jhb171achill

Ah! Hadn't seen the coaling stage. I upload all of these from my mobile phone, so the first time I see them in a larger size is after they've been posted and I look them up on the "desktop" ("big") computer. Staff catchers obvious too.

Today, another NCC engine. I can’t tell the location, but I think it was taken 1937-40 period.

Very good point. I may have that somewhere; will delve later on.

Athboy - yes - yet three GSWR wagons! And still in the older GSWR charcoal grey, albeit with GS lettering. I have a sample of that charcoal wagon grey somewhere. Even darker than loco grey!

Dunno about literally everywhere, but I think so, largely speaking.

Folks It is with great sadness that I report the sudden death yesterday morning, due to a stroke, of long-time DCDR volunteer John Henry, who many of us here will have known as a long-term volunteer at Downpatrick. John was a stalwart of the track maintenance team for twenty years or more. He was also often to be seen on platform duty and in the booking office on operating days. John was one of life's great gentlemen, always with time for anyone interested in the railway, to whom he dedicated a very large amount of time, still fit and able to do a hard day's work out in all weathers on the track well into his eighties. He encouraged other members of his family to help out too, his daughter Heather operating the dining car for some years, and his grandson helping out too in his teenage years. He was the son of a BCDR driver. John will be very sorely missed by his family and all at the DCDR and ITG (Downpatrick). R. I. P.

Couldn't agree more - many thanks! Thanks again, folks! I'll email him tonight. This is what I’m after. Wagons always had this stencil in later “snail” days, approx. 1957-62.

Yes, the second, third and fifth were taken from just hopping of the platform and standing on the track. This would not be allowed nowadays under any circumstances unless you had PTS and appropriate reflective clothing. In those days, there was an unwritten rule that as long as you were not acting the maggot, and were behaving in a sensible manner, it was fine. No running, no jumping - just get your pic and get back to the platform! Thus, a disclaimer: past performance is no guide to present performance, do not try this at home, and do as the notices say today, not as I was able to freely do back then! This, of course, also applies to Senior's habit of climbing on carriage or wagon roofs or up signal posts in the 1930s to get a better picture, or on top of a rickety chair in a locomotive yard......!

Railtec comes up trumps yet again! A great service. Anyone know how to get hold of them - their email is not working? I have a request for them.

GSW No. 836 at Downpatrick was indeed gas lit, and when restored the entire gas fittings were restored too. While possible to operate today, it would involve extra and unnecessary H & S compliance for the gas. It's there, in case anyone ever wants it, though, and would take little to put into working order.

The other day it was “symphony in grey”. Today it’s “black’n’tan heaven”; an odd description for political history, but very fitting for 20th March 1976 on the railways! Hard to believe this was 44 years ago - seems like yesterday. I took the train from Limerick to Ballina, two weeks before the passenger service was withdrawn between Limerick and Ballina. Then I went back to Dublin. 1. B143 shunting the goods at Tuam. Later, I would see this train at Claremorris. 2. B168 and B16? approach with the up Westport - Dublin. The rain had just started.... 3. Spare coach for Ballina branch at Claremorris. They often kept a spare here - another time I saw a Park Royal sitting in the same spot. 4. That iconic scene at Athenry with up and down crossing. Two weeks more and it was history. 5. The goods seen earlier at Tuam has caught up, but the time I've been to Ballina and back to Claremorris, where it is seen. A pot of tea and a nice hot meal, complete with old metal tray and dribbly CIE teapot await me in the 24xx dining car on the return journey.

And - inevitably, J18s and J15s! According to Billy Lohan, cattle trains and fairs brought J15s up from the south working both laden and empty specials. Huge shunting was necessary at Collooney to get this over to the Sligo Leitrim for Belfast. Actually, Collooney South could in itself make an interesting layout!

