Brookhall Mill - A GNR(I) Micro Layout

[Tullygrainey]

Thank you Patrick for the opportunity to run trains this weekend.  Hugely enjoyable.  Also a weekend to meet people and put faces to names. Thanks to all of you who came to say hello. And due to a signalling error somewhere around Ballymacarrett, a number of BCDR locos slipped into the platform at Brookhall Mill so the fitters at Queens Quay are ecstatic. 

[Signal Post]

It was great getting the opportunity to see this wonderful layout today having seen so many photos of it here on the forum and to meet with yourself (Patrick), Alan and Kieran and receive some great modelling advice. A very enjoyable day out. Thanks.

[jhb171achill]

Great to see Brookhall again, and Kieran Lagan's and Alan's excellent BCDR locomotives. (Paddy - I was there on Saturday!)

[Patrick Davey]

17 minutes ago, jhb171achill said:

Great to see Brookhall again, and Kieran Lagan's and Alan's excellent BCDR locomotives. (Paddy - I was there on Saturday!)

Your presence was reported to me JB!  Hope you enjoyed the show.

A short video of some of the comings and goings on Brookhall Mill over the past weekend.  BCDR locos were scratchbuilt by Alan Nixon @Tullygrainey of this parish.

[Gabhal Luimnigh]

Lovely video.

[jhb171achill]

Priceless stuff

 

[Tullygrainey]

Great video Patrick. Especially like the shots of Hunslet 101 pulling that lone linen van away from the mill. 

Just to pre-empt anyone charging us with telling porkies, the BCDR tank loco in the video is No30, the one that began life as an Oxford Rail Adams Radial. Not quite a scratch build, though it felt like one at the time 

[Metrovik]

Only home now, so couldn't reply to this yesterday, was great to meet Patrick and Alan in Bangor (even if I was a bit lost for words.....) as well as other forum members. Shall we say, same time next year?

[Tullygrainey]

45 minutes ago, Metrovik said:

Only home now, so couldn't reply to this yesterday, was great to meet Patrick and Alan in Bangor (even if I was a bit lost for words.....) as well as other forum members. Shall we say, same time next year?

If not before

[Patrick Davey]

1 hour ago, Metrovik said:

Only home now, so couldn't reply to this yesterday, was great to meet Patrick and Alan in Bangor (even if I was a bit lost for words.....) as well as other forum members. Shall we say, same time next year?

Thanks for making the long journey to Bangor John, I hope you got home safely and that you were made to feel welcome!  Great to meet you.

[Patrick Davey]

On 24/3/2024 at 8:57 PM, Signal Post said:

It was great getting the opportunity to see this wonderful layout today having seen so many photos of it here on the forum and to meet with yourself (Patrick), Alan and Kieran and receive some great modelling advice. A very enjoyable day out. Thanks.

Damien it was great to meet you and thanks for making the long journey!  Until next time!!

[Dunluce Castle]

It was lovely to see you again Patrick and to see Brookhall Mill now on the exhibition circuit! 

[Gabhal Luimnigh]

Just saw your video on Donegal Dad channel Patrick, looking good.

[Galteemore]

Delightful afternoon with @Patrick Daveyand @Tullygraineyenjoying some splendid modelling and Craic. Great to meet them both in person and talk modelling. 

[Patrick Davey]

Lovely to welcome you to Brookhall Mill today David @Galteemore and Alan @Tullygrainey!  Great to have an excuse to set the railway up in exhibition mode again!

[Tullygrainey]

Lovely afternoon. Good company and sound-chipped diesels. Who could ask for more!

[Patrick Davey]

Here's a video showing typical rail traffic at Brookhall Mill during the 1940s.  First a GN T2 442t locomotive is seen working the morning staff shuttle before bringing some covered vans up from Lisburn.  Later on, there are appearances by BCDR and NCC/UTA trains, both of which were often seen at Brookhall during the war years and after.  The soundtrack for the video features the music of Glenn Miller, and I have only recently discovered that Miller and his orchestra gave a concert at Brookhall in July 1943, just over a year before his tragic disappearance.  The 'Miller at The Mill' concert was arranged by the US Army in Northern Ireland as a gesture of gratitude to the staff of Brookhall Mill for the contribution they made to the war effort, and by all accounts it was a memorable evening - the musicians had to retreat deep into the mill once blackout time was reached but the music and dancing continued well into the small hours.

