Dugort Harbour

[jhb171achill]

24 minutes ago, Gabhal Luimnigh said:

This is better than the radio drama 

You’ve one o’them wireless things?

[Gabhal Luimnigh]

51 minutes ago, jhb171achill said:

You’ve one o’them wireless things?

Yep, no telly in this house, we seen enough

[jhb171achill]

Mid 1960s, and A55 eases out of the goods yard at Dugort Harbour with the Tralee goods.

 

 

On a drab winter’s day in the late 1960s, the midday train is seen crossing the boglands outside Castletown West. Must try to get the scenery finished…..

Edited December 1, 2023 by jhb171achill

[jhb171achill]

“….Well, ye see, she’s related to the O’Sheas out at Tubber gates. An’ there’s the problem, because of Mick and the girl. The O’Sheas told Father Moran, and sure ye know how that went, ‘cos he’s a first cousin of Timmy Dan at the junction. Now the young wan’s off to England and she won’t be back. So the whole thing’s about who’s gonna look after poor oul Martha!….”

[jhb171achill]

"Me back's killin' me.... I was up at PJ's last night diggin' turf for his oul lad..."

“Look - one o’them new carriages!”

 

Edited December 1, 2023 by jhb171achill

[Gabhal Luimnigh]

I'm lovin this little series of sketches

[Westcorkrailway]

44 minutes ago, jhb171achill said:

"Me back's killin' me.... I was up at PJ's last night diggin' turf for his oul lad..."

“Look - one o’them new carriages!”

 

On a branch like this (loughrea, fermoy ect) . Would cravens have run down them? 

[JasonB]

1 hour ago, jhb171achill said:

Mid 1960s, and A55 eases out of the goods yard at Dugort Harbour with the Tralee goods.

What a fantastic shot.  

[jhb171achill]

50 minutes ago, Westcorkrailway said:

On a branch like this (loughrea, fermoy ect) . Would cravens have run down them? 

Very occasionally, but rare. I’ve photos of them at Loughrea on several occasions, but you’d wait a long time to see another.

I’ve seen a photo of a mystery train excursion also in Loughrea, in which maybe half the train are Cravens.

I never saw one on the Limerick-Ballina, though, and I only recall seeing one on Limerick-Rosslare once - it was a set like I’ve depicted, come to think of it - a laminate, Craven and genny van.

Edited December 1, 2023 by jhb171achill

[jhb171achill]

Dugort Harbour only survived the 1947 closures due to the local CIE bus and road freight garage needing fuel supplies. About once a fortnight a fuel tank arrived with the goods. Here, in 1958, the Castletown delivery lorry has arrived for a top-up.

Meanwhile, A30 shunts the stock for the 9.30 up mixed.

Edited December 2, 2023 by jhb171achill

[jhb171achill]

Between 1962 and about 1964/5 it was possible to see the thankfully short-lived “silver” livery, green and black’n’tan alongside each other.

I think the very last green coach became black’n’tan about 1968.

Here, it’s summer 1963. Castletown Fair Day is on, so a number of spare carriages and vans off excursions from Cork and Tralee have been shunted down to the harbour to make room up in “town”…..

[jhb171achill]

In 1961, the Dugort Harbour goods rarely loads to more than half a dozen vans.

But the July Fair Day is different. Here, J15 No. 150 arrives early on 20th July with empty cattle wagons for the Mart.

Edited December 2, 2023 by jhb171achill

[Mike 84C]

JHB, I very much like the J15 photo, the weathering looks the business, rusty burnt smokebox excellent! But you really need to get your signals working. If I can do it--------!   

[jhb171achill]

1 hour ago, Mike 84C said:

JHB, I very much like the J15 photo, the weathering looks the business, rusty burnt smokebox excellent! But you really need to get your signals working. If I can do it--------!   

One of the very many works in progress, Mike!!

The weathering, expertly done as always, is by Dempsey, of this forum...........

[derek]

On 1/12/2023 at 6:45 PM, Westcorkrailway said:

On a branch like this (loughrea, fermoy ect) . Would cravens have run down them? 

Does it really matter? Looks great, isn't that what this hobby is all about?

22 hours ago, jhb171achill said:

In 1961, the Dugort Harbour goods rarely loads to more than half a dozen vans.

But the July Fair Day is different. Here, J15 No. 150 arrives early on 20th July with empty cattle wagons for the Mart.

Amazing photograph

[Westcorkrailway]

8 hours ago, derek said:

Does it really matter? Looks great, isn't that what this hobby is all about?

I’ve seen 800 run done the dugort line and taken no issue with it. I’m just genuinly curious weather such a movement ever happened!

[jhb171achill]

5 minutes ago, Westcorkrailway said:

I’ve seen 800 run done the dugort line and taken no issue with it. I’m just genuinly curious weather such a movement ever happened!

