jhb171achill

They’re all in the wrong livery......

Like Ying Tong Song or Kay Dee? Avoid Taa Ra as she’s a bit of a wagon.

I sincerely hope not, but little surprises me these days.....

Fry had a large collection of railway artefacts as well as his models. His models ran into the hundreds. All are in varying condition. The artefact list is currently being perused to see what bits are of the highest historical interest for display. I understand that all concerned may be meeting again very soon to evaluate progress.

Correct, indeed! An Irish Rail one, the whole way through? I had thought it was NIR ones.... Interesting, Ernie, many thanks!

Many thanks for that recommendation, Noel, much appreciated. Barry and I have several vague ideas about a third volume in the series, and as it happens I’m off to call with him this evening! A goods volume may indeed be interesting, and one project we had (albeit only vaguely) considered would include quite a bit of fertiliser and beet. As always, as a schoolteacher of mine used to say at exam time, “time is of the essence”!

Until 1965, steam engines and loose-coupled trucks (generally looking extremely dishevelled / neglected). After the UTA abolished all internal goods traffic and the Derry Road closed, MPD cars (2 or 3 together) were used generally, but as the 1970s progressed, these were gradually replaced by 70 class cars. Waterside station in Derry usually had a single MPD car as a shunter in the late sixties and early seventies. The CIE engine would bring the Derry goods as far as Lisburn, where it would be left in the back platform for the UTA / NIR railcars to pick up. CIE locos worked the Belfast goods first to Grosvenor Road, later to Adelaide. The CIE engine shunted Belfast after 1972; the ex BCDR diesel plus the CIE loco before that, and steam up to about 1968/9, usually Jeeps. The CIE motive power was usually pairs of 121/141/181s. As mentioned, very short lived timber traffic operated in the 1990s. I am not sure of the exact dates. This traffic, plus fertiliser traffic was also operated between Dundalk and Lisburn by CIE / IE, but as the 70 class cars were withdrawn in the early 1980s, NIR diesels took over. The three Hunslets had a turn, especially 102 but rarely 103; later the three 071s (111/2 especially; 113 less often). The second hand C class locos were occasionally used in the mid 1990s. By the time the Adelaide goods traffic ended (was that, I think, about ten years ago?), motive power was still inevitably “pairs” - variously 121, 141 and 181 classes. I recall 133 & 135 on it quite often, but I’m sure they all had a go. I never once saw a CIE / IE 071 on goods in the north. I can’t say with certainty that not one ever did, but I think it unlikely. If an 071 ever DID deal with goods to the north, it would have been an extremely rare one-off. Perhaps others might be able to clarify this.

Yes, neither an A nor anything else had the “tanner” and the “more orange” shades together - it was one or the other.

Aaaaarrrrggghhhh what did yiz post those pictures of all the different liveries for! Now I’m going to have to buy at least one and maybe two or three more!! Incidentally, has 027 got an 071-style white roundel, or is it just the illustration?

The wagon in the photo looks new, yet the “TARA” isn’t green. I wonder if it is s hastily-arranged paper one for a photo-shoot? I saw a whole rake brand-new and they all had lime green writing.

Yes, that was one of the 2 (or 3?) rakes of old wooden coaches kept for excursion use. They were all, as far as I know, ofswr origin - mostly corridor but a few non-corridor. Several survive - the DCDR's 837, now restored and in use; 1287, which is the staff room on the DCDR but not operational, and I think 1142 and 1097 may have come from that source too. I never travelled in them, but I certainly remember the black noisy diesels, and the noisy exhausts of the AEC, BUT and MED railcars!

That’s 207, and UTA AEC railcar sets, no doubt! Mine are of UG class locos, Jeeps and wooden carriages with a strong smell of damp in them (Lisburn, Portadown and Great Victoria Street), and big black diesels and AEC cars in Westland Row....