Very interesting indeed, Ken - I was completely unaware of those extension lines! Yes, that would make a very interesting subject for a layout. It is an area I may get to know better, as daughter-the-middle is moving to Greystones in the coming days, and much will need to be done in that area to settle her in and move stuff, so I'm likely to be staying in Greystones for a few days..... Unfortunately, I have not yet come across anything else Murrough in his stuff. I am actually prompted to wonder if it was his father (my grandfather) who took that one, but I'm unsure. The place never seems to have been all that busy. I narrowly missed a jaunt in there in the 1970s in one of the last ever service trains, when they briefly reopened it. The 17:43 from Connolly still went in there, arriving 18:58 or so in 1975, I think it was. As far as I was aware, it was the only passenger train using the place, so I got it. Sure enough, it ended in the main line station instead. I was disgusted!

Anyone know anything about this society, or what became of it? Anyone still alive who might have been a member?

Once the Model Railway Museum reopens in Malahide again, you can see two superb models made by Fry of two different classes of BCDR tanks.

Belfast & Co. Down - a brief look at Queen’s Quay c.1940-2. Loco No. 16 pauses between duties. Look at that signal gantry!

Looking great, Gavin! Love the corridor coaches too!

Looking good, Noel! They'll make a very nice plough van. There's one at Downpatrick - they lasted quite late on, as you know. You COULD make one all-brown, for the 1970s / 80s!!

Tenders tended to get swopped about regularly. What's probably going on there is that 609's normal tender is still being painted, but they want the engine back in traffic ASAP. This was common on all railways. When I was travelling in Asian countries chasing working steam in the 1970s, if the particular livery details included a loco number painted on a tender as well as the lock (as in Indonesia), you'd often get mismatching tenders. Ireland was no different. Sometimes it happened even between compatible classes. While not know for certain, it is believed that 186's tender at Whitehead is not actually hers, and may not have been built for a J15 at all; though the occasionally-heard story that it's off a 400 class is most certainly not the case at all! The RPSI's No. 85 runs with a tender which was not its original one, and I think 171 is the same. I have seen a colour picture taken probably about 1960 with a black 400-class (very dirty) paired with an absolutely FILTHY green tender! I think it is a combination of several factors. Slightly smaller boiler, and height of it in relation to chassis, but also the picture is taken from a slightly different angle. Senior had a habit of climbing on things - anything from a chair or box, to a nearby wagon roof - to get a better angle for pictures, and this one is taken from a slightly higher angle. So maybe the photographic angle shows this more.

Inchicore Paint Shop 1939 Off went jhb171Senior for a wee dander, as them‘unns up in the north do say. It’s summer 1939; the British and German governments seem to be talking a lot these days, and there’s some issue on the Czech border. Never mind; university is out for the long hot summer, and the smell of fresh grey lead-based paint entices, amongst the ever present tint of coal smoke hanging over the Inchicore area. And miracle of miracles, Senior actually has his camera with him this day, to witness a symphony in new shiny grey paint, which won’t stay shiny beyond a week in traffic, I dare say. This trio are ready to go back into traffic after a major overhaul and repaint.

1930 GSR Working Timetable, Sligo area, in response to @Angus’s request. This includes the SLNCR movements, actually showing greater detail than the SLNCR records do. I don’t know if they’ll all upload in the right order but if you copy them, enlarge them and print them out, you’ll have the whole three routes into Sligo. The line from Dublin and Mullingar at this particular stage was monopolised by ex-Midland engines, mainly 0.6.0s and 2.4.0s, but the brand-new Woolwiches were appearing too, before the GSR moved many of them south. According to the late Billy Lohan who regularly drove on the WLWR line, by 1930 most trains on that line north of Tuam were J15s.

I have a set going back to 1926, plus a handful before that. For 1930, I will dig out the GSR ones. The ones Ernie posted above are, as he says, 1957. From Midland days, though, all through GSR times and into CIE days, the services were much the same. Tomorrow I'll dig out summer 1930 and post it. In addition to what's shown would be the SLNCR services. I don't think I've a 1930 SLNCR table but again, over the years it was more or less the same four workings per day from Sligo to Enniskillen. There were some 14 workings in each direction between Sligo and Collooney comprising the GSR's Limerick and Mullingar workings, and the SLNCR.

Looks great. What did you do to put the inevitable gunk and gravel in the pit? Looks very much the part, and prompts me to think of posting a pic of a pristine grey loco tomorrow, just out of the paint shop at Inchicore.......must have a look!

Wow! A GSWR plough van as well! Superb stuff!

New one to me too!