bufferstop

Back in the day, my Dad was a mighty man for growing vegetables. He grew them along the track. About 4 to 6 foot from the rail. Beds of spuds, carrots, onions, gooseberries, strawberries, you name it, he grew it. His only worry every year was the weed sprayer, but as long as he knew that the regular driver was driving it, he'd relax, the man knew every garden on the network, an absolute genius. I can't remember his name, but he was a legend. I was working in the garden one day with Dad, I was about ten or eleven, even then I was wondering how the hell I was going to remember how to do the beds, and grow vegetables when I grew up. 028 sailed in light, it stopped and the crew had the craic with Dad, and toddled off, we resumed digging, about 20 minutes later, 028 reappeared. The crew were looking for a key for the next level crossing. It was locked against the railway, because they weren't expecting an LE, and had probably gone into town, and there was rudimentary communication in any case. There were a few fucks exclaimed and a key exchanged, and off they went again. I never saw 028 in service again, but she's always lodged in my mind. Today, I look at where Dad grew vegetables along the track, and there's trees growing in the same place, and I shake my head in admiration and disbelief. His generation were truly a rare breed.

Uno Mas

Dunk, dunk, dunk. Wagon pulled for wheel set replacement

I can neither model nor take good photos. Anyway....

Patience, young Grasshopper, track must be laid first.............

I'm definitely no PW expert, I've been looking at this for ages and still can't figure it out. Is the inside section meant to be the cross section of a fishplate, but why the curvature ,and what are the other offshoots relating to? https://www.easyliveauction.com/catalogue/lot/0b8b5b346ee9794d287f2f2b15e2f283/0af8d24542e81eb9357e7ef448a6646f/general-railwayana-online-sale-650-lots-all-small-p-lot-407/

For Northern aficionados , there's a couple of wagon plates coming up for auction on 29th in Bray. https://www.easyliveauction.com/catalogue/lot/81e38dffe250d76ec4dcface631bf885/0af8d24542e81eb9357e7ef448a6646f/the-collectors-cabinet-lot-524/ https://www.easyliveauction.com/catalogue/lot/40a92c245757391a9fb075ce5af8a50d/0af8d24542e81eb9357e7ef448a6646f/the-collectors-cabinet-lot-522/

30 year old rule, Murph, state records get revealed before railway (redacted) ones....

That is a stunning photograph. (Imagine if it was in colour!)

Back in a previous life, I used to discharge oil cars and refuel 071's and 201's. I'm not joking when I say the discharge process was complicated. It all involved the correct turning of valves in a sequence that wasn't straightforward. There was also a big wrench involved. I got one practical demonstration on it, with a warning to write it all down. The wisest advice ever, and that became a very valued piece of paper. So, that was it, I was trained, and the next oil car that came down was my responsibility. One of the first thing to do was climb up and partially jam open the lid and let the air in. Than start to hook up the hose. open the valves in the correct order, and then and only then, open the main valve on the oil car. If you hadn't the line set up and the diesel started flowing, it wasn't going to be pretty... Anyway, tank replenished, you could refuel the locos. The 071's had a basic nozzle like in a forecourt. It had a cut off like a car as far as I remember, but you couldn't leave it unattended. The 201's had a different bespoke system. They had a hose that locked onto the fuel tank, you locked it on, turned on the pump and it fed away until it hit the cut off point automatically. Now, normally, I never had to put more than 1000-1500 litres into one, before they cut off, as they had been already fuelled In Inchicore that morning, an odd time , maybe around 2000l. I'd usually hop up into the loco, have the craic with the driver, he was waiting to drop it up to the shed, there was a fuel gauge up between the windows. It might take 5-10 minutes. One night we were watching it go up and up, so much so that I thought it was misreading and went down to shut it off.. I don't know whether the limiter was broke, but there was 3300 litres pumped into it. Now I know the tank capacity was nominally 4,500l, but it was limited well below that. It must have waddled out the next morning. 3300 litres is over 3.5 ton of fuel....... Then it went over to being serviced by road, and another bit of the old railway evaporated.