I now have two of Jim’s buses and they are excellent kits and easy to assemble. I had the great pleasure of meeting him at the regent show some weeks ago. He is very knowledgable about the bus world in general. I’ll eventually be going back to him for another bus. I've seen a model of his UTA double decker - a friend of mine has one - and it too is an excellent model, especially when it’s as expertly painted as my friend has it. For a layout based in the fifties, one of those P class half-cabs looks well. When I’m operating in the grey, green & J15 era, it’s parked in front of the station. When it’s black’n’tan time, it’s replaced by s red and cream E class, as seen all over rural Ireland in the mid sixties.

They had a fleet of low bridge double deckers. I remember seeing several at Ballymena about 1964.

I had an idea that the writing was in a lime green colour on a white background initially, certainly when I first saw them. However, the above (superb) photo shows a brand new one, and the writing could hardly have faded to the above colour in that short time - or is the writing not complete, ie what’s showing above is an undercoat orcrcperimental colour? Discuss......!

Saw that, warbonnet! My error..... But I'm wondering now - what DID have blue wheels or bogies! I know the Asahi ones were the same dark green as the chassis.....

Were they? I’m sure I saw blue....? Maybe I’m thinking of the wheel sets on the 4-wheeled “curtain” cement wagons..... There’s my next research project!

Excellent! I'll check these out. Thanks!

In recent years, all remaining wagons tend to exit Limerick with black bogies and multi-coloured bits, as shown on the models. For those modelling, say, the 1990s, it's worth pointing out (given the excellent level of accuracy in all details on these wagons) that bogies plus all their assorted gubbins were all-brown. In their original blue state, bogies and buffers were blue too.

In reality, while obviously not intended in the model, it was not unusual to find locos with things like that in real life! Especially older locos that had been around a lot for a long time...... I saw some incredibly lopsided engines in normal service in India and Indonesia in the 1970/80s!

