From the Catacombs

[airfixfan]

That is a 4 4 2T not a Baltic tank.

[Dhu Varren]

16 minutes ago, airfixfan said:

That is a 4 4 2T not a Baltic tank.

The common name for that wheel arrangement is an Atlantic, and being a tank engine, the loco would be an Atlantic tank. 

[Irishswissernie]

The County Down's 4 Baltic tanks seemed to stick in enthusiasts memories more than the 15 Atlantic tanks probably because they were so massive compared to the rest of the railways locomotives and  possibly also in the Loco crews memories but for different reasons! 

 

Edited May 7, 2020 by Irishswissernie

[Midland Man]

Queens quay sheds would make a nice little layout.

MM

[Galteemore]

12 minutes ago, Irishswissernie said:

The County Down's 4 Baltic tanks seemed to stick in enthusiasts memories more than the 15 Atlantic tanks probably because they were so massive compared to the rest of the railways locomotives and  possibly also in the Loco crews memories but for different reasons! 

 

True, Ernie! Quite a nice family likeness across the island too - from Collooney to Clonakilty to Cultra - significant similarities between some of the designs. This BCDR one, from Mike Morant’s collection, for instance, is very close to SLNC outlines....although with more humane spacing between the rearmost driving wheels!!

 

Edited May 7, 2020 by Galteemore

[Dhu Varren]

Perhaps the family likeness stems from the fact that, certainly in the case of the BCDR and SLNCR, all their locos were supplied by Beyer, Peacock & Co. 

[Galteemore]

Indeed it does, although the likeness does not shine through from GNRI locos produced at Gorton. Presumably the other companies allowed BP draughtsmen more leeway in using the house style!

[airfixfan]

Suspect that will less staff the smaller companies like the County Down were content to give Beyer Peacock a free hand in design details. Of course the Baltic tanks were alleged to have been ruined by alterations demanded by staff in Belfast not Manchester!

[NIR]

6 hours ago, jhb171achill said:

Look at that signal gantry!

Those outline ones, wrongway shunt?

No starting signal on centre road?

Edited May 7, 2020 by NIR

[Dhu Varren]

Here is a picture of the whole of both gantries. 

There are no starter signals for the centre roads, as they are not running lines and are only used for shunting moves.

 

[Patrick Davey]

28 minutes ago, Dhu Varren said:

Here is a picture of the whole of both gantries. 

There are no starter signals for the centre roads, as they are not running lines and are only used for shunting moves.

 

Oh to be able to step into that photo and catch a train to Donaghadee, Ballynahinch, Ardglass or Castlewellan.....

Edited May 7, 2020 by Patrick Davey

[NIR]

1 hour ago, Dhu Varren said:

Here is a picture of the whole of both gantries. 

There are no starter signals for the centre roads, as they are not running lines and are only used for shunting moves.

 

Just about worked out what the right-hand gantry is doing, the left-hand gantry looks like more complex trackwork over there. The home gantry in the distance looks much simpler.

[KMCE]

On 5/5/2020 at 1:24 PM, jhb171achill said:

A typically deserted Murrough Station, Wicklow, 1939.

JB,

Have you got any more photos of Murrough or the Chemical works in Wicklow?

My neck of the woods and was lucky to amble over the remains of the track (c. '88) near the junction SB - points still worked.  Track long gone now & very little remains.

 

What made the station interesting was the line continued down to the docks where a line ran along the quay wall down to the lime works.

Have a hankering to model this station, however it would need considerable shortening, as it extended for a long way from the chemical works down to the port.

Regards,

Ken

Edited May 7, 2020 by KMCE

[jhb171achill]

Very interesting indeed, Ken - I was completely unaware of those extension lines! Yes, that would make a very interesting subject for a layout.

It is an area I may get to know better, as daughter-the-middle is moving to Greystones in the coming days, and much will need to be done in that area to settle her in and move stuff, so I'm likely to be staying in Greystones for a few days.....

Unfortunately, I have not yet come across anything else Murrough in his stuff. I am actually prompted to wonder if it was his father (my grandfather) who took that one, but I'm unsure. The place never seems to have been all that busy.

