jhb171achill

It is - a highly unusual visitor to those parts.

Absolutely outstanding stuff! Can't wait to see it in the flesh.... I'm trying to persuade Barry to get more into modelling, though he does have a layout........!

Is it DC or DCC?

Very many thanks, Wanderer!

Yes, this plan exists. There wasn't much there - after all, it's in the middle of nowhere - there was just the passing loop, which wasn't used much in latter days, and a siding to the goods shed. The cabin was demolished after the line closed. The replacement has a somewhat wide base, for some reason. The main station building lasted intact into the 1960s but was levelled then, and an unsightly shed put in its place. Due to disabled access issues, unfortunately it won't be possible to replicate this exactly, but the goods shed survives in original, if very derelict condition. It would be possible to restore that. At least the signal cabin is painted in a close colour to the latterly used GSR green and cream! (The MGWR had red and cream on stations, which must have looked nice with green locomotives and brown carriages....).

It has, unfortunately. Rails through the West is now down to about a dozen copies, which we will have at the launch this Friday. Once they are gone, it will also be out of print. The publishers advise Barry and I that Tipperary and Wexford are both selling very briskly. We will have a special offer on them all this Friday, €20 each instead of €22. We will also have some of Rails to Achill (3rd edition) and Rails Through Connemara.

Think I'll order a steak hauled by an 800............

Certainly is. Another ridiculous dud. Sure dont you know that's the Jenn-you-wine Bombay, Calcutta & Enniskillen Railway?

That is OUTSTANDINGLY good!

Regarding livery, the one with the soldiers beside it will be carriage brown, as it has coach transfer shaded lettering. The one pictured on the SLNCR will be plain wagon grey as it has standard wagon lettering.

I doubt very much if the circular structure on the ground relates to a turntable - more likelky a base for a rotating defensive gun.

I believe it was some sort of short-lived tramway put there by the British Admiralty. I don't think there were any locomotives, let along passenger stock. Often thought it would make a great little tourist attraction, provided it could be very cheaply worked!

It’s summer 1954, and a rare early colour photo, probably the first colour view of any train in West Kerry. Gleaming Kenmare regular 170 has just returned from a major exam and its last ever repaint in Inchicore (or should that be 00) Works. It’s on the Dugort goods today to run it in, and is seen ambling away, back towards Castletown West, with the morning departure. In other news, a combination of babysitting duties and daughter’s entire life of luggage stuffed into the layout room now, means more photoshoot and less progress on the layout, unfortunately. And I’m not getting younger…

Superb stuff, Ken, absolutely brilliant. Great to see attention given to the more historic aspects of the railways here. With growing interest in the grey'n'green era before the black'n'tan one, maybe the GSR and pre-1925 eras are yet to have their day!

I see one is black’n’tan 147. In the normal course I’d be probably buy it, but I bought three 141s originally to renumbered one to 145, and another to 147, as I remember them crossing at Tuam!

I've two of the first batch, which despite having less space, I got DCC installed in them OK.

Me too!

I’d say WSVR put it there.

As well as Polloxfen's Mill siding!

Correct - that's exactly what it is.

What scale are these and are they DCC-fitted?

It would have made a very nice branch, but no, it never existed.

Hi Sean! I'm afraid I've nothing on Tinahely or Ballinglen, or even Woodenbridge, among my dad's photos....... I do like the one above, though. In terms of books, "Rails Through the West" has just gone out of print; I've the last half-dozen or so copies here. But there are loads of "Rails through Tipperary", and for DSER enthusiasts, "Rails Through Wexford", as these are the two most recent in this series I did with Barry. For the DSER, we have included several very interesting shots of Palace East (a VERY interesting station), Macmine Junction and New Ross, as well as Wexford itself, of course. When doing this book, we did consider covering the whole DSER, but within Barry's photos alone, never mind me writing all the history of it all, and background to the photos, we'd have had enough to fill a telephone book. The DSER / DWWR was a truly unique line, with a fascinating background and history, plus probably the most scenic main line anywhere on this island - thankfully, we still have this!

Possible inspiration for a DSER-based branch line - this was taken by Senior in (I think) 1944 - the DSER branch line terminus (their only one!) at Shillelagh. Very compact and easy to model.

Lovely stuff, Leslie!