1965 The former GNR diesel, now CIE’s K801 (another “800” class!) had done little work since CIE got it. One wonders what the UTA might have used it for, had they got it in in 1958? Probably shunting at Great Victoria Street….. However, towards the end of 1964 it had been in use on the Cork suburban services before it was sent to Inchicore for repairs. Lengthy delays in getting the right spares from Germany resulted in a long layover there, but in the New Year it was ready to go back. However it failed while running light back to Cork, having only made it as far as Sallins, so it was back to Inchicore. The thing rarely turned a wheel again, despite being repainted from CIE green to the all-black CIE livery it bore on the only occasion when I ever saw it. By the spring, there was a clear distinction in the diesel fleet. Passenger services were still AEC railcars in some cases, especially on Greystones to Dublin, and Dublin – Howth and Dundalk; but Waterford used them on main line trains too. Elsewhere, virtually all passenger work, including Cork suburban, was loco-hauled, absolutely dominated by the 121 and 141 class. On the other hand, most goods was A class. A pair of “yanks” was a rarity on goods, but in the early part of the year, when so many As were in use on the beet, the 20:10 Kingsbridge – Cork goods regularly had a B141 class “pair”. Location of a new fertiliser siding at New Ross was identified by the nearest milepost, in accordance with normal practice – but it was noted that this indicated that it was 102 miles from Harcourt Street; as a former DSER line, despite now being unconnected with Macmine Junction and the rest of the DSER, the original DSER mileages were still in use, measured from the erstwhile DWWR terminus, now closed for almost 7 years. Goods traffic was reported to be buoyant on the CIE system in general, with much talk of new traffic to Foynes, New Ross and other places. In great contrast, the Derry Road goods had breathed its final; despite being equally buoyant, thanks to Stormont’s inexcusable closure of this route for malevolent political reasons. Meanwhile, on the GNR main line – about all that was left – the unique former GSR “Bredin” all-first 1144 was noted in the CIE “Enterprise” consist. It was living out its elder years in style – it was noted a few days later on a Cork express! On 4th January, a new “Enterprise” service was added, consisting usually of a B121 with the following make-up: “Laminate” all-first, a matching dining car of the 24xx series, and three or four Cravens – the first use of these on this service. Various parcel and tin vans took up the rear. Just after Christmas 1964, and into January 1965, a little-reported and highly unusual visitor to Great Victoria Street was the former SLNCR railcar “B”, now CIE 2509. The previous year it had been in use on the Nenagh branch, but was now being used for a short time in crew training. It set sail from Amiens Street in this capacity, using goods timings to reach Belfast. Has anyone got a photo of this unique vehicle passing through Goraghwood, Portadown, Lisburn, or in G V Street? It is noted that this continued until 1st January 1965, at which time the “Enterprise” is noted as an AEC set – this must have been the UTA one. Now – get this; the MOST peculiar operation EVER, I am sure without chance of contradiction – was that on 1st January a goods train ran out of diesel on Kellystown Bank near Dundalk. The resultant disruptions to the Enterprise and Dundalk-Dublin local trains, meant that the SLNCR railcar was pressed into use on its crew-training return, and it took a connection out of the Enterprise of ten passengers at Drogheda, for Dublin. After that it entered another period of storage, and would see little more use, apart from a spell in Waterford in 1966/7. It was noted too that the heating inside it was working too well – the thing was like a microwave, whereas the passengers had just got off a poorly heated train! 3rd January saw the final closure of all internal UTA goods trains, the Derry and Warrenpoint lines, and the Dungannon – Coalisland branch line, as well as all stations between Portadown and Dundalk. The modern “Newry” station (actually the old GNR Bessbrook one) had already closed, so Newry would have no rail service at all for several decades until NIR would reopen Bessbrook, rebranding it as Newry. York Road had given heavy overhauls in recent times to no less than nine WTs, or half the fleet of them. Other than that, ex-GNR 0.6.0 No. 49, and the SLNCR “Lough Erne” (used as York Road shunter only) were the only other locomotives serviced. Little else was needed now. British Rail’s Swindon and Derby works were reconditioning several “Jeep” boilers too. With the ex-GNR locomotives on the Derry Road having been deliberately run down, four Jeeps (1, 7, 8 & 9) which were