Ernies Massive Irish 1930's to 2005 Photo Archive

[Irishswissernie]

A  few from the early days of NIR today

NIR 1967-06-01 Belfast York Road, RPSI ex CIE J15 186 working for NIR as station pilot.

NIR 1967-06-01 Belfast York Road, ex SLNC 'Lough Erne' now no 27

NIR 1967-06-01 Belfast ,Skegoneill WT 4 on spoil wagons assisted by WT 53 at rear.

 

Edited November 19, 2021 by Irishswissernie

[LARNE CABIN]

Nice colour view of Brown Van with 186!

[KMCE]

That photo of Lough Erne taking on water got me thinking.

I know the side and bunker tanks were connected as you can regularly see the connecting pipe under the foot plate behind the cab ladder.

Were the tanks on both sides of the loco connected allowing filling from one side only? 

Ken

[Galteemore]

Having studied BP SLNC drawings, Ken, ad nauseam, the side tanks were connected via the back tank, so theoretically filling on one side would be possible. The rivet pattern (again, long  study involved here!) doesn’t indicate a dividing baffle. As an aside, the ‘Large Tanks’ originally had filler openings on the bunker tanks - see below - which were later removed or remained unused. As far as I know, no bunker filler was installed on the Lough class.

Edited November 19, 2021 by Galteemore

[KMCE]

That makes sense - thus the bunker tank is wrap-around in effect making one large tank out of all tanks. 

That would take some time to fill!!

[Irishswissernie]

West Clare today, Kilkee and Ennis June 1960

 

[Irishswissernie]

Back to the GNRI today - "the tortoise and the hare"

GNRI 1952-06-29 Dundalk Class AL 35 037

GNRI 1948-05-15 Dunleer 84 on Belfast-Dublin Enterprise express JG Dewing

 

[Galteemore]

Thanks Ernie. This was that brief window when the Belpaire Compounds had the Enterprise all to themselves before the VS arrived! That photo at Dunleer is pure GN glory. The tortoise may not have won the race in this instance but it certainly had a longer working life!

Edited November 21, 2021 by Galteemore

[Irishswissernie]

GNRI 1959-07-03 Portadown 102 ex C3

SLNC 1953-04-22  Sligo shed 'Hazelwood' HC img214 with some details of the M&GWR coal store.

SLNCR 1953-08-17  Beyer Peacock Owners Plate on 'Lough Melvin' Manorhamilton

 

[Galteemore]

Thanks Ernie. Always liked those GN railcars - something almost Michelin-like about them 

[Irishswissernie]

This one has appeared in print a few times , J G Dewing's original slide Omagh May 1960 

Then a couple on the C& L Arigna branch in June 1957 5T on a coal train and 4T with the guard supervising shunting (whistle not a radio in his hand!) next to a couple of metal sheathed brake vans.

 

[Lambeg man]

On 22/11/2021 at 7:59 AM, Irishswissernie said:

GNRI 1959-07-03 Portadown 102 ex C3

Wow Ernie, never knew this railcar ever turned a wheel in UTA service, but clearly it did! Interestingly it appears the body was not daubed with a 'U T' stencil the way everything else was, but has 'U T' signs in the front windows. Fascinating photograph. Many thanks for posting. LM 

[Galteemore]

Don’t think the wheels turned round many times! Colm Flanagan says it was out of use at Adelaide for 2 years before 1961 scrapping. Glad we have this pic - as you say, great evidence of how stuff was identified in the GNRB/UT transition. Would have looked quite smart with the UT roundel, too…..

Edited November 23, 2021 by Galteemore

[airfixfan]

Photos of GNR Railcar C2 after 1958 are as rare as hens teeth as the lines it was used on were all closed effectively in the 1957 Purge

[Galteemore]

19 minutes ago, airfixfan said:

Photos of GNR Railcar C2 after 18 are as rare as hens teeth as the lines it was used on were all closed effectively in the 1957 purge 

I suppose, to the UTA, it was inconvenient for short workings being single ended. CIE’s pair, I think, were largely employed on the INW stump workings till 59 and then went the same way. Here’s one of the last workings : https://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000304436

My dad has great memories of railcar A - above - on the Derry Road. Had a fine mahogany interior apparently 

Edited November 23, 2021 by Galteemore

[jhb171achill]

Brilliant stuff, Ernie. Love the GN railcar at Omagh.

[Irishswissernie]

First a faded colour view at Guinness Brewery ca 1962.

Next 218 at Howth 28 Sept 1978.

The last one is ca 1920 or even earlier NCC A Class 66 at York Road

 

 

[Irishswissernie]

I have catalogued this collection and have as a result obtained permission to use the views on flickr. There are some 110 Irish images from July 1950. Naturally I have started with the SLNCR! 3 viwes from the 1 July.