…..and the answer there would be yes, but very rarely, and probably one-offs.

As I mentioned, Loughrea saw one at least once being used to strengthen the branch set (of one coach!), plus on mystery trains occasionally. 

Normally, strengthening that set meant an old laminate.

[derek]

On 3/12/2023 at 9:17 PM, Westcorkrailway said:

I’ve seen 800 run done the dugort line and taken no issue with it. I’m just genuinly curious weather such a movement ever happened!

No offence meant.

[derek]

On 1/12/2023 at 5:29 PM, jhb171achill said:

 

 

 

Yes , the scenery really needs to be completed here. Every time I see these pics I am seeing a post-apocalyptic landscape, especially the black and white ones. Freaks me out a bit  tbh, but then I am easily freaked out. Super layout though

[jhb171achill]

1 hour ago, derek said:

Yes , the scenery really needs to be completed here. Every time I see these pics I am seeing a post-apocalyptic landscape, especially the black and white ones. Freaks me out a bit  tbh, but then I am easily freaked out. Super layout though

The place never quite recovered from the 1919 nuclear bomb, when Mission Control Kilgarvan was attacked by the Black and Tans...........!

Good news is I've got a grass applicator now....

 

[jhb171achill]

The day before Dugort Cattle Mart, December 1957….

“It’s not just the coupling, the axle’s broke too - look underneath!”

”John will have to take the other van off the cattle empties….gonna be some fun tomorrow with this thing in the way an’ forty two cattle vans comin’ in….”

Edited December 24, 2023 by jhb171achill

[jhb171achill]

The day before the big autumn fair, 1965….

Cattle empties have been arriving since 04:12, and now B141 brings in the last three. It will take this loco, currently pilot engine in Castletown (C207 has broken down again), and A55 to get everything in place before B144 arrives with the morning mixed.

A55 will return light to Castletown to take the up Tralee goods, while B141 remains, because with the run-round loop full of cattle trucks, it will have to back on to the incoming train to release B144.

[jhb171achill]

When trains ran on Christmas Day….

“So yer man has me on the Tralee passenger on Christmas Day - again. That’s three years. He’s at that on purpose, I’m tellin’ ya. He could’ve put Tony on it - sure he’d be glad of the overtime. But no, he puts me on it. An’ he puts Tony on the Cork railcar on 27th - two days off he gets. Wish they’d transfer yer man back to Kilkenny……”

Happy Christmas to all here!

[Gabhal Luimnigh]

Stunning realism and photography JB, thanks for the best show tonight

[jhb171achill]

On 20/9/2022 at 1:35 PM, Tullygrainey said:

1 hour ago, Gabhal Luimnigh said:

 

Arrival, Dugort Harbour, of the connection off the 08:00 from Cork, July 1969.

Edited December 23, 2023 by jhb171achill

[jhb171achill]

“So remember, write to me from Maynooth, and remember to give Gerry that parcel. I’ve it wrapped ‘an all in the bottom of your case”

”Its fine, don’t fuss!”

”And you’ve two cheese sandwiches in the bag, and a Kit Kat. Make sure you have the tea in the flask before you change in Mallow or it’ll have gone all cold”

”I’ll be fine, I’ll write you when I’ve settled in!”

”Have a good journey, son….ahh, it’ll be SUCH an honour to have a priest in the family!”

[StevieB]

Some more lovely photos, keep them coming.

Merry Christmas.

Stephen

[jhb171achill]

1 hour ago, StevieB said:

Some more lovely photos, keep them coming.

Merry Christmas.

Stephen

You too! 

[JasonB]

Love the weathering job on A30. The streaking in particular looks great. I'm guessing @Dempsey got his hands on this? 

[TimO]

@jhb171achill I have just finished reading all 21 pages of this story to discover how it has developed. Great photos showing great work and I particularly like the river scene and the weathering on the wagons. There is one area of interest I’d like to know more about.

There are two modern coaches in Black and Tan livery that rarely get a mention. I think both are possibly laminates. The first, I think it is a brake coach, was seen at Dugort Harbour a lot in the early days but then seemed to disappear. Perhaps yer man sent it to Inchicore to get the dynamo repaired since the passengers always seem to travel in the dark, not unlike the prototype at times.

The second is, I think a more recent arrival. Perhaps it has been cascaded down from the mainline as more Cravens are available. This laminate seems to have “frosted” lavatory windows in the centre. 

[Dempsey]

4 hours ago, JasonB said:

Love the weathering job on A30. The streaking in particular looks great. I'm guessing @Dempsey got his hands on this? 

