jhb171achill

Malahide Model Railway Museum is scheduled to open on 7th, next week.

As a teenager in the mid-1930s, my father and his school friends used to head off on adventures deep into the countryside. They went to fish in streams and rivers in faraway remote country villages...... like Lucan.... By tram, of course; and not one person with a bag’o’cans would be on that tram.... They also went to even more wild, exotic and remote remote places like Dundrum or Carrickmines, where you could get a drink of unpasteurised fresh milk from a farm, where the cows weren’t socially distanced....a train ride on the Harcourt Street line, and look - that coach is still in DSER livery (well, that would have been me, of course...)

An absolute gentleman he was, and it was a very great privilege to have known him. He gave me much assistance with many details for the Achill book........... he was undoubtedly the greatest expert on the Midland, on Irish locomotives, and many other aspects of Irish railways, that ever lived.

W O W !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If that fireman is tired, I'll happily stand in. I could do with the exercise after the lockdown.

Indeed, had such a line been built, it is as good as certain that such a van would have been a regular performer there! As you know, there were several proposals at various times (one as late as 1911!) to build a line to Belmullet. No matter from what direction it would have come, these vans are exactly what would have been used on them. Travelling across North Mayo on a cold, damp, windy day in one of those hen-coop third class compartments on a hard plank "seat" would have been an ordeal worse than the red line tram on blue-bag day, or Finaghy - Sydenham in a "Castle class" railcar!

Ah!! A machine to "amend" graffiti artists!

David, likewise I cannot trace any information indicating when a beast like this might last have turned a wheel. With the GSR building new brake vans in the 1940s, I suspect that few if any were about by 1950 but I agree it would make a very nice thing on a layout. If it did last, it is very possible that instead of being spick and span, it might me more likely to be in a very tatty condition, with a barely discernible, badly faded "G" and "S" on its side! There were six of these, and they were initially intended specifically for branch lines, particularly for Killala, Achill, Clifden and probably Loughrea and Ballinrobe. Following the closure of the first three of those, I would strongly suspect that they were done away with after the Achill line closed in 1937 - possibly earlier, as photos of trains on the Achill line show passenger brake vans in use more often, especially in later days. They were, of course, probably black when built, as that's what the Midland did with wagons in the 1890s, but by 1918 anyway they were a very dark grey, lightening slightly to a more usual "wagon grey" (similar to LMS wagons in Britain) after the GSR took over. Obviously, a big "G S" on the side, and "M" added to the number, thus No. 52 becomes 52M.

Yes, it actually was. More than a week's wages - for trespassing! Pity they don't fine people two week's dole for spraying graffiti all over trains and stations nowadays......and if it means they can't eat for that time, tough!

Remaining in places north, Senior found this sign, already an antique, on his travels in the mid 1930s. The location is not recorded, but from clues of where he might have been, it’s going to be somewhere along the Porteeedown to Clones section.... Very probably at Portadown station itself as I have a vague recollection of him saying he saw one there once. The Ulster Railway Co. was only Ireland’s second public railway, opening from Great Victoria St. to Lisburn in 1839, and gradually extending to Portadown, Armagh, Monaghan and Cavan. It became part of the GNR in 1876. Suitable for “lineside furniture” on a GNR (UR area)-inspired layout!

What’s his link again?

Ah!! OK, thanks for clarifying!

Ah! I see.... I was wondering! My answer, however, does actually apply to at least 7 or 8 Fry-made items.....! Indeed, he’s been of great help to me in piecing together the history of the Malahide old layout, and providing details of the 7 or 8 people who built both the layout and the locos & rolling stock....

There's no Mallard in his collection now, Georgeconna. It doesn't appear on the highly detailed and 100% accurate inventory drawn up when it went from Dublin Tourism to Malahide castle, let alone after that (i.e. to the conservator, then to the new place). Thus, if such a midel existed (and I don't doubt you for one second!) it is clearly one of the models retained by members of the family. In between Cyril Fry's death and the sale of the collection to Dublin Tourism in the mid-70s by his widow (Nancy Fry), she gave a number of pieces to members of the family, in whose ownership they remain (and it is my understanding that these will remain in family ownership to be passed down as heirlooms). I am in contact with family members and hope to eventually have a complete list, for the record, of what other models he made. I have identified from photographs alone a small number of pieces which never left the family and were thus never included in any transfer to Dublin Tourism. Presumably if there's a Mallard, it's among them - it would be fine-looking piece of kit.

Fry’s one is roughly half a meter deep and about 2/3 of a metre long, but the overall platform roof behind it hasn’t survived.

Yes, I actually think he took this in 1944, though I haven’t an exact date! He took a good few on the NCC that year.

Cyril Fry’s main terminus station was called “New City”. This view shows the station building. It has survived, albeit minus its clock, and is currently in store pending possible future display. It’s a BIG beast.

Correct - the photo is from more or less the same angle as the bottom of the map.

The last look at the NCC narrow gauge for now - Ballyboley Junction, mid 1940s. Larne is off to the right, Ballyclare & Doagh line to the left. The erstwhile main line (closed finally in 1940) to Ballymena ran off to the left behind the station building, which would end up being demolished before the line closed. With the building still in position, but the station closed and neglected, this is in the days when only the goods train from Larne to Ballyclare paper mill siding was running, with all other services withdrawn. In early times, the Ballymena & Larne Rly. had originally called it Ballyclare Junction.

"First proper attempt"? It's superb!!

Can I have your address?

Lovely little building to restore, I would think..... In the 1990s it still had some faded UTA green paint on it.

Yer man's looking for about €50 for goods wagons you can pick up anywhere! I know that (a) beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and (b) if you can get it, take it; but I think the old adage that fools and their money are easily parted is more apt.

It’s just before, evidently. (A train had just left, that's why there's nobody about). He didn’t go there after it closed. He had visited it several times between 1947 and 1949, in connection with track inspection, and on one occasion to survey bridges for a feasibility study into converting it to 5’3” gauge!

Ballycastle station not long before closure. I suspect it was taken in 1949 when Senior inspected the track. The train for Ballymoney has left. It consisted of locomotive, 2 of the former corridor coaches and one goods van. Spare rails from a lifted siding sit in the foreground. There’s little goods traffic by now. Ominously, UTA buses lurk in the background.... (H C A Beaumont collection)

Do you know what - it was an absolutely miserable, dark dreary wet day when they moved her from Adelaide to Cultra; almost impossible to get a decent photo, but that looks good!