I remembered recently, a most unusual incident. About 25 years ago, I was up in the National Museum, doing a bit of non railway research with a colleague, who was an archaeologist. We were looking at a very localised area, and seeking whether any finds from the area had been submitted to the Museum. At the time, nothing had been digitised, and all the records were still catalogued in paper files. So we were given free reign for the whole catalogue. I strayed a bit from the brief. There were some quite incredible stories between people that had found very valuable artefacts and their interaction with the museum I found my granddad's submission to the museum, which he found whilst he was digging turf (it's railway related but not related to this story). Anyway, by complete accident, I came across quite an unique file. Back around 1965-66, a milesman doing his length, between Balla and Claremorris, in Brize,(on Balla bank) spotted a artefact on the side of the line. It turned out to be a pewter jug. Now , luckily enough, he was fascinated enough, that he didn't throw it into the bushes, but he put it in his bag and brought it back to base. They were intrigued enough to send it off to the National Museum where they identified it as a medieval jug from around c.14th century. And it's still in the reserve collection today. So, how did it end up on the side of the track? Well the only logical explanation, that I can advocate, is that it was part of the quarrying operation in Lecarrow, survived the quarrying process, landed in a ballast wagon with about 10 tons of stone, survived the unloading and ended up on the side of the track where a man with sharp eyes spotted him. As an aside, my colleague knew the person in charge of the vaults, so we got down there and we got a look at the jug. It wasn't exactly the Ardagh Chalice, but still, it had an amazing story. I ended up with free reign of the place whilst they were chatting. I remember opening one particular cupboard, and it was full of bog butter, over 2000 years old. (I had seen, whilst a kid, a newspaper report, of some men finding some in the bog and spreading some on soda bread and eating) To this day, I regret not sticking my finger in and having a taste....

That second picture is surely in the Dardenelles siding in the mid 90's. . There was the remains of a six wheel brake there as well? Hgricer will reveal all, I'm sure! I'm pretty sure they're was a similiar tank in the loading banks, around 601 in Inchicore, around the same time. I must try and find those photos.

Back in the day, when I needed a haircut as a child, you'd think it was a simple job of driving into town and going to the barbers. Eh, no. It entailed going up on the evening passenger from Westport with my dad driving, getting off the loco in Athlone Midland, walking across the bridge, ( whilst the train subsequently passed you, -no high viz here-) down the bank, into a housing estate to the home of the Garavans. Paddy worked in the job, Maureen was born in our home house, and the daughter, Geraldine, was a teenage hairdreser. Haircut done, we sat around the house, loads of tea, treated like royalty.The finest of people. And eventually, we headed back to the station to take the Night Mail home. Almost invariably an A class. I can still feel the oil and grease, the trobbing of the engine and the half lighting on the loco even today. There was one night when I was sitting on the seat, when Dinny Minogue arrived up. I think he was a Loco Inspector from Ballina. He didn't blink a eye at a 10 year old sitting on a footplate after 1am. He insisted that I sit back down on the seat, and stood for the whole journey, chatting to my dad. A proper railwayman. My dad had great time for him. ( Now that I think of it, I don't know what he was doing on a night mail and can't remember how he was getting to Ballina, from Claremorris, but that was the railway then, a 24 hour job)

