jhb171achill

I’ll look it up……

There were several stations in rural areas where crossing was done with a siding only - even with passenger trains, as in Inver, Co Donegal, where up trains served the platform then reversed back into a siding to allow a down train to arrive. Once it had proceeded west, the up train moved forward out of the siding and headed towards Donegal.

Ssssshhh! Don’t remind them it’s running, or they’ll find an excuse to close it! Rare daisies on the track, or a need for a Beauparc Greenway, or unsafe carbon emissions from 071s!

It's a B101; I omitted the "B"! As our transatlantic colleagues might say, "my bad"! (But, Leslie, we're chatting with young wans here who don't know what a steam engine is..........) Your points about Provincial Wagons are very true indeed! I've dozens of 'em now..........

I have said this before and I'll say it again. While it's true that Ryan has nothing to do with this suspension as far as may be assumed - I have heard straight from the horse's mouth that within both IE and the NTA there is a vehemently anti-rail attitude; for all we know, this may filter into Dublin Port. If Ryan is indeed behind the stay of execution on the South Wexford, and the enhancements in the Cork suburban area, fair play to him. If he is behind any talk of resurrecting the Foynes line, likewise. However, he was also a government minister who - and I stand to be corrected - made not one peep when a commissioned report on the WRC, absolutely RIDDLED with errors and omissions deliberately designed to make the Tuam reconnection look completely impossible, was published. I'm long enough in the tooth to remember the anti-rail policies of Stormont in the 1960s. There is at least a significant element of this type of attitude in governments in the south now, and has been for years. If Ryan can bang their heads together and actually get serious investment in HEAVY rail brought from opportunist empty rhetoric by gombeen men councillors who know nothing of the related economic issues, then I will vote for the greens....... I hope he does.

An excellent volume of information, which personally I would very highly recommend. As the authors suggest, there is a huge amount of information unavailable elsewhere. An absolute must for any serious railway historian.

Actual wagons still grey at that point......

Good to see you yesterday, Neil! That link doesn't work........

They were that colour when brand new, but a bit like a silver A class or silver tin van, or a steam engine in a light or bright colour, they got so filthy, so quickly and so inevitably that the actual livery they were painted in become lost under a layer of gunk. Pretty soon they were repainted in the standard brown colour; this concept also applied to other vehicles like the Castlemungret yokes. In the very few cases of Irish wagons having a livery other than standard CIE, almost inevitably while they LOOK "private owner", they are fully CIE / IE owned. The "bubbles" were branded "Irish Cement" towards the end, but were always owned by CIE - same with the Taras. Actual fully private owned wagons - we're going back decades, and then not many. I'm sure others will add to the list, but on the BCDR the East Downshire Co. had a few coal wagons, and oil companies had a small number of tankers in the 1950s and 60s.

Back to the 1960s, and a typical train of the early years of the 141s. Remove the black'n'tan coach, and it applies also to green or silver "A"'s, or grey 121s. Of the six coaches, five different types are represented, the second being an old GSWR wooden bogie (IRM will release one next week). The silver "livery" is still represented in a few vehicles - the one here uncharacteristically clean. The very end of the train has another old wooden type. Just one black'n'tan; the rest green or silver. This was where the "grey'n'green" era merges into the "black'n'tan" era - 1963/4/5.

Excellent - so he'd have left the port maybe about 15:50 - or in between the 13:50 and 18:50 scheduled departures! Either two hours late or three early - that, in fact, is actually as close as it gets, so you were lucky! JB

You’ve certainly nailed down the realistic weathering and scenery! Superb job.

Another passed Malahide northbound at 13:00 or so!

I sit in my study within sight of them. Sadly, they almost NEVER run to timetable path. In the early months of this year I made a note of what times they passed Malahide, and in a typical week one or two came along when they were supposed to. It seems that they dance to the tune of the mine, and try to slot in between passenger trains once they get to Drogheda. Northbound empties are just as random. This very day a northbound empties passed here (outside Malahide) at 12:00. It isn’t due until 14:36! One day I heard an 071 at 14:36 and went to the window expecting to see a northbound train - instead, a SOUTHBOUND working went past, at exactly the time a northbound should have. Hypothetically, but in reality almost never; Ex-Tara southbound laden: 09:10 12:15. 18:45 Ex-Dublin Port northbound empty: 13:50 18:50 23:05 That last one, the 23:05 north, is supposed to pass Malahide at 00:18, but it has passed here as early as 21:45 or so, and NEVER later than 23:40 in my time watching.

The siding on the left on the plan, and the one at the bottom, were removed before closure. One thing puzzles me about the picture; you can't see the tram shed.....it should be visible, and it outlasted the track lifting....

I'll fish it out for you, but I'm having trouble posting any pictures on this website last few days. Basically, a couple of sidings. no loco road, no turntable. If anyone else has Norman Johnston's excellent little book on the line, maybe you could post the trackplan as I can't.

