cattle trains including double heading an empty westbound special with a Cattle Engine. CIE appear to have plans to "rebuild" some Woolwich as 3 cylinder 4-6-0s with 400 Class boilers, effectively new locos with Woolwich driving wheels, not dissimilar to the Midland's 'rebuilding'/Renewal of the 2-4-0 "Mail Engines" of 1889/90 into the C Class from 1909 onwards. The problem with overloading of the Woolwich would have arisen as a result of the changing in operating patterns following the "Fuel Crisis: of the late 40s which would have resulted in the running of less frequent heavier trains in response to fuel shortages and increased running costs. Similarly CIE reduced train frequency and increased train loadings in response to fuel shortages and cost increases following the 1973 oil crisis. The design developed to the stage that the CIE produced a diagram of the loco!

The most striking thing I experienced working buiilding a "Community Centre" in a 'deprived" area of Dublin about 20 years ago was one evening seeing a toddler of 2-3 walking alone on a darkend street, what chance would a child have growing up in such an environment. On the positive side there were some very good people from the local community working hard to improve the lot of the local community, but it was a hell of a struggle to overcome the difficulties and stigma attached with living in that particular neighbourhood both in terms of raising a family and earning an honest living. Government were pretty good at throwing money at the bricks and mortar stuff but hopeless at supporting and empowering communities with few notable exceptions such as Dublin Corporation social housing schemes of the 1930s and certain Inner City housing schemes of the late 70s/80s which helped re-build communities.

Wooden Thomas railways seemed to be a standard feature of railway museums and heritage railways we visited in the States several years ago, and kept our kid amused while Dad was checking out the other exhibits. At one stage an LGB layout suspended from the ceiling was almost a standard feature in some bars and resturants! Our kid lost interest in playing with trains when they were 7-8 shifting towards Fantasty modelling in Lego and into (computer) graphic design as they entered their teens potentially becoming a graphic artist, computer animator, architect or property developer which should helpful support their interest in horses, best not mention toy trains.

While I have sympathy for the damaged and distress caused by the vandalism at Downpatrick, I find the hang them flog them reaction towards the perpetrators on this newsgroup distasteful. Most developed countries are currently experiencing a significant youth mental health crisis, both Northern Ireland and New Zealand have a significantly higher (almost double) the youth suicide rate of the Republic. (NI 17.8, NZ 19, ROI 10, per 100,000 people 2020). Perhaps the 16 year old apprehended simply comitted wanton vandalism or has a mental health problem, but what about parental responsibility both for the upbringing of their child and taking responsibility for their actions? My Dad had a story of his interactions with the 'locals" while on picket duty in Dublins Docklands during the "Maintenance Mens Strike" of the late 60s, casual work for Dockers and Carters had more or less dried up and a lot of people were literally living on their wits' One an old guy used to bum cigarettes from the strikers and Dad and his mates asked how he managed to survive 'Its like this if I see a hall door open in he flats and a Radio on the table, Ill take it and sell it in Talbot Street in a couple of minutes" the other incident was a group of Urchins in 'hand me down" clothing were hanging out walking up and down on the picket line with the strikers while two of their mates robbed some 'cans of paint" from the back of Dad's car (he had filled the cans with rubbish to dump and the Urchins helped out. Its likely that 55 years later the grandchildren of the urchins have graduated to more serious and profitable crime. No doubt similar conditions apply in parts of Northern Ireland, as they do in New Zealand and other 'post industrial countries" A high proportion of the people that end up before the Justice system and are convicted have quite serious untreated mental health conditions. (inmates in prisons in Northern Ireland have a 25% higher prevelence of mental health problems than in England) I have skin in the game having worked with the justice system in Ireland and NZ and as the parent of a teenager witth a mental health problem. I suppose the question to be asked is whether menal health or the childs parenting contributed to the vandalism at Downpatrick and if so what could society/the community in Downpatrick in particular childs parents could have done differently to support the teenager. There is an old African saying 'that it takes a village to raise a child" which applies in the wider context of todays complex societies as a traditional tribal society. I remember a Maori 'Auntie" (formidible older woman) taking a group of troublesome city teenagers under her wing (and scaring the life out of them) by teaching them some 'life skills" by taking them out to sea on a small boat, where they learned to fish and catch fresh Kai (food) for their families and started them on the right path. Possible 'community work" as we call it in NZ where the perpetrator could be sentenced to work on the DCDR, p.w. work on our local 'hertiage railway" for the past 20 or so years has been carried out by non-violent offenders sentenced to "community work", the Society Members generally becoming too old and decrepit to carry out heavy physical work.