I narrowly missed a jaunt in there in the 1970s in one of the last ever service trains, when they briefly reopened it. The 17:43 from Connolly still went in there, arriving 18:58 or so in 1975, I think it was. As far as I was aware, it was the only passenger train using the place, so I got it. Sure enough, it ended in the main line station instead. I was disgusted!

[Mayner]

On 5/7/2020 at 1:36 AM, Midland Man said:

Fabulous phot @jhb171achill

609s tender looks quite small and old. Did it ever get a new one?

The L Class were built with low sided tenders with inside springs like 509, some members of the class retained their original tenders through their various re-building though some locos later received larger tenders from scrapped locos.

605 and 610 received larger tenders in later years apparently from scrapped Cusach A & C Class 4-4-0s & B Class 0-6-0s, the larger tenders may have been to provide greater water capacity for working the Ballina Goods west of Athlone. The train ran as a fast goods calling only at the larger stations on the Mayo Line, a Cattle Engine worked the slower Westport Goods which called at all stations west of Athlone taking about 12 hours to reach its destination from Athlone.

Oddly 609 has a more rounded cab cut outline than the more angular outline of other members of the class.

 

[Midland Man]

They look like J15s than L classes. A product of the GSR

[jhb171achill]

The other day it was “symphony in grey”. Today it’s “black’n’tan heaven”; an odd description for political history, but very fitting for 20th March 1976 on the railways!

Hard to believe this was 44 years ago - seems like yesterday. I took the train from Limerick to Ballina, two weeks before the passenger service was withdrawn between Limerick and Ballina. Then I went back to Dublin.

1.   B143 shunting the goods at Tuam. Later, I would see this train at Claremorris.

2.   B168 and B16? approach with the up Westport - Dublin. The rain had just started....

3.   Spare coach for Ballina branch at Claremorris. They often kept a spare here -  another time I saw a Park Royal sitting in the same spot.

4.   That iconic scene at Athenry with up and down crossing. Two weeks more and it was history.

5.   The goods seen earlier at Tuam has caught up, but the time I've been to Ballina and back to Claremorris, where it is seen. A pot of tea and a nice hot meal, complete with old metal tray and dribbly CIE teapot await me in the 24xx dining car on the return journey. 

 

 

Edited May 8, 2020 by jhb171achill

[Midland Man]

Lovely pic jhb my favorite is the second pic probally the angle it was taken at. You can't  do those kind of photos any more.

[jhb171achill]

2 hours ago, Midland Man said:

Lovely pic jhb my favorite is the second pic probally the angle it was taken at. You can't  do those kind of photos any more.

Yes, the second, third and fifth were taken from just hopping of the platform and standing on the track. This would not be allowed nowadays under any circumstances unless you had PTS and appropriate reflective clothing. In those days, there was an unwritten rule that as long as you were not acting the maggot, and were behaving in a sensible manner, it was fine. No running, no jumping - just get your pic and get back to the platform! 

Thus, a disclaimer: past performance is no guide to present performance, do not try this at home, and do as the notices say today, not as I was able to freely do back then! This, of course, also applies to Senior's habit of climbing on carriage or wagon roofs or up signal posts in the 1930s to get a better picture, or on top of a rickety chair in a locomotive yard......!

[Mayner]

14 hours ago, Midland Man said:

They look like J15s than L classes. A product of the GSR

Funnily enough the late Bob Clements the authority on MGWR locos told me he considered the X Boiler Midland Standard Goods to be GSR locomotives.

The L Class were re-built with conventional cabs and belpair boilers in the early 1900s and looked quite different from the Lm & Ln sub-classes which retained their Atock features.

Most of the L & Lm class boilers would have been due for replacement by the 1930s and most of the 573 &  594  Class 0-6-0s were rebuilt with X Superheated boilers

All of the Ln or 563 class with the exception of 567 Duke were scrapped in the 1920s, 567 had been re-built as a prototype for modernising the Midland Standard goods and although considered to be 'very good" by Inchacore no further Standard Goods were re-built to a similar standard.

