Pettigo Co Donegal

[Glover]

I mentioned on my work bench thread that I would do some notes on my layout; so here goes.

I'll do them as a series of paragraphs; one finger typists need a break!

 

The late Cyril Freezer ( long time editor of the Railway Modeller and serial layout planner) would have loved Pettigo! A small country station (two platforms and a two road goods yard) on a single line branch and yet at lunch time every day during the summer, until its closure in 1957, you could see three passenger trains in the station at one time, two of them Express's, with the third locked into the goods head shunt. All of this happened in a small border village, tucked into an almost unknown corner of south east Donegal.

We may return to a little bit of the history of Pettigo and the Bundoran Express.

 

In the meantime, one or two photos to get us started.

[Glover]

I nearly broke my neck taking this photo; the layout is at eye level hence this required standing on a step ladder with no real opportunity to see what I was photographing.

 

This overview shows the Bundoran Junction end of the layout, looking towards Bundoran.

Trains heading to the terminus would of course enter on the left hand side track.

 

 

This is a track level view.

In railway terms, Pettigo's main claim to fame is that it served as the transfer point from train to bus for pilgrims heading to the privations of Lough Derg; the remaining passengers were heading for the fleshy delights of Bundoran (or so I read somewhere). Must have been great fun on the train with a mixture light that!

The bus is intended to represent this activity. It's actually a very old Dinky Toys bus, originally lettered I think for BOAC ( British Overseas Airways, for those over a certain age).

I added a roof box to it, for luggage etc.

 

Cheers,

Glover

[Broithe]

Health & safety! Blood shows up far too well on scenery.

 

 

There are those on here who remember Imperial Airways, I'm sure.

 

 

Lovely stuff.

[Kirley]

Delighted at last to see your layout Glover, you have hinted at it's existence for a few years and now to see it does not disappoint in any way. It's just delightful and I envy your ability to model one period of Railway Time. More pictures to come ...please.

[leslie10646]

As the Man who lives at a house called "Pettigo Fair" - the Fair was on the day my wife was born (the family reason), a fact discovered from the GNR Weekly Circulars in the iRRS Archive (the Railway reason) and who never saw Pettigo in railway days - it's awesome.

 

The late Lance King took a great photo which managed to take in all three trains, as described. I always intended to get a painting done of Fair Day, but that horrid (superbly modelled) shelter on the Up platform was too much.

 

Now, there is a splendid story of a group of enthusiasts standing on the platform, awaiting the Bundoran Express. They mused over which Class of loco would be pulling it. Drew Donaldson exclaimed - "Gawd, I'd love a P" - for some reason a great space opened up around him on the crowded platform!

 

Great stuff Glover. Loved the "What if" scene with the single-ended Yankee.

 

Leslie

[David Holman]

Hey, not bad at all!

Only the track gauge stops it being utterly Irish and that is more than forgiveable because it reeks the right atmosphere.

Nice one.

[Mike 84C]

Excellent layout Glover, I particularly like the fourth photo; that mistiness and the sunlight just cutting through it definitely atmospheric.

[Weshty]

Oh that's lovely. The watertower scen looks just right

[Glover]

Many thanks gentlemen for your kind comments.

 

May I take some of those comments to add a little more detail?

 

I agree David that it's a case of "shame about the track gauge" but I simply don't have your engineering skills. It did concern me for many years but the fact that the layout is at eye level (one of the best ideas to come from North America and promoted by Iain Rice) plus most views are side-on allows me to largely ignore it.

Track is SMP with Peco Code 75 points.

 

Weshty mentioned the water tower. The only watering facilities between Bundoran Junction and Bundoran itself were at Pettigo. They were certainly appreciated by the Down Bundoran Express which ran 50 miles non-stop from Clones.

 

The structure was built from Wills plastic sheets, the window (I think; I can never remember how I actually made a lot of things) came from the old Airfix loco shed.

The water tank is one of those plastic boxes for screws etc but covered in paneling from the Wills Victorian Gents. I knew I'd find an appropriate use for that kit one day!

 

The signal was positioned behind the water tower and hence cantilevered out to be visible to drivers. I knocked it up from bits and pieces of wood; I suspect chop sticks!

The actual signal arm is an SSM product ie Weshty.

I should say that most structures are based on photos in the Colourpoint book "Fermanagh's Railways" by Charles Friel and Norman Johnston.

 

You're right Leslie about the shelter; it was horrid! It was added I believe in the early 1950s at the request of the Lough Derg clergy as a small act of kindness to the pilgrims returning from "doing the island" : two nights/three days of living on black tea and dry bread, in their bare feet. Different times.....

