Macmine Junction

[irishthump]

These would be available in UK but regulations don't allow them to be posted from there.

 

Parcel Motel is your only man here....

[Junctionmad]

Parcel Motel is your only man here....

 

no the issue is that the UK post will not take them in ordinary mail

[minister_for_hardship]

More loading, this time at Killorglin interestingly there seems to be a chalked destination to the right of the doors.

 

[Junctionmad]

looking at the Bank, that must have now been a fairly rare occurrence, look at the grass

[Broithe]

no the issue is that the UK post will not take them in ordinary mail

 

The Royal Mail restrictions are quite complicated.

 

http://www.royalmail.com/business/help/sending/restricted-goods

[Broithe]

looking at the Bank, that must have now been a fairly rare occurrence, look at the grass

 

Is that grass that's actually growing in the joints - or possibly just the remains of strewn straw?

[minister_for_hardship]

I think it may be grass, there would be a big rush around fair days and markets with animals taking up the entire loading bank and pens (perhaps when they got full you would have drovers standing around minding animals waiting to be penned in the goods yards/station approaches) and the rest of the time there may only be single animals or small groups travelling occasionally taking up only a single pen giving grass time to grow.

 

I'm assuming on fair days something like an ancient 6 wheeler would be hooked on for drovers and dealers.

Edited January 29, 2016 by minister_for_hardship

[Dhu Varren]

The Royal Mail restrictions are quite complicated.

 

http://www.royalmail.com/business/help/sending/restricted-goods

 

Due to the local Toy/Model shop closing down recently, I had to find another source of Revell and Humbrol paints. I ordered nine tins of paint on eBay, with free delivery (within UK), expecting delivery by courier, but lo and behold, the paint arrived via Royal Mail 2nd Class mail. Can't get my head round that one.

[Junctionmad]

Due to the local Toy/Model shop closing down recently, I had to find another source of Revell and Humbrol paints. I ordered nine tins of paint on eBay, with free delivery (within UK), expecting delivery by courier, but lo and behold, the paint arrived via Royal Mail 2nd Class mail. Can't get my head round that one.

 

probably because the paint was simply stuck in the post by somebody who didn't know the regulations or didn't care

[Noel]

Parcel Motel is your only man here....

 

No won't post hazchem off the UK mainland, so they won't post to Parcel Motel in NI, IOM, nor even the Isle of Wight!!! Been through all of this last year. Its totally daft that they now classify tiny tins of humrol enamel paint as 'hazchem'. H&S looney loopers gone mad.

[DiveController]

Probably right. I guess you buy it on eBay then

[Mayner]

More loading, this time at Killorglin interestingly there seems to be a chalked destination to the right of the doors.

 

 

Looks suspiciously like L Sullivan wonder have they chalked up the name of the buyer/dealer on the wagon? This would make more sense in an era when cattle were bought by a large number of individual dealers rather than a handful of large meat companies

 

Before the marts fairs like Puck, Ballinasloe, Loughrea and Roscommon could generate upwards of 100 wagons in 4 or 5 special trains. Many loading banks were long enough to load a train of 25-30 wagons minimising the need to shunt loaded wagons and risk of injury to livestock.

[Irishrailwayman]

Couple of photos of the cattle bank (Ratio)and wagons being unloaded on Ballybeg. Note that the cattle are now of the correct black variety! Also note the CIE Canvas Centre Van which was used uncovered when cattle were being transported (usually from West to East). The cover was replaced when the wagon was used for other goods (hopefully only after they cleaned it up well after the cattle)! The model is an Alphagraphix card kit on a Peco Wonderful Wagon chassis.

 

[DiveController]

THat's very impressive, railwayman, very impressive. Nice touch the track work at the bank,. Love that covered wagon=D

[Junctionmad]

How many animals did a typical Cie cattle wagon take by the way ?

 

Dave

[richrua]

Lovely shots there

[Irishrailwayman]

Macmine Junction was closed on 1st April 1963 so there would just about have been enough time for a fleet of CIE rolling stock in the new (Patrick Scott RIP) designed Black and Tan livery to make an appearance there. The Flying Snail logos have been replaced by the Scandinavian designed CIE Broken Wheel logo. Goods wagons are now in brown livery. Note that the cattle have taken a bath in some black stuff and that the lorry wheels have seen some mud recently. It is unknown why the Garda have made an appearance - some cattle-rustling perhaps? Locomotive A20r (re-engined with a General Motors unit) hopefully won't fail this time (and require the services of the B121 lurking on the turntable) but manages to take its short train of a Park Royal, a Laminate and an SGV to Wexford. An all black C Class (No C205) shunts the yard while class leader B141 has charge of the Kilkenny goods. Another class leader B181 hums in the head-shunt with a spare guards van loitering with intent.

