Dugort Harbour

[jhb171achill]

The fictitious Castletown West and Dugort Harbour line lost its passenger services in 1975 along with Loughrea. From then until closure a few years later it was goods only. 

In the last few years, re-engined A and C class locomotives were often seen there, though Cravens coaches were rare, as they were almost without exception used on main lines.

However our intrepid photographer caught A23R with a Craven on the branch service one day in summer 1975.

Here it arrives, and the loco A23R is shown backing onto its train again before departure. 

 

Edited September 30 by jhb171achill

[jhb171achill]

Summer 1974….

“Yeah, but, it’s all very well goin’ on about McKinsey an’ all that, but look at that. One empty cattle van and what’s in the H van? Six crates of linen goods for Quill’s in Killarney. Sure ye’d get that in the back of a Morris Minor!”

”I know what you’re saying but I’ll tell you this. As long as Jackie O’Donoghue is the TD and mayor of Castletown, they won’t close this line!”

(Spring 1976: all services were withdrawn…..)

 

Edited October 6 by jhb171achill

[Westcorkrailway]

19 minutes ago, jhb171achill said:

Summer 1974….

“Yeah, but, it’s all very well goin’ on about McKinsey an’ all that, but look at that. One empty cattle van and what’s in the H van? Six crates of linen goods for Quill’s in Killarney. Sure ye’d get that in the back if a Morris Minor!”

”I know what you’re saying but I’ll tell you this. As long as Jackie O’Donoghue is the TD and mayor of Castletown, they won’t close this line!”

(Spring 1976: all services were withdrawn…..)

“And the only reason there isint a C class working the line like Loughrea is because IRM haven’t made one yet, wherever that means”

[jhb171achill]

1 minute ago, Westcorkrailway said:

“And the only reason there isint a C class working the line like Loughrea is because IRM haven’t made one yet, wherever that means”

"IRM? What's IRM? One'o'them groups up the north?"

[Broithe]

9 hours ago, jhb171achill said:

"IRM? What's IRM? One'o'them groups up the north?"

The last word is 'Mafia'.

[jhb171achill]

On a cold snowy day in January 1965, A30 rescues a failed A42 from a remote location along the straggling bogland scenes near Castletown West.

Looks like that sky has a good deal more snow in it….

Within months, they’ll both be repainted black, A30 having skipped the green livery entirely (as a few of them did in real life!)

Edited October 7 by jhb171achill

[jhb171achill]

It’s 1966, and they’re relaying the loco yard up in Castletown. This means the two overnight locos stable down the harbour branch tonight. In the morning, A12 will be off with the 08:30 to Tralee, over an hour away, while A55 will have the 10:45 Cork goods.

Edited October 8 by jhb171achill

[jhb171achill]

A milestone reached today at Dugort Harbour.

The bit you see in pictures, with scenery, was initially conceived as nothing more than a shunting layout. Beyond the curve in the cutting was to have simply a fiddle yard.

However, a house move enabled a substantial extension. As previously mentioned, the new extension had to be at a slightly higher level, due to the need to provide access to a service hatch under it. Thus, being of two levels, the actual Dugort station remains at one level, with the branch line from there to Castletown West, and the "main line" beyond that ending in a fiddle yard.

With very gratefully recieved assistance from my learned friends, the older bit will soon be raised, and the connection put in, enabling through running. But as of today, all points and wiring in Castletown West were completed (again, by my Learned Friend!) and this enabled a trial run tonight of a full operating sequence within the station.

The modus operandi will be based on adaptations of the Valentia and also West Cork timetables of about 1960, with two main line passenger trains a day from CW to "town"; this may variously be Cork or Tralee, as the layout is situated at some sort of remote south-western outpost, probably an hour from Tralee, 2 from Cork, or some such. Those places are represented by the fiddle yard. So trains arrive from there, and local branch line services provide a continuing service down to Dugort Harbour. This type of operation is based exactly on the convoluted (and highly inefficient!) toings and froings between Valentia Harbour and Cahirciveen, or between Skibbereen and Baltimore.

Thus, from an operational point of view, instead of a simple end-to-end run (fully round and round isn't possible due to the small matter of a door into the layout room...), main line trains arrive at CW, which is in the middle, with all the shunting and so on that this entails, while connections go from there to the other end.

For the first time I did a trial run of a full sequence tonight - it took two full hours. A good evening's bumbling about in the attic if ever there was one. As always, indebted to those who assist in making it happen - you know who you are.

Edited October 10 by jhb171achill

[Gabhal Luimnigh]

1 hour ago, jhb171achill said:

A milestone reached today at Dugort Harbour.

The bit you see, with scenery, was initially conceived as nothing mo0re than a shunting layout. Beyond the curve in the cutting was to have simply a fiddle yard.

