Waterford, Limerick & Western models

[David Holman]

 Great to see the recent interest in all things WL&WR, with photos, 3D prints and historical stuff. Even so, evidence remains hard to come by, so thought I'd start a thread here in the hope of unearthing models from other folk over the years.

 My own journey started with the sad loss of Richard Chown, whose Castle Rackrent system included a fair bit of WLW stuff.  Following the offering of sealed bids, I became the custodian of Shannon, Richard's 0-6-0, which must now be approaching 50 years old. I had to replace the wheels, which were badly worn after many actual miles of operating his vast system, but the model is otherwise very much as built and I never cease to be amazed at how good it is.

 Having acquired the loco, it was then essential to have something to run with it and so I set about trying to recreate the 'Mail goods' which ran on Rackrent. My take on this involved peering into the few photos available in Ernie Shepherd's seminal tome on the railway & with the help of Alphagraphix etched chassis scratch built a six wheel full brake and four wheel coach, along with a brake van. 

 Am the first to admit these are probably from being accurate, but having to rely on photos to make approximate drawings, they generally look the part.

Did a horse box too, though this started life as the one that went to the Sligo Leitrim, but was eventually back dated following the arrival of Shannon.

 Two other WLW vehicles I built came from a post about the turf trains which ran during the 'Emergency' [aka WW2]. Couldn't resist the challenge of building a couple, which were made by resin casting sides and ends from my own plasticard masters, set on Alphagraphix six wheel chassis. Most of these wagons were ex WLW coaches with doors and windows boarded up and roofs removed. You couldn't make it up, but needs must at the time, to keep the home fires burning.

  So - how much other stuff is out there, I wonder? Mine is all 7mm scale and Richard's Galtee More 2-4-0 is hopefully being well looked after, but what about other scales? 

 Not the easiest railway to model, but very satisfying nonetheless.

[jhb171achill]

They certaonly look the part. Few ex-WLWR carriage designs survive, especially of older W & L types. In the short time between 1980 and the GSWR takeover just over a decade later, WLWR coach design was somewhat influenced by GWR practive in England - thoug not extending to their livery - hence the bowed-in ends omn WLWR stock - or what there was of it - built in their last days. They were the obly compnay in Ireland to adopt that design practice,which was otherwise so common that it was as good as standard on the GWR and Midland Railway in GB.

[Tullygrainey]

Some very fine scratch building there David. There's a lot of time-consuming detail work in all that panelling. Nice subtle weathering too.

[Galteemore]

14 hours ago, David Holman said:

 Great to see the recent interest in all things WL&WR, with photos, 3D prints and historical stuff. Even so, evidence remains hard to come by, so thought I'd start a thread here in the hope of unearthing models from other folk over the years.

 My own journey started with the sad loss of Richard Chown, whose Castle Rackrent system included a fair bit of WLW stuff.  Following the offering of sealed bids, I became the custodian of Shannon, Richard's 0-6-0, which must now be approaching 50 years old. I had to replace the wheels, which were badly worn after many actual miles of operating his vast system, but the model is otherwise very much as built and I never cease to be amazed at how good it is.

 Having acquired the loco, it was then essential to have something to run with it and so I set about trying to recreate the 'Mail goods' which ran on Rackrent. My take on this involved peering into the few photos available in Ernie Shepherd's seminal tome on the railway & with the help of Alphagraphix etched chassis scratch built a six wheel full brake and four wheel coach, along with a brake van. 

 Am the first to admit these are probably from being accurate, but having to rely on photos to make approximate drawings, they generally look the part.

Did a horse box too, though this started life as the one that went to the Sligo Leitrim, but was eventually back dated following the arrival of Shannon.

 Two other WLW vehicles I built came from a post about the turf trains which ran during the 'Emergency' [aka WW2]. Couldn't resist the challenge of building a couple, which were made by resin casting sides and ends from my own plasticard masters, set on Alphagraphix six wheel chassis. Most of these wagons were ex WLW coaches with doors and windows boarded up and roofs removed. You couldn't make it up, but needs must at the time, to keep the home fires burning.

