GVS and Adelaide lookalike

[ttc0169]

Well done Andy-very atmospheric-the natural light really helps to set the scene.....

[heirflick]

absolutely stunning work - an inspiration to us all!

[Hunslet 102]

Thanks for your encouragement Noel and Seamus.Noel,they say the camera never lies,but it appears it has bent the truth in the last couple of photo's!!The layout is in the loft with no skylight,so therefore no natural light.I had to relook at the photo's to actually see what you had seen and was surprised it actually did look like sunlight!For the photo's to come out like that has been a complete fluke,but quite pleasing.

[Kirley]

It must be your loft lights diffused through the canopy roof lights that give that realistic effect- very effective.

[Hunslet 102]

It must be your loft lights diffused through the canopy roof lights that give that realistic effect- very effective.

 

Thanks Kieran,my sons pal,as part of his learning curve,installed some small spotlights above the layout that made a huge difference from the 60 watt bulb that was previously in place!

[Hunslet 102]

Its 1971 and there is an unusual scene at Belfast Great Victoria Street station with the sight of 3 different CIE locomotives in the old station.Over in platform 2,CIE A class No A20 can be seen with the CIE Enterprise set,made up of cravens stock as it will be another year before the Supertrain stock will arrive.The unusual scene of B141 class No B165 in platform 3 and Sulzer B class No B105 in platform 4 with trains made up of cravens and laminate stock has happened as both have brought Bohemian fans to Belfast for a Cup Winners Cup clash with Distillery,whose ground is just beside the Grosvenor Road freight yard,adjacent to the station.

 

A bit of modellers licence,but not as far fetched as it may sound as both teams won their respective cups in 1970/71,with Distillery getting the glamour tie against Barcelona while Bohemian played a team called TJ Gottwaldov from the then Czechoslovakia.

 

[Kirley]

All you need now is the passengers to really bring it to life.

[ttc0169]

Lovely set up Andy-and a great story to add to it,more please...

[heirflick]

love this pic andy...just like the real thing!!

[Hunslet 102]

Many thanks for your comments Kieran,Noel and Seamus,glad you are enjoying the thread.The following photo has been taken 10 years after the previous photo and shows the changing face on NIR.Brand new NIR 111 class loco Great Northern is seen powering towards Dublin with the Enterprise,while an NIR 80 class driving trailer,now 7 years old is heading towards Belfast,passing a CIE 141 class shunting container wagons in the head shunt.Fertilizer and bubbles in the yard complete the more up to date scene.The new excellent NIR 111 in original livery produced by Murphy Models was a great excuse for me digging out some of my 80s stock,which has been boxed since embarking on the GVSt station project.

 

[heirflick]

that's a great scene Andy..i must admit that the early livery on the 071 was my least favourite, but seeing her pulling those coaches is rapidly changing my mind!

[UP6936]

The great thing about this scene is that it really looks like a working railway from that era. Great layout!

[Kirley]

Time captured in a picture! Andy I think you should open some more of those 'boxes'.

[Hunslet 102]

Thanks guys for your posts,now back again in time for a photo I meant to post a while ago.The photo is the start of the next phase of the station build,showing the 2 island platform canopies,still in the build process, in what was their common appearance in the 70s with the glass blown out.Because the canopies were well done each platform and most passengers never walked as far as them,the glass was never usually repaired,but the glaziers are ready for work once the canopy build has been completed!Work on the station will end now for the holidays coming up,with the weedkiller train,a couple of AEC railcars and a long overdue C class all in the pipeline to be worked on over the festive period-hopefully!

 

[heirflick]

excelent Andy....been so long we thought you emegrated!

[Hunslet 102]

excelent Andy....been so long we thought you emegrated!

 

HaHa,if only Seamus.Just looking forward to a couple of weeks off from the building industry,fed up being up to my knees in muck every day:SORRY:

[Dunluce Castle]

Canopy's are looking very good, well done,

One question: was it common for lorries to drive on the platform at great Victoria street? (Just wondering and interested)

[Hunslet 102]

Canopy's are looking very good, well done,

One question: was it common for lorries to drive on the platform at great Victoria street? (Just wondering and interested)

 

Nelson-no,lorries would never be on the platform at Great Victoria Street,the lorry was only there as I took a photo of it from a side on angle to send to a friend.The lorry is an NIR Rail Express Parcels lorry that I have converted, which was used to transport goods from the boat train that arrived at York Road up to Great Victoria Street for onward shipment.I dont think it would have been much of an express service as it was hand-balled on to the train at Larne,hand-balled of at York Road to the truck,hand-balled onto a train at GVSt and hand-balled off at the final destinations.Then again,most jobs in the 70s were labour intensive.

[Dunluce Castle]

Thank you for clearing that up Hunslet, very interesting.

[Kirley]

Good to see things are ticking over at GVSt.

[BosKonay]

Looking great!!

[Hunslet 102]

Thanks again guys for your comments.Following on from the photo of the island platform canopies,the following few photo's show them in their near finished state,another coat of paint should be suffice.

 

Anyway,the first photo shows the island platform canopies as they would have looked in the early 70s after one of the numerous bomb attacks on Great Victoria Street station.A works gang are trying to make the canopies safe,probably a fruitless task!