Guilty as charged

[jhb171achill]

On 28/12/2023 at 7:54 AM, JasonB said:

Love the weathering job on A30. The streaking in particular looks great. I'm guessing @Dempsey got his hands on this? 

He sure did! Plus a lot of my other stuff, and more to come. I’ve about a dozen Provincial Wagons still to make up and I’m hovering back in the “provincial” direction right now, and I’ve IRM Bullied opens ordered….

[jhb171achill]

On 28/12/2023 at 11:29 AM, TimO said:

@jhb171achill I have just finished reading all 21 pages of this story to discover how it has developed. Great photos showing great work and I particularly like the river scene and the weathering on the wagons. There is one area of interest I’d like to know more about.

There are two modern coaches in Black and Tan livery that rarely get a mention. I think both are possibly laminates. The first, I think it is a brake coach, was seen at Dugort Harbour a lot in the early days but then seemed to disappear. Perhaps yer man sent it to Inchicore to get the dynamo repaired since the passengers always seem to travel in the dark, not unlike the prototype at times.

The second is, I think a more recent arrival. Perhaps it has been cascaded down from the mainline as more Cravens are available. This laminate seems to have “frosted” lavatory windows in the centre. 

Hi TimO

The coaches you mention haven't appeared lately as they are in a storage box which is currently hidden on  a lower shelf in behind an avalanche of my daughter's stuff, currently in storage here since she moved home for a while. What they are - one is a kit - SSM I think, but it's a long time ago. This is a brake standard of the type used on the Loughrea branch (and later Ballina) with a storage heater so it didn't need a genny van. There were two such; 1910 and 1904. The latter replaced the former after a rough shunt at Loughrea damaged 1910 about 1973.

On the layout, it can form the branch train, but as with prototypes and lines of the type that Dugort would be if it were real, now and again it has to go away to "town" for maintenance, so the branch will have a coach of some other type along with a genny van while it's away - and it will disappear, no doubt, tagged onto the back of a main line train at the junction. A vehicle like this is a perfect fit for a CIE branch line 1960-ish to late 70s. (Pre 1963 in green, of course, as 1910 was).

The next one ytou mention is a Silverfox laminate. Very adequate in black'n'tan, and weathered (like most of my stuff) by Dempsey of our community here.

I've several Park Royals in green and black'n'tan, and plan to get more when the IRM mainline ones are out. While rare on branch lines, they did appear, and as Dugort Harbour meets the main line terminus of Castletown West end-on, PRs will appear in Castletown on main line trains, and also summer excursions will bring these into Dugort.

I await any type of RTR Bredins or GSWR wooden-bodues, plus, of course, the Hattons Genesis CIE six-wheelers, with interest.

The other stock I currently have are four old Triang / Bachmann British wooden-bodied stock, two of which bear a reasonable ("two foot rule") resemblance to two ex-WLWR brake thirds which survived to the mid-1950s. These will operate alongside several SSM GSWR six-wheelers, which are currently under construction chez a friend of mine, and the Hattons stuff, when operating with some  six or seven steam locos I have (mostly J15s, as would befit West Kerry, boy).  Tin vans - about 4 in all three liveries - complete this picture. This covers the 1950s.

Moving into the 1960s, I have but two Cravens. I could have bought more, but in the type of scenario I'm trying to replicate, they would have been rare visitors. A main line train into C astletown West might have had one, but would mostly be a mixture of various types of laminates, Bredins and Park Royals. Appearances on the branch would have happened, but been rarer still - probably only on a summer Saturday excursion from Tralee or Cork, or maybe fair day (or an IRRS special!).

[jhb171achill]

On 2/12/2023 at 3:55 PM, Mike 84C said:

JHB, I very much like the J15 photo, the weathering looks the business, rusty burnt smokebox excellent! But you really need to get your signals working. If I can do it--------!   

Very true - the signals were installed by a colleague who built this bit of the layout. It's the wrong colour, ladder was the wrong way round, etc etc... I may remove it, actually, as Dugort Harbour is based on somewhere like Valentia Harbour or Westport Quay, neither of which had signals, latterly anyway; they tended to be worked "one engine in steam" from "town"! Locally, there was just a ground frame.

I'd have to say it's low down the priority list, but it's ON that list anyway!

[jhb171achill]

On 28/12/2023 at 7:54 AM, JasonB said:

Love the weathering job on A30. The streaking in particular looks great. I'm guessing @Dempsey got his hands on this? 

He sure did! Plus a lot of my other stuff, and more to come. I’ve about a dozen Provincial Wagons still to make up and I’m hovering back in the “provincial” direction right now, and I’ve IRM Bullied opens ordered….

1st January 1944, eighty years ago. The three times a week goods, temporarily the only departure due to the fuel crisis, prepares to sidle out of Dugort Harbour at mid-day…