Dugort Harbour

[jhb171achill]

…

Edited January 1 by jhb171achill

[jhb171achill]

“Remember that goose in the brake van - you’ve to leave it with Kitty Mahony at Tully gatehouse. That’s the one before the river with the hens on the left…… and throw her down a few buckets of coal….”

”…..what’s the pressure showing?……”

[Gabhal Luimnigh]

Classic 

[derek]

13 hours ago, jhb171achill said:

“Remember that goose in the brake van - you’ve to leave it with Kitty Mahony at Tully gatehouse. That’s the one before the river with the hens on the left…… and throw her down a few buckets of coal….”

”…..what’s the pressure showing?……”

Your imagination knows no bounds @jhb171achill. Brilliant stuff as usual. Your photography skills know no bounds either.

[jhb171achill]

One of the only reasons that the Dugort Harbour branch survived the 1953 closures was the CIE bus and lorry garage, built near the harbour by the GSR Road Motor Services in 1938. Every couple of weeks a tanker of diesel wends its way down from Castletown, to where it has arrived on the 03:45 goods from Tralee.

Prior to the construction of the new bus depot in town in the 1970s this was still the case. Here we see B141 returning to Castletown West one warm early summer morning in 1968, with the empty tanker to go back to Tralee. A rarely photographed working, as it was all over before most local bed and breakfasts had finished serving. 

By now, very few brake vans still have a “snail” on them, and almost all have the black and yellow stripes on the ducket. But not this one, which tends not to stray off the Harbour branch….

Edited January 6 by jhb171achill

[jhb171achill]

Sunset, August fair day, 1962 - the last one to be steam-worked, as full dieselisation of the branch is only months away.

Here, the tired crew rake out the last of the ashes and clinker. The quality of the coal today wasn’t that great.

Rest day tomorrow; it’s Patsy’s turn to light her up in the morning. He’s just back from a holiday in Ballybunion, where he plays sax in one’o’them showbands. Does a good Elvis impression too - big hit with the lassies.

 

Edited January 6 by jhb171achill

[jhb171achill]

“OK, so that was three weeks ago at least. He’s off the drink now, the wife was givin’ out hell to him”

”Well, I’m tellin’ ye, I saw him get out of the brake van in Mallow yesterday, ‘coz he had a box of eggs for me, and the smell o’whiskey off him would’ve knocked ye flat……. oh, by the way, this suitcase was in the coach an’ Mikey Jack says it’s to go to Cobh as soon as it can for some American on a ship tomorrow”.

”OK, I’ll give it to yer man on relief at the junction, and he can put it on the Cork Mail tonight…. what’s in the case?”

”Ah, I only had a quick look through it. Nice stuff, them yanks certainly have the money for the clothes an’ stuff….”

”Hope ye put it back properly or ye’ll have PJ on our backs again if he gets wind of ye rootin’ around….”

 

[jhb171achill]

As the “Swinging Sixties” are in full flow, Crossley A55 eases round the curve, flanges squealing, one mid-week summer morning in 1965. 

Turf smoke drifts about in the atmosphere, with a salt breeze off the Atlantic. The Beatles’ latest hit can be heard from the transistor radio in a nearby cottage, the door open as always.

Goods volumes have dropped sharply as the main road up to Castletown has now been tarmacced, and the nearby textile factory has purchased a Commer van; in addition, the O’Sheas don’t send their fish by train any more.

The McInerneys are selling up and going to Australia, so that’ll be them out of the picture too.

Today A55 has but five goods vans and an empty cattle truck for John Fahy’s beasts to go to Abbeyfeale tomorrow.

However, with nothing consigned out today, the Crossley chunters back up to town half an hour later with just the van.

Edited January 6 by jhb171achill

[jhb171achill]

“So, it’s when I was based in Tuam in 1941 or 42. We had empty cattle trucks for Ennis on this Saturday. Y’know, the old fair. We picked yer man up with the brake van and the wagons in Sligo. Yer man John in Athenry had warned us about him. Tightest man in Ireland, always scrounging’. Shake his hand, ye better count yer fingers.

So we’re looped at Tubbercurry to let the Sligo passenger past. Yer man comes up to us an’ says “Lads, are ye havin’ a fry?” Sure he’d have smelt the rashers halfway down the train…

Well, Liam says “sure, c’mon up, we’ve loads of bread and rashers!” And we gave him that other pack. Dunno how old they were but there was green slime on ’em. Rotten, the stink o’them.