 

Most of the platform, built largely from cardboard is from a previous layout and looks a bit scruffy, in the photos anyway.

 

The shelter was built from corrugated plastic and Evergreen girders.

It needs more seats ( 'sheer luxury,lad').

 

Cheers,

Glover

[Glover]

By the way, I love the Drew Donaldson story Leslie. The fact that it depends on a certain knowledge of GNR loco classes makes it all the better; a sort of 'in' joke.

 

And, you have picked a fine name for your house.

 

Glover

[Mayner]

Nice what if the Bundoran line had of reached Sligo or if Merrion St had taken up Stormant's offer and taken responsibility for operating the GNR Border lines and making up the losses in 1957

 

Very atmospheric I am pretty much hooked on eye level baseboards the Bullhead track really adds to the effect. Are you planning to add any GNR locos and stock? The Bundoran Express with a OO Works U Class & 4 modern GNR coaches would be a real eye catcher & a nice contrast to the drab CIE greys and greens.

Edited January 30, 2017 by Mayner

[jhb171achill]

I absolutely WISH that the late jhb171 Senior could see this layout. This was his patch, and had the line survived to go into CIE - which he would have very much approved of - it would have fallen to him to fix up that corrugated monstrosity and work out how much green paint they needed! The arrival of "A" and "C" class locos into Enniskillen to replace steam - now THAT would have been a wholly different matter!

[Glover]

Thank you both John and JHB; you have in a way anticipated my next posting which was intended to pick up on Kirleys' point about modelling one period in time.

A little background ( and then some snaps!).

 

I've always wanted to model Irish railways; it's what I'm familiar with. I also wanted to model that transition period after the demise of the GNR with the overlap between CIE and UTA.

I was always torn between modelling urban or rural railways. I'm Dublin born and bread. I do sometimes say that 'if you've seen one field, you've seen them all!'. Give me the crime and the grime any day .

Being a child of the early 1950s, I do have some memories of the GNR. The blue and cream railcars and (some) coaches; no memory of the varnished mahogany ones. I also remember the GNR buses in Dublin. And I travelled,twice, on the Howth tram.

But that also means that many of my earliest memories are of railcars and diesels.

So, the era was always pretty well established; I just had to figure out where.

It's taken me years and many aborted layouts to arrive at this point. To be honest I can't really remember how I ended up modelling Pettigo but I'm glad I did.

 

The layout is set in the summer of 1963. Why so precise?

Well, the line actually closed in 1957 but, to Johns' point, there was I understand an opportunity within the Dáil Éireann / Stormant legislation which created the Great Northern Railway Board for one Government to take over a line that crossed the border. Certainly, there was the usual huffing and puffing in the Dail at the time. But, it was possible...

1963 because the GM 141s arrived in late 1962 and were to be seen virtually everywhere by mid '63. And Murphy Models do a superb model.

Therefore, we can imagine that JHBs father was out with the paint brush by then.

 

 

The station building is based on plans for some English station or other which featured in an old model magazine. The proportions seemed similar to Pettigo.

 

 

The wooden front is from the Grand Junction range ( sold by Parkside Dundas) and are based on LNWR designs; don't tell me JHB that the GNR used a different type of nail!

 

Funny you should mention an extension to Sligo John. The space and plan allows for building Bundoran but I've kind off gone off it. Apart from the superb loco shed, it was a rather dull place....the station that is.

I have in mind a GNR station in Sligo instead. An assumption would be that the notoriously belligerent Midland Great Western refused access to their station.

It's for the future but I have to make a confession here: I prefer modelling trains etc rather than running them!

 

We'll move down the platform next time....I've just realised I've missed a big chunk of Newsnight.

 

Cheers,

Glover

[leslie10646]

You're right Leslie about the shelter; it was horrid! It was added I believe in the early 1950s at the request of the Lough Derg clergy as a small act of kindness to the pilgrims returning from "doing the island" : two nights/three days of living on black tea and dry bread, in their bare feet. Different times.....

[ATTACH=CONFIG]26676[/ATTACH]

 

Most of the platform, built largely from cardboard is from a previous layout and looks a bit scruffy, in the photos anyway.

 

The shelter was built from corrugated plastic and Evergreen girders.

It needs more seats ( 'sheer luxury,lad').

 

Cheers,

Glover

 

Having been unkind about the shelter, it is very well modelled - thanks for the tip on how it was done.

 

Now, my whimsical mind says - what else does it need? - oh yes, bankrupt Glover by suggesting that he put a scale size crowd on each platform - one lot lot pouring off the Express from Dublin (and a line of Jim Poot's PS1s waiting to take them to the island?) and another (tongues hanging out in anticipation of the buffet car waiting at Clones) about to get onto the Up Express - say 400 painted figures at at least £3 each - heck you could buy a couple of dozen U Class to pull the trains?

