Full Steam Ahead on
Malahide’s Casino Model Railway Museum
T
he new Casino Model Railway Museum in Malahide is now open to the public. This is following restoration work on the historic Casino building and the conservation of the Fry Model Railway Collection. The Casino building is located next to Malahide Dart Station and is also in close proximity to a bus stop. It is the only cottage orné of its type in Fingal and is of significant historical importance to the area’s architectural heritage. For the past eight years, it has been carefully conserved, restored and extended by Fingal County Council. Now it’s set to become a visitor attraction, being the permanent home of the Fry Model Railway collection. Previously housed in Malahide Castle, the exhibition is of great historical importance not only to Malahide but to model train enthusiasts worldwide – containing models of every single piece of rolling stock that ever ran on a railway in Ireland. Speaking to Travel Ireland at a special preview of the new museum to press on January 20, Mayor of Fingal Cllr Eoghan O’Brien said: “I grew up in Malahide myself. This house is an iconic landmark locally. The Fry Model Collection - then housed in Malahide Castle – was something I visited myself as a child very regularly. So, it’s great to see those two pieces of Malahide history coming together as one.” On top of housing the Fry Model collection, the museum also exhibits some other gems for model train enthusiasts. Speaking about this, County Architect at Fingal County Council
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TRAVEL IRELAND MAGAZINE - FEBRUARY 2020
Fionnuala May said: “We have the collection which was made by Cyril Fry [a former railway engineer and draughtsman]. Those models are not for running. They’re museum pieces. So, in order to animate the exhibition, we have made a running model which is completely brand new.” This new addition sees various small-scale replicas of Irish trains chugging through models of recognisable sights including the River Liffey, Malahide, Bray and Mallow. As well as this, the museum includes an education room for attending school groups, a collection of Irish railway memorabilia, an interactive table providing history on train services in the country and an area devoted to models related to the circus in Ireland. The project, which has cost approximately €4m to deliver, has been funded through Fingal County Council’s capital programme and a generous donation of €1.5m from the late Mr Micheál Gaffney of Malahide. O’Brien told Travel Ireland: “It really has been a labour of love for our architect department as well as a number of the local councillors, myself included, to get this from the inception stage to being open to the public. It’s absolutely world class and I think it will stretch far beyond model train enthusiasts.” Speaking on this, Fingal County Council Chief Executive AnnMarie Farrelly told Travel Ireland: “I think the model railway that’s on display here will be popular with both young and old. Those who have familiarity with the old railway in Ireland will appreciate the unique work that went into developing the