An’ sure we fried up the whole pack, and didn’t yer man ate the lot, and half a gallon of tay with it.

I tell ye this, when we got to Athenry, sure wasn’t he throwin’ his guts up all over the back balcony of the van.

I was on that turn several times that summer, and so was Michael up in Galway. Neither of us ever saw him again…”

“Hope this stuff here in the brown paper’s a bit fresher!”

 

(Taken from a true reminiscence from a great steam man who has long gone to his well-earned rest…..)

[Gabhal Luimnigh]

Brilliant, I look forward to the next episode

[jhb171achill]

Those old “Box Brownies” - and only a small minority of those of us who have collected the most birthdays will remember - were a simple but effective cheap camera in the past. 

A great deal less complex than today’s simplest ones, getting a decent photo was hit and miss. 

From an old print in the possession of a retired gatekeeper on the Dugort Harbour branch, this is of an unidentified J15 shunting at the harbour in 1946. CIE is but fifteen months old.

 

[jhb171achill]

A lot of the time at Dugort Harbour, it’s summer 1964; I wonder if anyone will ever invent backscenes that change season!

And so, in summer 1964, sixty years ago, B141 arrives with the morning mixed train.

[DB JOE]

8 hours ago, jhb171achill said:

A lot of the time at Dugort Harbour, it’s summer 1964; I wonder if anyone will ever invent backscenes that change season!

And so, in summer 1964, sixty years ago, B141 arrives with the morning mixed train.

What a wonderful shot!!  Straight out of the Rails series.. Fabulous!!

[Tullygrainey]

Lovely stuff. The layout is looking terrific too. I love the shot of A55 entering the cutting. Very convincing with a perfect blending into the backscene. 

[jhb171achill]

Hoping to get more done this year - most of last year operations were restricted to basically using the terminus as a fiddle yard. When delivered, despite specific instructions (twice!), the legs were the wrong height, so the actual terminus as shown above could not be directly connected to the rest of the layout round the walls. Now, daughter's furniture is stowed in the layout room, so I can't get at any of it, and the recently posted pics are largely posed.

So, the "list" contains - (a) get levels finally adjusted; (b) ...which will allow my Learned Fruied to complete the electrics and fiddle yard. (c) Get daugjhter's stuff removed and stored elsewhere. (Anyone got a spare room?); (d) see what IRM methods will be offered to slim down my bank balance......!

(Plus, two books in progress....)

[Dave]

The legs were the original legs that were orderd with the layout. these were on the original specification. Only on the day of delivery that you wanted them higher, I did say they would be an additonal cost and that the layout would have to be taken apart again. I didnt hear from you after that. you had new sheleving put in and then wanted the layout to match that height. Happy to come back and put new legs on the layout for you, but it will be at an additional cost.

 

[DJ Dangerous]

Can you not just sit the shorter legs on wooden blocks cut to compensate for the difference?

That would save a lot of mess in dismantling stuff etc.

I can't imagine a few offcuts cut to the right height would cost too much, no?

[jhb171achill]

5 hours ago, DJ Dangerous said:

Can you not just sit the shorter legs on wooden blocks cut to compensate for the difference?

That would save a lot of mess in dismantling stuff etc.

I can't imagine a few offcuts cut to the right height would cost too much, no?

That’s exactly the plan!

First, though, to try to get back into that room past all the stuff that’s been put in it!

[jhb171achill]

6 hours ago, Dave said:

The legs were the original legs that were orderd with the layout. these were on the original specification. Only on the day of delivery that you wanted them higher, I did say they would be an additonal cost and that the layout would have to be taken apart again. I didnt hear from you after that. you had new sheleving put in and then wanted the layout to match that height. Happy to come back and put new legs on the layout for you, but it will be at an additional cost.

 

With respect, and the layout was as I've said before an excellent job overall - scenery is amazing as many others often comment - you had called twice to measure the higher legs long before delivery... but it's here now and functioning!

Edited January 10 by jhb171achill

[Signal Post]

Have you considered using adjustable feet to raise the height of the legs?

The type shown are what I am referring to, the great advantage of these is that they can be adjusted very accurately with ease rather than trying to get the dimensions spot-on for wooden blocks etc. 

I have obtained some from Station Road Baseboards in the U.K. a good few years ago (pre-Brexit) and more recently at the Squires stand at Warley (www.squirestools.com). The screenshot is from their "Tools and Materials" Catalogue, p367. I'm pretty sure that they will dispatch to points outside of the realm....

Hope this is of some use.

