Ernies Massive Irish 1930's to 2005 Photo Archive

[connollystn]

That's a great detailed photograph of the 2660. They certainly have more character than the 29000.

[jhb171achill]

59 minutes ago, Lambeg man said:

If sharp curves on the Valencia branch or anywhere else were the whole reason, why then were several ex-GNR Railcars, both AEC and BUT, that went to CIE fitted with these large 2' buffers post 1960? 

No idea - probably the same reason but maybe different locations.

[Irishswissernie]

I have acquired some 200 plus Graham Roose original slides which will be added to flickr over the coming months. Here are some of his night views of Sugar Beet trains in Waterford Yard 28 October 1995.

 

[Galteemore]

Wonderful stuff Ernie. Thankfully a few like Graham - and your esteemed self - had the wit to capture scenes that would soon pass away for ever. Growing up in the north where DEMUs dominated, the south was an absolute paradise of traction variety, with so much of interest. Photos like this are so evocative - thank you.

Edited May 24, 2021 by Galteemore

[Mayner]

On 10/4/2021 at 9:01 PM, Irishswissernie said:

I am awaiting a Special Delivery today of 2000 negatives to identify and label up. The bad news for Irish enthusiasts is that they are all UK. The good news (for me) is that in return I can keep any I fancy.

There may be some more Irish, the sender of the last batch also included Swansea & Mumbles negs so hopefully some Irish have also been miss- sorted .

In the meantime 3 more Irish from the first lot. Cavan & Leitrim / CB&P coupling height differences. Ballinamore's high tec point & signal Control Centre & Waterford & Tramore's answer to luxury bus travel.

 

 

A precursor of British Rails Freightliner trains of the 1960s  GSR & CIE ran the 39 ex-CBP & C&MR open wagons in fixed formation blocks of 10 wagon with the original Link and Pin (hook & eye) couplers used on the Cork narrow gauge lines internally and the "Outer Wagons" had a link and pin coupling at one end and a Norwegian "Chopper" coupling at the other end for coupling with C&L locos and stock stock.

The link and pin couplings were highly dangerous and were eventually banned from interchange service in the US and replaced with knuckle couplers. 

[patrick]

Regarding the danger of link and pin couplers in the US it is said that the experience of a brake man could be evaluated by the number of fingers he had lost.

Edited May 24, 2021 by patrick

[Irishswissernie]

I received this slide today of 021 at Arklow 25 May 1990 having worked the 17.25 from Dublin.

Looking at her  ( or him or it) its  got me thinking that rather than just adding weathering to my A's maybe I should also  be removing paint.

Edited June 7, 2021 by Irishswissernie

[WRENNEIRE]

Hope you dont mind me sticking these here Ernie?

 

C&L Bogie Brake Van, Ballinamore 1954

 

Some Castlederg & Victoria Bridge Tramway Box vans 1937

 

 

Small Guinness GN Van



Bessbrook & Newry tram



Just liked this one, on a GN Engineers rake



 

[Irishswissernie]

No problems, add as many railway views as you like.

The small Guinness Van view is from a Casserley negative which is now in my collection . Omagh 20 April 1948

 

[Irishswissernie]

A batch of original slides from 1967 arrived last week. They are mainly of Belfast York Road, with a few at Great Victoria Street and Dundalk. Here are a few : 

Skegoneill WT51 on 10 spoil wagons + brake van 27 April 1967 and at York Road June 1967.

B188 + B192 at Great Victoria Street 29 April 1967

Edited June 28, 2021 by Irishswissernie

[connollystn]

Very clean looking 181s, look as if they're just fresh out of the box.

[Westcorkrailway]

58 minutes ago, connollystn said:

Very clean looking 181s, look as if they're just fresh out of the box.

