jhb171achill

Outstanding stuff, Paddy! Captures the era perfectly! Question for the assembled company - I have several of those carriages too, which I bought for half of nothing on fleabay a while back, but they have old, coarse-sized wheels, which just bump over the sleepers of fine scale code 75 track. Does anyone know what would be suitable wheelsets to get for them?

He must do, yes, that makes sense.

We didn’t have to……!

Just as hard to believe when he took a pic of it, it was brand new!

Pity we all can't go on B145!

By way of completely random "lucky dip", from Senior's stuff: Tank loco on an Albert Quay - Glanmire transfer, and a Dublin & Blessington wagon body in a field outside Blessington in the 1930s, still with D & BST markings. Interesting pointwork in Albert Quay in 1950 or thereabouts, and some nice signals as a backdrop to an equally nice BCDR 4.4.2T in 1947.

Yes, it is Clipperstown. I think he renewed that bridge.

Plus a few random C & L ones from about 1935. He saw No. 1 "Isobel" still sporting very badly worn-out C & L lined green livery. I think she was the last C & L loco to be painted grey.

In response to a request, I dug out some of my father's pics on the Derry Central area of the NCC (plus a few other random NCC shots!). I believe these were all taken between 1944 and 1947, but there could be exceptions. He went to Draperstown in the 1930s, but I'm unaware of photos of that trip. More locos and stock than stations, but he a has a panoramic of Magherafelt (I think) somewhere. The one of No. 9 is obviously later than 1947.

I think I posted some before…. Must check!

The Maghera goods shed survives today as the loco shed at Downpatrick, while its canopy now graces the passenger platform there.

Must have been a lovely line. Senior took a few pics along it, but black'n'white, and to be honest not of great quality!

Excellent stuff indeed, Ernie. That's the only picture of Toome that I can remember seeing - certainly the only colour one. Perfect little station for modelling.

Love those London Underground models! Hand-built?

No criticism taken, Angus; you raise an interesting issue. And if anything significant in relation to it does ever come my way I’ll post it here….

Hi Angus It seems that the Midland's signalling equipment was mostly fairly standard stuff, although some lines (Loughrea, Ballinrobe and Ballaghadereen as some) certainly had some oddball stuff, like antiquated "slot post" signals, and the well-known double-sided one at Island Road station. The only references I came across while researching Clifden and Achill were in the boardroom minute books of the Midland, where mention was made of ordering material from the likes of the Railway Signal Company. Padraig's baronial book provides some interesting detail about signalling on the Loughrea and Ballinrobe branches, but also leaves a number of questions unanswered. I am currently interested in researching this further. I tend to include something if I can access reliable first-hand "chapter and verse" on it, but not so much otherwise, as I personally dislike reading "half a story" about something when I'm reading any book myself! If I come across anything definitive at any stage I will post it here, but apart from headcodes, whistle codes and the like, which are covered in half a dozen MGWR working timetables I have before GSR days, I have no information regarding the actual equipment - beyond what was pretty standard. I think the late Padraig took the same view as me, as when I discussed several other plans we both had with him, he mentioned a few bits and pieces (though not regarding signalling) which he had heard of, or half suspected - but could not verify; so he left it out (of the baronial book). He and I considered doing a joint job on the Killala branch, but so little ever happened there, and it was open such a short time, and had such sparse service, and only one station - that we both concluded that an article in the IRRS journal would be as far as that could go. Sadly, he passed away within six months of that conversation, and I haven't even begun to get around to that one yet..............

Excellent concept; flexibility without compromising an accurate "look". Just what i'm trying to recreate, albeit in a period about twenty five years earlier.

Always thought "Sambo" looked like something that has been made up by a modeller out of a few non-matching, non-related bits (not necessarily of the same scale!) which were lying about in the bottom of the "spares" box..... in reality, its origins are believed to have been exactly that! Mind you, it would make an excellent loco for a line like the DCDR.

Well, there’s another. There was once a proposal to build a narrow gauge line from, I presume, Newtownards, down the Ards peninsula….

I've been in the National Archives lately in connection with several things I'm researching and it's amazing what proposed schemes one comes across. I mentioned the Collooney - west one the other day; this afternoon I found material relating to a proposed branch of (presumably) the Ulster Railway, which would have left the main line at Dunmurry and ended up in Dromara, Co Down! Given the proximity of Dromore on the GNR to the west, and Ballynahinch on the BCDR to the east, and the absolute lack of any place of settlement beyond a few crossroads with a couple of cottages en route, this would seem one of the most utterly unrealistic ideas I've ever heard of - and given the proliferation of hare-brained railway proposals in the 19th century, that takes some doing! Not to mention what would have been a very severe gradient at its southern end....

Bunclody…. Dromara, Co Down (though there was a proposal)

Indeed. If I were to do that in my "era" (1950s-1970), I would probably use a J15 or a "G" class and shunt a few trucks even if there wasn't even room for a terminus. However, as late as 1990, it would be fairly credible to have some sort of small freight terminal handling fertiliser and cement, for example - possibly a fictitious place that would have started life in 1890-something as a similar type of place top Westport Quay, all operated with a Murphy 141. Nice plan you have above there!

Some great period pieces there, DJ.

Westport Quay mentioned above.... the layout I have, "Dugort Harbour" was initially intended to be an exact replica of this place. It had everything as a realistic terminus for someone who lives in a house smaller than Rod Stewart's - sidings laid out in a less-than-usual way, enough to generate as much interest as anyone wants in terms of shunting, etc., plus a platform for passenger services, as there had very briefly been a passenger service in the early days of this line. Turntable one thing missing, though. The track plan I have still resembles WQ closely, but the major reason I tweaked it was not because of restrictions of design - it was because at time of conception nothing whatsoever of MGWR origin was available. Now there are Midland locos - though coaches remain glaringly absent. The concept of the layout is that passenger service hung on by a thread until the late 1960s. There were a number of very compact termini which would act as very good inspiration for a space-constricted layout. Fintona, with a passenger platform enough for a single double-ended railcar like the GNR / UTA Gardner car 101. Very compact and interesting layout, though again no turntable. Castleisland scores high - compact and has everything. Nearby, Fenit with or without its pier. As a small through station, rather than terminus, places like Belcoo and Dunsandle, or some of the stations on the South Wexford, would make a nice model. Wexford South would make an interesting and very compact station, as it was initially built as a very small terminus. And then you've Tramore! At the risk of starting a litany of lists of other places, the above could be taken as just a few of many. The narrow gauge has many compact places too, both termini and through stations.

The ones I worked on had only UTA sheet steel panelling. Whatever might been be been underneath was long gone. There were 9 & 114. The old nraa as JR third, 595, which fell to pieces from rot, I cannot comment on but I suspect it was the same. By contrast, most of the RPSI’s ex-NCC stock had aluminum panelling put on by the UTA, ageing without anything older underneath.