jhb171achill

Outstanding! My favourite railcars from Brexitstan. I remember seeing them in 1969/70 in North Wales. Some were green, others blue. More than a few trains had them in both liveries.

Rail “cart”? …interesting.

In all reality, it takes a world war to get me into a long distance bus. Train first preference by far, but life’s too short for what you describe. I can be in Belfast several times a year for various reasons. As it happens I’ve had to be there several times recently. Bus all the way. Perhaps it’s a throwback to early memories of first class corridor coaches steam hauled, and silver service dining car, but I simply will not go to Belfast in a 29 or a CAF. If that’s the option - bus. I’m afraid I won’t go to Wexford or Rosslare in a litter-strewn, filthy 29 either; though while an ICR is light years better, they crawl along at walking pace - the DSER service, which could be SO good, is an utter mess and has been since the late 1960s. With IE owning a port down there, surely they can employ a cleaner to swill out incoming trains at Rosslare Bus Shelter Halt?

It is several light years beyond crass, unnecessary and downright brick stupid to have include either “rail station”, the borderline offensive Dundalk “halt”, and the illiterate NIR “train station” stuff at all. Unless I’m a bit slow, what’s wrong with plain “Dundalk”, “Portadown”, “Lanyon Place”, or “Dublin (Connolly)”? Are people paid to write out this rubbish? And IE now have entire essays both on station nameboards and in timetables….

Excellent job!

If I had a euro for every every nonsense urban myth I’ve ever heard that such-and-such a railway was “lifted for the war effort” (north AND south!) or “dropped on Hitler”, I’d be a billionaire. The one and only line which was deliberately dismantled with this purpose in mind, soon after it closed in 1942, was the Clogher Valley. Certainly not like Patterson to propagate urban myths, but there ye go. Senior reported a small section of the Cushendall line as being navigable in the very early 40s. He travelled on the footplate of a light engine up to Cargan or Rathkenny or somewhere like that at about that time - though since I’m unaware of the date, it’s possible that jaunt was a few years earlier. The mission was to collect an empty wagon from a dairy siding somewhere.

Indeed - and that never ends well!

Will the bus servcices switch straight to the new place that day?

I paid 11 shillings (55 pence) for a Hornby Mk 1 coach in J C Pattersons, about 1969. My pocket money was two shillings (10p) a week, so this was a significant investment. A three bedroom detached house in a nice area, at the time, cost £4000-£5000, and if your take home pay was heading towards £100 a month you were minted.

I’m pretty sure 18 had been no scrapped by then - it wasn’t long in use. No, indeed they never were used on line work at all, even within the UTA, bar a trial run or two no further than Carrickfergus. They were strictly, and purely shunters. They didn’t pull trains. One only lasted a few years, the other shunted York Road and Belfast dicks all of its longer, but still very short life. Strange choice for a model, as they were short-lived, and never used as train engines.

33rd Septober 2042 now confirmed as definite. Journey time just one hour from Grosvenor Road Grand to Clongriffin, and just under three hours from there to Clontarf Road.

It's the IRRS special of 2nd August 1949, covering Ardglass and Ballynahinch.......and the Copeland Islands (Steam) Car Ferry.......

Worth adding, for those modelling a particular one at a particular time, the following: 1. Originally in the green livery as shown. Possibly slight tad darker from what the late Bob Clements told me, but there or thereabouts. 2. None got the very short-lived blue livery (only a handful of main line passenger locos did) 3. Any repainted between 1918 & 1924 would have been black lined in red - though, I’ve never seen a photo of one like this. 4. After 1925, all dark grey to the end. Photos at the very end of steam appear to show a black 560, but it’s been polished with oily rags. I know this as I had the numberplate off it from final condition! So CIE never painted any of that class black.

Or a bus shelter, thankfully! Now, Rosslare....... Many ex-GSW station buildings still exist on the Cork line, and Limerick Junction to Waterford. Presumably they're listed. But most are in need of TLC, and if left alone will deteriorate in the near future to a point of no return. Pity they don't refurb them and rent them out. Not one reason in the world why not.

I note in the photo the window frames are varnished wood rather than dark maroon…..

Do you mean making the loo IN the coach into a museum?

IRRS archives will have some stuff. I had a couple of UR Boardroom Miunute books from 1876/7 some years ago but I'm afraid I either sold them or donated them somewhere (IRRS? DCDR?) UR Luggage lables turn up on fleabay now and again.

SUPERB!!!!!! And 17.5 Fumpers = 1 Gricer.........

True, and amazing!

Ah, them oul Ottomans!

When it was built, measurements would have been in inches, groats, roods, quarts, perches and cubits...... and other such medieval nonsense!

On a quiet summer evening, Dugort Harbour reposes, since the late afternoon mixed went back to Castletown. Since it’s fair day tomorrow, several cattle trucks and spare passenger stock are stabled here this evening. Smell the salt air and drifting turf smoke….. beyond the gulls down at the harbour, silence. This might look better for 1959!

It’s a quiet sunny afternoon at Dugort Harbour in August 1959, as Pat unloads a VW-sized consignment of turf just arrived from Kenmare. Meanwhile, the sun illuminates the gorse and fuchsia behind the buffer stops….

“I thought PJ had got someone to fix that fence?” ”C’mon SHOO!!!” ”Ye’d better get Bridie - I think they’re hers….” —- —- —- “…Need to get ‘em out before PJ comes back. And put some oul oil drums or lobster pots in that gap or they’ll just come back in….”