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Belfast Great Victoria Street Station and Adelaide-lookalike tribute


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Thanks Steve, that’s a wealth of information and very helpful. Plenty of operational potential for the 60s era, really was a big mistake closing the Derry Road.

 I can see the potential your layout design has for watching many various train formations and stock going backwards and forwards!

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Early evening at Belfast Great Victoria Street catches a UTA AEC railcar and a UG class (still to be converted!) awaiting their next turn of duty. A couple of Corporation buses are seen above the station crossing the Boyne bridge.

 

2039A1EF-1445-438E-B25B-86C35ED1DD22.jpeg.c1fa909a0cf2a75442cdf0b55137d162.jpeg

 

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Nice one Andy. Ah the No.77 Waterworks bus, now that does take me back!

 

What is the origin of the uncompleted "UG"? An LMS 3F? (Sorry if you've covered this in the past).

 

P.S. Have posted an AEC drawing in the "other place" that might interest you.

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Yep an LMS 3F for the UG. I also have a 4F for a Big D, an L1 for an S class and a 2P for a U class, all suggestions from the Modelling Irish Railways book! 

If I ever get round to doing them it will be a miracle, especially with so many other projects still uncompleted, but hey that is the beauty of the hobby, always something to do.

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Another couple of shots from inside the train shed, with a side view of the earlier AEC railcar photo taken in 1966. 

B29073BA-11C7-41B9-BDBD-4DFEFE6BA708.jpeg.a7bf8f9cc29b01de5d4a4582a0c6ef58.jpegThe next photo was taken 10 years later in 1976 and shows the customs building that stood at the end of platform 2, GVSt a shadow of its former self by then, with just a couple of weeks to closure.

964E29A5-739A-4F53-A975-4DD933319A91.jpeg.020e06548b004ad161492c8d60166074.jpegAnd finally a close up of the tobacco factory, another iconic building in the area that succumbed to so called modernisation!

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This is just superb. It brings back many memories - the first MED cars operating on the GNR when the Central line opened in '76..... exotic looking at first, but even less comfortable than a Castle class railcar, if such is possible!

 

The shoppers specials - must say I never saw a "C" (until NIR bought a few second hand), but the "A", 121, 141 and 181 classes were there daily on the goods and the "Enterprise" (the latter almost always "A").

 

And when the punt appeared in 1979, the banks had the mammoth task of separating all the British and Irish coins, which hitherto were all used as a common currency....

 

I recall the interior of a BUT car covered in offensive sectarian graffiti, on the ceiling, upholstery, floor, sides.... even windows......  all part of life's rich tapestry back then!

 

.....and the rusting remains of 47, the last GNR 0.6.0, at Adelaide until about 1969/70/71.....

 

Looking forward to seeing more of this.

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6 hours ago, jhb171achil said:

This is just superb. It brings back many memories - the first MED cars operating on the GNR when the Central line opened in '76..... exotic looking at first, but even less comfortable than a Castle class railcar, if such is possible!

 

The shoppers specials - must say I never saw a "C" (until NIR bought a few second hand), but the "A", 121, 141 and 181 classes were there daily on the goods and the "Enterprise" (the latter almost always "A").

 

.....and the rusting remains of 47, the last GNR 0.6.0, at Adelaide until about 1969/70/71.....

 

Looking forward to seeing more of this.

Thanks JHB for your comments and some great information! As a youngster around 1970 I used to cross the line to play in the bog meadows and remember playing on an old steam engine, which must have been 47! I was 4 when Adelaide shed closed, so don’t remember it unfortunately.

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A couple of very small pointers Andy, which I am hopeful you may find of interest.

 

The No. 77 Waterworks-Gasworks service/bus route was a very early "Troubles" casualty. It ceased running very soon after the August 1969 riots/disturbances and as far as I am aware, to date has never resumed.

 

May I also make a couple of minor corrections to JHB's valued input.

 

MED railcars appeared on regular services on the ex-GN section in 1972, 4 years before the reopening of the Central line. MED sets had visited prior to this. See photo's in Parting Shot and Irish Railway Traction and Travel. MPD's were frequent visitors and a 3-car set was formally transferred over in 1967. It stayed until 1969.

 

UG class No. 48 (UTA number) was transferred to York Road in 1966, but did little work and was scrapped there in 1969.