 

NOTE: I have just spotted typos in the above video......... yikes

 

Edited April 8 by Patrick Davey

[Gabhal Luimnigh]

Isn't the imagination a wonderful tool, I'm here sat in the van having my late lunch watching the great video and transported back to that era, thanks Patrick

[Galteemore]

Fabulous. Hope Mr Weaver was in the mood for it. 

[jhb171achill]

11 hours ago, Patrick Davey said:

Here's a video showing typical rail traffic at Brookhall Mill during the 1940s.  First a GN T2 442t locomotive is seen working the morning staff shuttle before bringing some covered vans up from Lisburn.  Later on, there are appearances by BCDR and NCC/UTA trains, both of which were often seen at Brookhall during the war years and after.  The soundtrack for the video features the music of Glenn Miller, and I have only recently discovered that Miller and his orchestra gave a concert at Brookhall in July 1943, just over a year before his tragic disappearance.  The 'Miller at The Mill' concert was arranged by the US Army in Northern Ireland as a gesture of gratitude to the staff of Brookhall Mill for the contribution they made to the war effort, and by all accounts it was a memorable evening - the musicians had to retreat deep into the mill once blackout time was reached but the music and dancing continued well into the small hours.

 

 

NOTE: I have just spotted typos in the above video......... yikes

 

SUPERB back story! I'll have to concoct a visit of Mr Weaver to Dugort Harbour, to where Brookhall Mill sends three or four vans of linen every two weeks, to keep the Wisht Kerry Tourist Hanky & Awwsome Errin Jumper factory in supplies. Would he like to be taken up to the local pub for a lock-in, or does he not approve of the Devil's Buttermilk?

[Patrick Davey]

11 hours ago, jhb171achill said:

SUPERB back story! I'll have to concoct a visit of Mr Weaver to Dugort Harbour, to where Brookhall Mill sends three or four vans of linen every two weeks, to keep the Wisht Kerry Tourist Hanky & Awwsome Errin Jumper factory in supplies. Would he like to be taken up to the local pub for a lock-in, or does he not approve of the Devil's Buttermilk?

Mr W is a committed to teetotaller until the dreaded lurgy strikes, when he consents to taking a medicinal hot whiskey (he likes to have lots of lurgies).  He’d be happy to go to the pub as long as there was a mad session of shlides and shlip jigs?

Edited April 9 by Patrick Davey

[jhb171achill]

4 hours ago, Patrick Davey said:

Mr W is a committed to teetotaller until the dreaded lurgy strikes, when he consents to taking a medicinal hot whiskey (he likes to have lots of lurgies).  He’d be happy to go to the pub as long as there was a mad session of shlides and shlip jigs?

That’s for sure, boy, and if yer man from the Co-op is in, he does a mad oul brush dance, boy…..

[Patrick Davey]

Thanks for the nice feedback on my 1940s video!!!  Here are Elvis and Johnny Cash to continue the story into the 1950s:

 

[Galteemore]

What’s the loco fireman’s favourite Elvis hit? ‘love me tender’. I’ll get me coat - Teddy boy jacket of course ….

[Patrick Davey]

4 minutes ago, Galteemore said:

What’s the loco fireman’s favourite Elvis hit? ‘love me tender’. I’ll get me coat - Teddy boy jacket of course ….

Excellent!!!!

[Patrick Davey]

THE DAY HISTORY WAS MADE AT BROOKHALL MILL

The residents of Lisburn and the surrounding area were very familiar with the sounds of the many military aircraft which frequented the skies above this part of South Antrim during the Second World War.  Between the Spitfires flying in and out of Long Kesh, the Coastal Command Catalinas heading across to Lough Erne and the heavy USAAF B17s stopping off at Langford Lodge on their way to Britain, the residents knew them all and could identify the engine sounds with ease.  It was this knowledge which alerted them to an unfamiliar sound which was heard in the skies above the Lagan Valley one dark night in October 1943, a lone aircraft with an engine sound very unlike those of the familiar RAF and USAAF types.  The intruder seemed to be circling around Ballinderry and it wasn’t long before the telephone rang in RAF Aldergrove, and a Hurricane night fighter was scrambled to investigate.  However the suspected enemy aircraft had made good its escape and nothing more was heard of it.

Early the next morning, Mr. Weaver at Brookhall Mill pulled back the blackout curtain of his bedroom in the station house, and was immediately greeted by an unexpected sight - a parachute was wrapped around the small chimney of the boiler house beside the railway platform, and dangling precariously below was the parachutist, whom Mr. Weaver assumed was an enemy combatant who had missed his intended landing spot.  The man was hanging about 30 feet above the ground so Mr. Weaver immediately rang the local police station for assistance, and before long there was a large crowd on the platform, staring up in amusement at the stranded airman.