[jhb171achill]

Leslie, he'd need 150 "H" vans for them to pull, plus about 200 GNR vans - maybe you could give him 350 for the price of 349? :-)

 

In reality, CIE did offer at one stage to take over the entire GNR, so the idea of CIE all over Pettigo is by no means far fetched - in fact it's a very credible "might-have-been". If that had happened, it's very probable they would have eaten the SLNCR too, so "Arigna Road" would all have to be repainted (sorry David!!). That would probably have resulted in C class locos taking a three-times-daily mixed from Sligo to Enniskillen, maybe on to Omagh. Thus, the GNR Western District would have its own way into Sligo.

 

Would the SLNCR's Railcar "B" have ended up in green on the Fintona branch?!

 

Had all this happened, and especially had there never been a border, while much that actually did close would have done so anyway, it's at least possible we would still have the Derry Road, and Enniskillen - Clones - Portadown and Dundalk..... that's for another day!

[Mayner]

Leslie, he'd need 150 "H" vans for them to pull, plus about 200 GNR vans - maybe you could give him 350 for the price of 349? :-)

 

In reality, CIE did offer at one stage to take over the entire GNR, so the idea of CIE all over Pettigo is by no means far fetched - in fact it's a very credible "might-have-been". If that had happened, it's very probable they would have eaten the SLNCR too, so "Arigna Road" would all have to be repainted (sorry David!!). That would probably have resulted in C class locos taking a three-times-daily mixed from Sligo to Enniskillen, maybe on to Omagh. Thus, the GNR Western District would have its own way into Sligo.

 

Would the SLNCR's Railcar "B" have ended up in green on the Fintona branch?!

 

Had all this happened, and especially had there never been a border, while much that actually did close would have done so anyway, it's at least possible we would still have the Derry Road, and Enniskillen - Clones - Portadown and Dundalk..... that's for another day!

 

It would be interesting to find out how serious CIE/Merrion St were about taking over the lines. By all accounts both Transport Ministers had a good working relationship and Merrion St was beginning to think in similar terms about the railways to their northern counterparts.

 

The closures worked pretty much in CIEs and the Irish Governments favour by closing down a competitor and diverting cattle traffic away from Belfast & Derry to Dublin Port, so there seems to have been an element of realpolitik on both sides.

 

There was a proposal immediately before closure (prompted by the shippers) for the SLNCR to take over the Ennskillen -Omagh line as a "siding" for cattle traffic from Colloney, theB101 Sulzers would have been just right for the job if Waterford would part with one!

[jhb171achill]

B101s and maybe Cs into Omagh! Of course, as we know, 141s made it to Omagh.....

[leslie10646]

It would be interesting to find out how serious CIE/Merrion St were about taking over the lines. By all accounts both Transport Ministers had a good working relationship and Merrion St was beginning to think in similar terms about the railways to their northern counterparts.

 

The closures worked pretty much in CIEs and the Irish Governments favour by closing down a competitor and diverting cattle traffic away from Belfast & Derry to Dublin Port, so there seems to have been an element of realpolitik on both sides.

 

That's an interesting observation, John re the relationship between the Dublin and Stormont ministers.

 

However, your comment about the benefit to CIE is clear enough for the IRRS Journal makes an interesting comment re the position in 1956 versus 1957 (after the closure of the SL&NCR) and I quote -

 

"Some interesting figures were recently quoted at Stormont. Cattle exports from the West of Ireland through the port of Belfast in October 1956 amounted to 3,300 head. The corresponding figure for October 1957 (in spite of the presence of UTA lorries at all Western fairs) was 188 head!. On the other hand it has frequently been necessary, since the SLNCR closed, for CIE to run specials of stock from Sligo to Dublin for shipping".

 

So, the Southern Minister probably wasn't too concerned as the traffic could be dealt with by other means and, as the next few years were to show, the days of line closures in the Republic were upon us, dieselisation or not.

 

That figure of 3,300 head of cattle equates to about 120 a day, or twenty wagons worth? So, the twenty cattle wagons I have set aside for the Enniskillen Shipper, when it eventually runs in the loft, is just about right?

 

Now, that's taken me away from checking the latest load of kits, so Patrick in far-off Ohio will have to wait another day!

Edited January 31, 2017 by leslie10646

[jhb171achill]

Good piece of detective work, Leslie.

 

Pettigo would itself have seen many a cattle wagon pass through.

