Interesting pictures...

[Broithe]

[Broithe]

For those intent on modelling modern lineside equipment.

 

[Broithe]

 

[Broithe]

 

[Branchline121]

I wonder whatever happened to those railcars -- the quarry has long since been drained, but no sign of the stock! Perhaps they were scrapped?

[Broithe]

https://www.radiokerry.ie/podcasts/kerry-today/heritage-hunters-ghost-train-may-31st-2023-333137

[Galteemore]

Ah - the legendary run up Barnagh bank ….https://www.steamtrainsireland.com/members/galleries/132/north-kerry-railtour-1972

Edited June 1, 2023 by Galteemore

[Broithe]

Train running in Abbeyleix today...

Odd mix of liveries and the chassis were black.

Best not to mention it to someone...

I think it was a battery electric device - three of them running all day.

Open Day and Airshow at the old De Vesci place - marvellous day!

[Branchline121]

Ohh... A de Havilland Canada, is it?

[Broithe]

20 minutes ago, Branchline121 said:

Ohh... A de Havilland Canada, is it?

Three Chipmunks, including this one that I first saw sixty years ago...

 

Two heritage flight ones - 

168 had a bit of a slight misfire for the first flyby, but flew out successfully later on.

[Broithe]

 

[WRENNEIRE]

Shergar?

[Noel]

19 hours ago, Broithe said:

Three Chipmunks, including this one that I first saw sixty years ago...

 

Two heritage flight ones - 

168 had a bit of a slight misfire for the first flyby, but flew out successfully later on.

Fab photos. Tragically when these were used as air corps trainers in the 60s and 70s they were notoriously difficult to recover from a spin as the vertical tail was too small and some students and instructors lost their lives during spin training which was subsequently banned on the type as a result.  
 

fond memories watching these operate over co Kildare in the 70s https://www.ulsteraviationsociety.org/fouga-magister-cm-170r when we had actual fighter jets albeit old ones, but at least they were armed with more than spuds.  It’s a national embarrassment that a country as wealthy as Ireland doesn’t even have 6 defensive fighter jets to defend our own airspace, instead depending on another nation to defend our skies from potential terrorist hijack attacks (Eg low cost Saab gryphon).

Edited June 7, 2023 by Noel

[Broithe]

 

[Broithe]

 

[Galteemore]

For the aviation fans inc @Darius43and @Georgeconna. Last Hercules 3-ship flew over our house yesterday. End of an era. Farewell Fat Albert. 

 

 

Edited June 15, 2023 by Galteemore

[Broithe]

22 minutes ago, Galteemore said:

For the aviation fans inc @Darius43and @Georgeconna. Last Hercules 3-ship flew over our house yesterday. End of an era. Farewell Fat Albert. 

 

 

I remember them arriving, in an era when there were Belfasts, Argosies and Beverleys around.

It was about the time that Transport Command became Air Support Command - a move that kept signwriters happy for a few years.

It was also the time when I canoed down the Thames in a two-man vessel with RAF Transport Command emblazoned amusingly down both sides.

Even for a two-man vessel, these canoes were fairly enormous and drew some attention, especially over the identification down the sides.

We managed to convince one bloke in a riverside pub that they had actually been converted from experimental floats intended to allow a Beverley to land on water.

And, to be fair, with both of us paddling, we were probably faster than a Beverley...

[Georgeconna]

They did a nice tour of the UK including Belfast Aldergrove. Could not land back in Brize due to Melting Runway!

Lovey sight through wales..

 

 

[Broithe]

1 hour ago, Georgeconna said:

Could not land back in Brize due to Melting Runway!

I had an interesting landing at Brize Norton on the only occasion I was there. We were in a Britannia that had already had a failed take-off trying to get out of Akrotiri. After a few hours of some blokes on step ladders fiddling with it, it had another go and made it into the air.

People's calmness was not helped by one of the other passengers having done quite a bit of work on 497, 'our plane', in the past and sharing his very low opinion of it.

At full weight, it was struggling and we had the pleasant view of all the fire wrecks below as we headed the few miles to the sea at a few hundred feet and the slowest climb rate I ever experienced.

From there on, we meandered around, trying to avoid thunderstorms the whole way back, unable to exceed 18,000 feet, due to a cabin pressure leak.

I had taken the usual precaution, before the first attempt, of reading and memorising the evacuation information on the sheet behind each seat. It didn't seem fully relevant to the layout of the plane, but they did vary, depending on what was being moved - then, I noticed some helpful advice that mentioned the noise of the gear descending just before landing - "Mmm, I thought, you're not likely to hear that in a Britannia" - then, a bit of further reading revealed that the 'safety leaflet' was for a VC 10.

About an hour into the flight, the window surround fell into my lap - then the perforated hardboard that formed the inner face of the fuselage, fell inwards against my leg, with the fibreglass insulation following it, revealing a frost-covered aluminium sheet. After a few seconds, I realised that that was the outer skin, so I left it alone.

Then I noticed the Dzus fasteners on quite a few places in the engine covers were slowing turn round with the vibration - my attention having been drawn to the engines by the odd piece of flaming soot that shot out in the exhaust.

By the time we reached northern France, we still hadn't crashed, so I started to relax, despite the plane having been thrown about violently for some hours.

As we flew over southern England, the weather calmed down a lot and a thick fog resulted. As the landing approach progressed, some bright spark felt it advisable to explain that we were being driven by a 'trainee under instruction'.

Great...

As we approached the runway at dusk, there was no sign of the ground at all, just the top of the odd tree - then the trees stopped appearing as we sank into the fog and we hit the ground rather hard, bouncing back up out of the fog - twice. Whoever was doing the instruction presumably judged that there was still enough road left and we stayed down at the third attempt.

