Manullla Junction

[StevieB]

Hi

Can anyone point in the direction of photos of Manulla Junction in the days up to first closure in 1963, please? To date I have only come across three in Branch Line Album vol 1, Irish Railways in Pictures MGW Line and IRRS Journal June 1977. There are plenty about after the re-opening when it was little more than a bare island platform and two running lines.

Stephen

[Glenderg]

1955 http://www.mayolibrary.ie/media/Postcards/Castlebar/Webpages/detail.np/detail-07.html

 

1985 http://www.geograph.ie/photo/1092253

 

Not an easy one to find StevieB, but here's the OS map from 1947 which might be of some help.

 

 

Welcome to the site too!

Richie.

[Broithe]

If you're in England with nothing to do, try to buy a ticket to Manulla Junction....

 

.. the concept of a station that isn't a destination is a problem to them...

[StevieB]

To date, my quest for photos of Manulla Junction pre re-opening has produced five:

Lawrence Marshall (undated) Branch Line Album

HC Casserley (1955) Irish Railways in Pictures MGWR & Irish Railways in the Heyday of Steam

NJ McAdams (1960) Journal of IRRS June 1977

Barry Carse (1975) Rails Through The West

Anon (1985) Wikipeda

Has anyone got details of who holds the copyright of these photos so that I can get copies and also explore whether they have any more of interest.

Also, has anyone come across a book called Railway Stations in County Mayo:| Claremorris, Manulla Junction, Foxford and Ballyhaunis, published by LLC Books in 2010?

Stephen

[Broithe]

LLC Books - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Books_LLC - mmmm..?

[Mayner]

Try the J P O'Dea colletion National Library http://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000303526 seems to be a diagram and photos from 1950 onwards, JP focused on stations and signal boxes and stations rather than trains.

 

It might be worth while checking out J F O'Neill's collection of photographs from 1939 in the Stephenson Locomotive Society http://www.stephensonloco.org.uk/SLSphotocollec.htm

 

Great Southern Railways Irish Railway Pictorial, Iain Allen ISBN (10) 07110 31509 is maid up mostly of photos from the SLS collection and includes two from Manulla mainly of trains.

[josefstadt]

To date, my quest for photos of Manulla Junction pre re-opening has produced five:

Lawrence Marshall (undated) Branch Line Album

HC Casserley (1955) Irish Railways in Pictures MGWR & Irish Railways in the Heyday of Steam

NJ McAdams (1960) Journal of IRRS June 1977

Barry Carse (1975) Rails Through The West

Anon (1985) Wikipeda

Has anyone got details of who holds the copyright of these photos so that I can get copies and also explore whether they have any more of interest.

Also, has anyone come across a book called Railway Stations in County Mayo:| Claremorris, Manulla Junction, Foxford and Ballyhaunis, published by LLC Books in 2010?

Stephen

 

Stephen,

 

The copyright for the NJ McAdams pic would be with the IRRS. Barry Carse would be the copyright owner for his picture. Both can be contacted through the society.

[StevieB]

Thanks to all those who helped in my quest re photos.

And now one more request for help.

I have a signalling diagram for the original box when it was situated at the Athlone end of the down platform, IRRS Journal 163 Mayo Line Modernisation.

However, the box was destroyed in 1922 and subsequently rebuilt at the Westport end of the down platform. There were track and signalling alterations in 1937. so does anyone have, or know the whereabouts of, a signalling diagram for the second box, please?

Stephen

[StevieB]

The Irish Railfan's News of July 1960 carries an interesting article about Manulla Junction in its Station Survey. Apparently the Ballina branch train connected with the first up passenger train, the up and down Limited Mails, which crossed at Manulla, and the up Night Mail and second down passenger train which also crossed at Manulla. However, the down Night Mail did not have a connection to Ballina. I make this nine passenger trains arriving and departing Manulla, three up, three down and three branch. However, the article refers to thirteen passenger arrivals and departures. Were there four ghost trains in this part of County Mayo?

Stephen

[Mayner]

Stephen

 

Funnily enough I have a copy of the 1960WTT which adds even more to the confusion:

 

I will post it up when I get a chance.

