jhb171achill

The WCR ones were new build to go with the railcars, rather than conversions of old buses, I think. The chassis of them may have been older - I'm away from my Catacombs right now so can't be 100%.

There was just the one coach thus rebuilt. This was No. 7, which had suffered badly from outside storage and was sent to Inchicore for repair in the early 1940s by the GSR. It seems that it was somewhat patched up and returned, but it was a "string-and-sellotape" job and by 1951 it was back at Inchicore, this time reduced to a chassis. In 1953 it returned to Ballinamore as the "Bus-Coach" (as it was known). I'm no bus expert, so I've no idea what the original buses looked like, but they were GSR "NP" class single deckers. The cabs were cut off and two bodies were placed end to end, with the doors at the outermost ends. The rear doors had equivalent ones made on the opposite sides,so that the coach had access doors at both ends, on both sides. It was painted unlined CIE dark green (1945-55 shade). There was no CIE logo, only the number "7L". It retained this to the end, never being repainted (like most of everything on the C & L in GSR and CIE days!). As you'll see in Ernie's picture, the guard's end had a double door for luggage on each side. It seated 36 passengers on bus seats. Latterly, it appears to have been principally used on the Belturbet line, forming the entire passenger accommodation on the sole daily through train from Dromod. It never had any heating, and the roof leaked, probably due to a botched job of joining the two buses together. With an average speed of 12 miles per hour over the line, the rail passengers north of Ballinamore were hardly well served in the 1950s!

Herewith details of trains serving Ballyglunin in 1949 and 1960, just after the western route was comprehensively dieselised. In the WTT dated 4th July 1949, Limerick - Sligo (northbound) trains are as follows, as they pass through Ballyglunin: 12.09 am Athenry - Tuam mail (probably a loco and a mail van; only stopped for one minute) 10.00 am Limerick - Sligo goods (departed 03.30am, arrives Sligo 21.50 that evening! 15 min stop 9.35 am to 09.48 - Limerick - Tuam goods 2.53 pm The first of only two passenger trains in the day, and the only one right through Limerick - Sligo! This one is the 11.45 Limerick - Sligo, seven hours of six wheeled luxury! 8.49 pm Athenry - Tuam local passenger; connection from Galway line. Southbound, this was the picture, starting off with an interesting one: 8.40 am Described as "double headed", this started out as the 8.20am mixed from Tuam, and spent four minutes at Ballyglunin. At Athenry the carriage was detached or locked up, as it continued to Limerick as a goods, arriving at 7.10pm, having had lengthy lay-bys at Athenry (1 hr 25), Gort (1 hr 48) and Ennis (2 hr 6m). At these places, other trains were crossed. 11.09 am Sligo - Limerick passenger (dep Sligo 7.30am, arr Limerick 2.35pm) 2.54 pm Tuam - Athenry mail. The reverse of the 12.09 arrival above. 7.29 pm the 8.15am goods ex-Sligo, which arrived in Limerick at 1am the following morning. Now let's fast forward to 1960. By this stage "C" class locos are designated for ALL traffic except the single through passenger train in each direction, which is an AEC set. With the abysmal reliability record of the Crossley engines, it may be assumed that an occasional steam engine or perhaps B101 might put in an appearance from time to time. Northbound: 9.45 am The 03.40am Limerick - Sligo goods (arr Sligo 8.05pm) called on request only 12.38 pm Athenry - Tuam passenger / mail 5.41 pm The 3.15pm Limerick - Sligo passenger. Arrival was at 8.35pm. Five hours and twenty minutes was a great improvement on the seven hour ordeal of 11 years earlier - all stops were served! 6.28 pm The 8.50am Limerick - Claremorris goods had only made it this far by this time, with several long layovers. It would not hit Claremorris until 8.14pm. 7.18 pm Athenry - Tuam passenger. Incidentally, these short workings were powered by a "C" from Galway shed, running light between Athenry and Galway and vice versa. Southbound: 4.31 am 5.45am Sligo - Limerick goods 7.55 am Tuam - Athenry passenger 8.29 am Claremorris - Limerick goods passes through but doesn't stop. 11.39 am 8.50am Sligo - Limerick passenger 3.30 pm Tuam - Athenry passenger & mail; obviously the return of the one which called at 12.38 in the other direction. An interesting thing is that there was also, along the WLWR line, a Limerick - Galway and back passenger service. This left Galway at 9 am, and reversed at Athenry, with Limerick arrival at 11.40. Returning at 12.45pm, it arrived back in Galway at 3.55pm. If we look at today's tram from Galway to Limerick and back, it has six intermediate stops. Back in 1960, it had 12 definites plus a request stop; just compare today's timings! Not much quicker! No Sunday services of any sort were provided in either of the years shown. Stations open along the whole route in these times were: LIMERICK Longpavement Cratloe Sixmilebridge Ballycar Ardsollus Clarecastle ENNIS Crusheen Tubber Gort Ardrahan Craughwell ATHENRY Ballyglunin *** Tuam Castlegrove Milltown Ballindine CLAREMORRIS Kiltimagh Swinford Charlestown Curry Tubbercurry Carrowmore Leyney (Coolaney) Collooney (WLWR) Ballysodare SLIGO I hope that this is of interest.