Because black n tan livery was way easier to keep clean the liveries before or since. Not to mention CIE were good at keeping them clean when they did get dirty

[jhb171achill]

2 hours ago, Westcorkrailway said:

Because black n tan livery was way easier to keep clean the liveries before or since. Not to mention CIE were good at keeping them clean when they did get dirty

Genny vans and TPOs, of course, were exempt; many of these got so filthy they could have been painted pink and lime green with tartan stripes for all anyone could tell!

I remember seeing a tin van at Limerick one time, at the back of a two-coach train at the platform, which might have been for the Nenagh branch or possibly the Limerick - Ballina set. (The Rosslare in those days tended to have 3, 4 or 5 coaches).

The patina of brake dust and general gunk all over it was such that ends, gangways, chassis, roof, sides and windows were all the one dull brown colour! The two laminates with it were spotless..........

[airfixfan]

Seen a photo colour from 1972 at Heuston with an ex GNR P.Van in Black and Tan livery

[Irishswissernie]

A couple of different photos today.

Orconera Iron Ore Co ,Sohlia  No 1 BP 1527/1876 on 2 October 1968 (Scrapped by 1971.

Orconera Iron Ore Company , Luchana Spain,16 May 1960. No 12 BP 2149/1882, scrapped after May 1970.

Both the above 2 locos are to the same basic design as the original Ballymena & Larne 0-6-0t's and the 2-6-0st (The Bruiser) but metre gauge, having been built by Beyer Peacock at around about the same time.

The Spanish examples were more numerous comprising 9 0-6-0ts built between 1876 and 1898, and 13 2-6-0st's built 1882 through to 1903 and one last example in 1920. They also outlasted the B&L locos mostly keeping going until the late 1960's.

Unfortunately as the owning company AHV was a steel maker they all ended up in the furnaces.

Edited June 30, 2021 by Irishswissernie

[jhb171achill]

Ernie - do you have much other foreign stuff?

[Galteemore]

There is a fascinating story which appeared in a Railway World - I think - about 60 years ago. Some three shiploads of ex GN and CIE locos made their way to Spain, and some enthusiasts felt that they had possibly gone to be regauged for a new life in the sun. Sadly, all were simply destined for the flames like these two.

[Ironroad]

8 hours ago, Galteemore said:

There is a fascinating story which appeared in a Railway World - I think - about 60 years ago. Some three shiploads of ex GN and CIE locos made their way to Spain, and some enthusiasts felt that they had possibly gone to be regauged for a new life in the sun. Sadly, all were simply destined for the flames like these two.

Yes, I was only a kid but I remember my father complaining that the official position that they were to be used in Spain was a lie and the truth was they were sold as scrap. He was incensed at the sight of them being butchered on the quayside (North Wall) to make them fit in the hold of the ship.

[Irishswissernie]

18 hours ago, jhb171achill said:

Ernie - do you have much other foreign stuff?

There are some foreign albums on Flickr including Spanish narrow gauge, Reseau Breton, Rio Grande narrow gauge, Swiss. I sold a lot of other slides a few years ago as I was running out of space but every now and then I come across boxes which I missed in the clear out. I also have kept scans of the items sold but as I no longer have the copyright they can't go on the Net etc.

I will put a few of the ones still held on here.

 

 

Edited July 1, 2021 by Irishswissernie

[Irishswissernie]

4  'foreigners' definitely 'OP' but then I didn't start this topic on my Archive originally back in May 2012

OK Back on Topic then. A couple of ex M&GWR  Ballaghaderreen  & Loughrea 1961

 

Edited July 1, 2021 by Irishswissernie

[connollystn]

I was always surprised that Loughrea was a branch rather than on the main line. It would have been considered fairly populous considering there aren't any towns of note between Ballinasloe and Athenry.

[Lambeg man]

On 30/6/2021 at 12:57 PM, Galteemore said:

There is a fascinating story which appeared in a Railway World - I think - about 60 years ago. Some three shiploads of ex GN and CIE locos made their way to Spain, and some enthusiasts felt that they had possibly gone to be regauged for a new life in the sun. Sadly, all were simply destined for the flames like these two.

