Riley in Ireland Preview by TransportTreasuryPublishing

©Imagesanddesign:RCRiley/TheTransportTreasury2020.TextMichaelMcMahon ISBN978-1-913893-01-9

FirstPublishedin2020byTransportTreasuryPublishingLtd.16HighworthClose,HighWycombe,HP137PJ TotemPublishing,animprintofTransportTreasuryPublishing.

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‘RileyinIreland’isoneofaseriesofbooksonspecialisttransportsubjectspublishedinstrictlylimitednumbers andproducedundertheTotemPublishingimprintusingmaterialonlyavailableatTheTransportTreasury.

Frontcover(1)T2Class4-4-2TNo5hasdepartedDundalkJunctionStation(telegraphiccodeDKJ)withaDublin-boundtrainontheGNRmainline andclattersoverthecrossingbesideSquareCrossingDundalksignalcabin.(DundalkCentralsignalcabinisvisiblethroughtheroadbridge,roughly oppositetheendofthetrain.)Theeast-westcrossinglineconnectedQuayStreetstationontheDundalk,Newry&GreenoreRailwaywithDundalk WestJunctionontheoldIrishNorthWesternroutetoClones. A curvewestwardsfromDKJmadeatrailingconnectionatDundalkWestJunction;all servicestoandfromGreenorehadtomakeareversingmovementoverthislooptoconnectwiththemainDundalkstation.(TheIrishequivalentof manoeuvresnecessaryfortheSomerset&DorsetJointRailwaytoconnectatTemplecombe.)Returningtothemainline,thelargebuildingonthe rightwastheGNR’sgeneralstorewithofficesabove.Thebaywindowonthebuildinghousedtheofficeofaseniorofficialwhofromthisvantage pointcouldkeepaneyeoutforillicitactivityintheworksyard.Thestubsidingontheleftwhichendedhardagainsttheeast-westlineisholdingNo 85(seeimageNo23.)Parkedonthestoressidingaretwovans,therighthandofwhichisa6-wheelpassengerbrakevanadaptedfordepartmental use.Thewheelsandaxlestothefarrightareoutsidethewagonshopwhichisoutofview. RCR2199to3948(129)

Frontispiece(2)Queen’sQuay-BangorwasthebusiestrouteoftheBelfast&CountyDownRailway(12mileswithadozenstopsbetweentermini). Thefleet’sbackbonewerethe4-4-2T “BogieTanks”,introducedin1901whichworkeduntil1953.Theyhadreplaced2-4-2Tswhichwerethen cascadedtoruralduties.BeyerPeacockNos17and21(theUTA quicklyadded“200”)standattheQueen’sQuayturntable;No217isinnewlined blackliverywhileitscompanionretainsitshandsomeBCDRgreen.Thelatterwassoonrepainted,beforewithdrawalthesameyear.SisterNo30is preservedintheIrishRailwayGalleryattheUlsterFolk&TransportMuseum. RCR2199to3948(65)

RearCover(82)Dundalk,Newry&GreenoreRailway0-6-0ST No4 Newry (suppliedbyCreweinJanuary1876fortheGreenore-Newryextension)is believedtohavebeendestinedforGreenoreinthisview(mostphotographicsourcesshowthebrakevanattheDundalkend).Fromthe1870s,the DNGRwaspureLNWRindesignandliveryoflocomotivesandcoaches.Unfortunatelytheanglepreventsconfirmationthatthisrakeisinchocolate andoff-white.ThiswasanothercaseofluckytimingforDickRileyastheDNGR,whichhadbeenmanagedbytheGNRsince1July1933,closed completelyon31December1951. RCR2199to3948(119)

(16)Two3F0-6-0sweretransferredbytheLMStotheirNCCsectionin1944tohelpoutwithextrashuntingdemands. LMSnumbers7456(Bagnall No16539of1926)and7553(HunsletNo16632of1928)becameNCCNos18&19respectively.No19wasshuntingatYorkRoadincompanywith dieselNo28.Althoughintendedprimarilyfordockshunting,theJintiesoccasionallyventuredoutonshortpassengerworkingstoCarrickfergus.No 19waswithdrawnin1963.RCR2199to3948(86)

(37)Surroundedbyblastpipesandchimneys(includingonefromCorkBandon&SouthCoastRailway4-6-0TNo463),ex-GSWRNos90,402and 133awaitworksattentionatInchicore.No90wasbuiltin1875asan0-6-4T combinedengineandcarriageforbranchworkandrebuiltasan0-6-0T intheformdepictedin1915,workinguntilOctober1959.No402,consideredthebestoftheClass400s,workeduntil1961.No133wasamemberof Class101(J15)built1885,Ireland’smostnumeroustype.No90survivesatDownpatrick. RCR2199to3848(175)