  So - how much other stuff is out there, I wonder? Mine is all 7mm scale and Richard's Galtee More 2-4-0 is hopefully being well looked after, but what about other scales? 

 Not the easiest railway to model, but very satisfying nonetheless.

Wouldn’t surprise me if Fr John Brennan, who has a number of F/s models in 36.75mm gauge, has one. You can see some of his stuff in the Johnson/O’Rourke book 

[Northroader]

Nice 2-4-0 by Richard Chown. Wonder where that is now? It’s name escapes me for the minute.

[Galteemore]

17 minutes ago, Northroader said:

Nice 2-4-0 by Richard Chown. Wonder where that is now? It’s name escapes me for the minute.

My user name is the same…but I don’t own the model sadly. My own alias is from the name of the other Galtee More on Irish rails….

Edited November 25 by Galteemore

[jhb171achill]

3 hours ago, Northroader said:

3 hours ago, Northroader said:

Nice 2-4-0 by Richard Chown. Wonder where that is now? It’s name escapes me for the minute.

Absolute beauty. Two of those, as GSR 291 & 293, became the regular power on the Loughrea line between the early 1930s and early 50s.

Edited November 25 by jhb171achill

[David Holman]

Don't have the article on the original Castle Rackrent with me at the moment, but 99% sure that Richard didn't build Galteemore. No doubt someone will soon tell us, but it would indeed be nice to know where it went and indeed see more pictures! 

 Speaking of which, the Mail Goods consist featured a carriage truck with a pantechnicon wagon on board. Built something similar, so will post a photo once I've tracked it down.

[Rob R]

From the photos I have gleaned from interweb it was indeed No 20 Galtee More.

There was also one of the earlier Vulcan 240's, No 29 the 040st and at least one 044t, Castle Hacket? I think.

and an unknown 060

Samples cropped frrom photos from the internet.

Copyright with respective owners.

Also

We must not forget Killaney by David Walker.

November 1985 Railway Modeller.

Four locos, 242t No14 Lough Derg, Fairburn 240 No11 and 440 No54 Jubilee and 040st No29 again.

The same article also mentions a "superb tender drawing for Jubilee in the "Railway Engineer".

I have not yet found that online but I will keep looking.

Edit. That 060 may be an Avonside 042?

Rob

Edited November 25 by Rob R
Merged posts

[Mayner]

According to Paddraig O'Ciumin in "Baronial Lines of the MGWR an ex-WLWR 2-4-0 was tried on the Loughrea Branch, but "was unpopular with staff and earned itself the soubriquet of the "Bastard. He notes that 293 of Class G3 was on the Loughrea Line in 1934.

Seàn Kennedy gave me a copy mid 30s photo of an ex-WLWR 2-4-0 on a mixed train at Loughrea, interestingly the loco is heading a pair of ex-GSWR 6-wheelers rather than the usual MGWR stock a "Southern train' on a Midland branch!  The photo appears in Dònal Murray's Great Southern Railways pictorial album.  as 290 and its Southern train filling in for a temporary shortage of MGWR stock following the closure of Broadstone as a rail works and transfer of loco and stock overhauls timeto Inchacore around the same time?

A photo of ex-WLWR 2-4-0 290 (The Enniscorthy Pilot) appears in the same album leading a solitary GSWR 6wheel coach and a string of open wagons on an enniscorhy Wexford Mixed one of its regular workings in GSR /CIE days. Johnny Walker of he Wexford Club built a convincing 4mm OO gauge model of 290 (and other Waterford/Wexford based steam locos) in the late 70s/early mainly out of plasticard powered by an Airfix tender drive.

 

 

 

 

[jhb171achill]

51 minutes ago, Mayner said:

According to Paddraig O'Ciumin in "Baronial Lines of the MGWR an ex-WLWR 2-4-0 was tried on the Loughrea Branch, but "was unpopular with staff and earned itself the soubriquet of the "Bastard. He notes that 293 of Class G3 was on the Loughrea Line in 1934.

