Ulster Project: News on N.Ireland Railways build progress

[rjhowie]

As some will know from a while back, I have been slowly working on the whole of the NIR's 6 routes in the Province and it is taking quite a time inbetween other things. For anyone not aware of what has been done this will give an idea.

(1) Belfast - Bangor - done.
(2) Belfast - Newry/Border - done
(3) Belfast - Londonderry - done
(4) Coleraine - Portrush - done.
(5) Lisburn - Antrim Junction - done (line mothballed for now in the hope of future re-opening).
(6) Belfast - Larne (Town) and ( Larne (Harbour). Working on it at present and reached the approaches to Whitehead so far.

My hope is that I can get the Larne Line done fairly soon thus completing what is left of a once massive networkin Northern Ireland. and giving a complete system from acros the Irish Sea. However there is an addition. My intention is to continue over the Border (track laid as far as where Dundalk isdeep into the countryside) all the way to Dublin (Connolly). This would include the DART vranch north of Dublin and the (for now) goods only branch going off at Drogheda as well. On Tuesday, I hope to spend some time this Tuesday (27 Nov) making a slideshow of all the routes above on my website then announce it here. This will give a chance to see how this whole of the N.I.R. is doing on Trainz (!).

 

[masontaylor]

No wonder you often post in the dead of night, Bobby: you must be working all hours. Looking forward to seeing what you've done!

m*

 

[sterrett]

I'm glad you have kept up the good work! I appreciate that it's not easy to keep going sometimes, and occasionally you have to stop altogethr while you try to figure out how to do something. Looking forward to seeing your screenies!

 

[rjhowie]

Thanks for the comments "m" and "s". My added challenge is trying to do it based in Glasgow (!). Unfortunately parts of the Larne route are not so easy to ascertain re Google earth etc as the others. on a trip to over there I did the 18 mile stretch of that crumlin Line by getting on and off an hourly bus service trying to get as near as i could to the mothballed track and not always easy. The Londonderry route at over 90 miles was a looooong hurdle and so too was the other long one to Newry/Border. My final challenge will be trying to get all the way down to Dublin which is another big hurdle too.

Another Trainzer has offered some techy help I need for my earlier long project when I built the whole of the Glasgow Tramway system and still languishing on a pc. Appreciate that so that is another potential offering on Trainz and is a massive tramway. That obviously with Dublin still to do be available first. Meantim, Mason you are so right about the dark sessions and determination to overcome the zilches and difficult bits. One can only hope that the pictures will do justice to this big project to show something of a whole railway in part of our isles that has been generally out in the Trainz cold. Wednesday will tell folks!
Bobby

Bobby

 

[rjhowie]

I finally caught up with some pictures of what I am doing. These cover 5 of the 6 routes. They aren't that great I know but they will give some kind of rough impression. There are 185 to look through and you can see them on the link below. There is a page of sideshows for each of the routes mentioned. When Larne is done that will be added. If I can get Larne done by the end of December, I will then try tacling the Border route beyond Newry down to Dublin with the 2 IR branches off that.
Meantime have a look and don't throw too many bricks!

http://northernirelandrailwaysim.moonfruit.com/#

Bobby

 

[sterrett]

Congratulations on both the progress of the route, and an interesting website. I can see my Withered Arm site needs a lot of work! Did you use "Moonfruit's" own web-building kit or did you fashion the site yourself using an external programme? I'm just intrigued by your use of thumbnails and the way your site loads - the more I add to mine, the slower it becomes.

 

[clam1952]

Route is looking good, in fact looking very good! Nice website as well.

Re doing it from a distance, can be an advantage as you don't find things that are different! I was up on the Welsh Highland / Ffestiniog a couple of weeks ago and several key points have been changed, moved or vanished, meaning I have more things to change on the route again, should have done historical not modern day quite a bit has changed in the four years I've been working on it.

 

[Clancy2012]

Hello Bobby, I have got lots of help here in the forum in the past 12 months. Perhaps now I can give something back. I live in Dublin and would only be too delighted to help you out with pictures timetables and anything else you think I could do for you.

