From the Catacombs

[StevieB]

That was quite a sum the NI government paid for NCC. I wonder what that would be today and what NIR is worth by way of comparison.

Stephen

[jhb171achill]

The shade of green is unknown, yes, and I note that the mogul does not by this stage have “U T” on the tender. 

I had been told “some weeks” by Senior, who was told by the NCC’s Harold Houston, who of course was behind its introduction. Certainly the Jeep didn’t have it long. 

[Midland Man]

It would be intresting to sea the new W/WT class being built in white head in that little livery. But if a W class is built A NCC livery would be every better. Think about this  a castle a WT and a W all in a line at Larne but then again the castle may all apart and the W may be a Wt.

[airfixfan]

90 was in Brunswick Green like BR? Towards the end of WW2 NCC 81 was sent to Dundalk for overhaul and returned in fully lined LMS Maroon!

[jhb171achill]

Forty five years ago, the sun went down on a chapter in Irish railway history, when the last rural branch line with traditional mixed trains closed. 

And as the winter sun went down on a bitterly cold but bright afternoon, two days before the closure, I took these.

So now the sun must go down on me posting daily pictures, as I need to get more scanned.....

1. Arrival at Loughrea, behind a “C”. A big disappointment that day - sure you can get an oul “C” class to Bray ANY day. I had hoped for a “G” - but it had been removed - for ever at this point - and sent to Tuam to shunt the sugar factory sidings during the winter’s beet “campaign”. (Where did they get that odd terminology for a beet harvest?). By the time the beet was finished a few months later, the “G” would now be homeless....

2. The sun sets on the last train of the day, on the last branchline, with just two days to go. This is actually a mixed train but there happened to be no goods that day.

3. A goods van in the siding at Dunsandle, en route.

Hope you’ve enjoyed the photos, folks.

[jhb171achill]

1 hour ago, airfixfan said:

90 was in Brunswick Green like BR? Towards the end of WW2 NCC 81 was sent to Dundalk for overhaul and returned in fully lined LMS Maroon!

I think it may have been 80, but whichever it was, the green on the Jeep was evidently something not unlike what’s on No. 30 in Cultra, or possibly a slightly darker version of the Isle of Man’s 1970s green. The mogul was some sort of olive green, possibly a bit like the Southern in England. The 4.4.0 was something different again, so it might well have been a “Brunswick” green - possibly similar to CIE green, even. It would have varied from what BR has due to (as far as I can tell) yellow lining.

[airfixfan]

According to Locos of NCC book it was 81. Found a photo today taken in 1953 of one of the NG tanks at Ballymoney with the UT Crest placed over the NCC letters! Looking for something else of course.

[jhb171achill]

21 minutes ago, airfixfan said:

According to Locos of NCC book it was 81. Found a photo today taken in 1953 of one of the NG tanks at Ballymoney with the UT Crest placed over the NCC letters! Looking for something else of course.

Really! That's interesting.... by then the NG is of course closed. Do you have a copy of the pic? I had always wondered if all the Ballycastle locos got lined UTA livery but clearly not.

[airfixfan]

Photo was by NW Sprinks taken in May 1953 of loco 43 at Ballymoney. This appeared in Steam Days May 2014 and shows clearly the UT crest applied on top of the middle C! There are photos of same loco in July 1954 in NG in Colour book but angle is less clear

 There is a good photo of 43 in July 1949 in smart NCC livery in latest version of Ballycastle Railway. Same book has clear photos of 41 and 44 in UT livery in 1950 with no NCC markings at all.

[jhb171achill]

The two would have looked very different, as the UTA and NCC style of lining were totally different. I looked up that pic - interesting stuff!

[Patrick Davey]

On 5/19/2020 at 1:40 PM, jhb171achill said:

Forty five years ago, the sun went down on a chapter in Irish railway history, when the last rural branch line with traditional mixed trains closed. 

And as the winter sun went down on a bitterly cold but bright afternoon, two days before the closure, I took these.

So now the sun must go down on me posting daily pictures, as I need to get more scanned.....

1. Arrival at Loughrea, behind a “C”. A big disappointment that day - sure you can get an oul “C” class to Bray ANY day. I had hoped for a “G” - but it had been removed - for ever at this point - and sent to Tuam to shunt the sugar factory sidings during the winter’s beet “campaign”. (Where did they get that odd terminology for a beet harvest?). By the time the beet was finished a few months later, the “G” would now be homeless....

2. The sun sets on the last train of the day, on the last branchline, with just two days to go. This is actually a mixed train but there happened to be no goods that day.