Anbrinco railcar assembled to resemble County Donegal No 19, the window detail on No 19 differed from No 20 and the Anbrinco kit. I originally assembled the railcar to run on 009 with the cab and body as a single unit in accordance with the instructions, I fitted an N gauge Fleischmann 0-4-0T chassis fitted in place of the Anbrinco power bogie (bascially a drect replacement) and probably used a N gauge coach bogie for the trailing bogie. I rebuilt the railcar about 30 years ago with the cab and body as separate units using a Fleischmann diesel shunter chassis mounted on Bemo HOm wheel sets (at some stage (1989?) I re-united the Fleischmann Maeffi loco 0-4-0T with its chassis and sold complete loco, somewhere along the way having discarded the Anbrinco power and trailing bogies possibly with wheelsets. No 19 is due a mechanical rebuild/upgrade after 30 odd years if I ever get round to it. One problem that cropped up when separating the cab and body into separate sections was that the metal had become quitte brittle and subject to damage since I originally assembled (glue) 10-15 years earlier and likely to require carefull handling at this stage! The very noticeable joint between cab side and front may have been as a result of damage while I re-assembled the railcar or accidental damage at a later stage.

According to Clement's & McMahon GSR locos the 1933 rebuild of 546 (formerly 129 Celtic) produced a hybrid combining the wheels of 546, frames and cab of withdrawn 549 and the boiler of withdrawn 646 (J2) O-6-0. The rebuily 546/549 featured the raised running board and canopy cab fasionable in the 1920s also fitted to 548,549,550. The rebuilding of the large MGWR 4-4-0s with superheaters and piston valves from 1917 onwards would have been intended as an economy measure to reduce coal and water consumption. The GSR had a surplus of medium power locomotives following the arrival of the Woolwich Moguls and the effects of the Great Depression, leading to the withdrawl of a number of large MGWR 4-4-0s and 0-6-0 Types. Business appeared to have improved enough by the mid 30s to justify the re-instatement of 546/549 the construction of the 5 342 Class 4-4-0s and the 800 Class. 1948 Inchacore assessment indicates that the As/ D5 Class were mainly used on goods/cattle trains in CIE days and occasional passenger trains in the Cork Area and considered a 'poor design' Comparison of the A Class in its original as built condition and rebuillt form with superheater and pistpn valves. The styling of the raised running board and canopy cab in the A1 version is similar to the final batch of Cattle Engines. Reprints of MGW A.As,A1 weight diagrams issuedwith New Irish Lines Sep 2014

Interesting the way Waterford-Limerick and the Nenagh branch have been virtually ignored by the powers that be within the NTA and CIE/IE. Striking contrast with the effort that went into retaining and building up passenger traffic between Limerick and Ennis and the effort that went into establishing passenger services to Athenry and Galway. It almost looks like Tipperary and Waterford just don't have the same level of political influence as Clare and Galway. The present service appears to be a throw back to CIE's policy of the 60s which focused on improving rail services on the radial routes from Dublin with CIE Expressway services covering cross country routes such as Limerick-Waterford and routes where road services could operate a more direct route e.g. Limerick-Nenagh-Portlaoise-Dublin or Clonmel-Kilkenny-Dublin. CIE were refused permission when the applied to close Limerick Junction-Waterford-Rosslare passenger services during the 70s and have done nothing to promote or inprove services on the line for the past 50 years. The two Strategic Rail Reviews and NTA seem to focus mainly on big high profile projects, with little apparrent interest at local or central government level at improving services at fairly minimal costs on an underused line like the Waterford and Limerick, though there was sufficient local interest/pressure to split the morning Limerick-Ballybroply at Nenagh several years ago to operate a Nenagh-Limerick commuter train with minimal investment in signaling. Though a local politician was criticised by the press for wasting public money by diverting a Limerick-Dublin railcar service to run via Nenagh. Looking at the practicalities running additional Waterford-Limerick or Ballybrophy services may involve recruiting and training additional train crews, its possible the persent timetables on both lines are based on Train Crew rosters rather than passenger demand, many branch line passenger services in steam days were based on rostering a single train crew for an 8hr shift resulting in the final train running in early afternoon. Re-opening crossing loops and closing/automating level crossings would require substantial investment and committment to keeping lines open, over 40 years ago British Rail invested in low cost options for signalling and crossing upgrades on lightly trafficked routes in rural areas of England, Scotland and Wales that continue in use to the present, big difference between Ireland and the rest of the world is that outside of Ireland the local and regional councils are directly involved in the provision and funding of local rail transport. In some areas the trains are operate on contract to the local or regional council