Seàn Kennedy gave me a copy mid 30s photo of an ex-WLWR 2-4-0 on a mixed train at Loughrea, interestingly the loco is heading a pair of ex-GSWR 6-wheelers rather than the usual MGWR stock a "Southern train' on a Midland branch!  The photo appears in Dònal Murray's Great Southern Railways pictorial album.  as 290 and its Southern train filling in for a temporary shortage of MGWR stock following the closure of Broadstone as a rail works and transfer of loco and stock overhauls timeto Inchacore around the same time?

A photo of ex-WLWR 2-4-0 290 (The Enniscorthy Pilot) appears in the same album leading a solitary GSWR 6wheel coach and a string of open wagons on an enniscorhy Wexford Mixed one of its regular workings in GSR /CIE days. Johnny Walker of he Wexford Club built a convincing 4mm OO gauge model of 290 (and other Waterford/Wexford based steam locos) in the late 70s/early mainly out of plasticard powered by an Airfix tender driver

Indeed - I had heard that story, but those staff seem to have either got used to them, or been told there was nothing else. As you say, there’s a record of one there in 1934. My dad plus someone else each separately took pictures of 293 there in April 1938 and late summer 1938. I’ve seen another photo of one of them undated but looks to be early 1940s, and Les Hyland saw one there in the early 1950s.

And yes, GSWR stock there was rare - as anywhere on the Midland - in GSR days and into CIE times, but Loughrea had two separate ex-GSWR bogie composites in the late 1950s, latterly trailing a brand new tin van!

The arrival of the G and C class locos, and modern coach 1910, put a stop to all that early in 1963.

[David Holman]

Fascinating stuff, as ever and what this Forum is so good at! Forgot about David Walker. Sat between him and Gordon Gravett at the St Albans show, many years ago - Andrew Burnham, editor of Continental Modeller was on the same dinner table and it was quite an evening. At the time, had no idea DW was into the Irish scene ( he was doing Midland in Gauge 1 I think), while my own interests were still very much Colonel Holman Fred Stephens, for some reason.

 Another opportunity missed, one that probably ranks alongside missing Adavoyle at the Chatham Show. Thank goodness we still have the pictures!

[minister_for_hardship]

5 hours ago, jhb171achill said:

Indeed - I had heard that story, but those staff seem to have either got used to them, or been told there was nothing else. As you say, there’s a record of one there in 1934. My dad plus someone else each separately took pictures of 293 there in April 1938 and late summer 1938. I’ve seen another photo of one of them undated but looks to be early 1940s, and Les Hyland saw one there in the early 1950s.

And yes, GSWR stock there was rare - as anywhere on the Midland - in GSR days and into CIE times, but Loughrea had two separate ex-GSWR bogie composites in the late 1950s, latterly trailing a brand new tin van!

The arrival of the G and C class locos, and modern coach 1910, put a stop to all that early in 1963.

I guess by the 30s-50s it was probably seen as just another antique loco they had to work with, old pre GSR company brand loyalty having dissolved somewhat.

[jhb171achill]

4 hours ago, minister_for_hardship said:

I guess by the 30s-50s it was probably seen as just another antique loco they had to work with, old pre GSR company brand loyalty having dissolved somewhat.

Exactly - a case of “making do”!

[Horsetan]

8 hours ago, David Holman said:

.....Another opportunity missed, one that probably ranks alongside missing Adavoyle at the Chatham Show....

Which year was that?

[David Holman]

Can't remember, but it was in the marquee, on the pea shingle. It rained and part of the roof leaked. Not our finest hour...

[Horsetan]

2 hours ago, David Holman said:

Can't remember, but it was in the marquee, on the pea shingle. It rained and part of the roof leaked. Not our finest hour...

Ah, I was there, so. Was on the Adavoyle operating team that year.

That was in 2001, and I actually heard the roof canvas give way and dump quite a lot of water onto one of the stands. Messy.