 

I know there has been a kit of a GNR cattle truck, but now that we have "H" vans, fertiliser bogies, container flats, bubbles and corrugated opens, the ONLY iconic things not available, and "must-haves" for realism in the period up to 1975, are CIE "Palvans" and the standard CIE cattle truck. In the late 50s, older cattle trucks seemed to disappear overnight, and through the sixties and seventies it was just the CIE pattern. Quite low-roofed; those of us who have had a certain number of birthdays will recall.

[Mike258747]

B101s and maybe Cs into Omagh! Of course, as we know, 141s made it to Omagh.....

 

You are indeed correct about 141s making it to Omagh but what is not so well known is that the A class also made it on at least one occasion still with its Crossley engine. I vividly remember the sight, sound and smell of a silver A class lifting a heavy train up the gradient out of Omagh station in the Belfast direction.

Edited January 31, 2017 by Mike258747

[leslie10646]

John B

 

You're the man who will know this -

 

How much of this west of Ireland livestock traffic went out via Derry, rather than Belfast?

 

Leslie

[jhb171achill]

The bulk of it to Belfast, by far, Leslie, especially in latter days. I am not sure when the large GNR cattle yards at Maysfields were built, but if they were comparatively late, then it's possible more went out via Derry (or Dublin) before that. I'm not sure where the cattle traffic generated in narrow gauge country went; probably out of Derry until the Victoria Road - Strabane section closed. Certainly the GSWR was carrying cattle for Belfast across the Burma Road for many years.

[Glover]

I'm delighted that my little layout has generated such informed and interesting comment.

I had forgotten that the Bundoran Express lived on post the closure of the Bundoran branch, in a form at least.

This was the Pilgrim train which ran from Dublin up the Derry Road to Omagh. Pilgrims were bused from there to Lough Derg.

In Eric Challoners' superb book, "Farewell the Derry Road" (Colourpoint), there are colour photos of B153 and A53, in green operating this train. I wonder if the locals thought the latter was the Turf Burner!

There are also b/w photos of AEC railcars, led by 2635, working the train.

I think I'm right in saying that this train operated in the summer, to the end of the Derry Road.

 

Regards,

 

Glover

[Glover]

Leslie, sorry that I overlooked your comment regarding passengers.

The crowds caused by the arrival and departure of the Express would indeed bankrupt me. It might also be criticised by the less knowing as totally unprototypical for a small country station.....little do they know!

 

At the moment, there are no figures on the layout. I've drawn up a list of Montys Models figures to purchase (and paint....that's not as easy as it was 20 years ago!)but haven't bought them as yet.

 

On the question of buses, I think I'm right in saying that, given the protectionist nature of those times, that the services would have been operated by CIE, given that the journey would have been within the ROI. Therefore, a mix of ex GNR Gardiners and CIE equipment.

That's why I've placed a bus behind the shelter, in CIE cream and Crimson, to suggest this.

 

Again, many thanks,

Glover

[jhb171achill]

I was aware of 141 and A class locos making it into Omagh - wasn't aware of (presumably CIE) AECs. Obviously, routine services were largely AEC anyway by the 1960s, but these were simply ex-GNR AECs repainted in UTA green. One might therefore expect an GNR set which had gone to CIE to make a return visit in its new livery, but 2635 would have been a CIE car. An interesting photo would show one of the UTAs ex-GNR AEC sets crossing a CIE AEC set at, say, Dungannon!

 

Off the top of your head, can you remember where you saw the photo of 2635?

[Glover]

I was aware of 141 and A class locos making it into Omagh - wasn't aware of (presumably CIE) AECs. Obviously, routine services were largely AEC anyway by the 1960s, but these were simply ex-GNR AECs repainted in UTA green. One might therefore expect an GNR set which had gone to CIE to make a return visit in its new livery, but 2635 would have been a CIE car. An interesting photo would show one of the UTAs ex-GNR AEC sets crossing a CIE AEC set at, say, Dungannon!

 

Off the top of your head, can you remember where you saw the photo of 2635?

 

The photos are in Farewell the Derry Road.

Yes, the AEC's are CIE, in a mix of black & tan and green.

One of the photos shows the CIE set crossing a UTA set, at Dungannon!

Any more wishes?!

 

Cheers,

Glover

[Noel]

Superb layout glover. Excellent.

[jhb171achill]

One of the photos shows the CIE set crossing a UTA set, at Dungannon!

Any more wishes?!r

 

Yes! Make it happen again!

 

I didn't realise that - I just said I'd like to see such a photo off the top'o'me'ead...... and I've GOT THAT BOOK! Away to look now; over and out.