It's the time of year for remembering those that have gone before, so here goes.... I grew up in a railway house, my bed was and still is about 8 foot from the nearest rail. It was a former station and gate crossing. That meant milesmen! Our house straddled two lengths , which totalled about 6 miles each. Milesmen were a special breed, they were out in all weathers, their only protection were heavy yellow oilskins, which wasnt exactly Goretex. So, they took refuge in every gatehouse, whether sun or hail. The kettle would be on and the craic would start. Remember, none of the gate houses had public phones then, just the railway phones which connected both the adjacent cabins and gatehouses in between. I grew up with them coming into the house, with a quick knock on the door, like members of the family. Depending on which way they were going, you could depend on them like the clock. Of course, that led to me heading out with the "mobile" gang when there was a bit of relaying going on. I well remember them jacking up sleepers and panels, and getting me to stick my hand under to unscrew the tang from the bolts. I was about 7 or 8 at the time. I must have driven them demented in hindsight!! They were always full of great stories, whether railways or otherwise, and you'd always be listening to the gossip. One of the really great milesmen, was Bill Gannon, a beautiful ballroom dancer. He used to regale us with stories about Paddy Gorman. Paddy was very reclusive, living in a former gate cottage that covered a black gates into a bog. Anyway, Bill's unofficial duties included calling into Paddy every day, doing a few messages for him and shaving him twice a week. I'm not sure did he ever see anyone else during the week. When Paddy died, the railway wasted no time in levelling the house, and now if you didn't know, you would have no idea it ever existed. Rest in Peace, Bill, a gentleman. And, then there was Paddy McAndrew. I dont know what age was Paddy. Maybe in his 40's. he was a wiry man, with sallow skin, burnt with the seasons, and long sideburns. I was only a small child at the time, maybe 5 or 6. Paddy had inordinate patience with me. he used to draw faces on my hardboiled eggs. And used to bring me out looking for mushrooms in the adjoining fields. He was such a gentle man. My parents loved him and I loved him. I was way too young to understand the concepts of depression or loneliness, but Paddy must have been consumed by them. He was living on his own in a rundown bedsit. I'm not really sure whether he had any family. One morning, he was coming out on his length, when he heard the morning goods coming, and he laid his head on the rail. It's been decades since, and I'm getting old. But as long as I draw breath, Paddy, I'll remember your kindness to a small boy. May God be as gentle to you as you were to me.

Fantastic. I presume the house extension is starting after Christmas

That is one of the most definitive answers that I've ever heard to a question about Irish railways. Thanks for even taking the trouble to write it. Keep it lit!

