jhb171achill

Steam days also had the unnumbered one-offs that were the shunters in Kingsbridge and Waterford: Sambo* and Jumbo**, and of course the oddball "Pat" on the coal gantry in Cork. One wonders what the PC and Easily-Offended-Brigade would make of such names today! * = racist, and ** = oooohhhh, "body shaming"! Times change, folks, don't they, as Tempus tends to Fugit itself away........ In the 1950s and 60s, York Road and eventually Grosvenor Road in Belfast had the unique BCDR bogie diesel and several one-off NCC diesel shunters; this family an interesting subject in their own right. I think I've already posted a pic of the BCDR one somewhere.... that in itself is surprising, as Senior rarely took pictures of anything without a firebox and boiler tubes!

Exactly, yes. I remember that one well, travelled in it too......111 and I think also 113 were the only ones I recall in that short-lived blue and cream.

Ah! Many thanks, Galteemore. I was unaware of that - it's an excellent design. You're absolutely right, NIR; this "Minories" thing accrding to that article above was in 1957. Fry had his "Cyprana" up and running over ten years at this stage. However.... with Fry's contributions to the RM quite often at that stage, the two would have known each other very well. Is it possible that Freezer based his "Minories" on an idea of Fry's? My thoughts exactly!

Senior took this at Bray in GSR times. I think it’s being re-charged here.

There was some sort of loop at Sligo, as RPSI trains were always able to run round. It was a bit further out. In Ireland “pilot” engines were just spare ones, probably having brought the previous train in. Dublin used the “E” class, of course, and I remember seeing those (well, one) at Limerick in the 1970s. Cork had “E”s too at one time, but I think they ended up all going back to Dublin as I never saw a single one there in the ‘70s. From the mid 1980s onwards, any pilots you saw anywhere were inevitably 141s or 181s. By this stage, all 121s were almost always one half of a “pair”, either paired with one of their own, or a 141 or 181.

Minories.......not familiar with it, NIR - can you enlighten me? He did indeed see his layout as “international”. He has a lot of French, British and other continental models, even a whole Union Pacific train!

I’ve already posted some items from this, which was published in earlier CIE days. While it aimed at the public rather than enthusiasts, it contains much of interest. The following is from June 1947. The article about a railway porters day at work is an interesting insight into a long-gone world, but one familiar to anyone who worked on the railways that SO many layouts depict.

Symphony in grey (1) 391 at Inchicore, approximately 1937.

I always thought the W & T would make a superb model. You wouldn't need much space. you would not need point-rodding or signalling, let alone a cabin. You could do its entire history with half a dozen ancient (albeit necessarily scratchbuilt) carriages, a 2.2.2T, their 0.4.2T, a Midland "J26" (555), and a pair of AEC railcars and a Park Royal to go in between. That's it. Convincing. I'm sure it could have an update - had it survived, the AECs would have seen out the 1960s and mid 70s, and from then till the mid 90s they'd probably have shipped in a re-engine "C" and made the railcars push-pull. Not much variety, but it was isolated. Since the, the sole stock on the whole line would inevitably be two 2-car 2600s. Nice idea for a "shelf" layout; Tramore in 2020..... In this day and age, the track plan would have a single turnout at Waterford, leading to a shed, and nothing at Tramore, I am sure!

Also, a detail section which has survived, of his own original drawing of one corner of it. The models shown can, of course, be seen in Malahide, or will be once Internment is over.....

Yet again, this has me absolutely speechless. I've known this area well since the early 1960s. Your model - it seems inadequate to call it a "model" or a "layout" just sucks me (and others here, I know) right back to those days... pint in Becky Morgans, anyone?

......And presumably the result was all the little Provincial Wagons kits!!!

CIE Goods Stock 1970s - today’s delve into the cupboard. Flats & opens today, vans tomorrow. Truly awful pics of mine with the then cheap camera I had; some taken from moving trains. However, better than nothing and an insight into what one saw away from passenger platforms. 1. Bullied open, Heuston, 1977. 2 & 3. PW flats, Port Laoise Depot, 1977 or 1978. 4. Oops! Heuston, 1976. Pretty much outside the door of the IRRS premises, as of now. 5. Beet truck, Wellington Bridge or possibly Bridgetown, 1977. Wooden ramps were often used to back tipper tricks up to empty beet into these - this is visible on the right. They were made of old sleepers. 6. Flat wagon, Heuston, 1976 or 1977.