[leslie10646]

The bulk of it to Belfast, by far, Leslie, especially in latter days. I am not sure when the large GNR cattle yards at Maysfields were built, but if they were comparatively late, then it's possible more went out via Derry (or Dublin) before that. I'm not sure where the cattle traffic generated in narrow gauge country went; probably out of Derry until the Victoria Road - Strabane section closed. Certainly the GSWR was carrying cattle for Belfast across the Burma Road for many years.

 

Yes, John, I was aware that a lot of West of Ireland cattle were "exported" through the North, there were detailed instructions for them to be detrained (at Colooney?) and watered and fed! - The question is WHY? You would have thought that the cattle-loving Midland would have taken the lot?

 

No doubt taxes were involved - anyone know the answer?

 

Hey, Glover, bet you never thought your line would provoke discussions on high finance?

 

Leslie

[leslie10646]

By the way, Glover, your "plan" to build a GN terminus in Sligo ain't a million miles from others' ideas. Ballyconnel Road is / was on such a line - pity it's 3mm to the fut, otherwise you could join the lot together.

 

Happy Days!

[jhb171achill]

Yes, John, I was aware that a lot of West of Ireland cattle were "exported" through the North, there were detailed instructions for them to be detrained (at Colooney?) and watered and fed! - The question is WHY? You would have thought that the cattle-loving Midland would have taken the lot?

 

No doubt taxes were involved - anyone know the answer?

 

Hey, Glover, bet you never thought your line would provoke discussions on high finance?

 

Leslie

 

Not sure. The shorter crossing to Britain might have had something to do with it. I've never picked up on any detail which would clarify the answer.....

[Mayner]

By the way, Glover, your "plan" to build a GN terminus in Sligo ain't a million miles from others' ideas. Ballyconnel Road is / was on such a line - pity it's 3mm to the fut, otherwise you could join the lot together.

 

Happy Days!

 

This happened before with the Dublin & Drogheda and the Ulster Railway setting out to build a railway to two different gauges fortunately they kept to the same scale

 

To confuse things further David Malone has built a model of Cliffony on the MGWR line to Bundoran to 21mm gauge S4 standards. Photos of some of David's models including Cliffony station & signal cabin appeared in the short lived Rail Model Digest in the 1990s. Funnily enough the buildings bear a striking resemblance to Dromad.

[Glover]

To Leslie,

I did see Ballyconnel Road at the model railway exhibition in Cultra a few years ago and also the recent article in the Model Railway Journal. It's a superb model; subtle, no stage Irishness - just a country station as it might have been.

David Holman has achieved the same with Arigna Town, in particular the background everyday buildings.

 

Mayner: I wasn't aware of the model of Cliffony. I have a friend with family connections to that area.

The idea of modelling a Sligo to Bundoran line as MGWR is an interesting one and not something I had thought off. I've always had a notion of building an imaginary station located at Drumcliffe, with the magnificent Ben Bulben in the background and the church where William Butler Yeats is buried.

The station could feature representations of one or two Irish poets! And, a 'horseman passing by' on the road.

To Leslie's comment about my train set provoking discussions on high finance, I say fire away lads; to a city boy, the cost of moving moo cows around the country is a somewhat remote subject!

Having said that, it was vital to railways, especially in the West of Ireland. The Sligo Leitrim was essentially a cattle shipping line.

I'll do some notes at a later stage on my efforts at modelling a cattle special.

 

Now I'll get back to putting up some further photos of Pettigo.

 

Regards,

Glover

[Glover]

Before moving down to the Bundoran, goods yard end of the layout,we'll take a quick look at the Down platform.

There are only three structures on this: a typical GNR waiting shelter, a short section of corrugated awning (similar to that on the Up platform) and the signal box.

All are viewed on the layout from the rear.

 

The waiting shelter is a Alphagraphix card kit. I had intended building it from Grand Junction plastic panels but the kit provides a ready made solution. Not necessarily a short cut; these kits do require a lot of precise and tedious cutting. I have built a number of their wagon kits.

 

The corrugated awning is a pretty utilitarian structure but does illustrate how the station evolved over times to meet the needs of passengers.

 

The signal box is that produced by Bachmann Scenecraft a few years ago, primarily for sale through Irish retailers. It is, to my eyes, a replica of the standard GNR box, although I modified the windows and added an interior, which can't of course be seen! Why do we do these things?

 

The footbridge ( which I believe was dismantled from some where else on the GN system) is the Hornby model but reduced from its sky scraper height. It is also mounted on a stone pillar on the Down side, as per prototype.

The real thing had no intermediate landing but this is the best solution I could find.

 

Glover

[Kirley]

Thanks for posting, great pictures and accompanying comments.