 

 

The following shot has been taken from the end of the platform and it shows the resolve of the Belfast people during the troubles as life goes on with BUT double ended railcar No122 ready to depart with a service to Portadown.The repair gang would have worked away with no H & S guys sticking their tuppence worth in

 

 

The final photo has been taken further up the platform and shows the single ended BUT waiting for its final passengers to board.The CIE Enterprise has recently arrived over in platform 2 headed by A class A20.

 

[jhb171achill]

I never saw lorries on GVS platform, though I did see taxis, post office vans and cars there at the back platform. I did see lorries on platforms in other locations though deep in CIE territory.

[ttc0169]

Very nice work on the canopies Andy-keep up the good work in 2014.

[heirflick]

beautyful work Andy! pray tell was there ever rolling stock damaged at the station in those dark years?

[UP6936]

Lovely scenes. What carriages are you using to represent the CIE cross border rake? Would I be right saying that MK2 stock didnt go on the Belfast line for fear of damage until the mid 80s?

[Hunslet 102]

I never saw lorries on GVS platform, though I did see taxis, post office vans and cars there at the back platform. I did see lorries on platforms in other locations though deep in CIE territory.

 

Thanks John-I know that lorries were never on the main platform at GVSt,I explained the reason it was there in an earlier post to Nelson.The lorry modelled could also be found at the back of platform 4 along side the taxi's and post office vans,it ran between GVSt and York Road.

 

Very nice work on the canopies Andy-keep up the good work in 2014.

 

Thanks Noel,I look forward to more great work from Tara Junction this year

 

beautyful work Andy! pray tell was there ever rolling stock damaged at the station in those dark years?

 

Cheers Seamus,unfortunately yes there was stock damaged.An MED railcar and a BUT railcar both suffered bomb damage in the station,I am sure both ended up being withdrawn.I have also seen a photo of a couple of CIE heating vans with major bomb damage in the station siding,but not sure if that happened in the station or they were towed there.There was also other rolling stock damaged elsewhere in the network,but mainly it was hoax bomb scares rather than actual bombs that blighted NIR back then.

 

Lovely scenes. What carriages are you using to represent the CIE cross border rake? Would I be right saying that MK2 stock didnt go on the Belfast line for fear of damage until the mid 80s?

 

Thanks UP6936.The carriages in the photo are Murphy Models Cravens.These,along with laminates and Park Royals were the main stock used before the arrival of the Supertrain MK2s.The Mk2s arrived in 1972 and were on the Enterprise service from the start.However,they were replaced with the older stock on regular occasions during the 70s,obviously to avoid bomb damage.

Edited January 3, 2014 by Hunslet 102

[jhb171achill]

UP, yes, you are right about CIE keeping Mk 2 stock away for the Belfast line for many years. I recall travelling by "Enterprise" quite a lot between 1979 and about 1983; towards the end of that period I travelled in a Mk 2 set, but in the earlier part of that period it was laminates, Cravens and Park Royals mixed up, and a 24XX series dining car like the one at Downpatrick! I footplated it a couple of times, once in an "A", the other time a (less common) "pair". I've a notion it was 150 + 155.

[Hunslet 102]

Just a few more photos from the layout,showing my favourite locomotive,the NIR DL class,better known as the Hunslet.The photos are all beside the fictitious Alsadon station,which will be swept away and replaced with a more accurate model of Adelaide station from the 70s,once work on GVSt has been completed.

The first photo shows Hunslet 101 Eagle heading to GVSt with the Enterprise,passing sister loco 102 Falcon on a permanent way working.In the sidings behind the platform,CIE B class loco,No.B165,is marshalling loose coupled wagons for a return trip to Dundalk.

 

 

The following 2 photo's show the Hunslets passing each other in the station,one taken from the street side of the fence and the other from the goods yard side of the fence.

 

 

[NIRCLASS80]

The Hunslets were always my favorite locos. Great scenes nice modelling.

[BosKonay]

Beautiful. My favourite livery too!

[Kirley]

Your scenes always look so alive. I see you are using Bachmann Class 20 chassis for your Hunslets, great smooth runners.

[josefstadt]

Would I be right saying that MK2 stock didnt go on the Belfast line for fear of damage until the mid 80s?

 

MkII stock was introduced on to the 'Enterprise' services operated by CIÉ from the June Bank Holiday in 1973 and continued on the link until 5 February 1976. On that date, at Terryhoogan just north of Scarva, a bomb under the outer rail of the Up line exploded as the 17:30 Belfast-Dublin train was passing. The entire train - B174, 5228, 5231, 5208, 5406, 5101, 5608 - was derailed. Fortunately a speed limit of 30 mph was in force at the site and the vehicles came to rest leaning against the side of the cutting. Four passengers were taken to hospital, but were discharged soon afterwards. The remaining passengers, after being given tea and refreshments by local residents, continued their journey on a NIR train which had been heading north at the time of the incident and which was turned back at Scarva station. Damage to the locomotive, coaches and track was relatively light and once the all clear had been given by the security forces the clean up began. Single line working over the Down line commenced on 9 February. Following the incident the CIÉ ‘Enterprise’ set reverted to non-AC stock.

The photo below, by CP Friel and originally published in the June 1976 Journal of the IRRS, shows the aftermath of the incident. Scarva station is just out of sight in the distance.

[craven1508]

Great photo and story there, the Mark 2,s were made off stern stuff!!

[Hunslet 102]

Not much modelling been done lately,but,inspired by the above photo,I decided to recreate it on my own layout!