Historically, Fintona. the perfect tiny branch terminus - overall roof an'all. Passenger platform only fit for a single vehicle, so a double-ended railcar - if used as a basis for a British prototype, one of those German-built four-wheeled railbuses that BR experimented with in the late 50s / early 60s. One loco and half a dozen wagons for the goods bit. Even Fintona was "rationalised" before it closed; jhbSenior approved the removal of one of its sidings in its final year or two!

I am very familiar with the efforts to recreate the Lagan Navigation Canal in the north - I have been involved in much historical research on their behalf. Despite being almost totally semi-state-funded, and getting the exceptionally rare full support of both the Shinners and Snarlene's lot, this Lagan Navigation Trust (look them up) struggles to get funding from anywhere. Were it not for one particularly charismatic "leader", like MANY fledging railway preservation societies, and who is English (see my earlier points!) with a background in English heritage projects, I doubt if it would have achieved anything at all. Their long-term plans depend 100% on public funding. Will they get it? As for private donations / interested millionaires, there is a better chance of clockwork spaceships being developed. As I implied at the beginning, it's a cultural thing, not assisted by the fact that per square mile, we have one twelfth the population of England.

Absolutely SUBLIME stuff.

Quite possibly, yes. I understand that those with an interest in architectural heritage often encounter such ignorant ideas too........

Tis indeed!

Yes, I’ve heard that one too, but there is a related element of truth. While, as per the NZ example, smallness of population or size doesn’t prevent things getting done, the “culture” and market may do. The only full-size preserved line on this island, at Downpatrick, has been successfully operating for thirty years, but in one (normal) year gets less people than the Severn Valley would in a couple of busy gala weekends. Its not so much the lack of population, it’s the lack of interest. You hit the nail on the head about the attitude of many that “someone” ought to do it, but not they - and certainly not if it involved providing meaningful personal donations. That is the cultural difference here, as prevalent among private individuals as it is among councillors and public bodies. Even railway enthusiasts. In my early days as RPSI Commercial Officer in the late 70s and early 80s, to my surprise and disappointment I discovered that selling teddy bears to the public was lucrative, but selling ANYTHING railway-related to enthusiasts was a very different matter! it is still the same. On the May Tour each year, who buys the stuff being sold? Englishmen. Not our lot, north OR south.

Much as I hate to say it, this is true. Rant warning. In my time in the RPSI committee / board (or whatever it's called these days), there was talk of a national transport museum at Mullingar, and also, as a separate issue, developing Whitehead. A decade earlier, it was a potential branch line from Scarva to Banbridge. A decade later, it was various aspects relating to the development of the Downpatrick line. In between, I was involved in a consultancy role (as a then RPSI finance person) in relation to a proposed railway preservation scheme at Belcoo, and another proposal near Tullow. In ALL cases, local authorities, local councillors and any other gombeen men who thought they'd jump on the bandwagon, were full of enthusiasm, and assured local papers that they'd do everything they could to help the projects. Nothing ever happened - and in the case of Carrickfergus and Mullingar they would do anything BUT help. When the RPSI tentatively explored local assistance with several other issues over my 25 years involved directly or indirectly with the Council, same. Other projects have encountered the same; Kerry being an especially disastrous zone as mentioned above. In the north, if it's got anything to do with the Battle of the Somme, no problems with money. Anything else, forget it. In the south, if it's got anything to do with an American President whose great great great great great great great great somebody once knew someone who had been to Ireland, or the GAA - no problem. Anything else, forget it. In 32 counties, industrial heritage can go take a running jump. No money. Much as I hate to say it, we are billions of light years behind Britain - or most specifically England - in this. And I DO hate to say it, as we have so MUCH here worthy of a small amount of local government help. But our local councillors seem, for the most part, to be a shower of navel-gazing parasites, like the characters out of the (underrated!) British comedy "The League of Gentlemen", all with their noses in a "local trough for local people". Any concept of forward planning for the good of the area and the preservation of culture and heritage..... forget it. If it doesn't put money in their grubby paws, or suit petty party interests, they're not only not interested - they will oppose it, and very often without even listening to the arguments as to why it is of value. There was some councillor in Tralee who set up a website which stated that he would get the derelict Blennerville Railway going. I think his name was Barrett. Yes, I'll name him. What he DID was to shut down any debate, and shut the whole thing down. Completely, depressingly, gombeenly typical. Rant over. For the moment.

Going to have a go now........ didnt work

The whole issue of weathering is actually deserving of serious attention in articles maybe by our more skilled “weatherers” here. That produced by brake dust, coal dust, chalk, shale, gypsum, ballast dust, sand, or other mineral dust, cattle wagon poo, limewash on trucks, diesel fumes, sun or wind or salt air bleaching, underlying rust, heat scorching and the like, are all as different as chalk and cheese, or politicians and common sense. Many of these are of particular interest to modellers, especially in cases where prototypes - like above - were almost never, ever seen clean.