Looking extremely promising. Excellent top class work so far.

Particularly with Leo in charge now, these are matters which deserve serious attention.

Colin, there are a few pics of the place in operation in "Rails Through the West", and my co-author on that has loads more. If you PM me with specific requirements for views I'll see what I can do.

I didn't know that! Worthy of publication indeed......

Is it a somersault? I thought it was an ordinary one..... but BCDR original and original location it isn't! Yes, the other two cabins seem to have been overlooked! I suppose, if they mean still with levers, that might be the basis of their claim....

As one involved with EU and other grant applications over the last thirty years, I might point out a few conditions that are standard now; 1. 100% funding or anything near it is almost never considered, especially for large amounts. Thus, substantial financial input from the promoter is necessary. This being the case, in an Irish context it can mean members coughing up till they bleed! 2. Before ANY railway preservation scheme is considered, financial sustainability must be proven. For British preserved lines it's a given - one good gala weekend there will bring in the equivalent of the DCDR's entire annual income, Santas included. 3. Very often match funding is a requirement - typically of about 30-50%. Thus, typically but not always, if you have a small project of say £200k, here's what might happen. EU provides £120 - provided..... Applicant provides at least £55k Some other sponsor e.g. a tourist board or local authority - provides £25k. Local authorities in the 32 counties have had an absolutely abysmal record in funding anything transport related - throughout all time. With funding cuts across the board, and six of those counties cutting themselves out if EU funding, this doesn't look like changing soon!

"B" appeared on the DCDR as part of the deal to acquire GSWR No. 90, though the aim was always that she would be ideal for off-peak trains like, say, midweek, New Year's Day, or visiting small groups or school parties. I applied for funding for the then £160,000 stg required to fully restore her. Luckily, as fate would turn out, this was declined; had the funds been made available she was headed for Rail Restorations North East in England, the very firm which went bust when 171 was there! She could have ended up being siezed for scrap over there! Thankfully she survived. Further attempts to find funding for her after that have not yet been fruitful. It may be assumed that today £200k woukd be what's required. I hope it happens some day. 6111 as a push pull vehicle with C231, plus SLNCR "B", would make a nice duo there. Subject to suitable funding all is feasible - but for the pair you're looking at half a million sterling, and with the north brexiting out of EU funding, it might take a while! Incidentally, over the last thirty years, the sums of money which have flowed into Whitehead and Downpatrick from Brussels have been such that the survival of the former was greatly enhanced if not saved; of the latter I can state with certainty it would not have survived.... But that's another story!

Building a new operational loco would be ideal, but would cost upwards of €500k, and then a whole business of health & safety & operational tests and standards. Carriages would then be needed..... Certainly do-able, but the station itself would be a better focus.

No probs. I'll take it to the DCDR. Replacing the track there will be cheaper.

EGG-ZACTLY! (I'll throw half a million into that 800 project once I've won the lotto. Who'll cough up the rest?)

Alan O'Rourke's Irish Railway Modelling magazine has had many inserts of loco drawings. I lent mine to someone so I can't be sure if these classes were among them - can anyone else comment?

It's nothing to do with the WLWR or W & L crests as far as I'm aware and it certainly doesn't look that old. I wonder is it a "Tidy Station 1981" or "Cleanest Loo 1972" (maybe not!) or some other such modern award?

In my 25+ years involved in the financial side of both the RPSI and DCDR, there was a perpetual chorus of "why don't you restore X" and "it's a scandal that Y has been left to rot in a siding at Downwhiteheadpatrick". Worse still, "the DCDRPSITG says they're into preservation, so they have a duty to rescue the last Hunsletcraven". It got to the stage where I could barely contain my thoughts at AGMs, while sitting at the top table fielding questions. The answers - the printable ones anyway - which I might have given would include.... Are YOU going to pay for it? Where will the money come from, given that it isn't currently eligible for grant aid? Will YOU spend every weekend, a fair portion of your days off and annual leave, plus you own petrol money, on working on this in all weathers? Don't you think that a hard-pressed, necessarily under-resourced volunteer workforce have enough to do? .....and so on. The reality is, people across this island have very little interest in industrial heritage compared to other places.

Tynan, Co Armagh, and nearby Glaslough remain untouched since 30.9.57, though the latter is currently being restored. Tynan still has original paintwork.

That's got to be the single most realistic weathering effort that I've ever seen. And - as we know here - there is SERIOUS and plentiful competition for that title!

The still-complete, original and unaltered subway must be unique in Ireland's disused station network now. Any others, apart from (filled-in??) Ballymartle, Co Cork?

Bangladesh, Nepal, Ghana and Burkina Faso all rejected the 2600s... although they are used as dustbin trucks in Congo.

A "rattle can"; great name for a 201! 29000 railcars.......hmmm.

That's a truly fascinating line, with its double track and associated signalling. Had a great day on it last year.

I wonder is it DCC fitted?

And it's the wrong shade of blue, with the wrong lettering style. And if the loco name is "Chuckles", does that mean it is one of Paisley & McGuinness' "chuckle brothers"? And if so, is that loco one'o'them, or one of us?

I thought ye meant Garfield & Co! :-) I think the sun, and vintage port, are affecting me.....