jhb171achill

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............

One ended its days on CIE apparently still in faded GSR maroon, albeit with the letters "C I E" where "G S R" had been. Another got CIE green. Maybe more than one did. The black'n'tan one above may well have been the green one repainted.

"Clare"...... is this the new WRC Tuam-Galway commuter service?

A shame...... plus, I won't be booking any of my tourists in there any time soon!

And it shows Broadstone! Relative of mine was there with partner the other week. Excellent setting (though they were in the 1950s BR standard coach(!)), and excellent food. However, the service, both at the meal, and at breakfast the following day, was truly atrocious; kept waiting 2.5 hours for dinner, and over an hour for breakfast - and delayed from later appointments as a result. And that's in January - hardly high season! Management gave them a derisory 30 euro voucher!

Indeed - that's actually the only way I recall them, a few mixed in with all sorts of other stuff.... so for a modeller who only has one or two, no need to keep 'em all in a single dedicated rake.

For anyone who wanted to put together a very minimalistic small, sleepy branch terminus shunting layout, a thing like this and a loco and a few wagons is ideal. Services like the Clonakility line and Drimoleague to Baltimore in the late 1950s could often consist of simply one brake coach like this and a few wagons.

Looks well weathered!