It’s possible. Mind you, some Midland locos as well as coaches were to be seen on the DSER after 1925.... The leading coach is DSER, and the next one is either DSER or GSWR - hard to decipher but I’m pretty certain it’s not Midland. After 1925, of course, such was perfectly possible, just as ex-Midland coaching stick was to be seen as far afield as West Cork! Only two carriages, but then a string of horse boxes - made me think initially of Leopardstown Races..... maybe Ballinasloe too, of course. Location jury still out?

I think this next one is leaving Harcourt Street about 1935. The date is right but I could be wrong about the location - anyone? The leading coach is certainly unmistakeably DSER. What looks like a church spire is, I think, a mark on the negative.

At the risk of the mods considering the following immodest or even obscene, I hereby post a picture of a DSER tank in an obviously uncompromised state of indecency. Despite the locomotive’s protests about decency (it IS the 1930’s, after all, and one must maintain one’s standards), I “accidentally” posted this by mistake.... The loco was under repair.

That’s a very interesting prospect, Airfixfan! Distant though it is, thete does almost seem something ”detached” about it? Maybe I’m imagining it. Yes, exactly, though he did as far as Donegal town too - he used to tell how he went on the loco of the goods at least that far in order to review permissible speed limits. Sadly, as you correctly say, it was his verdict of the Glenties line which led to its closure. The NCC had kept the Ballycastle track in very good condition too.

More regarding Fry.

For that particular locomotive, that is my understanding of it.

Ah, 670 class.... The Dublin suburban tanks got the main line CIE green too, so for this engine it is authentic, though i don't know if all of them got the green.

Indeed! And much other stuff too... Fry's models of a 500 class, and GSR 900 appear to have built for Drew, as they bear the non-authentic GSR (800 class) green. They were never anything but grey in real life (or CIE green after about 1947). Your questions.... 1. The Fry Churchtown layout was disposed of after 1972, when he died. Like the 1980s "Castle" one, there seemed to be few takers - or warehouses - in which to put it, though as others here will attest, strenuous were made by some people to try to persuade the "powers that be" at the time to do so. A few buildings and scenic items off it have survived, as have some of the road vehicles. Not all the models have survived in the collection, as I am now discovering that the family retained a few and gave several as presents to relatives and friends. The layout is gone.... 2. I don't know who made the Cultra model of Inchicore shed. I don't think it was Drew, though, but I stand to be corrected. Anyone? Which 0.6.2 do you refer to?

The April 1956 “Railway Modeller” had a rare colour picture of the Churchtown layout on the cover. The Peco ad shows wagons for 7 shillings and 6 pence. To those of us who were not au fait with money prior to 1971, that’s €0.47..... Eat you heart out, Fleabay, where they would now be £237 each, plus £55 postage each.......

From “Modern Tramway”, January 1940. Mention is made of his model of 800, which then was only weeks fully in traffic. 801 and 802 were not fully completed. Clearly, Fry had friends in the Drawing Office in Inchicore..... this, itself, is an emerging story.....! The building seen below as the main terminus at “New City” has survived. I am hopeful that space may be found to display it.

Yes, No. 1. Built 1934 (I think) and withdrawn by the UTA 1965. It's a power car with the cab blocked off. What they did when the last of these were withdrawn and replaced by the new 80 class, was to clear out the cab - exactly the same way CIE did with the similar cars used laterally as push-pull sets on Dundalk - Bray services. Two or three anyway were used for a short time about 1969-73(?) as loco hauled passenger stick with cabs blocked off like that. I think the driver's compartment might have now been used to put things like prams in. After that, this one and possibly one other had the seats removed and some windows blocked, for a couple of years' further use for the purpose stated. They may have got to Derry as well in this guise as parcels vans tacked onto the back of 70-class railcar sets. I daresay that like their CIE counterparts they had asbestos insulation. If that was the case, they'll be lying at the bottom of water-filled Crosshill Quarry in Co. Antrim at this stage, I would think.

As the happy owner of a few of these little beasts, I can attest to their excellence, as befit ass things "Provincial". Now, if I could get current writing projects finished, I might get round to actually putting the things together, along with about a dozen cattle trucks from the same stable!