Eventually the airman was rescued and brought down to the platform, and once free of his harness, he stood perfectly upright, snapped his heels together and identified himself as Unteroffizier Hans Watchimflappen of the 307th German Parachute Corps.

Unteroffizier Watchimflappen was then escorted into Mr. Weaver’s office, where two policemen kept him under close guard until the military could attend and bring him into custody.  Mr. Weaver felt sorry for the unlucky German and immediately arranged for breakfast to be brought across from the mill kitchen, a full Ulster fry washed down with strong tea.  Unteroffizier Watchimflappen was very grateful for this kindness and then noticed that Mr. Weaver’s office grandfather clock was not working.

“As a gesture of gratitude for your vundervul kindness Herr Veever, I vish to be permitted to repair ze clock.”

Mr. Weaver consented and immediately Unteroffizier Watchimflappen approached the clock and barked “I haf vays of making you tock…” - immediately the ancient timepiece rumbled back to life again.

Mr. Weaver and his unexpected guest remained in the office for around an hour before the military arrived, and during that time they chatted extensively, with Unteroffizier Watchimflappen making it clear that he had had enough of the war and had accepted that Germany was not going prevail.  He also freely admitted that he had been sent on a clandestine solo mission to gather intelligence on Brookhall Mill and that he had been dropped by the mysterious aircraft which had been heard in the skies the previous evening.  Mr. Weaver was certainly more than pleased to hear that his humble operation in this quiet part of County Antrim had come to the attention of the German Intelligence, as this assured him that the work they were doing was making an important contribution to the war effort.

Soon a detachment of RAF Military Police arrived from Aldergrove and as they prepared to take Unteroffizier Watchimflappen into custody, the German had one final request to ask of Mr. Weaver:

“Herr Veever, I vonder vud you permit me to make a brief telephone call to ze German Embassy in Dublin, zat I may alert zem to my presence as a guest of ze RAF?  I vill of course ensure zat appropriate recompense is made to you for ze telephone call”.

Mr. Weaver was only too pleased to permit Unteroffizier Watchimflappen to make the call to Dublin, and there was never going to be a requirement for him to pay for the call.  And so, history was made that day at Brookhall Mill, when the first telephone call was made, that could truly be described as ‘Hans free’.

 

[Tullygrainey]

Clandestine? In that uniform? 

[Patrick Davey]

8 minutes ago, Tullygrainey said:

Clandestine? In that uniform? 

He was under strict instructions to wear the uniform until he landed at his planned hideout, after which he would change into camouflage…..

[Broithe]

Last year, during the hot spell that everybody has forgotten now, I was discussing the shading of a greenhouse with an old boy up the road. I mentioned that I have a camouflage net that would be about right for the job, but I added the caveat that I haven't seen it for a few years now.

About five seconds later, we both got the unintended joke at the same moment.

[Patrick Davey]

It later emerged that Hans had planned to make contact with a spy, who was masquerading as a Ballinderry farmer, called Heinz Bean.

[jhb171achill]

49 minutes ago, Patrick Davey said:

THE DAY HISTORY WAS MADE AT BROOKHALL MILL

The residents of Lisburn and the surrounding area were very familiar with the sounds of the many military aircraft which frequented the skies above this part of South Antrim during the Second World War.  Between the Spitfires flying in and out of Long Kesh, the Coastal Command Catalinas heading across to Lough Erne and the heavy USAAF B17s stopping off at Langford Lodge on their way to Britain, the residents knew them all and could identify the engine sounds with ease.  It was this knowledge which alerted them to an unfamiliar sound which was heard in the skies above the Lagan Valley one dark night in October 1943, a lone aircraft with an engine sound very unlike those of the familiar RAF and USAAF types.  The intruder seemed to be circling around Ballinderry and it wasn’t long before the telephone rang in RAF Aldergrove, and a Hurricane night fighter was scrambled to investigate.  However the suspected enemy aircraft had made good its escape and nothing more was heard of it.

Early the next morning, Mr. Weaver at Brookhall Mill pulled back the blackout curtain of his bedroom in the station house, and was immediately greeted by an unexpected sight - a parachute was wrapped around the small chimney of the boiler house beside the railway platform, and dangling precariously below was the parachutist, whom Mr. Weaver assumed was an enemy combatant who had missed his intended landing spot.  The man was hanging about 30 feet above the ground so Mr. Weaver immediately rang the local police station for assistance, and before long there was a large crowd on the platform, staring up in amusement at the stranded airman.

