From the Catacombs

[minister_for_hardship]

3 hours ago, Galteemore said:

Unfortunately, I think it would have been over-commercialised and sentimentalised. Think Disney World. The tram did run again - once. When the Belfast Transport museum was opened - initially at Queens Quay, a horse was requisitioned from Harkness hauliers to jog the assembled dignitaries down the yard. The Lord Mayor took the reins at one point ! 

A railway attraction. Over commercialised? In Ireland? Are you serious? 

When I see Cultra being commercialised over the faux brewery tour that is the Guinness Storehouse then maybe.

[Galteemore]

Edited reply below!

Edited April 18, 2020 by Galteemore

[Galteemore]

7 hours ago, minister_for_hardship said:

A railway attraction. Over commercialised? In Ireland? Are you serious? 

When I see Cultra being commercialised over the faux brewery tour that is the Guinness Storehouse then maybe.

Fair enough!  I meant commercialised in its broadest sense, and the outcome would depend on who was running it! What I essentially meant was that the mere prospect of Dick running up and down between the metropolis of Fintonagh and the contiguous attraction of the junction is unlikely to stir the soul for many. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon it ain’t. So the only way such an attraction would survive in that location would be as  part of a wider ‘interpretive centre’ or ‘experience’. The aesthetic sparseness of the original being compromised by the clutter of cafes and market stalls.
 

Having spent much of my early life fundraising for the RPSI, I am keenly aware that main line steam in Ireland is kept running by flogging cuddly toys, raffle tickets, and other ‘gizzits’ on board a slick series of money-spinning Santa/Easter trains, with support from other commercial inputs such as the London ‘syndicate’. It could not be otherwise.  

What I am also thinking of is the Giants Causeway scenario, where the original bucolic charm has (necessarily?) been overtaken by something very different. And did the Blennerville experience really replicate the charm of two grey tanks battling through to Dingle trailing a caravan of dereliction behind them?  
 

To revisit the original scenario, as an astute traveller to our land observed 250 years ago, ‘nothing lasts long in Ireland except the miles’. The tram would eventually have been replaced by some fibreglass monstrosity on an agriculturally welded angle iron chassis pulled by a tractor painted brown. With ‘Dick’ written on the bonnet. 

Edited April 18, 2020 by Galteemore

[minister_for_hardship]

GC I never did see. Blennerville opted for a sterile Thomas the Tank version of what formerly was there. The public treated it as a glorified fairground ride, a curiousity, even the most ardent enthusiast came away with a "meh" feeling about the whole enterprise.

Apart from publicity photos with entrants of the Tralee Lovely Girls Festival hanging off of it, I don't recall it being promoted all that seriously.

[jhb171achill]

In the mid 1930s there was MUCH less traffic on the roads compared to today. Or - is the coronavirus in full swing?!!

This is Glanmire Road, exact date unknown but likely to be 1936-8. The station, of course, is on the right.

The two carriages were across the river at Albert Quay station. Such were the necessities of “austerity” in those days, that rolling stock could often be just “touched up” instead of completely repainted. These two will be in the maroon GSR livery, though mostly faded and dulled  - no lining, as befits much of the secondary stock.

 

Edited April 18, 2020 by jhb171achill

[Noel]

25 minutes ago, jhb171achill said:

In the mid 1930s there was MUCH less traffic on the roads compared to today. Or - is the coronavirus in full swing?!!

This is Glanmire Road, exact date unknown but likely to be 1936-8. The station, of course, is on the right.

The two carriages were across the river at Albert Quay station. Such were the necessities of “austerity” in those days, that rolling stock could often be just “touched up” instead of completely repainted. These two will be in the maroon GSR livery, though mostly faded and dulled  - no lining, as befits much of the secondary stock.

 

 

Fabulous photo of Cork Kent station.

[jhb171achill]

I like the cloud of coal smoke hanging over the loco shed area in the distance! There could have been a dozen locos in steam in there at any time.....

[Midland Man]

From the tunnel to the end of the main station would make a medium sized little layout. Plus it's in a curved shape so it could be done in about 8ft by4ft I guess.

[jhb171achill]

GSR Inspection Car No. 4,  c.1940.

And a free pass, “access all areas”!

Edited April 19, 2020 by jhb171achill

[scahalane]

Cracken photo of Kent Station.

[Midland Man]

Looks a bit crazy.

 The Achill railcar ended up like that  I think.

[jhb171achill]

2 hours ago, Midland Man said:

Looks a bit crazy.

 The Achill railcar ended up like that  I think.

There were a number of these, several adapted for 3ft gauge.

The Achill one was a different design and a “unique”-looking one-off! It survived out of use well into the 1930s, gradually falling to bits....

[Midland Man]

Did Fry make a model of the Achill thing on wheels?

[jhb171achill]

1 minute ago, Midland Man said:

Did Fry make a model of the Achill thing on wheels?

No, unfortunately not! Though he will certainly have been familiar with it, as it was sitting about within Inchicore when he worked there.

[Midland Man]

I wonder if there is drawings 

@David Holman should make a model of it for belmullet as it is such a funny little thing and with David's skill it would be so detailed. When all of this so over I hope he brims one of his layouts to Eire as it would be great to sea it up close.

[David Holman]

All being well and travel getting back to normal, Fintonagh is booked to appear at Cultra in November MM. 

[Midland Man]

 yes!

Should be going to that show.

[hexagon789]

On 4/18/2020 at 12:24 PM, jhb171achill said:

In the mid 1930s there was MUCH less traffic on the roads compared to today. Or - is the coronavirus in full swing?!!

This is Glanmire Road, exact date unknown but likely to be 1936-8. The station, of course, is on the right.