normally on the NCC had been transferred into the GN section to assist, particularly with heave cement traffic coming from Dundalk (originating in Drogheda). A six-coach AEC set formed the last passenger train to leave Newry (Edward Street), while three ex-GN coaches hauled by 0.6.0 No. 40 made up Warrenpoint’s last train. On the NCC, Courtaulds coal traffic to Carrickfergus continued for a while longer, as did fitted van trains to Larne Harbour. The coal trains were worked by Jeeps, and the fitted goods by pairs of MPD cars. Fitted goods trains to and from Derry (Waterside) were also hauled by MPD cars – usually two, but sometimes three. An MPD car was usually used to shunt in Derry. With Goraghwood gone now, steam working south of Portadown ceased. The Enterprise services were now CIE loco hauled, with two return trips formed of the UTA’s ex-GNR AEC railcars. No locomotive swops therefore took place at Dundalk any more – the practice had been for a few years to have some services hauled by 121s as far as Dundalk, and UTA steam locos north of there. Now, goods was CIE diesel-worked to Belfast, but the Derry goods was taken by CIE diesel to Lisburn where MPD cars hooked on to take it onwards up the otherwise abandoned Antrim branch onto the NCC. The UTA temporarily closed the Belfast Central, due to the removal of a bridge to facilitate a road construction. However, the UTA being the UTA, it would not re-open until NIR days (1976). Four coaches were upgraded by the UTA, all of NCC origin. Steel-bodied coaches were absent on the UTA, and would not appear until NIR introduced them in 1970, so everything they had was steam-era wooden. But they tended to introduce modern formica internally, and new upholstery – I remember some looking quite smart and feeling confortable – others, I have to say, smelled strongly of damp, being stored outside and seeing little use over winter. Another 12 were to be done – the entire lot of side-corridor stock, and all of NCC parentage. While steam passenger trains had disappeared from regular service entirely, peak-hour extras and excursions still required a stock of loco-hauled stock. However, new stock was on the cards. What would become known as the 70 class railcars were to be ordered for delivery in 1966. These would consist of two six-car sets for the NCC main line, another 3-car set for the Larne line, and two spare power cars. The ex-GNR railcars used by the UTA on the Enterprise were showing their age and high mileage now, and the BUT cars were seen as noisy and less comfortable. My own recollections of AEC and BUT cars were that they were comfortable seating-wise, but undeniably noisy at times, especially when accelerating, and they could be poorly heated in winter. Thus, of the four sets used to provide the serice, only one was a UTA set. CIE provided the others, though one of theirs used a UTA dining car due to a complex series of manoeuvres. These were 121 or 141 class locomotives with a mix of ex-GNR stock (now in black’n’tan), laminates and Cravens, with sundry tin vans. Following the UTA closures, extensive timetable amendments were made on the former GNR, but south of Dublin the use of new stock had resulted in speeding up of many services, and major timetable expansion and alteration was also done there. The railway seemed to be facing into a new era. Yet, it was noted more than once, despite the UTA’s history of anti-rail, pro-bus policies, its publicity machine for its remaining rail services was light years ahead of an apparently indifferent CIE publicity department! However, just as today, the neglect by CIE (and IE!) of cross country routes was as wilful as Stormont. The Rosslare – Mallow and Waterford – Limerick lines had poor and infrequent services – one each way per day, and a second in summer months only. As a train service, that was (and is, sixty years later) little better than useless. In 1965, AEC sets were still employed on some main line trains on the Waterford and Sligo lines. May saw the closure of the Guinness brewery rail system. Within the last month, 0.4.0ST No. 2 had still been in use when a car collided with it on St. John’s Road! This month saw a CIE AEC set form the Enterprise on one occasion, as a result of a breakdown elsewhere. And the bubbles were in traffic – between Castlemungret and Cabra. The older cement hoppers were being used between Limerick and Athy. Castlemungret was loading 180 wagons per day. Sunday 14th February saw the last trains on the Derry Road. These were: A five coach BUT set, a six coach one with two vans, Jeep No. 8 with the goods. The down 20:05 was a three coach AEC set. The last down train of an eight car BUT set broke down just as soon as it had cleared the platform in Great Victoria Street, but the leading car was replaced and on it went; enthusiasts present had hoped that steam