Eventually the airman was rescued and brought down to the platform, and once free of his harness, he stood perfectly upright, snapped his heels together and identified himself as Unteroffizier Hans Watchimflappen of the 307th German Parachute Corps.

Unteroffizier Watchimflappen was then escorted into Mr. Weaver’s office, where two policemen kept him under close guard until the military could attend and bring him into custody.  Mr. Weaver felt sorry for the unlucky German and immediately arranged for breakfast to be brought across from the mill kitchen, a full Ulster fry washed down with strong tea.  Unteroffizier Watchimflappen was very grateful for this kindness and then noticed that Mr. Weaver’s office grandfather clock was not working.

“As a gesture of gratitude for your vundervul kindness Herr Veever, I vish to be permitted to repair ze clock.”

Mr. Weaver consented and immediately Unteroffizier Watchimflappen approached the clock and barked “I haf vays of making you tock…” - immediately the ancient timepiece rumbled back to life again.

Mr. Weaver and his unexpected guest remained in the office for around an hour before the military arrived, and during that time they chatted extensively, with Unteroffizier Watchimflappen making it clear that he had had enough of the war and had accepted that Germany was not going prevail.  He also freely admitted that he had been sent on a clandestine solo mission to gather intelligence on Brookhall Mill and that he had been dropped by the mysterious aircraft which had been heard in the skies the previous evening.  Mr. Weaver was certainly more than pleased to hear that his humble operation in this quiet part of County Antrim had come to the attention of the German Intelligence, as this assured him that the work they were doing was making an important contribution to the war effort.

Soon a detachment of RAF Military Police arrived from Aldergrove and as they prepared to take Unteroffizier Watchimflappen into custody, the German had one final request to ask of Mr. Weaver:

“Herr Veever, I vonder vud you permit me to make a brief telephone call to ze German Embassy in Dublin, zat I may alert zem to my presence as a guest of ze RAF?  I vill of course ensure zat appropriate recompense is made to you for ze telephone call”.

Mr. Weaver was only too pleased to permit Unteroffizier Watchimflappen to make the call to Dublin, and there was never going to be a requirement for him to pay for the call.  And so, history was made that day at Brookhall Mill, when the first telephone call was made, that could truly be described as ‘Hans free’.

 

Superb!!!

[Galteemore]

14 minutes ago, Patrick Davey said:

It later emerged that Hans had planned to make contact with a spy, who was masquerading as a Ballinderry farmer, called Heinz Bean.

And don’t forget the curator of Lisburn Museum’s folk artefacts - Herr Loom.

[Broithe]

22 minutes ago, Patrick Davey said:

It later emerged that Hans had planned to make contact with a spy, who was masquerading as a Ballinderry farmer, called Heinz Bean.

On my list for this year is a visit to Mt Brandon, via the site of the Focke Wulf Condor crash, which brought the first Germans into internment during the Emergency.

It was a fairly gentle affair, as plane crashes go, resulting in one broken ankle between the lot of them.

One of them married in Ireland and lived here afterwards.

His son became an Aer Lingus pilot.

Anyway, I like to imagine the son taking off from Shannon, turning west for the USA and announcing "If you look out of the windows on the left side, half-way up the mountain, you will see the mark my father made when he first landed in Ireland, and some bits of the plane" - this would be followed by a very quiet cabin for the next six hours...

[Patrick Davey]

3 minutes ago, Broithe said:

On my list for this year is a visit to Mt Brandon, via the site of the Focke Wulf Condor crash, which brought the first Germans into internment during the Emergency.

It was a fairly gentle affair, as plane crashes go, resulting in one broken ankle between the lot of them.

One of them married in Ireland and lived here afterwards.

His son became an Aer Lingus pilot.

Anyway, I like to imagine the son taking off from Shannon, turning west for the USA and announcing "If you look out of the windows on the left side, half-way up the mountain, you will see the mark my father made when he first landed in Ireland, and some bits of the plane" - this would be followed by a very quiet cabin for the next six hours...

That would surely be a 'condor moment'.

 

[Patrick Davey]

To balance out the insanity above, here's the final video in the current history of the final four decades of Brookhall Mill, covering the 'swinging' sixties and the 'sad' seventies.

Enjoy!