First photo I have seen of the 'country end" of Tralee station its hard to believe that the area between Rock Street and the narrow gauge station was not built up. I remember looking for a 'gap between the houses" to figure out where the Dingle line crossed Rock Street when I first visited Tralee on a 'rover ticket' in 77 or 78. Although both Tralee Station and Basin Halt were ingood condition in residential use, I counln't trace the trackbed between the two stations. At the time I spent most of my time checking out the North Kerry Yard still in use and the recently closed Fenit Branch and North Kerry between Tralee and Abbeydorney on ahired bike!

Just over the state line in North Dakota.

Languages and dialects tend to evolve differently in settler communities after they leave the 'mother country', or sometimes appear to remain frozen at a particular time. Apparrently the French Canadian's consider their language to be a purer version of the mother tongue and New Zealand English is now considered to be a separate version of the English language, the accent apparrently evolved from that spoken by the eraly settlers who migrated from the English Home Counties. The Tudor Kings always appear to have been struggling to bring their Irish Anglo-Norman Vassals into line and pay their tribute to the King probably spoke a different version of English to that spoke at Court in London with a Cork accent! Like the children and grandchildern of modern day emigrants to England, the grandchildren and great grandchildren of the Anglo-Normans invaders of the 12th Century are likely to have spoken a version of English with a regional accent. Did the Fitzgeralds (Earls of Desmond) speak with a Cork or Welsh accent during the 1st Elizabethan era!

An inland Enterprise route via the M1 (also serving Swords) would make more sense than quadruppling the existing line. More direct than the coastal route less expensive from a civil engineering prespective (no expensive Estuary crossings) and less costy/disruptive demolishing than the large scale demolition of homes and business required to quadrupple the existing right of way. Main reason the M1 took an inland route between Santry and the Border, much cheaper to CPO agricultural land and cross the Boyne west of Drogheda. Cloud Cuckoo Land unless Ireland is still hoping for the EU to finance its infrastructure over 50 years after it first joined the EEC in the same manner as the EU financed the 1990s upgrade of the Belfast line South of the Border

Once tried to have a conversation with some Doric (Northeast Scots) speakers on the Aford Valley Railway in Aberdeenshire about their Fowler steam loco the only word I cound understand was fuck. Lot of Dutch and Afrikaans speakers in thus part of the World Hans the owner of the local gourmet cheese shop advertised for Dutch speaking staff too much hassle to explian technical terms into English. Dairy farmers are often of Dutch ancestory, Afrikaaners migrating in more recent years, I have an acquaintance of Italian-Afrikaaner extraction so much for Northern and Southern European stereotypes! Wife is from a part of the States settled by Scandanavian's with the coming of the Railroad in the late 1800, one of her classmates a farmer has a classical 'sing song' Scandanavian accent not unlike the Swedish Chef in the Muppet Show.

It looks like Shapeways Eindhoven has resumed production as Manuevo https://manuevo.com/. The business appears to operate as a print bureau (customer/designer orders prints from their own designs) rather than a market place where designers put up 3D files and wait for customers to order prints. I have used similar businesses locally (New Zealand) and Asia for 3D printing, usually there is a minimum order value whether regardless of whether you use an overseas or a local bureau. Most 3D print companies charge a 'set up" cost per per print for "Slicing' converting the 3D printing file into a format usable by the printer.

Had an interesting conversation with a Kiwi Asian call centre agent yesterday as we struggled to understand each others accents dailects, but being a pragmatic Asian he quickly figured out and solved the problem while while I was trying to longwindly explain what was wrong! Reminded me of the girl in a Sallynoggin chip shop asking a Kerryman to interpet of a Meath Man about 40 years ago. The two boys were working on a construction site and decided to order fish and chips for lunch or a friday the girl could not understand what Noel from Rathmaloyn was saying and asked his friend who was from Killorglin to explain with similar results. Interesting Dairy Farm Managersand Stockmen/women from the Philippines are much sought after in New Zealand alomg with trained medical staff having an excellent work ethic.