 

[Galteemore]

Cheers Ernie. Bunker first working was most unusual. These are probably cattle empties heading for Collooney. The shunt has been nicely organised to let the railcar through ! 

Edited November 25, 2021 by Galteemore

[Angus]

20 minutes ago, Galteemore said:

Bunker first working was most unusual.

and it gives a great unobstructed view of the bunker, a useful reference for modelling.

Also I not seen the "to run with passenger trains" board on the cattle wagon before, were these common? I can't see any on the rest of the rake.

I have seen the wording on other MGWR Non-passenger stock (Horse Boxes, Meat Vans etc,)

[Galteemore]

Prob means vac braked? You’re right @Angus, it’s not one I’ve seen before. Bearing in mind the value of the traffic, it’s surprising more cattle trucks weren’t vac braked. I wonder if the GN’s ‘prize cattle’ wagons were fitted.

Edited November 25, 2021 by Galteemore

[airfixfan]

Yet another aspect the SLNCR  shared with the Swilly who rarely ran locos bunker first as apart from Buncrana to Tooban Junction

Edited November 25, 2021 by airfixfan

[Galteemore]

Bunker first working on the SLNC was normally for light engine moves to Collooney or for trips to Manorhamilton works - engines always entered the works with chimney facing Enniskillen. 

[Irishswissernie]

6 hours ago, Angus said:

Also I not seen the "to run with passenger trains" board on the cattle wagon before, were these common? I can't see any on the rest of the rake.

There is one on the mixed train here although not next to the coach so the vacuum brake would  not be connected (unless the cattle wagon next to the coach was through piped or didn't have such a notice as it hasn't SLNC lettering). Given that the last vehicle looks like the Brake Van it probably didn't matter too much but would have given the passengers the odd shaking.

 

[Angus]

Well that's at least two cattle wagons with them on then.

I seem to recall that quite a few of the SLCNR cattle vans were vacuum braked. I'll have to spend some time trawling the photos.

[Irishswissernie]

1998/9 today  taken by Graham Roose

Claremorris with the Ballina branch ECS departing for Manulla 29 March

201 class 210 has a spell on the branch set 28 March 1999

127 on the Limerick shuttle at Ballyryan 6 April 1998

 

[Angus]

16 hours ago, Angus said:

I'll have to spend some time trawling the photos.

A quick look through Neil Sprinks's Irish Railway Pictorial of the SL&NCR shows a surprising number of these "to run passenger trains" boards once you know to look for them. In most of the shots with cattle vans there are at least one or two vans that have the boards.

There is a photo of the 7.20Pm mixed from 1950 on page 23 of the book where the first four cattle wagons have the boards.

Definitely a nice detail to include (once I get around to modelling some of the wagons!).

[Galteemore]

27 minutes ago, Angus said:

A quick look through Neil Sprinks's Irish Railway Pictorial of the SL&NCR shows a surprising number of these "to run passenger trains" boards once you know to look for them. In most of the shots with cattle vans there are at least one or two vans that have the boards.

There is a photo of the 7.20Pm mixed from 1950 on page 23 of the book where the first four cattle wagons have the boards.

Definitely a nice detail to include (once I get around to modelling some of the wagons!).

Definitely Angus - thank you. Just checked Neil Sprinks’s older book and some 14 cattle wagons were either fitted or piped.

Edited November 26, 2021 by Galteemore

[Brack]

Dad (irishswissernie) got pretty ill over the last few days so has been temporarily relocated to a hospital bed. He's doing alright (for a given value of alright - he's on intravenous antibiotics and will be in for a little while so far as I can see), but seems better in himself than he was over the weekend (although he did manage to dispatch a shiny new bachmann double fairlie to my house for testing when my sister came over on sunday - runs beautifully, and sent back with a few feet of 9mm track).

The working diagnosis is some form of internal infection, presumably post surgery the other week, and they need to check on his digestive functions. So far as I'm concerned, I'm glad he's getting seen to, he's in the right place, and hopefully they get him all sorted out, but it does disrupt his posting and modelling a bit!

However he is currently cut off from the internet, so he asked me to let people on here know what's going on.

[Galteemore]

Thanks Brack - I had missed him and wondered if all was ok. Give him our best wishes please!

[jhb171achill]

Please pass on my very best wishes for his speedy recovery, Brack. Thanks!

[Mayner]

Pass on my best wishes to your dad! An order of wagons should be heading in your direction soon.

I was sorely tempted by recent Bachmann OO9 WW1 Alco and the forthcoming Kato/Peco England locos but already over committed with Irish and American modelling

[airfixfan]

Please pass onto your father my best wishes for a speedy return to health. He has been a great help this year. Jim

[murphaph]

Get well soon Ernie! 

[StevieB]

Best wishes for a speedy recovery. This getting old isn’t for wimps.

Stephen