The story behind this is that in this time period the Irish government had imposed a ban on the export of scrap metal. Why I do not know, but they did. CIE, despite being government owned, got around the ban by declaring the locomotives were being exported in running order and as usable engines did not constitute 'scrap'. Yet they were consigned to a Spanish scrap merchant, not the Spanish National Railway Company!!!

[jhb171achill]

On 1/7/2021 at 6:43 AM, Irishswissernie said:

I was due to take a run in this thing when I was there in 1979, but it wouldn't start!

PURE Donegal! I can't remember now, but I think it had a Gardner engine too....

[Irishswissernie]

Negatives etc continue to be added to the collection.

I quite like this John G Dewing image of an Up express at Cork.

 

 

I had an email yesterday from Alan Godfrey Maps who do reprints of the old 25" to the Mile Maps reduced to approx 15" to the mile. They have released 2 of Enniskillen

for 1936.

https://www.alangodfreymaps.co.uk/fm2209.htm

The east one covers the GNRI and SLNC station. 

 

Edited July 20, 2021 by Irishswissernie

[Galteemore]

Lovely image Ernie, even if not the most harmonious rebuild ever ! 

[airfixfan]

They have also released a map for Fermanagh. They plan more Irish Maps soon responding to questions raised by myself

 The Enniskillen Map contains much Railway interest

[Irishswissernie]

Several or probably many years ago the Armstrong Trust kindly provided scans of the late JW Armstrong's negatives taken in Ireland in the 1930's and just after WW11.

I was pretty sure that he must have taken more as some remote locations only had one or two views. I have now had the opportunity to go through his Archive and ones where Ireland wasn't in the caption had been missed in the original 'trawl' Here are a few of the latest finds.

I am sure that the negative of CDRJC 'Blanche' is an original works view rather than one listed as at  JF Wake the SH loco dealers in Darlington as even the nameplate is still in situ. 

Edited August 11, 2021 by Irishswissernie

[Galteemore]

Great - thanks Ernie. That tool hut looks suspiciously like the pay carriage off the GSWR ‘Sprite’. Image courtesy ‘Locomotives of the GSWR’ via RM Web 

Edited August 11, 2021 by Galteemore

[Irishswissernie]

It definitely looks like it. The captions on the Armstrong negs are often a bit suspect, I imagine because it was at Broadstone he thought it was ex M&GWR.

Here is another. Pennyburn Level Crossing on the Swilly. I rather like the collection of telegraph poles and supports, the odd signal and the trespass sign bolted to one of the poles.

[airfixfan]

Love the Pennyburn photo of course. The CDR photo of Blanche is definitely a works type photograph. These have been seen for some other Donegal.locos and have a good photo myself of Class 5 No 16 later Meenglas. Work on sister loco Drumboe well advanced at RPSI Whitehead. Will return to Donegal Railway Heritage Centre by end of September. All support most welcome!

 

[Irishswissernie]

Anyone remember the passenger and car carrying trains that used to run on BR wherein you could load your car onto back of the train and miss out the long journey to Scotland or Cornwall at the start and end of your holidays? Well the Isle of Man ran a 'one off' on 1 August 2014 but it was definitely Driver only  - no passengers and you didn't drive the car on and off!

 

[Irishswissernie]

3 more JW Armstrong views from the ARPT, probably 1940's - early 50's

 

Edited August 16, 2021 by Irishswissernie

[Irishswissernie]

Having discovered the original clips for my 2014 Isle of Man videos stored on an external hard drive, I have extracted the clips covering the ex Donegal Railcars Nos 19 + 20 stored in the carriage shed at Douglas.

Click on the black icon to view them below.

 

[WRENNEIRE]

Killucan cabin pic here on Flickr

 

[Galteemore]

Nice. Fred Dean visited just a bit later….the chair has improved !

 

Edited August 18, 2021 by Galteemore