jhb171achill

Something’s just passed through Malahide southbound, 03:23. Unlikely to be the Enterprise, but sounded like an 071, not those yellow things. So - what was it? No, I have not been on the drink tonight, more’s the pity……

WOW!!!

Wow! Open door - looking through the building.... I can just see the cobweb behind the door, the dank smell inside, since it hasn't been open since last September when Clogherhead Parish went off to Lough Derg, courtesy of a train to Omagh and a bus from there... Oul creepers up the building too - CIE, get someone out to clean the place up a bit! Excellent work as always!

The main line stuff is owned by the ITG and stored across the road.

I could be wrong on this - maybe someone more knowledgable on modern image will comment - but I have certainly seen a 7-car at Heuston on several occasions, and I just THINK there might have been an 8 or 9 car one time some years ago on a Cork train?

I've been thinking about just such a thing, but in a rural setting with a G class or 0.6.0 and half a dozen old goods vans.........

I'm not familiar with what it is, but yes, they do seem to move stuff like that about at night. Saw lights at 1 am in the quarry siding a few weeks ago....

Rockall?

Today the Enterprise had 216 and one of the zebras - didn't catch which one. By the way, as I type this at 00:23, I've just heard an 071 passing through Malahide. Anyone know what's happening? Presumably it's towing some sort of yellow thing about the place?

This site is owned and operated, like several Irish heritage outfits, by a sole private owner. The Achilles' heel of such operations, without an actual preservation society set up, is that when the owner becomes elderly or infirm, the whole thing often folds up. I have not been in touch with the owners for a while, so I am not in a position to comment on whether this is the situation with them, but what I do know is that Jackie and his good lady are indeed elderly, and other than that there's just their son involved; plus, they have not been trading frequently in recent years, which could suggest that those involved don't have the time. It's a pity, but it is reflective of the overall low level of interest on this island in railway heritage. As you say, let us hope they are in good health.

They look better on your layout than on hattons website - did you touch them up a bit?

Love the stone walls at the side of the road on the bridge. How did you make those?

Oh, indeed - no ill reflection on railway staff intended; quite the reverse; it's they that have to contend with the daily vagaries - the "challenging conditions" - more so than the public. But it does seem that timekeeping and reliability has declined overall.

I’ve heard of coarse gritty soil, sieved and washed, being used for ground cover and ballast. Cost: €0.

Will there EVER again be a mechanically reliable, prompt service which reliably runs to time, on this line ever again? The Belfast service is getting more like the West Clare in Percy French’s time with every passing week….

Superb!

Eleven (not nine as I initially posted) livery variations, in fact!

Can't open the video clip on my desktop computer, though I can on my mobile - hope everyone else can see it (my computer is in its ditage at this stage).

Light engine passing, plus a visiting UTA “WT” class. Very convincing model of one of those, in fact…

This afternoon, including green double decker and grey bubbles, as I remember both in the 1960s….. IMG_9983.mov

You're getting through this work at a serious rate!

None of it's true, and I wasn't even there when I didn't do it...................

GAHHHHHH!!!!!! Only seeing this NOW!

MALAHIDE MODEL RAILWAY MUSEUM As of now, the museum will open five days per week; Wednesday to Sunday inclusive. On Mondays it’s closed for layout and model maintenance anyway, but Tuesdays have been very quiet since it first opened. This will be reviewed periodically in the future to see if Tuesday (or Monday afternoon) opening is warranted. ……and here’s a photo of Fry’s; Ballinamore, believed to be 1959 just before closure. Yes, modellers, it has a RED buffer beam!

Maybe they'll have some narrow gauge "customer tubes" left over from HS2 to use on it............