( I wrote this and I was going to delete it several times, and then I thought, well fuck it, it's a badly written snapshot of a railway that's vanished, but it's what it is) It was the summer of 88, I had done the Leaving Cert, I was heading to the boat, not that I had realised it at that stage, but my options were limited. I'd got a place in Trinity but without a grant, so that was that. I was pulling pints in London in September, but in the meantime.... I wrote off and got a footplate pass, it arived with a instruction to buy a ticket, some chance! I headed off with a couple of change of clothes, the working time table, the weekly circular and a hazy plan. When you look back now, it was ridiculous, no phone, no idea where I was staying, no prebooking, make it up as you went along. I didn't have a high viz vest during all of this...... It was absolutely massive craic. To this day, I have no idea of trains or loco numbers. I just hopped on locos. The memories are getting a bit blurry now but the following are brief vignettes I do know that I absolutely hammered the system, and that without exception, as soon as they knew you were railway, the drivers treated me like family. They were great men. I spent a lot of time on Dublin - Cork, well, why wouldn't you?, 071's absolutely flat out, I think I did it return 2/12 times or 3 times in one day. I did the dog on it to be honest, I remember at one stage that I fell asleep on one loco and banged my head against the side window. The company was brilliant though. A 071 cab is tight but you always felt at home.The one down side of the 071/141's was that you couldn't see the speedo unless you actually stood up and stood at the drivers shoulder. and unless you were invited, that would have been ignorant beyond belief, so a lot of journeys were spent with one cheek of your arse sitting on the edge of the seat, whilst trying to casually glimpse at the speedo. There was one particular Cork driver, a great character, I really enjoyed his company. he used to point out one particular signal (around Thurles?) that he called The Morning Star because it was so visible from a distance. He had red rosy cheeks, (maybe someone like Tom Ryan will remember him?). When I did the route again a couple of years later, I asked about him and I was told that he had been retired early with a heart issue. I still don't know his name but he was just a great character, the kind of man, you'd love having pints with. Spent nights in Cork, drinking Murphys, chasing Cork women, and off again in the morning, without a care in the world. I did the run to Cobh, out in a 80 class, it was a one man cab on the run out, so I came back with the most depressed driver that I ever encountered. There was no second man seat, so I spent the run sitting on an upturned Club Orange crate. I had the utmost sympathy for the driver having to spend the entire day driving such a heap of shite. I remember doing Kingscourt ( some uneartly hour out of the B&B,) Foynes, and down the Wexford road, where the loco failed and we had to switch. Doing Waterford to Rosslare , and nailing the staff at Abbey Junction whilst going full tilt. Doing the full runaround at Lim Jun whilst doing the Waterford and taking the staff at the crossing at full whack and wondering why the driver had so much trust in me... Nicky Moore and Tommy Blackwell..... think Nicky was coming down into Connolly from the North. Mighty men. Dropping my wallet under a 071 in Athlone and having to crawl under the bogie whilst the driver waited. And destroying my tshirt in the process with axle grease. Doing the ton with Fran, the archetypal Dub, on a up Galway/Westport. He was such a Dub that he'd make Ronnie Drew look like a imposter, had the beard and all. We were still accelerating when he had to notch back, otherwise, he reckoned CTC would be ringing him! He was informing me and inviting me to look at the speedo at the same time. Great character, never saw him again. Meeting Paddy Buckley on a run from Portarlington to Cork, he was hugely proud of the fact that his son, John, played senior hurling for Cork, I was trying to play a bit at the time, so happy days, he mentioned in passing that he had been involved in testing the 071's on introduction and that he had done 112mph on them. Cyril Ryan, in Limerick, I can't remember what train we were on but he was playing full back, for Patrickswell ( I think) in hurling at the time, we got on well! I was standing on the platform in Drogheda at one stage and the down Belfast liner stopped on the platform, I asked and was given the nod, the driver laughed and said the only reason they stopped was that they were told to check the tail lamps. (they were fine), some great yarns on the way into Dublin. CTC were told not to stop the liners on the approach to Dublin, under pain of death, because they would get ravaged, especially the kegs! (Harp coming from Dundalk) I remember trying to find accomodation in Talbot St in Dublin on a Saturday evening, booked out, not a hope, so I took a bus to Heuston, anyway hopped on a 071, could have been the 1930, and landed in the real capital three hours later, straight into a B&B on Glanmire Road, and out for pints! Going through Howth Juction on a 121 and getting stoned, (same happened in Liffey Junction, think it was an 071). Never liked riding the 121's around Dublin, you always felt like you were a sitting duck Spent a good bit of time down and up to Waterford a couple of days, one of the Waterford drivers was a real gentleman, he was heading towards retirement, and all I remember was that he wore black glasses, but just a pleasure to spend time with, and chat about railways. In and out to Galway, Mattie Wall and John Foy, The Athlone drivers, including PJ Browne and PJ & Mickey Milton and more that I've shamefully forgotten. And of course, Phelim and Finbarr in Westport, the finest of men. The more I think about it, that was 33 years ago, any driver in his 50's or 60's then, well you can do the maths. I have no idea of how many days I did on this trip or how many miles I covered. I did another tour in 1990 and I did the guts of 3,800 miles in 10 days, but that included a lot of branch lines. I actually took notes that time, but no photos. I've forgotten much more that I've remembered, but, as Liam Clancy used to sing, "Ah those were the days, my friends, those were the days" ( I just realised that I omitted the Connolly Specials, as fine a bunch of characters as ever rode the rails, but worthy of a book in their own right!) ( I also know that there has been incredible speeds mentioned about 071's down the years, I've heard some very "interesting" stories from involved characters, heading towards improbable figures, but that was the unprompted figure that I was told by Paddy)

