jhb171achill

This entire thing is a brilliant concept from start to finish. I have going held that Westport Quay, either in its actual form or as a "tweaked" version, for example with a passenger service o loco shed added, makes probably the most perfect prototype for a small terminus layout; in joint first place with Fintona and Courtmacsherry. Most of the pics above are out of "Rails to Achill"; while this book was about the Achill branch specifically, I felt at the time that inclusion of the Quay line was of connected interest, hence a chapter on that line alone. The one taken from the sea, looking in at a boat with wagons outside the mill behind not is a picture I have never seen before, hence my earlier comment that I had yet to see any pics of the mill area. So that one is of considerable interest to me. The wagons seen are standard MGWR soft-tops, a kit for which is available. Almost all of the traffic down the quay line would have been covered vans of this or other sorts. On many shunting-type or terminus layouts, realism would require clearly laden wagons going one way, empty the other. For this reason, a layout where the bulk (or all) of the traffic is covered vans, you dunno whether there's anything in them or not, so they are ideal! Open wagons, for example a beet location, won't look real if they have permanent loads in them, or are permanently empty! Another reason why any sort of mill is deal as a prototype. To recap on then history of the line, the main line into Westport opened in 1866, with the Quay extension following in 1874. It was just under 2 miles long. In 1880 a seasonal passenger service was provided as a result of encouragement by the Harbour Commissioners; not so much to access shipping, as such connections might usually have ben assumed to be - but for "bathers". A few years later there was a year-round service. This did not last, as by 1889 it was seasonal again. In November 1901 passenger services were abandoned for good. It is believed that the branch train was a single six-wheel brake third. In 1897, then timetable for which has survived, there were two return passenger trains per day plus one mixed from Westport to the Quay, and in the uphill direction (most of this at 1:65) one passenger, one mixed and one goods-only; this latter, plus the downhill mixed, were subject to a footnote in operational instructions to the effect that if goods (mill) traffic warranted it, more then one run could be made. Journey time was generally 5-10 minutes, though the 3pm downhill mixed was allowed 15 minutes due too the necessity to pin down wagon brakes. After 1901, two scheduled goods trains per day operated, though it is almost certain that when quiet, both did not operate, while at busy times extra runs were made. In 1931 the branch lost its full signalling and the small cabin, details of which have not survived, but likely to be like the one at Loughrea, was removed. In 1943, even the scheduled goods trains stopped and afterwards goods was run on then basis of when required. By the late 1960s, little went down the branch except a tank wagon of diesel to the place where they kept and refuelled the local CIE bus. Occasional traffic, however, was to be seen into the 1970s. By this stage the old cattle bank was derelict, and the station building locked up for many years. The actual quay sidings beyond the station limit were derelict by 1964, and partly removed by 1969/70.Around 1978, other pieces of track at the Quay were being dismantled and the rest of the line was lifted in the early 1980s. The photos reproduced above, out of the "Rails to Achill" book, were taken by Barry Carse in 1975, the last year that much use appears to have been made of the line. Little traversed it after that, and certainly nothing on a regular basis. There were TWO mills down there - Halls & Polloxfens. MGWR working instructions stipulated that locomotives were not allowed along the quay to Hall's Mill - horses had to be used there. The larger one at least was built about 1910 hence its absence in one of the photos above. My own Dugort Harbour - if you look at it - is largely inspired by this place. In its planning stage, the idea was that it would be an exact replica, albeit with a passenger service still in the 1960s. However, lack of MGWR locos, rolling stock or anything else at that time pushed me south, as kits of GSWR 6-wheelers were (and are) available. I am glad to say that some MGWR stuff is now available, thanks to SSM and JM Design; I await IRM's all-singing, all-dancing MGWR six-wheelers some day! I'm looking forward to seeing the "Inglenook" develop!

After a sun shower, a few wagons are seen in bright sunlight in the goods yard, while the set for tomorrow’s passenger train sits at the old cattle dock, having been shunted out of the way for a special to Dublin for the final.

You know I won’t sing culchie & western songs - that’s why……

The bottom of the barrel is well and truly scraped! Seriously - everyone who can should try to support this venture. Most of our railway heritage groups have suffered very extremely due to covid lockdowns, several to a point which could place their existence in doubt.

Only seeing this now! Excellent stuff!

That’s a seriously impressive collection of wagons!

Not a bad oul start, to be fair!

You mean these? If so, I have no idea myself but maybe someone else might?

Here in Malahide, the last northbound DART arrives about 00:07 each night. Just now, it's done the same. However, at the same time, and therefore presumably heading TOWARDS Dublin, was the unmistakeable sound of an 071. What is an 071 doing out'n'about on the GNR at 00:09 tonight?