 

Edited January 31, 2016 by Irishrailwayman

[Irishrailwayman]

A couple of more views of Macmine in the last months of its existence...

 

Edited January 31, 2016 by Irishrailwayman

[Irishrailwayman]

A final couple of views...

 

[Irishrailwayman]

Photos of Macmine Junction are relatively scarce in published books as it closed over 50 years ago. Here's one dug out by a friend of WMRC showing a grey 121 at the junction platform. John Walker's layout is very accurate reflection of the prototype I think you will agree.

 

[GSR 800]

Indeed it does!

[minister_for_hardship]

How many animals did a typical Cie cattle wagon take by the way ?

 

Dave

 

No hard and fast rule. Animals aren't that heavy and you get big/small ones (obligatory Fr Ted reference) so it would be at the discretion of the people loading them up although you would need to allow space for them to lie down if they were going to be there for an extended time. The GSR appendix had notes about feeding/watering animals and looking after their welfare if they had been in transit over extended periods and cleaning/disinfection of wagons.

Edited January 31, 2016 by minister_for_hardship

[Junctionmad]

No hard and fast rule. Animals aren't that heavy and you get big/small ones (obligatory Fr Ted reference) so it would be at the discretion of the people loading them up although you would need to allow space for them to lie down if they were going to be there for an extended time. The GSR appendix had notes about feeding/watering animals and looking after their welfare if they had been in transit over extended periods and cleaning/disinfection of wagons.

 

 

I'd be surprised if they had space to lie down , that's not done in trucks for example. An animal falling on one lying would not be a pretty sight and animal welfare is considerably better today then in the past

 

Dave

[jhb171achill]

They were meant to stand. Staff were issued instructions to inspect them here and there to ensure none had fallen.

[Noel]

I'd be surprised if they had space to lie down , that's not done in trucks for example. An animal falling on one lying would not be a pretty sight and animal welfare is considerably better today then in the past

 

Dave

 

Yes always standing. No difference from crowded cattle trucks on road. At least a cattle wagon train would have been a much smoother ride. Back then there were no EU regs of the movement of live cattle unlike today. It is back ard to know what animal welfare was really like 50+ years ago, many of the men working with cattle on the railways would have come from farming backgrounds.

[Maitland]

get big/small ones (obligatory Fr Ted reference)

 

Instructions on loading cattle wagons: the small cows should be in the wagons at the front of the train, and the big ones at the back. The longer the train, the more cows you can pack in.

[Mayner]

The loaders would have been experienced animal handlers and skilled in loading stock into wagons and trucks, apart from the animal welfare issues the railway would have been liable for substantial claims from the owners of animals that died or were injured en-route to the boat or slaughter house.

 

There is the famous Irish Times report of 29 May 1893 "A consignment of six uninjured pigs, survivors of the dread crash at Camp on Monday was today received in the Cork Bacon Factory of Messrs Lunhams"

[jhb171achill]

Brilliant photos, brilliant layout.

 

Small point, if I may.... The brown for wagons would have been post-1970 approx - in 1963 all would have been grey.

 

When the RTR 121s appear, one of those will add to scenes like this too. I believe that the DSER was one of the first places they were put into regular traffic.

[DiveController]

I read somewhere that fitted wagons were bauxite and unfitted were grey. Was this by intent, incorrect, or the livery change happened to coincide with the introduction of a greater number of fitted wagons?

[jhb171achill]

That's correct, DiveController. But in that period, most stock of that type was unfitted, and they only started painting them brown later on, ie everything was grey then.

 

The GNR and NCC / UTA had brown fitted wagons way back in the late 50s though, but not CIE.

 

Another point worth noting is that any time liveries or markings changed, wagons were behind locomotives and coaching stock in the pecking order. Thus, even after the "broken wheel" first appeared in 1963, wagons would only very gradually be repainted. I saw H vans as late as 1976 still in traffic with "snails".

[Irishrailwayman]

Brilliant photos, brilliant layout.

 

Small point, if I may.... The brown for wagons would have been post-1970 approx - in 1963 all would have been grey.

 

When the RTR 121s appear, one of those will add to scenes like this too. I believe that the DSER was one of the first places they were put into regular traffic.

 

Fair points. With muti-era layouts the time-scales can be stretched a bit - the "might have been" part of the modellers licence. Probably Supertrain livery would suit the bauxite wagons more. Unfortunately, Macmine Junction didn't survive long enough to host these.