 

Main Line 4 Passenger up and down, (2 Limited and Night Mails, 1 stopping Passenger, 1 Cu na Mara Railcar express passenger)

Branch 4 Passenger+ 1 Mixed up and down. C Class possibly 6 wheelers or GSWR or Midland Bogie & 6w van)

 

The Night Mails would mainly carry mails and urgent freight traffic, possibly a single coach, heating, mail and luggage vans and a tail of vans and cattle wagons. A lot of pre-amalgamation ventilated vans would have remained in service for perishable traffic into the 60s possibly traffic to the Dublin Fish Market from Westport or Ballina.

 

Goods "Ballina Goods" fast overnight limited stop goods 9am arrival Westport, mixed train connection to Ballina!

"Westport Goods" all station pick up goods Athlone-Westport late afternoon arrival Westport.

 

A Class on the main line apart from the Cu na Mara, with a pair of C Class on the Ballina Branch.

 

In steam days large ex MGWR Cs Class 4-4-0 on main line passenger, possibly Ks or 650 Class 2-4-0 on the Mails, 650 or Achill Bogies on the branch.

 

The Ballina Goods actually ran to Ballina ex MGWR Standard Goods L or Lm Class similar in size to J15 due to weight restrictions on Moy Viaduct.

 

Ex-MGWR F "Cattle Engines" on Westport Goods, ex-MGWR As Cs Class 4-4-0s and F Class on main line cattle specials.

 

N J Mc Adams mid 70s 2 article IRRS paper on the Mayo Line provides a good background of history and operations up to around 1975.

Edited September 27, 2013 by Mayner

[Mayner]

 

 

[jhb171achill]

One "Achill Bogie" tended to be on the branch (along with other locos) in the 1940s. I believe 530 was a regular for a time. By the fifties, few were left, and what little work they did seemed to be confined to light duties around Athlone and carriage heating in Dublin.

[StevieB]

John, thanks for both your explanation of train workings at Manulla Junction and the copies of the 1960 WTT - wonderful reading. It has allowed me to put together my own WTT for Manulla Junction.

Stephen

[StevieB]

Two more photos of Manulla Junction have come to light:

Southern Yard's recent photo of the western end showing a railcar set approaching, together with a steam loco and coach waiting in the connection between the Westport and Ballina lines.

A photo by Father Brown, held by Mayo County library, showing the island platform looking in the direction of Claremorris in GS days. The platform is thronging with passengers making the connection between trains.

Stephen

[jhb171achill]

There are lots of photos of Manulla Junction in the IRRS archives.

[Southern Yard]

Here's another west looking view. Not too many photos looking the opposite way.

Edited January 25, 2014 by Southern Yard

[Mayner]

Interesting photo appears to have been taken following closure of the station and the conversion of the junction points to remote operation from Balla !

 

There is a similar 1955 Richard Casserley photo of 2-4-0 655 arriving from Westport passenger train had grown lot longer 655 was hauling 2 bogie coaches and a 6w brake. Cabin closed signals now controlled remotely from Balla, starting signals at Castlebar end station removed, running loop converted to a siding with the main line protected by trap points

[thewanderer]

Rather bare today compared to that picture! Was Manulla was a normal public accessible station back in the day??

[jhb171achill]

I don't think it was ever publicly accessible, certainly not for a very long time.

[StevieB]

Manulla Junction was closed to all traffic in 1963. It ceased to be a block post in 1964, at which time the loop on the Westport line was converted to ground frame operation so that the locos of Knock specials could run round their trains. However, with the increasing use of railcars, it was dispensed with in 1966. The timespan of the photo is, therefore, 1964-66.

Stephen

[StevieB]

There are seven photos of Manulla Junction in the O'Dea collection. Six of them are different views of the station but I'm having trouble with the seventh which carries the description "end of platform and bridge". For the life of me I can't place it. Can anyone help, please?

Stephen

[StevieB]

I've looked again at this last photo and compared it with the OSI plan of the station. I now believe that the loco is standing on the Ballina branch loop at the Ballina end of the island platform.

Stephen

[josefstadt]

Stephen, I think you are spot on when you say that the loco is 'standing on the Ballina branch loop at the Ballina end of the island platform'. I'd suggest that the photo is back to front and that the line diverging neatest the camera is the siding leading to the turntable shown on the 1947 O.S. map included by Glenderg in post #2. I can't figure out where the caption writer saw the bridge but assume it is the end of the canopy that they are referring to.