That snail is the right way round, ok - if slightly large....nothing to worry about! The only things that had snails the OTHER way round were the driver's side of road vehicles, and the same side on steam loco tenders. Absolutely everything else had them as on your model - and yes, that's exactly the coaches I meant, though I'm replacing the roofs to eliminate the clerestorey sections, which will make them that bit more GSWR-esque.... No need to worry about long trains on a Wisht Caark layout! Lines in that area had passenger trains of one coach and a tin van or (in steam days) a six-wheel passenger brake; even the main line would have two or three max plus the obligitary tin van. You've enough coaches there for four trains - two x 2-coach and two x 1-coach - but you need four tin vans at least!

Have a look at the cheap ratio kits of LMS era coaches. While they've bowed-in ends, unseen on Irish railways other than 9a few) on the WLWR, they look good enough when green - or better still the old second hand Triang Hornby GWR ones you get the odd time on fleebay. I bought three of them for about €15.

Coaches very nicely sprayed…… practice painted lining on a bit of scrap plastic maybe?

If you've painted them the lighter green, they would only have had a thinner waistline in pale green. Easy to do with a ruler in hand, hopefully?

The dock line did, at one stage, go right out to the end of the quay where there were at least two sidings into two different mills. One., at least, was very short-lived. Both were gone by the 1950s, I'd say. The first time I thoroughly explored the site - and minus any camera - in the 70s (fifty years ago this summer!), I saw no trace of them at all, and even the extension across the road TOWARDS the quay had recently been lifted. I started research for the Achill book in the late 1980s. From that day to this, I am unaware of a single photograph of the actual quay sidings anywhere - and I've looked hard!

No. The lighter green livery appeared about 1956, and the laminates were initially unpainted, though with this becoming a total mess almost instantly in traffic, the earlier ones were repainted in green from about 1957 onwards; the later ones lighter green from the start. However, ALL of the 1951-3 coaches, often referred to as "laminates" but with solid wood frames as opposed to "laminated timber", and similar in appearance to actual "laminates"; were the dark green from the start. One batch at least appeared new with no lining or snails at all, and silver window frames, but were repainted the then-normal livery of the dark green with upper and lower thick eau-de-nil bands, edged in black and white. If it's a pic you're looking at, it is likely that the vehicle is a 1951-3 coach like this. There's one thing though - in the late 1950s, a small number of secondary stock, mostly oul wrecks in West Cork and West Clare stuff, was given an unlined coact of dark green - probably to use it up. This was a sort of half-way-house unofficial livery, a bit like the raccoon pair of 201s today. The "pre-laminates" were, of course, laterally painted in the lighter green after 1956, before getting their black'n'tan coats after 1962. Lovely Donegal-esque job on that little tank engine! It actually shows perfectly why some people have incorrectly assumed that the GNR blue engines and CDR red engines had black domes! They never did - and your weathering job shows the reality as perfectly as the real thing!

I would second that! The station master's house at Palace East was of that style. Now, many DSER stations did use corrugated sheet constriction - but as you suggest, that doesn't look like an actual station per se.

In original livery they did all have the lower black band, and for exactly the reason you mention.

An outstanding loco, outstanding performance and outstanding layout!

Couldn't agree more. While "rivet counting" - like everything else in modelling - is not everyone's cuppa tae, when done well it really brings a realistic layout to life.

Snipers have incredible precision too.........................

Those pics of Gerry’s are probably the single best collection of photos of that short, scenic and very interesting line.

Have a look at this........... https://webapps.geohive.ie/mapviewer/index.html

In that top (B&W) pic, the palvan seen on the left is at the end of the "new" siding shown on mjy diagram above as a dotted line. The van in the foreground is a GSR van. Note the water column, disused even then, in nthe distance on the right. Odd place for it, given that Westport station was less than 2km away. I have lately found a definitive date for the final closure of this line to REGULAR goods trains. This was Monday 1st March 1943. Thereafter, OCCASIONAL goods trains would operate on an "as-required" basis, and staff in the Quay station (which was fully staffed until then, I think with 2 people) were transferred eslewhere. In the second pic, the very low height of the platform will be noted. The station building was an odd design, more like a small country cottage than railway architecture. Single storey on the platform side, 2-storey on the other side. A very unique and interesting type of prototype for a model.

Do you mean a "C" class in "flying snail" green? .....................................................

The Monaghan one - as alluded to elsewhere, the railcar DOES appear to be in CIE green, yet no "CIE" stencil appears to be on the buffer beam. If the pic is indeed 1955, then it's a CIE railcar rather than a former GNR one painted green. If so, what's it doing there? I am unaware of ANY CIE railcar traversing the GNR in GNR days. If the pic IS later, and the railcar is an ex-GN one repainted, then it's almost certainly that 2-car AEC which the IRRS had on a farewell tour in 1960. And if that is the case, either the "CIE" stencil is covered in dirt, or they have not yeat applied it - by 1960, the latter is highly unlikely. The pic of INWR 44 (GN37): note that it is shunting a distictive BCDR covered van.