Passenger seats in RAF transport planes were generally fitted facing backwards, to give you a bit more support in a run-off, and that seemed a welcome feature at the time, although we did stop before the grass started again...

[Phil3150]

11 hours ago, Broithe said:

I remember them arriving, in an era when there were Belfasts, Argosies and Beverleys around.

It was about the time that Transport Command became Air Support Command - a move that kept signwriters happy for a few years.

It was also the time when I canoed down the Thames in a two-man vessel with RAF Transport Command emblazoned amusingly down both sides.

Even for a two-man vessel, these canoes were fairly enormous and drew some attention, especially over the identification down the sides.

We managed to convince one bloke in a riverside pub that they had actually been converted from experimental floats intended to allow a Beverley to land on water.

And, to be fair, with both of us paddling, we were probably faster than a Beverley...

It ages us, but my wife had just started working at Marshalls of Cambridge when the first RAF Hercules arrived for fitting out in 1966 before entering service. She still calls them 'her' planes.

[Andy Cundick]

I must it won't be quite the same living 2 miles from the Everleigh DZ on the plain,they  have been a daily fixture,in our lives,Andy.

[Broithe]

 

[spudfan]

[spudfan]

It seems with model trains getting more technical with decoders and powerful speakers the ESB are recommending you upgrade your electricity connection if you plan on running more than one locomotive on your layout.

Edited June 18, 2023 by spudfan

[Galteemore]

Lancaster Bomber over Larne yesterday. Interestingly, the Stormont MP for Larne in the 60s was a former Lanc tail gunner.

[Branchline121]

19 hours ago, Galteemore said:

Lancaster Bomber over Larne yesterday. Interestingly, the Stormont MP for Larne in the 60s was a former Lanc tail gunner.

What was it doing there?

[Broithe]

4 minutes ago, Branchline121 said:

What was it doing there?

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/lancaster-bomber-flies-in-for-armed-forces-day-display-in-larne-this-weekend/a762359719.html

[commerlad]

On 17/6/2023 at 7:54 PM, spudfan said:

 

Is this the one at Ordsall, Old photo if it is

Gate is now like level crossing and there is a signal in the yard. 

 

Edited June 20, 2023 by commerlad

[Broithe]

https://www.facebook.com/Oldphotos10/posts/pfbid0aSR44MZq6SBj4EjQVfzf3e54KasFcuebCMXojjZdMMT7Tbf9KxG5kx85hRQMw3tkl

"August 1935. Workmen painting girders beneath the roof of Liverpool Street Station, London. (Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images)"

[Flying Snail]

1 hour ago, Broithe said:

"August 1935. Workmen painting girders beneath the roof of Liverpool Street Station, London. (Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images)"

Its making me dizzy even just looking at them 

Edited June 20, 2023 by Flying Snail

[Broithe]

https://www.facebook.com/HistoryColored/posts/pfbid0vLmRjnkjoLrgGqck58uwh38mxG4k4taCwXSQV5DsD3NnMc4JLbAm4LtEMY5o4JyBl

"Double leg amputee railway signalman, James Wide, photographed working alongside his pet and assistant, Jack Baboon, in Cape Town during the 1880s. James Wide purchased a chacma baboon in 1881 and trained him to push his wheelchair and operate the railway signals under supervision. Credit: color_byangelina on Instagram"

[Flying Snail]

7 minutes ago, Broithe said:

"Double leg amputee railway signalman, James Wide, photographed working alongside his pet and assistant, Jack Baboon, in Cape Town during the 1880s. 

Wow  ... well thats certainly an interesting picture for sure!

Intrigued (and bored at work) I did a wee bit of research on this .... From wikipedia:

An official investigation was initiated after someone reported that a baboon was observed changing railway signals at Uitenhage near Port Elizabeth.

After initial skepticism, the railway decided to officially employ Jack once his job competency was verified. He was paid twenty cents a day, and half a bottle of beer each week. It is widely reported that in his nine years of employment with the railway company, Jack never made a single mistake.

Jack (baboon)

[Broithe]

36 minutes ago, Flying Snail said:

Wow  ... well thats certainly an interesting picture for sure!

Intrigued (and bored at work) I did a wee bit of research on this .... From wikipedia:

An official investigation was initiated after someone reported that a baboon was observed changing railway signals at Uitenhage near Port Elizabeth.

After initial skepticism, the railway decided to officially employ Jack once his job competency was verified. He was paid twenty cents a day, and half a bottle of beer each week. It is widely reported that in his nine years of employment with the railway company, Jack never made a single mistake.

Jack (baboon)

When I had a 'proper job', I worked with lots of humans that I wouldn't have trusted that far...

[jhb171achill]

On 20/6/2023 at 10:49 AM, Broithe said:

https://www.facebook.com/Oldphotos10/posts/pfbid0aSR44MZq6SBj4EjQVfzf3e54KasFcuebCMXojjZdMMT7Tbf9KxG5kx85hRQMw3tkl

"August 1935. Workmen painting girders beneath the roof of Liverpool Street Station, London. (Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images)"

Wow - crazy stuff, all right. It does very starkly show, though, the utter contempt that large companies (including railway companies) had for the safety of their workers........... had we never had trade unions, things would still be the same...........!

 

[Broithe]

2 hours ago, jhb171achill said:

Wow - crazy stuff, all right. It does very starkly show, though, the utter contempt that large companies (including railway companies) had for the safety of their workers........... had we never had trade unions, things would still be the same...........!

 

And you just know that, on your first day there, you would knock a pot of paint off a plank, all over some posh woman in a fur coat sixty feet below...