jhb171achill

Here’s COMPLETE chapter & verse; all a modeller could want!

Just watched a youtube video of this railcar. WHY oh why has it got a deafening, and COMPLETELY inappropriate American-sounding train horn? Do a few sheep need a walking-pace railcar to announce its presence as if it is a 90,000 hp mile long Union Pacific coal train headed by nine of GM's biggest locomotives across the Rockies? Absolutely, totally ridiculous. Disgraceful, like the butchering of the inside of one of the handful of surviving Donegal carriages in Derry into some sort of stupid-idea 1990s "club car"! What's next - a "Thomas" face on it? These people shouldn't be let out. Rant over.

I have to say I'd love a run in it. The only time I was ever on it was months after it first opened 25 or 30 years ago, and it only went a short way then. So two more track miles to cover. I'd better do it quickly before the thing falls to bits. Now to try to find out what days it actually opens; this has always seemed a rare mystery......

This, plus info on appropriate rolling stock. In pic. 3, you can see the carriages and one of those little brake vans (a thing of great beauty in itself!) in early Ballycastle Rly days - long before the NCC went near it. And look what’s poking out of the shed! From roof profile, is that an original Cushendall rigid 8-wheeler?

This is true. Small operators simply have to step up to this mark these days - as well as the RPSI and DCDR, I am aware that behind the scenes the Cavan & Leitrim have been doing a massive amount of work to deal with current legal and operational requirements. Finntown the same; if they do not, and I must stress that I am unaware of what dealings they may have had with the CRR, they will simply be shut down.

Could ŵell be - he was there first about 1937...

Mogul, if you could PM either me or ttc0169 on here, we can pass your info on to Jim Deegan, if you would be in a position to lend any assistance? He will very greatly appreciate it. Right now, he's looking for a large marquee-type thing for Saturday 18th September - as am I; it's for the book launch there.... one of those big things without sides...........

Some more odds and ends.... 1. Authentic GSWR "crimson lake" and lettering; this background colour also being initially used by the GSR before they had their "main line" brown and cream, and post-1933 lighter maroon liveries. This is on a model in Cultra which was made by Inchicore apprentices back in the day. 2. Oughterard water tower; typical MGWR style for modellers! Good to see Mr Holman has an Achill-based example "in use"! 3. Ballycastle beauty. These originated on the Ballymena & Larne section of the NCC, where the five of them were the only corridor narrow-gauge carriages ever to run in Ireland. The NCC removed the gangways before they went to Ballycastle, and those purchased by the CDR remained sans gangways. Modellers may care to note a livery detail on NCC stock. While owned by the British LMS, and "LMS maroon" featuring on locos and carriages, some differences in markings were perpetuated. Many narrow gauge and main line secondary stock, as well as much suburban stock, had neither lining nor an LMS crest, and in some cases (such as this), not even the letters "L M S N C C". This vehicle is plain unlined maroon. 4. Donegal view, I think late 40s, but I haven't a date. 5. "Maedb" slowly inches towards Cultra. 6. Actually, one of my favourite pics, albeit of probably the most uncomfortable rail-borne vehicle ever to run in Ireland - these MED sets were truly awful to travel in, even worse than the 450s of NIR, which had two speeds - stop and go, and two temperature settings - Baltic and microwave. Lisburn, c.1977 / 78. 7. Some sort of yellow thing. With senior being a PW engineer, doubtless he knew what this thing was; to me, it's a rail-borne scorpion, perhaps, or a lobster on wheels. Nice "H" vans, though.

Love those night time scenes!

It is operational, but only on a temporary track of about a quarter mile. It is not yet open to the public as the certification process is still in progress. While funding will dictate what happens and when, and this is currently not exactly plentiful (donations, lads?), the plan is to operate initially as a short narrow-gauge "train ride", but the eventual aim is to have a proper 5'3" line, for which several carriages have already been secured by agreement with their owners. Motive power might be a "G" class initially, or a "C" even. This, of course, is a long way off. There is a small but dedicated band of people involved in this project - a few of whom are regulars on here, as it happens. But there is a LOT to do, and this type of thing even with volunteer workers, does not come cheap. Any takers, for example, for paying a low loader to take track panels from anywhere on the IE network away out into Connemara - or a carriage? Building a loco shed and replica station? We need MUNNY! However, it's under way and that's the main thing. New pairs of hands for work parties, and new open wallets, are always welcome!

Operating over a line that length in reverse is not likely to benefit the railcar!

The late Sullivan Boomer was chairman of the RPSI during the years I was treasurer. When I went to email him - which, given our roles in the society, was at least once a day (no such thing as texting back then) - my ancient computer inevitably tried to change his name to “Sultan Bomber”……

Superb articles, Airfixfan.

The cattle vans await, as the shunting begins.....in an hour, the station will see about the only really busy period in the month....

Shunting in progress; it's fair day today, but the cattle men are shtill drivin' their bastes along rural roads, aided by a teenager with a shtick. Still early, daybreak. There's always a spare guard's van here, and empty cattle wagons were brought in yesterday for today's bargains at the mart. The morning passenger train arrives. It will return with an extra coach due to market day traffic. Next, the goods arrives. Its return trip will be a lot heavier, as thirty wagons of cattle will be added to the normal half a dozen vans. It pulls into the cattle platform loop, to allow the midday passenger train to leave.

It’s a viciously cold morning with a freezing fog, as B141 arrives in Dugort with the empty stock for the 7.55 local to Castletown…. Anyone remember frosty mornings?

I think it stayed at Portadown longer than that?

Possibly, but one at least that he went on had a Mk3 genny, two Mk 3 coaches (all CIE) plus an NIR dining car. He did the Derriaghy bridge too, but he has separate pics of that - must dig them out. Who paid for that bridge? The bus side of the UTA probably charged the railway side of it, though I don't know for certain!

A few more at complete random..... modellers may find some inspiration in some of it! 1. Details for container modellers! 2. The last surviving item of rolling stock from the Ulster Railway Co., grounded as a store at Portadown from - I believe - about 1905, until rescued by the DCDR. It is currently undergoing full restoration! 3. Train in Lisburn, early '60s. Could be a Warrenpoint - G V St., or it could be an excursion (probably from Portadown) to Bangor, before the Belfast Central Line shut. 4. A grey 121 and filthy "silver" tin van at Macmine Junction, 1961 or 2.

One special charter for the Permanent Way Institution train operated with CIE stock and an NIR dining car. As far as I am aware, it was an absolute one-off; certainly, if it DID happen any other time, that was an extreme rarity.

Senior took a pic of a 1980 PWI jaunt on exactly the same spot; I mixed them up when writing the caption without the benefit of my Dealz €1.99 reading glasses! Hence the error. Must post the other one! Sure does! That carriage ended up at Whitehead but weather and vandals put paid to it before there was ever a chance of restoring it….

In which case this must be a Lough Derg pilgrimage train! 141s also very briefly appeared on these in 1964.......

A very small few of them will!

Love the subtle weathering too - adds to an already exceptionally high standard of realism.......

That would fit perfectly. Senior was in charge of that job, and some of the old black & whites are also of that location, I think.