engine might have been substituted! Following the closure, pilot engines remained at Foyle Road, Strabane. Omagh and Dungannon. The last railcar into Derry had left at 00:21 to go back empty to Belfast. Three days after closure, the pilot engines had been steamed to clear all remaining wagons and stock held in sidings. The three stations in Co. Donegal (Porthall, St. Johnston and Carrigans) had been closed by CIE too, but a day earlier as they had no Sunday trains. Thus, their last service was the last Strabane - Derry local on the Saturday, consisting of “S” class 4.4.0 No. 60, two carriages and a van. This resulted in major changes in the workings of the UTA railway, as it had been just about halved. Moreover, the need for steam traction had been greater in the GNR area than the remaining NCC, as goods traffic was much heavier – indeed, the Derry Road carried the bulk of the UTA’s goods, and right until closure, goods trains over the route were heavily laden. Following the closures alluded to above, but a single engine (a “Jeep”) was kept as a pilot / spare engine at Portadown. The large roundhouse there would soon be redundant. Great Victoria Street had “S” class 4.4.0 No. 66 as pilot – and as far as the GN was concerned, that was that steam wise. On the NCC, just the Courtaulds coal traffic was left, worked also by Jeeps – the “spoil trains” were not yet running! Another Jeep shunted York Road. I remember it…. No scheduled passenger trains anywhere were now steam, though a few surprises could still be thrown up with excursions or extra workings. The last of the large GNR express locos, Vs 4.4.0 No. 207 “Boyne” remained in traffic, though in an increasingly dishevelled state – the UTA never repainted it in their livery, and it bore the now unsightly, faded and filthy GN blue. As an added indignity, its nameplates had been removed and replaced by wooden ones with the name painted on. The Lansdowne Road rugby specials saw it in action in April on specials from Belfast. Jeeps 4, 10 and 52 were all in action on various sports-related specials into the summer, both on the GN and the NCC. Six ex-GN 0.6.0s, three ex-GN 4.4.0s were now stored, withdrawn, at Portadown Shed, in the company of Jeeps. However, one of the two remaining W class had new cylinders, and ex-SLNCR “Lough Erne” had received attention at York Road. Steam was not dead yet! Two unusual ballast workings were noted during the summer. One was a routine one operating south of Portadown, but what was unusual was the motive power – No. 207! More bizarrely, a ballast train was seen on the closed Portadown – Annaghmore stretch of the “Derry Road”. Why would a ballast train be wanted on a closed line, and one with well maintained track? Answer: to bring stone to several locations where accommodation crossings across the track were to be upgraded to proper roads once the track had been lifted. A strange one! A visitor to the south west in the spring found B169 in charge of the North Kerry goods, with 21 wagons plus van. G617 was working coal trains in from Fenit to Tralee. By this stage, for modellers, open wagons in use were about 40% old wooden ones, and 60% corrugated “Provincial Wagons” opens. Beet traffic would have been similar. By 1970 or so, the wooden ones were rare, if not disappeared. B152 was working in the other direction, the two crossing at Listowel. The northbound train was 40 minutes arriving in Limerick, almost all of this due to a tar tanker which was detached at Lixnaw. These tankers were elderly, and subjected to a speed limit. In addition, the shunting procedure at Lixnaw was complex due to the restricted track layout. At the same time, the trains to Wexford and Rosslare (DSER) were reported to be a mix of 121 class and AEC / BUT railcar sets. The Mallow – Tralee line was still mostly AEC cars too, as were Tralee – Dublin expresses. Mid May saw the final closure of the Guinness tramway in Dublin, as previously mentioned. No. 3 worked the last train, as the broad gauge diesel, No. 4 was out of use. A few days later, No. 3 was steamed to take 2 and 4, dead, across the road to Kingsbridge. No. 4, of course, ended up in Whitehead where it remains today, in fine form. Note for modellers: it currently carries a shade of blue much lighter than it would have had in Guinness’ days. In its original state as first built, it was dark olive green with some of the motion in red, as per the 1’10” gauge Guinness loco in the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin. During the summer, the steam engines abandoned at various locations mentioned earlier were being brought to Mullingar (B151 having been noted towing two old Midland 0.6.0s there) and Inchicore. That would be an interesting working on a layout – a shiny 141 hauling a dead and shabby steam loco away to the scrappers…. tissues, please! Two Bredin compos (2116/7) were seen in the summer of 1965 working as railcar intermediates in ex-GNR AEC railcar sets on the Dublin – Dundalk route. While the UTA tended to include old steam carriages in MPD consists and occasionally MED ones on the NCC, their share of GNR cars tended to use whatever stock the GNR had used with them. CIE, like the NCC section, had all manner of things as AEC intermediates. Old wooden bogies had been used, and there was a short lived experiment with (I think) two Cravens used as such. The last of 500 palletised wagons were being turned out of Inchicore meanwhile. On 29th May, an unusual IRRS trip took place. C206, later to be an occasional visitor to the Loughrea branch, took a train across to Albert Quay and back. An old wooden brake second was used, but with it, despite being withdrawn – six-wheeler 39M; this was the last time a six wheeled coach was ever used to carry passengers. 39M was one of the last clutch of these things which had been retained for excursions in Cork. Most of the rest had been sent to Mullingar to be scrapped, as mentioned earlier, and a few survived into departmental use. Five years after closure, lifting of the West Cork was completed in the summer. Lifting trains were still active elsewhere in the sections from Clonsilla – Navan and Ballylinan, with lifting due to start between Streamstown and Clara (abandoned for many, many years, but not formally abandoned until quite recently), the North Wexford line, and the short Ardnacrusha branch. On 26th July, with G614 in attendance as shunter, the first trainloads of fertiliser left Shelton Abbey. Further north, the UTA sold 24 locomotives of a number of classes for scrap, almost all of GNR types, and thus making GNR locos a rarer species now. By the autumn of 1965, the UTA’s locomotive stock was as follows: GNR Vs 4.4.0 No. 207 (still in blue-(ish!) livery) GNR S 4.4.0 Nos. 170, 171, 174 (all still in old blue livery) GNR UG 0.6.0 Nos. 48 & 49 (Retained for the summer to work excursions across the Belfast Central line to Bangor) GNR SG3 0.6.0 No. 37 (Thought to be retained to work lifting trains on the “Derry Road”. Many of the scrapped locos were other ex-GNR 0.6.0s) SLNCR 0.6.4Ts Nos. 26 and 27 (26 was seeing little use) Shunting at York Road only. NCC W 2.6.0 No. 97 (not in use; retained for spares for Jeeps) NCC WT “Jeep” Nos. 1-10 and 51-57 (all but one whole fleet of them; 50 was stored out of use at Portadown, and when this survey was done, 9 was with it; out of use, but operable. 7 was partly cannibalised at York Road.) Thus, in mainstream use, we now see seventeen Jeeps, and four GNR 4.4.0s. Even at this, the thinking was that by the end of the summer, many of the above would also not be needed and would be scrapped. This isn’t long before their saviour, the spoil contract, had been announced. Had this never happened, it is probable that over the winter all but three or four Jeeps would have been scrapped. From mid-April to mid-June, the Enterprise reverted to steam working between Dundalk and Belfast, a 121 usually having it south of Dundalk. 207 was also in use on Belfast – Dublin excursions again. In July, new “sectional” liveries were introduced by the UTA. It is worth noting that when the UTA was dissolved two years later, these had still not permeated the whole fleet, and as I recall very well, much if not most was still in the dark green livery. However: Bangor line MED sets acquired a new light olive green and cream livery, while on the GN section a mid blue (similar to GN loco blue, but much lighter than GN coach / railcar blue, was used. Cream upper panels, with blue above that, and silver-grey roofs completed the picture, Short lived it might have been, but it looked very smart as I recall. AEC / BUT cars meant for local services had a thinner cream band at window level, with “main line” ones having the cream extending to just below, and just above, window level. The blue was dipped at the front, in the same way as tan on CIE “A” class locos. NCC section railcars had maroon and light grey; this would later become the new NIR livery with few alterations. I could be wrong on this, but recollection suggests that the maroon was marginally lighter than that eventually adopted by NIR in 1968. As mentioned before, a certain number of steam-era carriages had been retained and refurbished. These were classed as “Class A” carriages, and were to be plain maroon. (NIR would later add a 3” light grey line below window level). Other carriages remained in the old UTA green. An indicator of the still-varied traffic carried by the railway was given by the record of a northbound train on the DSE section in the charge of B122. As well as the seven coaches, a loaded fish van took up the rear. Its counterpart in the down direction was a three-coach AEC set. In 1965 almost 600,000 tons of cement