Sligo Miniature World

[Auto-Train Original]

https://www.independent.ie/county/sligo/sligo-miniature-world-creator-seeks-old-cie-depot-at-quays-as-permanent-home-for-attraction/a/160429303.html

 

[Colonel]

Sounds great to me!

[Auto-Train Original]

Would love to see the Fry layout as it was in Malahide built here. The Casio in Dublin is a woeful effort, I do not care what people say. Everyone, including me, finds it massively disappointing. No ones fault. The building is too small. 

Edited Wednesday at 12:03 by Auto-Train Original

[Mol_PMB]

17 minutes ago, Auto-Train Original said:

Would love to see the Fry layout as it was in Malahide built here. The Casio in Dublin is a woeful effort, I do not care what people say. Everyone, including me, finds it massively disappointing. No ones fault. The building is too small. 

I think that's unfair on the Casino. Fry's rolling stock models are masterpieces of craftsmanship, especially considering how much had to be hand-made and hand-painted in those days. The recreation of his workbench is a nice human touch to illustrate that, also giving the opportunity to show off some of the incomplete models or what the mechanisms look like. The Casino shows off the main collection of models very well, allowing close inspection, and the models are well grouped and tell the story of his modelling as well as the development of Irish railway locos and rolling stock. 

The OO layout is nicely done - the cliffs are dramatic as is the central Dublin scene. And it works, apparently reliable, with a continuous sequence of trains.

You may not like it, but I think 'woeful' is far too harsh, and I didn't find it disappointing. In fact I went back again for a second look. 

 

[jhb171achill]

47 minutes ago, Mol_PMB said:

I think that's unfair on the Casino. Fry's rolling stock models are masterpieces of craftsmanship, especially considering how much had to be hand-made and hand-painted in those days. The recreation of his workbench is a nice human touch to illustrate that, also giving the opportunity to show off some of the incomplete models or what the mechanisms look like. The Casino shows off the main collection of models very well, allowing close inspection, and the models are well grouped and tell the story of his modelling as well as the development of Irish railway locos and rolling stock. 

The OO layout is nicely done - the cliffs are dramatic as is the central Dublin scene. And it works, apparently reliable, with a continuous sequence of trains.

You may not like it, but I think 'woeful' is far too harsh, and I didn't find it disappointing. In fact I went back again for a second look. 

 

That's in keeping with literally 100% of enthusiast feedback so far!

Fry's models total some 361 items. About a dozen more remain in the possession of his family. Other than about a dozen models f mainland European items, plus a Fry-repainted Bing American 1930s diesel railcar train, about 100 are of British prototypes, and 200-odd Irish. For the first time ever, all of his Irish stuff is on display - so are the handful of mainland European models he made. There isn't room (yet) for the British stuff, though that won't bother visitors because they're generally unaware of their existence! His British stuff is mostly LMS & LNWR, and some very fine stuff there is in it, but it is hoped that funding may be obtained for more display areas for these. 

People unfairly compare this the the "old" "Fry museum". But - the old one, which many wax so lyrical about, in Malahide Castle - where there was a massive "0" Gauge layout operating - was NOT Fry's models.

When Cyril Fry died, he stipulated that his models were never to run again. For one thing, many of the motors are badly worn due to very high mileage in his house. Secondly, his reasoning was that he "didn't want them being dragged round the carpet at the end of a bit of string by a child". (Fry was not known for being child-tolerant - quite the opposite!). Therefore, they were to remain ONLY as museum exhibits. So people who compare the modern layout there with the old one are barking up the wrong tree - the models that were seen running in the old place were made in the 1980s and 1990s by a mix of some 6 or 7 modellers, including the likes of Brendan Kelly, the Magowan brothers of the old Phibsboro model shop, and several others. Some of these are operating on the high level 0 gauge track in the casino today, and others are on loan to the likes of DCDR and Enniskillen Railway Museum for display. The place advertised itself as the "Fry Model Railway" - based on the fact that SOME of his models were there in display cases! Most remained in storage - until now. But it was not a "Fry" railway - neither the models nor the layout it ran on had anything whatsoever to do with Fry.

His own layout at his house had been broken up and scrapped years earlier. It was not possible to take apart and reassemble. Moreover, the tech side of it was even by 1970s standards, archaic. The layout seen in Malahide Castle had been built separately by apprentices in Inchicore Works, to teach them soldering skills and the like. Again, nothing to do with Fry. Neither this layout, nor the models which ran on it, were even thought of hile he was alive.

So, while the actual Fry English models remain in store, his Irish collection is on display in its entirety for the first time ever, as in the Castle only a handful of his models overall were able to be displayed.

The operational layout now is digitally-controlled 00 gauge. The concept today of a large layout with up to six manual operators trying to keep it going is just not realistic, especially with the hopelessly outdated control systems that were in use. The modern layout showcases what's available for 00 scale Irish stuff today - with a wide variety of IRM & Murphy models in operation.