 

[jhb171achill]

9 hours ago, Signal Post said:

Have you considered using adjustable feet to raise the height of the legs?

The type shown are what I am referring to, the great advantage of these is that they can be adjusted very accurately with ease rather than trying to get the dimensions spot-on for wooden blocks etc. 

I have obtained some from Station Road Baseboards in the U.K. a good few years ago (pre-Brexit) and more recently at the Squires stand at Warley (www.squirestools.com). The screenshot is from their "Tools and Materials" Catalogue, p367. I'm pretty sure that they will dispatch to points outside of the realm....

Hope this is of some use.

 

Yes - good move indeed. I'm hoping to get this done fairly soon - something of this nature anyway. Need to get stuff moved out of the room to get at it first! (I'll try to post the odd photo in the meantime!)

[jhb171achill]

Seen from the field across the road, on a cold January morning in 1959.

With the resident J15 away for a boiler washout, A30 shunts the morning passenger set at Dugort Harbour. The silver loco and tin van will look better once they get a new coat of green paint. They are joined by a Park Royal and an old six-wheeler which is ekeing out its last days on the local.

Edited February 6 by jhb171achill

[jhb171achill]

On a pleasant spring morning in 1965, the goods ambles into Dugort Harbour…

[jhb171achill]

.

 

Meanwhile our friends discuss tomorrow’s cattle fair alongside the empty cattle wagons which came in today…..

”Has anyone heard from the Dalys, how many beasts they’ll have?”

”Depends how many they sell! That dealer fella from Athlone was in O’Donoghues last night. He bought about twenty milch cows the last time he was here!”

 

[Gabhal Luimnigh]

Brilliant

[derek]

12 minutes ago, jhb171achill said:

.

 

 

”Has anyone heard from the Dalys, how many beasts they’ll have?”

 

 

 

Would that be the Dalys of Sligo? Formerly from "the junction"?

[jhb171achill]

18 minutes ago, derek said:

Would that be the Dalys of Sligo? Formerly from "the junction"?

These fellas are waaaay down in “de Kingdom”, boy! Wisht Kerry!

[jhb171achill]

A couple of days train-spotting deep in the Kingdom on 12th April 1957.

Shunting of the Tralee goods was in progress…. A30 being in charge.

The GNR van had come all the way from a place called Brookhall Mill, who used to send rolls of linen to O’Sullivans Textiles at Dugort, who produced a large variety of linen souvenir goods for the many tourist souvenir shops in West Kerry. 

Business was good, as Americans considered the finished products to be, like, awesome, man.

In the background, Park Royal 1940 and a tin van will form the afternoon passenger local to Castletown West, hauled by a J15.

Edited April 12 by jhb171achill

[jhb171achill]

Many of us know that the emulsion on old colour slides can deteriorate with age. Some brands of film were longer lasting than others; both of these images were taken on the same day, 23rd May 1965.

A55 is engaged in shunting the morning Tralee goods in one picture, taken on cheap film, but Crossleys being Crossleys, the loco is pictured on the old loco road having failed an hour later; this taken with good quality Agfa film. Sure you’d swear I only took it five minutes ago.

Edited April 12 by jhb171achill

[Patrick Davey]

Super photos JB! Mr. Weaver sends his regards!

[Gabhal Luimnigh]

Beautiful photos

[jhb171achill]

“Did you get the eggs?”

”Yeah, they’re up here with me - want a lift into town?”

”What time will you be back?”

“I’ve only to bring this van up, coming back light. Sure ye can hop up here, and Margaret can come too…”

”OK, get down and give me a hand liftin’ the messages up….”

Edited April 18 by jhb171achill

[jhb171achill]

“Oh, brilliant, just brilliant. How’d it happen? Where’s Phil? Anyone told PJ yet?”

 

[jhb171achill]

In the 1950s and 60s, I recall meeting several English gentlemen in the west of Ireland who had retired there in twilight years. Some of these had been involved in the Second World War - recall one with a very grand accent and handlebar moustache.

He had been an RAF pilot, who boasted in very un-PC terms about the people he had dropped bombs on….

In reality, people like this often privately flew for enjoyment well into their older years.

Here we see a picture taken by former Wing Commander Sir Tarquin Smythe-Plumley-Chumley (7th Marquis of Castletown) from his Cessna 3-seater in summer 1966, as the 11:40 local leaves Dugort Harbour…..

 

Edited April 23 by jhb171achill

[Gabhal Luimnigh]

Lovely photos Mr B.