Some locos retained their Santa Fe freight scheme into the 2000s both in BNSF ownership or on lease to Shortlines/Regional Railroads. 6202 in use as a remotely controlled switcher at Moorhead Yard MN 2004 (one of the main yards on the BNSF northern transcontinental route from Chicago to the Pacific. The RR worker in the photo is wearing a harness with the radio controller for the loco. 3043 is a ATSF rebuilt GP20 on lease to regional Dakota Missouri Valley and Western in 2004, at the time the DMVWR used a motley collection of 2nd Generation EMD Bo Bos including ex-CN, SP and ATSF power to work freights over its undulating trackage. These days Regionals in the grain growing regions are increasingly using 6 axle units like SD40s and even SD70 to move unit grain trains between the Elevators and the Interchange with Class 1 Roads such as the BNSF, UP, CN & CP

These days I tend to build models for my own use using CAD work and a producttion process like etching, laser cutting or 3D printing, my hands are not as steady as they once were. PPD are basically geared up to produce one off/small orders with a 4-6 week turn round basically looking at approx £28.00 tooling and £12.00 production cost for a 290X135mm sheet of 0.4mm brass, there is quite a learning curve in volved in preparing artwork /CAD work) for an etched model inparticular allowing for the impact of the etch process and material characteristics in designing a model. Re-sizing the MGWR vans to 2mm for Angus was relatively straightforward basically reducing the artwork and metal thickness by 50% though I think it was necessary to carry out some re-design work to the chassis. I would be reluctant to 'blow up" one of my existing 4mm models to a larger scale without first reviewing the esting CAD work and building a test etch.

I don't know about Ireland or the UK, but our largest bus company runs a bi-annual competition for the best Bus Driver in New Zealand. https://gobus.co.nz/page/36/go-bus-drivers-compete-for-the-crown Private event basically a Bus Drivers convention hosted several years ago at the local showgrounds, buses and drivers from all parts of the country. Trucking industry runs similar competition with international recognition and decent prizes! https://www.nztruckingassn.co.nz/driving-championships

The big question is whether the Irish voters would elect a Government that would raise taxes (income, rates and road user charges) to a level required to provide a Scandanavian standard of infrastructure, public services and maintain its heritage. Ireland has currently one of the lowest effective rates of income tax in the OECD at 15% compared with the 30+% rate in the early 1990s when IE still carried a fair amount of rail freight. One of the biggest shocks I experienced after moving to New Zealand that although the tax rates (income & vat) were lower I ended up paying more tax than when I lived in Ireland or the UK. Tax was charged at a flat rate without a tax free allowance or Credits, Pension contributions, Mortgage Interest and Medical insurance contributions were not tax deductile. These days I pay more in rates on our family home (including subsidies for local bus and rail services) than I pay in income tax on a moderate income. Again there seems to be an expectation that central government or 'someone else" should take responsibility for redundant rail structures rather than the local community getting involved and raising the funds. Local communities on the Central Wales Line took ownership of maintaining stations and halts on the line the community of Dolores Colorado on the trackbed of the Rio Grande Southern built a replica of the old (ornate) railroad Depot and restored a Galloping Goose railcar largely out of their own resources with some state assistance https://www.gallopinggoose5.org/. Is there anything to stop communities in Waterford, Foynes and Mullingar getting involved in the restoration of redunt buildings. Restoring the station and train shed would be small change to the Limerick-Foynes Port Company perhaps a local community heritage history group could get involved and estanbish a museum like the community of Kiltimagh did 30 odd years ago?

Big international names with exoerience in similar projects involved in the design of Grand Central https://www.mcaslan.co.uk/work/belfast-grand-central , so not exactly unfamiliar with rail work. Interestingly although Irish Rail was often the Government's whipping boy for waste and in-efficiency during the late 1990s-early 2000s, IE found that it could carry out major projects such as the Heuston re-modelling of the early 2000s, Mini-CTC and PW upgrades at a lower cost and more efficienty than by using external consultants and contractors.

Finally got 664 to the test running and running in stage. Even managed to pose a couple of wagons in GSR condition with the loco! Need to try and chemically blacken the front vac pipe, paint wore off as I fitted it to the loco, and give the loco some additional coats of clear as paintwork is quite easily damaged.