ERNIE's Irish Railway Archive, photos from ca 1900 to the 2000's

[Irishswissernie]

HC Casserley from the 30's + Richard Casserley from 1955.

SLNC 1929-09-20 Sligo 'Lissadell' HCC Glass 6323 Cas25008.

GSR 1934-07-17 Westport. 530 HCC11201 Cas25166.

DB&ST 1932-06-05 Embankment HCC8723  Cas25126.

CIE 1955-04-14 Glenbeigh , 127. RMC83267 Cas25099.

 

 

[Irishswissernie]

CIE 1961-06-05 Fenit Pier yj313.

CIE 1961-06 Athlone West Junction Cabin yj328.

CIE 1966-05-14  Ardee B159 yj321.

 

 

[Patrick Davey]

Lovely shots Ernie.  The Athlone cabin almost looks Great Northern!

[Irishswissernie]

GMK035 CIE 1961-04-xx Inchicore Up Home signal with square Board S4.

GMK022 CIE 1961-04-xx Inchicore 'Sambo' L28.

GMK010 CIE 1961-04-xx Inchicore TD112.

 

 

[David Holman]

That signal is certainly different! A one off? Somebody out there will know.

[Mol_PMB]

36 minutes ago, David Holman said:

That signal is certainly different! A one off? Somebody out there will know.

Definitely an odd one. It looks more like a shunt dolly, elevated for better visibility. 

Note also the track circuit diamond on the post.

Would be interesting to work out where exactly this was, and what move this signal was for.

Could it be signal 13 on this diagram?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/49761789231

 

[Horsetan]

2 hours ago, Mol_PMB said:

Definitely an odd one. It looks more like a shunt dolly, elevated for better visibility. 

Note also the track circuit diamond on the post.

Would be interesting to work out where exactly this was, and what move this signal was for.

Could it be signal 13 on this diagram?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/49761789231

 

The improvised use of a square board for what is ostensibly a main arm certainly suggests sighting purposes.

Definitely one for those who worked in CIE's S&T department. How many improvised signals like these were there on the network?

Interesting that the white bar is missing from the red "arm", so was it actually for a shunt move? I wouldn't have thought that S&T was so short of equipment that they couldn't find a spare shunting disc in the stores, though....

[Irishswissernie]

A couple of interesting workings through Haltwhistle today, a welcome change from the usual diet of 156, 158 DMU's & Class 66 Locos.

Sir Nigel Gresley & Royal Scots Grey. They were working to Newcastle Heaton Depot which is having an Open Weekend on the 20/21 September. as part of the Railways 200 years Celebrations.

No need to go now ! I've seen the 2 that I might have gone to see. Last weekend I went to the Tanfield Railway which is actually celebrating its 300 years and says its is the World oldest as it still operates over part of the original trackbed (wooden wagonway then.)

 

[David Holman]

Great to see two iconic Easy Coast Mainline racehorses looking in fine fettle. Give me  green diesels rather than blue anyday!

[Irishswissernie]

Sligo Leitrim & Northern Counties today.

SLNC 1929-09-20 Sligo 'Blacklion' ex GNRI 118 HCC Glass 6324 Cas25007.

SLNC 1950-05-18 Enniskillen 'Fermanagh' oou HCC72983 Cas25081.

SLNC 1929-09-19 Manorhamilton ' Lough Gill '' HCC Glass 6322 Cas25005.

SLNC 1929-09-19 Manorhamilton Coach No12 ,Asbbury 1899. HCC Glass 6320 Cas25010

 

 

[airfixfan]

Lovely photos of another railway with character

[David Holman]

Amazing how wide the track looks in that third photo. Makes me think I should be using Code 75, or even 55, instead of 100...

 What a railway!

[Horsetan]

2 hours ago, David Holman said:

Amazing how wide the track looks in that third photo. Makes me think I should be using Code 75, or even 55, instead of 100...

I'm not sure when the SL&NC started to fall into arrears of maintenance in relation to condition of the rails, but most of the photos I've seen suggest they were running on some quite ropey metals...

[Mol_PMB]

I do rather like the look of Black Lion, which is very diminutive for a 4-4-0. It's almost dwarfed by the open wagon behind it.

This image on the Transports of Delight website has a human for scale.

 

[airfixfan]

37 minutes ago, Horsetan said:

I'm not sure when the SL&NC started to fall into arrears of maintenance in relation to condition of the rails, but most of the photos I've seen suggest they were running on some quite ropey metals...

Mainly due to an extreme shortage of funds or help from Belfast and Dublin from about 1947/8 in particular

[Galteemore]

36 minutes ago, Mol_PMB said:

I do rather like the look of Black Lion, which is very diminutive for a 4-4-0. It's almost dwarfed by the open wagon behind it.