(64)CDR2-6-4TNo4 Meenglass shuntsitstrainatStrabanewiththeNCC-stylesignalboxinthebackground.ThiswasanotherCDRlocomotive thatcarriedanameplatefromanearlierengine.Theoriginal Meenglass wasaNeilson4-6-0Twithdrawnin1935.Thenamewastransferredto 2-6-4TClass5No16builtbyNasmythWilsonin1907.No16hadoriginallybeennamed Donegal butwasrenumbered4andnamed Meenglass in 1937.ItwasoneofthefourlocomotivespurchasedbyDrCoxforuseintheUSA,buttheprojectdidnotcometofruition.TheBrake 3rd nexttothe engineisNo28,built1893byOldbury.Ithadavansectioninthemiddlewiththirdclasscompartmentseachseatingtenpassengersateitherend. ThiscoachispreservedattheDonegalRailwayHeritageCentre. RCR2199to3948(258)

Top(65)Riley’spartytravelled fromStrabanetoStranorlarin railcarNo19andsoughtthe crew’spermissiontotake photographsalongtheway. ThisallowedapauseatClady HaltontheformerFinnValley line,justinsidetheRepublicof Ireland,theBorderbeingvery closealongtheRiverUrneyto theeast.Thepairofrailcars19 &20werethefinaldevelopment oftheversatilerailcarfleet. Introduced1950/51,theywere similartofoursuppliedtothe CIEWestClaresectionin1952. Nos19&20weresoldtothe IsleofManRailwayin1960. RCR2199to3948(267)

Bottom(66)Apanoramicview oftheyardandlocomotive departmentatStranorlar.From lefttoright,theeastsignalcabin (withthesidingleadingtothe goodsstore,loadingdockand cattlebank)besidethelineto Strabane,railcarNo19onthe 36’turntable,thesmithyshop, machineshop,motorrepair shop,locomotiverepairshop andwatertower.Ontheright sideistheengineshedwith CDRClass52-6-4TNo8 Foyle outsideinsteam.Stranorlarwas theadministrativecentreand alsothebasefortherailway’s engineeringfacilities. RCR2199 to3948(263)

(71)No11 Phoenix shuntstherakeofcarriagesheadedbySaloonNo1pastStranorlarEastsignalcabin. Phoenix wasbuiltin1929fortheClogher ValleyRailwaybyAtkinson-WalkerofPrestonasa4-wheelsteamtractoronthepremisethatifunsuitableitcouldbereturned.Itprovedunsuccessful andwassoldtotheCDRin1932,aftertheGNRatDundalkfittedaGardner6L2dieselengine.OriginallysimplyNo11,thenamewasaddedin recognitionofitsresurrection. Phoenix andsaloonNo1arenowintheIrishRailwayGalleryatCultra,Co.Down. RCR2199to3948(265)

(76)ReturningacrosstheRiverFoyletoWatersidestation,thispicturewastakenfromthesignalboxofex-NCCClassU2No77arrivingfromthe Colerainedirection.Thefiremanisleaningouttodeliverupthesinglelinetablet.The“brownvan”nexttotheenginewasafeatureofmanyofthe trainsontheNCC,carryingeverythingfromfishtobicycles.No77wastheonlyunnamedmemberoftheseven“Scotch”(NorthBritishLocoCo) engines,despiteplansin1931tonameit“BallygalleyCastle”.Lastusedin1953,itwasscrappedinSeptember1956.Notetherampdowntothe watersidewhichwasusedbysignalmentoretrievetabletsfromtheRiverFoylewhenenginemenoccasionallymissed! RCR2199to3948(282)

(77)ClassWT 2-6-4T No52awaitsdeparturefromLondonderryWatersideonthe5.30pm“BelfastExpress”whichcovered93milesin2hours15 minuteswithfivestationstops,plusfourcrossingsofDowntrainsonthe62-milesingletrackLondonderry-Ballymenasection.Eighteenwere introduced1946-1950asatankversionoftheClassW2-6-0.RetainingthepositivefeaturesoftheFowler2-6-4T,theywerenicknamed“Jeeps”for theirgo-anywhereversatility.TheyachievedfameasthelastmainlinesteamenginesinordinaryserviceintheseislandswhileengageduntilMay 1970ontheMagheramornespoilcontract,bringingstonetoBelfastfortheM2motorwayproject.Regretfullythenamesoftheindividualsclearly posedforthecameraisnotconfirmed. R3949-4941(993)

RichardRiley’sbriefvisittoIrelandinMay1950wasfortunatelytimed.Hewitnessedrailwaysystemsin NorthernIrelandandtheIrishRepublicthatinmanyrespectswere‘’workingmuseums’’butbythenwere onthecuspofprofoundchange.Locomotivesandrollingstockthathadchangedlittleinmanyyears wouldsoonsuffertheravagesofmodernisationandrouterationalisation.Theprocesshadalready startedwithneartotalclosureoftheBelfast&CountyDownRailway.Withinasadlyshortperiod,manyof thefascinatingscenesrecordedinthisalbumwoulddisappearforever.