jhb171achill

As the “Swinging Sixties” are in full flow, Crossley A55 eases round the curve, flanges squealing, one mid-week summer morning in 1965. Turf smoke drifts about in the atmosphere, with a salt breeze off the Atlantic. The Beatles’ latest hit can be heard from the transistor radio in a nearby cottage, the door open as always. Goods volumes have dropped sharply as the main road up to Castletown has now been tarmacced, and the nearby textile factory has purchased a Commer van; in addition, the O’Sheas don’t send their fish by train any more. The McInerneys are selling up and going to Australia, so that’ll be them out of the picture too. Today A55 has but five goods vans and an empty cattle truck for John Fahy’s beasts to go to Abbeyfeale tomorrow. However, with nothing consigned out today, the Crossley chunters back up to town half an hour later with just the van.

“OK, so that was three weeks ago at least. He’s off the drink now, the wife was givin’ out hell to him” ”Well, I’m tellin’ ye, I saw him get out of the brake van in Mallow yesterday, ‘coz he had a box of eggs for me, and the smell o’whiskey off him would’ve knocked ye flat……. oh, by the way, this suitcase was in the coach an’ Mikey Jack says it’s to go to Cobh as soon as it can for some American on a ship tomorrow”. ”OK, I’ll give it to yer man on relief at the junction, and he can put it on the Cork Mail tonight…. what’s in the case?” ”Ah, I only had a quick look through it. Nice stuff, them yanks certainly have the money for the clothes an’ stuff….” ”Hope ye put it back properly or ye’ll have PJ on our backs again if he gets wind of ye rootin’ around….”

Fair play to ye!

Sunset, August fair day, 1962 - the last one to be steam-worked, as full dieselisation of the branch is only months away. Here, the tired crew rake out the last of the ashes and clinker. The quality of the coal today wasn’t that great. Rest day tomorrow; it’s Patsy’s turn to light her up in the morning. He’s just back from a holiday in Ballybunion, where he plays sax in one’o’them showbands. Does a good Elvis impression too - big hit with the lassies.

One of the only reasons that the Dugort Harbour branch survived the 1953 closures was the CIE bus and lorry garage, built near the harbour by the GSR Road Motor Services in 1938. Every couple of weeks a tanker of diesel wends its way down from Castletown, to where it has arrived on the 03:45 goods from Tralee. Prior to the construction of the new bus depot in town in the 1970s this was still the case. Here we see B141 returning to Castletown West one warm early summer morning in 1968, with the empty tanker to go back to Tralee. A rarely photographed working, as it was all over before most local bed and breakfasts had finished serving. By now, very few brake vans still have a “snail” on them, and almost all have the black and yellow stripes on the ducket. But not this one, which tends not to stray off the Harbour branch….

Many thanks; and despite metropolitan background, there’s Mayo blood in me too! (My mothers lot - Ballina, Belmullet!)…. so I’m well up for Sam taking the train to Killala! Yes, again in seriousness, the RPSI in Dublin AND Whitehead faces challenges like never before; volunteer numbers being one, but not the only one….

They’re 12” = 1ft scale, DCC ready…….

I can see this thread running until about midday 31st December! By then I’ll be playing with a rake of RTR Murphy / IRM Midland six-wheelers, hauled by a DCC’d RTR MGWR “D-bogie” / D16 4.4.0….

Any idea what make etc?

I like that school building - might double as a railway station. There’s something Clifden, Ballynahinch (Co Galway), or Mulrany-esque about it. Where did you get it?

Best argument for dieselisation I ever heard!

I often thought of getting a British “08” and repainting it in CIE livery, but while the basic shape is the same, when you look at them there are a LOT of detail differences!

Zebra 233 sitting spare at Connolly today.

Tis too, boy!

It’s ok, I went through immigration, quarantine and disinfectant, so they let me in.

Or 800 taking to the skies? Correct. She had to be hauled over the viaduct at 5 mph with a line of empty 4 wheel wagons between her and the loco hauling her. She wouldn’t be allowed on this viaduct with a train behind her.

Very much a “two foot rule” thing, but very doable. There are a couple of fairly routine British 0.6.0 tender engines which, with a cost of dark grey paint and a CIE number in the cabside, can look the part.

Looking at the drawing above, it looks as if 800's is so short that it would actually make it taller if hinged!

Don’t know exact dimensions myself, but the one statistic I am aware of is that when Maedb was going north, there was barely 3ins to spare once the tallest fittings were off. Trackbed higher now by more than that, so a journey to Dublin now would be by road. I’m sure someone here might have current Cork line loading gauge details?

Typical of that crowd! Disgusting behaviour.

Great NY resolution - best of luck with it!

Now the debate starts; what colour will it be repainted? (Runs for the door.....)

Actually, and i know the answer is probably simple, but what did you use for the weeds in the sto0nework? Might put that on the culvert bridge at Dugort Harbour.

This is really coming along in leaps and bounds. Amazing finish on the stonework.

Will be fantastic to see her back in traffic again!