[StevieB]

I did wonder that - isn't the CIE symbol on the tender facing the wrong way?

Stephen

[StevieB]

Just checked on Wikipedia - the CIE symbol is the correct way round so the photo isn't back to front.

Stephen

[Garfield]

I did wonder that - isn't the CIE symbol on the tender facing the wrong way?

Stephen

 

On steam locos, the upper 'wing' of the Flying Snail logo always faced forward...

[jhb171achill]

Here's another west looking view. Not too many photos looking the opposite way.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]11539[/ATTACH]

 

This is of particular interest to modellers. Those who have had many birthdays fewer than myself and some other posters here (yiz know who ye are!) will be aware that prior to 1970, and the introduction of the NIR Enterprise and 80 class railcars a few years later, the uniformity seen almost universally since was almost unknown. Now, a modeller who likes Mk 3's will run them, with a EGV of the sole type they had. Craven-likers will run a train all of those, as will modellers of NIR Mk 2s etc.

 

So - if you like laminates, by all means; but back in the day you would almost never get a train of a uniform design of them, or of anything. Thus, models based prior to the early 70s almost need, as obligatory, a hotch-potch of all manner of stuff behind them.

 

In the colour pic at Manulla Junction above, we have (from behind the loco onwards), a GSWR wooden side corridor comp in green, a GSWR side corridor third in black'n'tan, a laminate in b'n't, a green laminate, what I think may be a Bredin in b'n't, and two other vehicles, whose side profiles show that they are different from each other, and from the others in the train. Thus, we have a seven vehicle train in two liveries and with no two carriages the same. A dirty silver luggage van, or an-ex-GNR KJ15 in blue and cream would equally have been possible candidates for inclusion.

 

Such a combination was typical, if not normal; and a train of uniform type was almost unknown. The opposite of today.

[Mayner]

Variety in train formation was pretty much the norm up to the widespread introduction of MK3 stock and withdrawl of the Laminates and wooden framed stock in the Mid-80.

 

The Operating Department tended to use conventional stock (higher seating capacity) in preference to "Supertrains" on the heaviest mainline trains such as the morning departures from Heuston to the South and West, while Supertrains tended to be used on the more lightly loaded morning departures from the provinces and evening return workings. Dubln-Sligo, Westport and Rosslare were almost exclusively "Train Line" wired conventional stock usually a mix of Craven, Park Royal, Laminate, timber famed 1953 Buffet and early 1960 Inchacore built wooden framed 1sts and Standards, these trains usually ran with a BR or Dutch generator steam van. Suburban, branch line and cross country services tended to use non-TL stock with battery & dynamo lighting a mix of early 1950 timber framed stock, laminates and Park Royals with steam heating provided by Tin Vans or van conversions of early 50s & Laminate suburban stock.

 

The difference in profile between different batches of vehicles is probably the most striking feature of modern Inchacore built coaching stock, the “Bredins”, early CIE, Park Royal, Laminates, TPO & Cravens all had different profiles, probably due to a move from traditional carriage building through component assembly with the Park Royals and Laminates towards modern stressed skin construction with the Cravens and ultimately MK2 & 3 stock.

[StevieB]

I've got a couple of photos of trains arriving at Manulla Junction from Westport, one by HC Casserley, dated 20 April 1955, and the other by Lawrence Marshall, which is undated, but shows the track at this end of the station as chaired. Anyone care to put an approximate date on this, please?

 

Stephen

[jhb171achill]

[quote name=Mayner;36409

 

In steam days large ex MGWR Cs Class 4-4-0 on main line passenger' date=' possibly Ks or 650 Class 2-4-0 on the Mails, 650 or Achill Bogies on the branch.

 

.[/quote]

 

The "D16"s sometimes worked Achill - Westport, but on other services Achill - Athlone. After the Achill line closed, a D16 was based for a while on the Ballina line, so that's when one would have been there.

 

I have a good collection of WTTs so if there's any specific year you'd like, I can post that up. Most of mine are pre-1980.

[rfbsy]

@StevieB ive just found this thread and wonder how you progressed with photos back then? i had family workng at manulla for 50 years plus so i'd love to see any photos you could share? my email is rforbsey@icloud.com if youve anything at all?
thanks v much