was carried by CIE, or 25% of ALL rail freight. We now had the bubbles, but also much was carried in “H” and “Palvans” – standard covered vans, a good few old wooden ones also included. It was noted that this traffic “just exceeds the total of the two next heaviest traffics – beet and artificial manure”. Amidst the destruction of the Derry Road, with two old GNR Gardner railcars in use on the lifting train, as well as a Jeep, the temporary saviour of steam was announced. Seventy side-tipping “spoil wagons” were to be ordered for delivery in 1966. Elsewhere, construction had commenced of the new diesel-electric railcars, which would come to be known as the “70 class”. The tide was now turning for what was left of the railway, and the UTA was belatedly following CIE in a modernisation programme, Unfortunately for much of its route mileage, it was too late. One wonders how the Derry Road, Dundalk – Enniskillen – Omagh, and Belfast – Downpatrick – Newcastle would have fared with modern fast diesel trains. The Inchicore trial train still had a workshop coach in its midst – 662A. This had formerly been dining car 74D – probably the very last ex-DSER vehicle in use. A late survey of the Mallow-Waterford line found the following in use – B152 (with a train of laminates, but a GSWR 12-wheel diner 353 included, plus two tin vans and two fitted “H” vans. The dining car had been tastefully adorned with Christmas decorations. A25 was crossed at Lismore with a beet special. It was noted that up and down main line trains at Mallow had both been double headed 141s. Black and Tan sheer heaven! The year ended with severe floods – the worst in living memory, with sections of Mallow-Waterford, Limerick – Ennis, and near Longford all blocked. Floods and downed power lines all added to the chaos. The Rosslare Express had to operate via Limerick Junction, but the Sligo line was worst disrupted, with widespread bustitutions. An AEC set took four hours to get from Longford to Dublin; it was too late to form its return train, so B173 replaced it with a set of 5 laminates, two tin vans, and a GNR-origin dining car. One unusual working was B152 hauling a dead 6-car AEC set from Dublin-Sligo. The same set was hauled another day by an A class. B125, B130 and B123 were also noted, in each case with trains of 3 or 4 laminates and tin vans. The 121 class were to be regulars on the Sligo line for some 15 years. The Westport line was similar with AEC sets on some mainline services, but 141s primarily on loco-hauled ones. One train was reported as a three-car AEC hauling a goods van and a tin van. In the coming days, the area between Bray and Greystones, and the notorious Ballygannon, suffered severe delays due to extreme weather. Without delving into every delay and special working, it’s worth noting the make-up of trains. One set was a four coach ex-GNR AEC set with two tin vans. B133 and B160 were on up and down goods trains. One set on one day was a 121 hauling a BUT railcar set. For nine days there was chaos….. I hope that the foregoing has given a flavour of the world into which the IRM “A” class locos lived. They entered a railway full of variety, with many routes still open that are long history. They worked traffic that many today would be almost unaware of. “A” class locos worked the North Kerry, Mallow – Waterford and other places…Ardee… One went on a test run down the West Cork, though they never worked there; another got as far as Monaghan via Cavan, and yet another got into Carrickmacross, I think, with a goods train about 1958. Their more recent history is better known, thanks to the increasing presence of prolific photographers and the internet. The above articles have related to the period from 1960 to January 1966. When I get time I’ll go back in time, and do 1955, the arrival of the “A” class, to 1960. If anyone is still awake, I’ll eventually do 1947-55. Goodnight!

I was thinking that too, Noel. Maybe a fictitious Dublin & Blessington halt at a roadside - simple type of thing. A tram loco, a 4-wheel railcar, a tram or two to pull and a couple of goods vans would do. Would anyone have any advice on a suitable four wheeled power bogie which could be easily amended to 21mm gauge, I wonder?

Looking good!

Unfortunately, Minister, that's exactly what it is going to be. I've seen bits of the plans and have spoken to several,of the design team, and thus I regretfully concur with all murrayec's comments. It will give a little history of the town, the castle estate (who once owned the. Casino house), Fry himself, a minimalistic bit of railway history, and the models. And it'll have a train set! Woohoo! For the likes of us here, worth looking at, but that's about it. For the kiddies wanting to see Thomas, an afternoon out. Long term financial viability.........dunno?

I’m not filled with confidence on that!