jhb171achill

Eyyyup lad!

The local bears, hyenas, pythons and cheetahs eat them every night, so I'm told............... Recalls to mind, when Senior was a small person, they used to get the train from Dublin to Birr each summer for a week's holidays on my great-aunt's farm, which was near Birr. At Ballybrophy, the station master would be on the platform, bellowing out "CHANGE for Roscrea, Birr and Nenagh!" over and over again. For years, a youthful Senior thought that there was an exotic-sounding place down in the stix somewhere near there called "ROSSgreyburranena"...........!

Indeed; what an AI mess! My grandfather would spin like a hi-speed propeller in his grave.......... I'm not seeing the Irish Rail part......? BR livery.....?

Utterly ridiculous. Toss those cars into the water, I'd say.

And that, in itself, is a scary concept.

Indeed - but it’s an old photo! There certainly was never anything in existence that looked even remotely like this.

Saw this on another FB page. What on earth is this thing on the right hand side? Almost looks AI-generated. Warrenpoint in UTA days, for context.

Note the opening bit at the top of the second window. What sort of thing is that?

Didn’t know ye could speak Ulster Scots, Galteemore! Man of many talents!!

Correct, the original was demolished I think in 1966. First time I ever went to Waterford by train the current building was still quite new, and much cleaner and tidier than it is now.

I think it’s to be cleared away.

The new Wqaterford station appears to be a two-platform through halt, like Clontarf Road or Glenegeary. If a Limerick train is occupying one platform, and a Dublin o0ne the other, the goods trains to Belview can't get through. Maybe that's the idea. And, it seems, zero sidings. Nothing to store anything extra, spare, or broken down.

This side of the pond, it's All Ireland day - Donegal v Kerry!

A very small number were, but with their main use on main line trains at first, and at a time when railcars were being put on more secondary or suburban work, it seems that appearances of them in railcar sets were very rare and very short-lived. Some Park Royals were used with railcars, but the vast bulk of railcar intermediates were various styles of laminates and earlier 1950s CIE coaches.

Unwieldy though these things looked, it often occurred to me that they'd be much easier to scratchbuild than a "conventional" AEC car, with all its subtle curvature.....

Nobody at Castletown West or down by Dugort Harbour is allowed to say "Up Donegal" tomorrow, under any circumstances.......

Superb stuff, Mol; an AEC set just has to be the next big thing - they were the ICRs of their day, and no 1950s / 60s layout is complete without one.

It was fine, and 228 left on time with the 1pm.

I await with great interest a P. Davey west Kerry mini-layout!

Any post here with the name “Darius” within its text has my FULL attention! Looking forward to seeing this develop! Actually surprised nobody’s thought of this before….. Brings me back to a very hot summer’s day about 1976 when I first got off a train there from a very run-down York Road. It was only my second time in an MPD railcar. Noisy, graffiti on the seats, diesel fumes - but character! And the “railway” smell, now long-gone from the sterile modern railway - creosote from the sleepers (especially on a hot day)….

Likewise. By a very long way, the most comfortable trains in Ireland today, when they’re working. In their defence, they’re thirty years old! I’m in one right now… 10:50 north. It’s reached Portmarnock without incident!!

Not just that - with a roof profile like that it's almost certainly ex-DSER, which makes it an exceptionally rare, if not unique beast. Plus, it could hardly be further away from home. The number of ex-DSER vehicles which went to Kells throughout its life could probably be numbered on the fingers of one hand.

This one has to be 1968 or 69 as the loco has an NIR emblem on it in place of the UTA one. That makes me wonder what it's doing there - almost certainly borrowed for an RPSI operation, as the society did not yet own No. 4. Last year of operation. Rear goods van still in pre-GSR Muskerry livery.

Looking very realistic!

Indeed - they are perfect for such things. On the standard gauge, same concept - small engines are best. Downpatrick struck oil with the CSET shunters - they run all day for the same amount of coal that it would take just to light up a medium-sized RPSI looco. Must say I always liked Lord O'Neill's lioned green livery on the Shane's Castle Railway. Very elegant, and suited both locos well.