The Casino building is of historic interest in itself, but that's another story.

With the constraints of a listed building, the best possible use has been made of available space, and feedback from visitors remains good. I likewise think "woeful" is pretty harsh.

Edited Wednesday at 13:14 by jhb171achill

[Blaine]

1 hour ago, Auto-Train Original said:

Would love to see the Fry layout as it was in Malahide built here. The Casio in Dublin is a woeful effort, I do not care what people say. Everyone, including me, finds it massively disappointing. No ones fault. The building is too small. 

Very little if any of Cyril Fry's stock ran on that. Most of it was built by a guy named Tommy Tighe who worked in Inchicore for many years.

Glad you dont like it, its been build to cater for a market, tourists. The City section is being upgraded too, as the original version wasnt great

[jhb171achill]

4 minutes ago, Blaine said:

Very little if any of Cyril Fry's stock ran on that. Most of it was built by a guy named Tommy Tighe who worked in Inchicore for many years.

Glad you dont like it, its been build to cater for a market, tourists. The City section is being upgraded too, as the original version wasnt great

Tommy and his apprentices built the layout itself. The models were built by others - many being MRSI members. 

[WRENNEIRE]

A lot of the buses and road vehicles were repaired by Des McGlynn who many may know from his time attending the 3 day shows in Raheny and Blackrock.
Des was also a dealer at Bray toy fair and also when it was in Sandyford with Des Cooney as the main organiser. 

[jhb171achill]

7 hours ago, WRENNEIRE said:

A lot of the buses and road vehicles were repaired by Des McGlynn who many may know from his time attending the 3 day shows in Raheny and Blackrock.
Des was also a dealer at Bray toy fair and also when it was in Sandyford with Des Cooney as the main organiser. 

True! 

[cheesy_peas]

The site would allow Sligo Miniature World to develop elements that would be difficult or impossible to accommodate elsewhere, including the proposed Irish Railway and Transport Museum

I wonder what this would entail? There can't be much left to preserve out there outside of what the DCDR, Cavan & Leitrim, Stradbally et al have on hands?

[jhb171achill]

6 hours ago, cheesy_peas said:

The site would allow Sligo Miniature World to develop elements that would be difficult or impossible to accommodate elsewhere, including the proposed Irish Railway and Transport Museum

I wonder what this would entail? There can't be much left to preserve out there outside of what the DCDR, Cavan & Leitrim, Stradbally et al have on hands?

There isn’t. I think a loan of something from Whitehead (the SLNCR loco might be a start) would be their only option. 

[Mol_PMB]

I can't help thinking that the proposal gets less realistic the further you read. 

Miniature stuff fair enough, but full-size museums are money pits and the ambitions to run heritage trains on the quay branch and beyond on the main line are a whole different level. 

And while Sligo is a nice town, it's a long way away from the punters in the big cities.

[cheesy_peas]

1 hour ago, jhb171achill said:

There isn’t. I think a loan of something from Whitehead (the SLNCR loco might be a start) would be their only option. 

Was thinking that, you could possibly, at a push, scrape together (very) short, static, representation of a goods train with the SLNC tank at the head of it.

Sligo is a bit off the mainstream tourist trail, (unless you are a Yeats fan or a surfing head) which is a shame but here we are.

As mentioned, an attraction like this will struggle to make ends meet even if it gets off the ground.

[jhb171achill]

14 minutes ago, cheesy_peas said:

Was thinking that, you could possibly, at a push, scrape together (very) short, static, representation of a goods train with the SLNC tank at the head of it.

Sligo is a bit off the mainstream tourist trail, (unless you are a Yeats fan or a surfing head) which is a shame but here we are.

As mentioned, an attraction like this will struggle to make ends meet even if it gets off the ground.

I hope it does, as the potential premises are perfect. But he can forget about an operational heritage railway to start with, for a whole range of reasons. 
 

He ought to focus on wider interpretations of local history - the famine, Yeats, Countess Marcivic, Lissadell House and the influence of the local landed gentry on the town, emigration, the border, mining, Ben Bulben & other unique local topography and so on. 

[cheesy_peas]

9 minutes ago, jhb171achill said:

I hope it does, as the potential premises are perfect. But he can forget about an operational heritage railway to start with, for a whole range of reasons. 
 

He ought to focus on wider interpretations of local history - the famine, Yeats, Countess Marcivic, Lissadell House and the influence of the local landed gentry on the town, emigration, the border, mining, Ben Bulben & other unique local topography and so on. 

Maybe take a couple of the RPSI Laminates on long term loan, cosmetically restored, as they'll never run on the mainline again anyhow.

But yes the premises is large and should diversify beyond the rail and marine setting for wider appeal.

[Westcorkrailway]

I always thought that if the transport meuseum in Dublin were the move and they gained a handful or surplus railway stuff (say, 5T, sleive callan, the RPSI spare 141s ect. ) it would be fine.

 

getting to Sligo isint an easy trek either. You’d get to Belfast from Dublin faster!