Did Frank work Maynooth in the late 80's, it must be the same man, because this has always stuck in my head, I was coming into Maynooth on a down Sligo, the driver said to me, "will you change that with Frank, but make sure you don't hit him with it", I was looking at him, thinking was the hell was he on about. Anyway I always liked to drop a staff out of courtesy, near to the signalman as I swapped. I dropped it right on Frank's feet, and he gave me a look that would have made Medusa blush in shame. I turned to the driver and I said apologetically, "I think I tapped his toes" He sighed "Frank's a briar but he the only one that stands up for himself" Sorry about that Frank, if you're still alive, you're a mighty age........,

Back in the day, I must have wandered down the platform in Heuston, and asked a driver, how he was fixed. Long story short, I was sitting on an 071 on a Mk2 set heading to Galway, the driver was a Connolly special, we were absolutely tearing through the Curragh, before he started braking for Kildare, we were still hammering along, and he said to me " the brakes are bit a soft". I was about say it to him, when he looked at me with absolute horror, "It's a fucking vac braked set" The hammer was dropped, and we set back and awaited the inveitable. We stopped with about two coaches on the platform, people got on, and we took off again. Like I said, you won't get that entertaiment with an ICR set.....................

Great stuff JB. https://geohive.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/8c489155089e4c1ba128c2a2ae9b8cf2 (Use the Historic 6" Last Edition Black & White map) The above link proves your case. That map is probably 1920's, it's definitely post 1914. There was a point on the causeway from which the tramway diverged to run along the quay down to the mill. It might have been that specifically that was horsedrawn because it seems to be no loop at the end. I was flicking through a copy of the GSR rulebook, (it contains details of Achill but not Killala or Clifden). There a section on the siding which is subtitled ( Messrs. Maude & Sons Factory & Messrs. Goodbody's Store) "This siding is connected with Running Line and is situated at back of station. This siding is on a gradient of 1:60 falling from Running Line and under no circumstances must vehicles be shunted into it unless attached to an Engine and the greatest caution must be exercised by Drivers and all others concerned when moving vechicles into and out of the siding" I didn't realise that Goodbody's had a store down there or that the mill isn't even mentioned. (I'm not sure when Halls took it over). I don't suppose you have a copy of the Midland rulebook to see what it says. Look at 1:24 on this collection from Gerry Conmy, there's a picture of the level crossing and the siding running through the back of the towers ( the turret is part of the pub) onto the causeway.

The mill was opened in 1904 by the Pollexfen family who also had a mill in Sligo and, of course in Ballisodare which was rail linked by a spur from the station. There wasn't a rail link directly to the Westport mill. A spur ran across the road from the Quay station, via level crossing, through the back of what's now the beer garden of the Towers pub, the extremity of which you can just see at the top right of the above photo. It ended at a small loading bank just about where the tent is located, below the pond in the top middle. There's a 1969 colour photo, taken by Jerry Walsh, with the rails just recently lifted, in the guest collection album in the IRRS Flickr site I seem to vaguely recall reading some ancient operating instructions that a loco wasn't allowed on to the spur and that it has to be horse drawn or otherwise with a brakevan attached.

No, not sure what I can divulge about this, pints in MX will reveal all............

JB, do you realise that an ICR set made it into the Thurles BFS before they were lifted! A topic to be discussed over pints in MX at some stage..............

If you zoom in on this aerial photo from 1955, you can see the trackbed of the Clifden branch from the station across Forster Street, into the cutting and open tunnel mouth under Prospect Hill, across the Corrib, and all the way down through Newcastle and Dangan. The embankment to and the bridge across Forster Street appear to be gone, as well as the Corrib bridge, but the rest looks intact. It's astonishing to see the size of Galway, and the extent of its rural hinterland compared to today. http://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000731587/HierarchyTree

Ahhh....... Even more ahhhh.......