Fry Model Railway to be installed in Busaras

[burnthebox]

Link: http://taraspalace.ie/

 

It does well enough to generate €40,000 in profits to donate to Charity each year.

Powerscourt is a good choice too, as is stuffed to the gills with tourists all season long.

 

OH yes, Powerscourt please, now that the extension work is going on, & it's only 15min. from my house,

[Horsetan]

Ridiculous. The whole affair is just pitiful.

 

The same could be said of the truncated Tralee & Dingle just to the south of you. Lack of cash, lack of enthusiasm, lack of co-ordination.

 

Still, if EVER it gets resurrected, I would prefer to see it in a city centre location. Collins Barracks, Heuston Station, Templebar...wherever.

 

Given Dublin city centre commercial rent levels, even in a recession, that could be a costly exercise. I'm not sure TCD would want it on their patch either.

 

Is there spare space at Leopardstown Racecourse (which would give the course some year-round income when there's no racing on), or Liffey Valley Shopping Centre (drop the kids to see the railway whilst you go shopping?)

[heirflick]

i still am of the opinion that the only place for the display is in a musem- it is a hugh piece of irish history. Collins barracks being the ideal location...beside Heuston and the luas. when alternate sites for the display was being thrown about, Collins was ruled out because of lack of space. now that the refurbishment has been completed on the Asgard, and she is on display, i wonder is there any space available now?

[Garfield]

i still am of the opinion that the only place for the display is in a musem- it is a hugh piece of irish history. Collins barracks being the ideal location...beside Heuston and the luas. when alternate sites for the display was being thrown about, Collins was ruled out because of lack of space. now that the refurbishment has been completed on the Asgard, and she is on display, i wonder is there any space available now?

 

Collins Barracks (and anywhere else within the National Museum umbrella) was ruled out because they don't give a f**k about transport heritage.

 

The curator is on record (more than once) as saying transport heritage is 'adequately served' by the likes of the RPSI and the National Transport Museum. It's a disgrace that a person in that position has no problem leaving it up to voluntary groups alone to save what they can for posterity...

Edited October 9, 2012 by Garfield

[heirflick]

.

 

The curator is on record (more than once) as saying transport heritage is 'adequately served' by the likes of the RPSI and the National Transport Museum. It's a disgrace that a person in that position has no problem leaving it up to voluntary groups alone to save what they can for posterity...

 

well thats the best yet! i didnt realise that comment was made - espically by the curator of the museum! what right has he to decide on a matter that is as important as this to so many people? that attitude sucks! very disapointing.

[Horsetan]

Collins Barracks (and anywhere else within the National Museum umbrella) was ruled out because they don't give a f**k about transport heritage.

 

I suppose that rules out Kilmainham Jail

 

The curator is on record (more than once) as saying transport heritage is 'adequately served' by the likes of the RPSI and the National Transport Museum. It's a disgrace that a person in that position has no problem leaving it up to voluntary groups alone to save what they can for posterity...

 

....which more or less sums up my view that "official" Ireland has generally been unsentimental about its railway heritage - there is not the tradition which gathered pace in Britain in the 1960s, and there was not the money to go round at the time. With steam ending in 1963 in the Republic, and CIE having other priorities, there wasn't a hope that much would be saved. If there had been, we'd have seen a few more of the narrow gauge systems restored, or previously uneconomic lines such as Achill or Clifden being reborn.

 

There isn't quite the same railway modelling tradition either - that has arguably only grown since the 1980s as Ireland's economy strengthened. Before that, Fry and Donaldson were effectively ploughing lone furrows.

[Weshty]

I suppose that rules out Kilmainham Jail

 

 

 

....which more or less sums up my view that "official" Ireland has generally been unsentimental about its railway heritage - there is not the tradition which gathered pace in Britain in the 1960s, and there was not the money to go round at the time. With steam ending in 1963 in the Republic, and CIE having other priorities, there wasn't a hope that much would be saved. If there had been, we'd have seen a few more of the narrow gauge systems restored, or previously uneconomic lines such as Achill or Clifden being reborn.

 

There isn't quite the same railway modelling tradition either - that has arguably only grown since the 1980s as Ireland's economy strengthened. Before that, Fry and Donaldson were effectively ploughing lone furrows.

 

I'm not going to start beating my breast too soon. The Fry debacle is a shame. However, the preservation in the 50's-60's is a different story. We really do need to appreciate just how utterly broke this country was back then. Go look at Dorothea Lange's photos from '53 to appreciate that. That we have the locos we have is a minor miracle in it's own right. And don't forget we always have had only 6% of the UK population, to put in perspective the amount and volume of donations and volunteers.

 

Look at how lively the model scene is now though. The sheer breadth of RTR and kits available. Look at the greenways, Westport / Achill, Rathkeale to Abbeyfeale, and Galway to Clifden on the way. Not to mind, the great work done by Jackie Whelan at Moyasta. Watch that baby!

 

In summary, 'tis a shame, but "we've come a long way baby".

 

(Any chance Michael O'Leary is a secret modeller? By God, if he sponsored a new home, he'd make it turn a profit....)

Edited October 10, 2012 by Weshty

[BosKonay]

I think 'where there is a will there's a way' but the difficulty with the Fry is that Dublin Tourism and lots of other parties have ownership/interests and opinions.

 

The layout aside, there are some beautiful, historical models in the collection, which should be in a museum.

 

The layout, could be replicated and very much enhanced anywhere, just boils down to the budget to do it!

[Horsetan]

....We really do need to appreciate just how utterly broke this country was back then.....

 

Exactly, compared to how broke it is now. In virtually every sense, Ireland is materially better-off in today's hard times. When I compare how both Dublin and Clare were in 1988 to what they were when I returned for 1998-2003, the contrast could not be greater.

 

And more importantly, since the late 1980s, the dead hands of Church and State (in each other's pockets) has been lifted; thanks to greater information, we are more willing to question every move that is (or was) made.

[minister_for_hardship]

The same could be said of the truncated Tralee & Dingle just to the south of you. Lack of cash, lack of enthusiasm, lack of co-ordination.

QUOTE]

 

The T&D was run by idiots, Tralee Town Council in collaboration with FAS, who had imagined it as a giant train set it could play with.

[Weshty]

The same could be said of the truncated Tralee & Dingle just to the south of you. Lack of cash, lack of enthusiasm, lack of co-ordination.

QUOTE]

 

The T&D was run by idiots, Tralee Town Council in collaboration with FAS, who had imagined it as a giant train set it could play with.

 

A small but reflective detail of the T&D was that Basta domestic internal doorhandles were used for the external coach doorhandles. It's always the little details...

[DERAILED]

Well, thanks for all the feedback - even the off topic stuff - but it surely is a disgrace that the Fry Model Railway appears to have disappeared into oblivion. Those in authority in this country couldn't run a proverbial piss-up in a brewery. By the way, saying that times were hard in the 1950s/60s is just a cop-out, as back then people with some wit were simply suggesting that certain items be put aside in various empty sheds pending sufficient funding etc. being found to provide a proper museum. Nobody was listening then just as nobody is listening now.