 

UG class No. 49, together with SG3 class No. 37 (UTA numbers) sat static in the sidings (along with Railcar No. 105), at the throat of Grosvenor Road depot from 1967 until 1970 when they were both hauled out to the remains of Adelaide yard for scrapping. Again, see photo's in Parting Shot.

 

Like Kirley, I also find your photo's very atmospheric. Well done.

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12 hours ago, Lambeg Man said:

 

 

UG class No. 49, together with SG3 class No. 37 (UTA numbers) sat static in the sidings (along with Railcar No. 105), at the throat of Grosvenor Road depot from 1967 until 1970 when they were both hauled out to the remains of Adelaide yard for scrapping. Again, see photo's in Parting Shot.

 

 

A sad reminder of seeing those two steam locomotives that "got away" and Railcar No 105.

 

I climbed all over No 49 taking measurements with a view to scratch building a model. ( or was it 48 at YR )  However I never got round to it and now I can't find my measurements.  

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15 hours ago, Lambeg Man said:

A couple of very small pointers Andy, which I am hopeful you may find of interest.

 

The No. 77 Waterworks-Gasworks service/bus route was a very early "Troubles" casualty. It ceased running very soon after the August 1969 riots/disturbances and as far as I am aware, to date has never resumed.

Thanks Steve, I am glad I put my decals on the oldest bus in my Corporation fleet !

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15 hours ago, Lambeg Man said:

 

 

MED railcars appeared on regular services on the ex-GN section in 1972, 4 years before the reopening of the Central line. MED sets had visited prior to this. See photo's in Parting Shot and Irish Railway Traction and Travel. MPD's were frequent visitors and a 3-car set was formally transferred over in 1967. It stayed until 1969.

 

UG class No. 48 (UTA number) was transferred to York Road in 1966, but did little work and was scrapped there in 1969.

 

UG class No. 49, together with SG3 class No. 37 (UTA numbers) sat static in the sidings (along with Railcar No. 105), at the throat of Grosvenor Road depot from 1967 until 1970 when they were both hauled out to the remains of Adelaide yard for scrapping. Again, see photo's in Parting Shot.

 

Yep I remember the MEDs being at GVSt long before the central line was reconnected.

 

Also, great shout out about Parting Shot, as I leafed through it again last night, the 2 car MPD in ‘69 solved which MPD set to model. Due to space, my No1 platform accommodates a 2 car set best, a 3 car set overhangs, so 6 and 7 for mid 60s, MPD late 60s and 2 car 80s for mid 70s!

 

Interesting info about the UG and SG3. When they were hauled to Adelaide, any idea what motive power was used? 

I assume they would have been hauled up the third line.

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I doubt they moved under their own steam John, as they had lain out of use for over three years. Possibly an early job for the then new '0-6-0' diesel shunter or of course No 28 (the 'Harlandic').

 

Andy, if you look at page 174 in Diesel Dawn, the top picture is mis-captioned. The location is Gt. Victoria Street carriage sidings and the lead unit is one of the pair of non-corridor MPD power cars sent to the GN section "for ballast workings,etc.". In fact they did a lot of passenger work covering for failed AEC's.

 

I once travelled in this unit's driving cab on a return run (empty diesel) from Lisburn to GVS. The driver was Andy Rushe and the guard was Dan Gribben. We went along at a fair pace.

 

I also remember getting to Lambeg station one winter morning in possibly 1968 and seeing an unusually large crowd waiting for the train. An enquiry with the halt 'porter' (Tommy Morrison) revealed that the two previous Belfast services had not run due to stock shortage. Eventually the 2-car MPD unit turned up (the guard was Andy Lawlor) and stopping at all stations to Belfast, he did a sterling job cramming everyone into the two car unit. Needless to say most people were standing in the compartments and even the cabs were stuffed full.

 

Another regular MPD working was a 2-car set comprised of one power car (in UTA green and facing Belfast) and a side corridor driving trailer (in the NCC section maroon/white 'regional' livery). For a period in 1968 this set regularly worked the 17.15 BF-LBN local. This latter carriage may be the second one in the Diesel Dawn picture. 

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Thanks Steve, I will have a look in Diesel Dawn, also know one of Jim’s Markle dvd’s shows an MPD leaving Lisburn in 1972, good excuse to have a bit more nostalgia!

 

 I was thinking the Harlandic or DH as possible motive power, although the DHs were quite underpowered. A CIE loco ??

 I think this is one I will quiz Mr Edgar on!!

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