3. A goods van in the siding at Dunsandle, en route.

Hope you’ve enjoyed the photos, folks.

Is that the end JB?  It's been superb - thank you sincerely

[jhb171achill]

3 minutes ago, Patrick Davey said:

Is that the end JB?  It's been superb - thank you sincerely

Thank you Patrick.

I've nothing more for the moment! I've been able to get back into Malahide so I haven't as much time on my hands anyway.

What I do have is loads and loads of old glass plate negs, these being my grandfather's. But few if any are of railway matters - long-gone aunts in Co. Offaly, farm animals on their family farm there and so on.... I need to get these scanned. There are hundreds.

When I do get back to the railway stuff, there is some more of the stuff I've been trotting out over the last couple of months, and a handful of the rarest of all - anything I took myself that was even half-publishable! Then there's senior's colour stuff. Theses again were mostly family stuff, but there are several dozen decent colour shots worth showing. I will get around to it at SOME stage, hopefully!

Glad you've enjoyed it - hopefully it's been some distraction to "Internment"............

I think I will rename my study "Long Kesh" instead of the "catacombs"...............!

[Midland Man]

WHY 

[jhb171achill]

29 minutes ago, Midland Man said:

WHY 

Tempus is busy fuggitting away, MM! Malahide and its little plastic cases calls my attention.............................

[Midland Man]

If yo sea the D&B stuff can you take pics measure it if you can and get lots of close ups of you can. Hope you can help.

[Mayner]

On 5/20/2020 at 12:40 AM, jhb171achill said:

Forty five years ago, the sun went down on a chapter in Irish railway history, when the last rural branch line with traditional mixed trains closed. 

And as the winter sun went down on a bitterly cold but bright afternoon, two days before the closure, I took these.

So now the sun must go down on me posting daily pictures, as I need to get more scanned.....

1. Arrival at Loughrea, behind a “C”. A big disappointment that day - sure you can get an oul “C” class to Bray ANY day. I had hoped for a “G” - but it had been removed - for ever at this point - and sent to Tuam to shunt the sugar factory sidings during the winter’s beet “campaign”. (Where did they get that odd terminology for a beet harvest?). By the time the beet was finished a few months later, the “G” would now be homeless....

2. The sun sets on the last train of the day, on the last branchline, with just two days to go. This is actually a mixed train but there happened to be no goods that day.

3. A goods van in the siding at Dunsandle, en route.

Hope you’ve enjoyed the photos, folks.

I think one of the last workings on the branch may have been a beet special, which picked up laden wagons at Dunsandle while running from Attymon Junction to Loughrea before returning to the junction with the laden wagons, the goods loop at Dunsandle had been converted to a stub ended siding a few years earlier. There is an account of the final workings on the Ardee, Loughrea & Newcastle West branches in the Feb & June 1976 IRRS Journals

Apparently Attymon was quite crowded when the beet special arrived at the Junction, with Up & Down main line passenger trains crossing at the Station and a laden Dundalk/Navan-Tuam beet special recessed in the laybye at the eastern end of the station. I think the Loughrea beet special may have been worked by the branch loco, and laden beet wagons from Dunsandle & Loughrea attached to the special from the GN line.

Beet specials continued to run from Dundalk and Navan until the Tuam factory closed in the early 80s, I was stopped at Carpenters town level crossing by a long empty beet train in the Autumn of 84?, the cabin closed at Attymon and Westrail stock transferred to Tuam in the Mid 1980s.

At one stage in the early 1970s mixed train working was withdrawn on the branch and double headed G Class used to haul a goods train. One of the locos possibly G613 in the black and tan paint scheme was used as branch line passenger loco, the second loco possibly G611 in black paint scheme waited in the goods shed between turns. The pair apparently used to double head a goods to the junction and return in the interval between the late morning and early afternoon passenger trains.

 

Edited May 21, 2020 by Mayner

[Noel]

Thanks Jonathan, super photos from the golden era

[airfixfan]

16 hours ago, jhb171achill said:

The two would have looked very different, as the UTA and NCC style of lining were totally different. I looked up that pic - interesting stuff!

Photos taken in Ballycastle in 1950 show that 41 and 44 have different size UT crests and no NCC markings. The IRRS have a photo of 42 on the Larne NG line in March 1950 in very neat a d clean NCC livery with no UT markings! Pattern there is no pattern.

[David Holman]

Many thanks, it has been a fascinating and valuable thread.