This image on the Transports of Delight website has a human for scale.

 

It’s tiny. Having built the chassis for it in 7mm (awaiting body etches) it is simply dwarfed by a PP (not a giant itself)

[BSGSV]

On 16/9/2025 at 7:52 AM, Mol_PMB said:

Definitely an odd one. It looks more like a shunt dolly, elevated for better visibility. 

Note also the track circuit diamond on the post.

Would be interesting to work out where exactly this was, and what move this signal was for.

Could it be signal 13 on this diagram?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/49761789231

 

It's 23 the Up Home. Apparently for sighting reasons. There's a photo is Tom Middlemass' "Irish Standard Gauge Railways". The footbridge from the Khyber pass entrance might have been an issue? 

[Irishswissernie]

Memories! Takes me back 60 years to the East Coast Main Line in Northumberland. D9000 in a hurry to get back to Crewe from Heaton Open Weekend; this morning.

 

Edited Monday at 13:31 by Irishswissernie

[David Holman]

Sounds like just one engine working - for obvious reasons. The demonic howl when both were on full power could rival a steam loco exhaust. Well nearly...

Back in the 70s, my choice of train home at the end of term from college in London was the Aberdeen Mail. Often loaded to 15 bogies or more, sticking well out beyond the end of the platforms at Kings Cross. Still have vivid memories of one run where the train did Grantham to Newark (14 miles, including 1 in 200 through Peasciffe Tunnel) in 12 minutes, start to stop. Was convinced it wasn't going to call at Newark for a while, but the noise, standing at the carriage door with the window open as we flew through the tunnel, was incredible.

 

[Northroader]

It’s nice in the engine room of one of those when it’s going top lick. Besides the engines, you’ve got stuff like cardan shafts rattling round.

Reminds me, my hearing aid batteries are getting down.

[Irishswissernie]

Manulla Junction in April 1955, nowadays 2 points but at least its still there.

CIE 1955-04-20 Manulla Junction RMC26103 RMC83490.

CIE 1955-04-19  Manulla Junction 655 1.30 Westport - Athlone. RMC26114 RMS 83481.

CIE 1955-04-19  Manulla Junction, 542, 11.25 Athlone - Westport. RMC26115 RMC83482.

 

[GSR 800]

Wonderful photos of the Midland.

Manulla is barely recognisable at all compared to today!

[Galteemore]

Those Midland 4-4-0s, unsatisfactory performers as they arguably were, have a real presence. There’s almost something of a Prussian S6 or LNWR George V about them.

[Horsetan]

33 minutes ago, GSR 800 said:

Wonderful photos of the Midland.

Manulla is barely recognisable at all compared to today!

Became a bit of a wasteland once rationalised

[GSR 800]

9 minutes ago, Horsetan said:

Became a bit of a wasteland once rationalised

The dreaded word few dare utter.

[Horsetan]

Just now, GSR 800 said:

The dreaded word few dare utter.

...and yet something that anyone involved in Irish rail, throughout much of the second half of the 20th century, was familiar with.

[GSR 800]

2 minutes ago, Horsetan said:

...and yet something that anyone involved in Irish rail, throughout much of the second half of the 20th century, was familiar with.

I can only hope that, in time, Mullingar's rationalisation may be reversed somewhat, along with other parts of the system!

 

[Galteemore]

Let’s hope so, but I suspect it’s only because of the pruning that we have as much left as we do. I well recall Sligo in the 80s - Sligo Leitrim crews could still have brought a train in under semaphores, shunted down the quays, and then turned the loco and put it in the shed. All that infrastructure was still there. It was glorious, but it couldn’t last. Thanks to Ernie for this 1987 pic.

Edited Tuesday at 20:52 by Galteemore

[Horsetan]

6 minutes ago, Galteemore said:

Let’s hope so, but I suspect it’s only because of the pruning that we have as much left as we do. I well recall Sligo in the 80s - Sligo Leitrim crews could still have brought a train in under semaphores, shunted down the quays, and then turned the loco and put it in the shed. All that infrastructure was still there. It was glorious, but it couldn’t last.....

See also Claremorris.

[Irishswissernie]

GNRI 1950-05-17 Clones 57 HCC 72973 Cas25053.

GNRI 1950-05-17 Clones  164  HCC 72972 Cas25052.

GNRI 1950-05-17 Clones 203 HCC 72975 Cas25055.

 

 

[airfixfan]

Nice photo of 203

[Galteemore]

Early colour shots of the 1948 Us suggest that Beyer delivered them in a fairly dark blue. That pic of 203 seems to bear it out