The two carriages were across the river at Albert Quay station. Such were the necessities of “austerity” in those days, that rolling stock could often be just “touched up” instead of completely repainted. These two will be in the maroon GSR livery, though mostly faded and dulled  - no lining, as befits much of the secondary stock.

 

 

I think Cork is one of my favourite Irish stations, mixture of the overall roof and that graceful curve through the station - features of any truly great railway station!

Though asides from much less traffic on the roads, there were fewer trains as well.

I remember first seeing the 1933 timetable and having a double whammy shock of how few services even the "mainlines" had as well as the journey times. I suppose though that railway journeys truly were that then - journeys, you had a sense of actually going somewhere so to speak.

Now we have the dual luxury of increased frequency and increased speed but along the way much of the luxury and delight to be savoured from such journeys has sadly passed us by.

[jhb171achill]

A few goods vans in various places, 1976-9.

 

 

[Midland Man]

Love the 70s feel what are the wagons a 1st pic?

[jhb171achill]

11 minutes ago, Midland Man said:

Love the 70s feel what are the wagons a 1st pic?

In the first pic, the left hand one is of late GSR, or more probably early CIE origin. The one on the right, the inside frame one (brown) is one is a series built at Inchicore in the mid 1930s and designed by jhbSeniorx2. Examples of these were still in traffic into the 1970s.

I had a chance of getting one at one stage, but I had nowhere to put it!

Pics 2 & 3 are standard CIE "H" vans built in the late 1950s. In pic 3, the one on the right is an early '60s "palvan", as are the two in the next pic.

In the last pic, it's two ex-GNR vans, dating from 1954 - very much the GNR equivalent of CIEs H vans, and mostly built for Drogheda cement traffic, but widely used everywhere.

Edited April 20, 2020 by jhb171achill

[Midland Man]

Ah a 800 wagon.

[jhb171achill]

Goods transfer between Glanmire Road and Albert Quay, 1939.

[Midland Man]

Is that 102 or one of the Ivatt designs?

[jhb171achill]

12 hours ago, Midland Man said:

Is that 102 or one of the Ivatt designs?

102 was a J15.

This is 201, of the 201 class. Ten were built between 1887 and 1901 as shunting engines, designed by Ivatt.  They all lasted to the late 1950s, so are suitable as models to mix and mingle with A, C, E401, D, G601 and B101 class diesels, as well as laminate coaches and AEC railcars, among other things. While this pic was taken in 1939, 201 was the last to survive, still working in Cork until withdrawal in 1963.

Edited April 21, 2020 by jhb171achill

[Mayner]

The 201 or J11 Class was basically a tank engine version of the J15 both classes shared the same boiler and motion and appear to have been considered the "maid of all work" in terms of GSWR tank engines.

Bill McDonnell wrote about their work in the Cork Region in "In a Decade of Steam", although built as goods locos some incl 201, 207-209 were fitted with steam heating apparatus for working passenger trains.

They were built as shunting and transfer locos  and seem to have been mainly used on the Cork Area, including passenger trains between Cork and Bantry, in addition to shunting, trip working (Glanmire Rd-Albert Quay & the "run of goods"  Glanmire Rd-Rathpeacon) and banking heavy goods trains from Cork through the tunnel to Rathpeacon Marshalling Yard. I haven't seen any mention of them working in the Dublin area.

 

 

[Midland Man]

Should of said This earlier but the Midland made more 0-6-0 tanks than the GSWR and yet I always hear when you mention a E or something they are considerd a small class.

MM

Edited April 21, 2020 by Midland Man

[jhb171achill]

ANOTHER interesting Midland brake vehicle!

In addition to today’s “from the catacombs” photo of a GSWR tank loco in Cork, here’s the branch train at Loughrea in the 1938.

Loco, first class coach, third (ex-second).... so what exactly is that yoke on the rear?

 

[Midland Man]

That is a WLWR G3 not a G2 and yes there is something called a G3 as well as the DSER G1. 

MM

[jhb171achill]

50 minutes ago, Midland Man said:

That is a WLWR G3 not a G2 and yes there is something called a G3 as well as the DSER G1. 

MM

True, but I hadn't mentioned a G2.....! 

[jhb171achill]

1 hour ago, Mayner said:

The 201 or J11 Class was basically a tank engine version of the J15 

They were built as shunting and transfer locos  and seem to have been mainly used on the Cork Area, including passenger trains between Cork and Bantry, in addition to shunting, trip working (Glanmire Rd-Albert Quay & the "run of goods"  Glanmire Rd-Rathpeacon) and banking heavy goods trains from Cork through the tunnel to Rathpeacon Marshalling Yard. I haven't seen any mention of them working in the Dublin area.

 

 

The "bible" (McMahon & Clements) makes a mention of use in or around Dublin also. Occasionally, they appear to have also made rare appearances on passenger trains in West Cork. But of course, the Cork city area does seem to have been their main home. Attractive little things, I thought.....

[jhb171achill]

MGWR No. 552 in 1938

A final look at things Midland for the time being. Tomorrow we’ll head to Enniskillen!

I believe this was taken at Broadstone but I could be wrong; 1938 is the year anyway, the year after Broadstone closed as anything but a loco shed.

 

[jhb171achill]

In 1939 or 40, Senior spotted this.... I wonder where!

Over the next few visits to the catacombs, we’re in GNR territory.

[jhb171achill]

Ex-GNR (and NCC) Locos awaiting scrapping at Maysfields, Belfast c.1961.

Edited April 24, 2020 by jhb171achill

[airfixfan]

Most likely to be 83 and 87 withdrawn by the UTA in March 1960.