[jhb171achill]

This is an old British Railways sign - judging by the dark blue background I think that was North Eastern Region?

So, folks, no gricing today.....!

[Galteemore]

Dark blue was Eastern. Orange was North Eastern. I’m talking about BR colour schemes BTW, not making any kind of socio-political commentary on the Irish demographic scene ! 

[jhb171achill]

20 minutes ago, Galteemore said:

Dark blue was Eastern. Orange was North Eastern. I’m talking about BR colour schemes BTW, not making any kind of socio-political commentary on the Irish demographic scene ! 

[jhb171achill]

Can you imagine NIR having to change the signage in Derry & Newry to green, and Lisburn and Carrickfergus to orange!!!

[Galteemore]

And the North Down stations to yellow for the Alliance party ....

[jhb171achill]

And then you'd have Porteeeedown.

Platform 1 - Green. Platform 2 - Orange. Platform 3 - Red, white and blue. Platform 4 - Green, white and orange.

Lucky there isn't a platform 5 (for Dungannon and Armagh in the future)....

Edited May 28, 2020 by jhb171achill

[jhb171achill]

Another of Senior’s: it’s 1945. Where are we?

 

[Dhu Varren]

Before even looking too closely at the top right background, which is the station, the number of 'Brown Vans' in the goods yard would suggest that the photo is of Belfast York Road.

[jhb171achill]

28 minutes ago, Dhu Varren said:

Before even looking too closely at the top right background, which is the station, the number of 'Brown Vans' in the goods yard would suggest that the photo is of Belfast York Road.

Ha! You’re 100 right, of course; I should have cropped out the brown vans!

Shows how extensive the place was....

[Lambeg man]

Fascinating picture JHB, a somewhat unique view from the signal cabin. What is interesting is the loading gauge in the foreground. This is presumably the 'exit' road for departing goods trains, hence the position of the gauge. This indicates that the four sidings to the rear (just right of the picture centre) would have been the departure 'marshalling' sidings for this depot. York Road never had (or ever had need of) an equivalent to the 'Adelaide Marshalling Yard', which prior to the 1933 strike, all goods wagons to and from both Grosvenor Road and Maysfields/Docks were 'tripped', departing goods trains being assembled here and arriving goods trains being broken up.   

[jhb171achill]

3 minutes ago, Lambeg man said:

Fascinating picture JHB, a somewhat unique view from the signal cabin. What is interesting is the loading gauge in the foreground. This is presumably the 'exit' road for departing goods trains, hence the position of the gauge. This indicates that the four sidings to the rear (just right of the picture centre) would have been the departure 'marshalling' sidings for this depot. York Road never had (or ever had need of) an equivalent to the 'Adelaide Marshalling Yard', which prior to the 1933 strike, all goods wagons to and from both Grosvenor Road and Maysfields/Docks were 'tripped', departing goods trains being assembled here and arriving goods trains being broken up.   

I'd love to know what the two wagons are at the bottom left - a six-wheel carriage truck presumably and some sort of flat........

[jhb171achill]

This is a watercolour painting of the interior of one of the Ballymena & Larne bogies, done when it was on the NCC’s Ballycastle line.

I remember travelling in main line ex-NCC stock which still had the exact same shaped wooden seat ends and panelling.....so this was very much as standard NCC fare internally as it was externally.

I might add that I do not know the identity of the artist - nor did Senior; someone gave it to him years ago. Having travelled in those things himself, he said it was accurate.

[airfixfan]

Will be useful for the restoration of Coach 58.

[jhb171achill]

2 hours ago, airfixfan said:

Will be useful for the restoration of Coach 58.

Yes, absolutely - it shows the light fittings even!

I assume the upholstery colour is right, though I have no information on NCC upholstery ever being grey - but who knows!

[jhb171achill]

Back to Senior’s photos.

NCC coach at Ballymoney, c.1947.

It could do with a lick of paint - soon, the UTA will take over, paint it green, and 18 months later close the Ballycastle line.

Like much secondary NCC stock, the narrow gauge coaches tended to have neither lining nor crests after the mid 1930s.

[hexagon789]

22 minutes ago, jhb171achill said:

Back to Senior’s photos.

NCC coach at Ballymoney, c.1947.

It could do with a lick of paint - soon, the UTA will take over, paint it green, and 18 months later close the Ballycastle line.

Like much secondary NCC stock, the narrow gauge coaches tended to have neither lining nor crests after the mid 1930s.

A brake composite by the looks of it.

Two of the third class compartments appear not to have doors, though?