Post 1903-4 MGWR L Class 0-6-0

Pre- 1903-4 L Class 0-6-0

ln 567/J16 at Athboy

Edited May 9, 2020 by Mayner

[jhb171achill]

1 hour ago, Mayner said:

Funnily enough the late Bob Clements the authority on MGWR locos told me he considered the X Boiler Midland Standard Goods to be GSR locomotives.

The L Class were re-built with conventional cabs and belpair boilers in the early 1900s and looked quite different from the Lm & Ln sub-classes which retained their Atock features.

Most of the L & Lm class boilers would have been due for replacement by the 1930s and most of the 573 &  594  Class 0-6-0s were rebuilt with X Superheated boilers

All of the Ln or 563 class with the exception of 567 Duke were scrapped in the 1920s, 567 had been re-built as a prototype for modernising the Midland Standard goods and although considered to be 'very good" by Inchacore no further Standard Goods were re-built to a similar standard.

Post 1903-4 MGWR L Class 0-6-0

Pre- 1903-4 L Class 0-6-0

ln 567/J16 at Athboy

Athboy - yes - yet three GSWR wagons! And still in the older GSWR charcoal grey, albeit with GS lettering. I have a sample of that charcoal wagon grey somewhere. Even darker than loco grey!

[David Holman]

Fine water tank in the background too.

[NIR]

I notice lots of goods engines are 0-6-0 while passenger or mixed engines have a pony truck so are 0-4-2, 2-4-0 or whatever. What is the general reason for this, pulling power versus ride?

Edited May 9, 2020 by NIR

[Wexford70]

I believe the express passenger locomotives had larger radius drive wheels with smaller wheels used to help guide the locomotive. 

Locos for branch line, mixed and freight traffic ran at slower speeds and did not need this more complex and expensive configuration. 

[jhb171achill]

Today, another NCC engine. I can’t tell the location, but I think it was taken 1937-40 period.

 

[Midland Man]

Lovely engine number 50 was.

It looks like somewhere near York road as a place like Larne never had any type o style like that on the building in the far left. Is number 50 one of the Beyer peacock locos supplied to the NCC in 1890 but were rebuilt in 1931/32?

[Galteemore]

MM is correct. It’s York Road - can just glimpse the coaling plant between the cab and the dome.

[jhb171achill]

Ah! Hadn't seen the coaling stage.

I upload all of these from my mobile phone, so the first time I see them in a larger size is after they've been posted and I look them up on the "desktop" ("big") computer.

Staff catchers obvious too.

Edited May 9, 2020 by jhb171achill

[airfixfan]

50 and its sister engine had interesting histories and 50 was not withdrawn until 1946. Built by Beyer Peacock as 2-4-0 compounds in 1895 and altered in 1897 to 4-4-0s to improve stability etc. In 1926 50 was rebuilt as a simple with a very LNWR like appearance with its 7 foot driving wheels.

 

 

 

 

 

[jhb171achill]

I see it still has its nameplate "Jubilee" in Senior's pic......

[Galteemore]

Also some interesting BP features in the cab design such as beading and rain strips. 

[jhb171achill]

Only a couple of Cravens were ever given any logo, and this was just after the split of CIE in 1987. 

This one was at Heuston in May 1989. it didn’t carry these IR logos for long.

 

[Midland Man]

Cravans are nice but not as great as park royals. Cart wait until one of the big company's like IRM or MM make some.

[Noel]

2 hours ago, Midland Man said:

Cravans are nice but not as great as park royals. Cart wait until one of the big company's like IRM or MM make some.

Agree but won't be holding my breath. Have just received some resin kits for same. The PRs had slightly more comfortable seats on the mainline versions than the cravens. From an exterior point of view the cravens seemed far more sleek and modern, almost as modern looking as the mk2's.Interesting photo above of the Craven marshalled up to a mk3 in a storage siding with a dutch GSV on the other side.

[Midland Man]

I am guessing that IRM will probally do a C or a B class after the A class and at the same time do some ammonia bogie wagons. MM will probally do something like mk3s executive coaches. My dream is that one of the two will do 461.