However, a house move enabled a substantial extension. As previously mentioned, the new extension had to be at a slightly higher level, due to the need to provide access to a service hatch under it. Thus, being of two levels, the actual Dugort station remains at one level, with the branch line from there to Castletown West, and the "main line" beyond that ending in a fiddle yard.

With  very gratefully recieved assistance from my learned friends, the older bit will soon be raised, and the connection put in, enabling through running. But as of today, all points and wiring in Castletown West were completed (again, by my Learned Friend!) and this enabled a trial run tonight of a full operating sequence within the station.

The modus operandi will be based on adaptations of the Valentia and also West Cork timetables of about 1960, with two main line passenger trains a day from CW to "town"; this may variously be Cork or Tralee, as the layout is situated at some sort of remote south-western outpost, probably an hour from Tralee, 2 from Cork, or some such. Those places are represented by the fiddle yard. So trains arrive from there, and local branch line services provide a continuing service down to Dugort Harbour. This type of operation is based exactly on the convoluted (and highly inefficient!) toings and froings between Valentia Harbour and Cahirciveen, or between Skibbereen and Baltimore.

Thus, from an operational point of view, instead of a simple end-to-end run (fully round and round isn't possible due to the small matter of a door into the layout room...), main line trains arrive at CW, which is in the middle, with all the shunting and so on that this entails, while connections go from there to the other end.

For the first time I did a trial run of a full sequence tonight - it took two full hours. A good evening's bumbling about in the attic if ever there was one. As always, indebted to those who assit in making it happen - you know who you are.

Great stuff, I'm delighted for you lad, happy days ahead.

[jhb171achill]

The last Bandon saddle tank was retired in the early 1940s at Albert Quay.

But in the parallel universe of Dugort Harbour it was sent to Castletown West, where it eked out an existence as station pilot for another fifteen years. 
 

As its final retirement in autumn 1959 approached, the IRRS arranged that it would haul the midday passenger train down to the harbour.

The IRRS group got the first Tralee train of the day from Dublin, with the Cork area group joining at Mallow. On arrival at Castletown West, with a specially requested Woolwich up front, they took a bus to the harbour to photograph 472 arriving on what would be its last public train. Over the winter it shunted beet wagons, and was withdrawn the following spring.

A few familiar faces in the crowd - do we see Joe St Leger, Beaumont senior, and a youthful Leslie?

Well, Beaumont senior will be one of the pair sitting on the guards van roof in the siding….

Note the contrast between the old six-wheeler, its paintwork now badly faded by the west Kerry sea air and mountain winds, and the venerable 1908 GSWR composite, only just out of Inchicore after a major refurbishment and repainting….

Edited October 8 by jhb171achill

[jhb171achill]

“This is only the start of it. Next Tuesday it’s three wagons of crates from North Wall, and every Tuesday after that maybe up to half a dozen of ‘em, for Munster Simms….”

”Jaysus, me back’s killing’ me already! What’s in them?”

”Says machine parts on the papers…”

[jhb171achill]

“Takin’ photographs o’trains? Lads, ye can’t do it from up THERE!”

[jhb171achill]

As the evening sun sets, the stock for tomorrow’s mainline train reposes in the carriage siding at Castletown West. Once the one-coach local comes in from Dugort Harbour in the morning, it’ll be off to the junction to connect with the Tralee and Cork trains…. 

[jhb171achill]

The wisdom of good quality colour film in the 1950s and 60s may be seen with many colour slides from the period today. Some retain vibrant colour, others (like most of Cyril Fry’s!) were taken on cheap film and have deteriorated since.

But our intrepid photographer in the south west in summer 1958, used only the best of materials when he captured the 11:40 mixed making a spirited departure from Dugort Harbour one sunny July day……

Once it gets to Tully Fish Siding, it will pick up three wagons of marine produce - which will end up in Farringdon Market in London less than 13 hours later, via North Wall and Holyhead.

Edited October 20 by jhb171achill

[Dempsey]

Brilliant narrative jb

[Bob229]

Stunning

[Patrick Davey]

Fantastic JB - love the curved rock cutting, reminds me of the one on the approach to Ballyshannon NG.

[jhb171achill]

Summer ‘59……

”Typical. You can smell the new paint off those two, but they only come in here on Regatta Sunday. We’re left with those other two tatty oul things during the week…. lights don’t even work in the far one….”

”They’re leaving the big one on the right here, though, according to Dan”

”Bout time…. how’s your aunt doing now?”

Edited October 28 by jhb171achill

[jhb171achill]

Amongst the very many “urban legends” of railways, is the tale that such-and-such a railway livery had 101 variations.

We hear this in particular of GNR loco blue and CIE green.

The reality is they were all painted the same way to start with but weathered differently due to a number of factors.

The two six-wheelers on the left are SSM kits, expertly built and painted by Eoin Murray, and equally expertly weathered by Chris Dempsey. Both were painted the exact colour of the new Genesis one on the middle right, same also as the repainted one on the right which I did.

But this shows up perfectly how varying weathering makes things look as if they’re actually a different colour.

Here, top pic, an excursion set at Dugort Harbour awaits its evening return to Tralee with a happy band of summer Sunday excursionists in 1959.

In the other pics, the extra bogie has gone back to Tralee and the three coach branch set for the coming week has three vehicles in varying states of weathering.

 

 

Edited October 28 by jhb171achill

[jhb171achill]

There are now fourteen six-wheelers on the layout - nine Genesis, four SSM - plus this.

This was a sample DSER third made by the late Ken McElhinney (RIP). Absolutely superb.

It’s in GSR maroon, as yet without markings or glazing. I’ll get in finished but probably repaint it green. It’s a beautiful model and runs very freely. Ken designed his own chassis.

Edited October 28 by jhb171achill

[Galteemore]

Anyone know when they’re replacing the platform? These oul slabs keep sticking to my feet ….

[jhb171achill]

20 minutes ago, Galteemore said:

Anyone know when they’re replacing the platform? These oul slabs keep sticking to my feet ….

They're about to practice their Irish dancing. That's what the boards are for. They have their tap shoes on. Session in O'Donoghues in Dugort village tonight....

[jhb171achill]

Sitting outside Patsy O’Donoghue’s bar at Dugort Harbour, just the sound of seagulls. Behind me, the smell of fish and seaweed, as it bobs up and down on the ebbing tide over the quay wall. Nearby, a fisherman tinkers with the engine of an antique Fordson Major which refuses to start. Anotherpint. Yes, I know, it’s an hour before opening, but there’s a “local arrangement” for the lobster men who have been out since dawn.

The guy from the fishing tackle store approaches the potholed station approach road with his donkey and cart. He’s collecting something from the morning mixed train, which took a connection from the Tralee goods in Castletown.

Turf smoke drifts from the two cottages across the road from from the station. Biddy and Sarah are opening up the paper shop. They’ve spent all their sixty-plus years in that shop, since the pair of them were born in the room above it.

In the distance, we hear the unmistakable sound of a locomotive horn. That’ll be Tully gates he’s approaching. He’ll be here in under five minutes. It sounds like one of those new American ones, not the usual Crossley. You hear that? Very different sound, isn’t it?

Probably the same one that was on yesterday. Let’s get the telephoto out and see what sort of picture we can get from here.

Here we are! Got a snap of him just coming round the bend.

Finish that pint and we’ll go over the road and watch him shunting. I think the two vans in the goods yard will be going.

Something on the wireless about the President of America bring shot. Did you hear that? Sure he was only here a few weeks ago, in New Ross.

We’ll have to get the paper tomorrow to read about it.

 

Edited December 6 by jhb171achill

[Patrick Davey]

Fantastic as always JB!

[LNERW1]

Couldn’t agree more. Brilliantly evocative.

[jhb171achill]

We're back to normal now, as the Crossley's back the next day. Here it arrives with empty wagons. There's a consignment of turf to be loaded, to go to Abbeyfeale or somewhere up there, so Pat says.

[jhb171achill]

Summer 1957, and there's still steam on the midday mixed. Soon, "C" class locomotives will take over for good, and the old GSWR six-wheelers will only be seen on GAA and pilgrimage days....

[David Holman]

Just so evocative.

[jhb171achill]

A quiet day at Dugort Harbour in spring 1963. One of the last three passenger-carrying six-wheelers has but one week to go before withdrawal, while the bogie composite will soldier on for another year or so.

A12 arrives with the midday connection off the Tralee train. The stock is shunted off the platform line as a ballast train is arriving before the afternoon mixed departs….

 

[jhb171achill]

“So will you be back to help me with the cows?”

”I’m back on the 8.30 in the morning. Whos buyin’ them?”

”Yer man up in Listowel who comes to the mart”

”Big fella with the red face?”

”Yeah, that’s him. Looks like Jackie’s brother but he’s fatter….”

Edited December 12 by jhb171achill

[jhb171achill]

“Ye put a SHILLING on that thing? Sure it’s as lame as hell! It came second last at Ascot, did ye know that?”

”Listen, Sally’s brother says it’s a guaranteed winner, an’ I only had a shilling - I’d have put a pound on it if I could!”

”Jaysus. Lucky the Grand National’s only once a year. Have you the sandwiches from Bridie?”

”Yes, they’re in the van here. And there’s tea in the two red flasks. But we can’t leave till Gerry comes back with the messages….”

Edited December 12 by jhb171achill

[Horsetan]

On 5/12/2024 at 12:21 AM, jhb171achill said:

.... the old GSWR six-wheelers will only be seen on GAA and pilgrimage days....

Nothing but the best for the faithful