Clancy

 

[rjhowie]

Hello all.

I did fly over to Belfast and bought a runabout rail/bus pass which was great. This gave me a time back the chance to take rough notes. Google Earth and Bing were handy and I did manage to get my hands oan a price cd of the Crumlin Line made in a cab back in 2002 by a Uni technician (prodided I didn't use for commercial purposes). That was a great help as it was a kind of remote line being mothballed for now. At Glenavy, i couldn't get the near the Halt due to fencing, undergrowth, ect. It also took hours as the bus was an hourly one and had to wait at Ballinderry, Glenavy and Crumlin (where I had luch). An elderly man at a bus stop at the rail bridge overlooking Ballinderry station thought I was there to get the line going again as he didn't like the bus. I bumped intohim again in Crumlin main street!

Must say that the Londonderry and Newry routes were a big challenge being so long. Have now found the Larne Line to be yet another one for various reasons so it will probably maybe look les effective than the others.

Sterrett:

I have been a long user of Moonfruit where I have several websites including one for my Trainz and rather large Glassgow Tramway. However i did the site from sratch rather than use one of the selection of ones available. The slideshows themselves were a oddle and getting the thumbnails in although I did have a difficulty when using print screen then paste into Paint. Every single time I got a black screen onthe Printcreen thingy which meant that the 165 pictures were like doing twice that as each had to be re-tried to get them! Not sure why you are having a slow situ so keep intouch on that one!

Clancy:
I have thought of getting back over to the Province as I need to get an idea of the new NIR Depot at Adelaide in Belfast and delayed the visit in the hope it would be enough finished for me to get an idea. However the visit is also for my intended plan to include the line from Newry right down to your home city. My thinking is that if I can spend a day getting a train to Dundalk (where they were quite helpful) then take some better notes of the surronds then wait for a tran to Drogheda and do the saem with the last bit to Dublin. To spend 2 or more days would be an expense after a flight and hotel. But reckon I could still glean much. As the DART branch is off this, I will add that and there is some DART stock on Trainz now. There is also the branch from Drogheda out to Tara I think it is. Have noticed that the track does go beyond that is part of a long abandonded situ although still there covered much in grass, etc. There were some who wanted the part from Drogheda to Tara passenger again but it is there so I have to do it! Scenery runing out at Newry is no use to me and will only niggle (!) although i have laid track to where I think Dundlak should be so to speak. Not sufre how I will organise the train journey down to Dublin -whether to get a ticket from Belfast - Dundalk then Dundalk - Drogheda then Drogheda to Dublin so you might may be help with that one?! So let's keep in touch.

Meantime working out some of the Larne Line geography is awkward as at bits like the power station I am at just now have no public road near where i can judge something so a bit of a hit and a miss there. My eventual hope is that working down to you that this can open up all sorts of possibilities. With respect, no-one has done anything as wide as I have attempted fon Ireland from over here and I feel it is long overdue to be attempted. Feel free to get back to me at any time both of you and others.

Mason, still doing the late shift thanks to NI Railways!

Bobby

 

[Vern]

Looking very nice Bob - keep up the good work!

 

[Clancy2012]

Hi Bobby,

Belfast to Dublin is a new fastline route now and arrives into Connolly Station where a NI Railways have their own dedicated departure lounge etc. Connolly then connects to Tara in 2 ways. One via the Dart services or Two via the arrow services. The arrow services offer suburban connections and also cover outwards from Connolly to Drogheda and Dundalk.If you do plan to travel over sometime in the new year, I will help with all the arrangements, make connections with our department of Transport and connect with old Irish Rail drivers here where we can have a few pints of Guinness with them!

Dublin has 2 main stations - Heuston and Connolly. Connolly serves all North and East bound destinations. Heuston serves all West and South bound destinations. I will look after all tickets for your time in Dublin and will help in anyway I can. I don't know anything about design but I am an avid historian and know this city very well. I have lived here 21 years. I bet you did not know that there is a rail line under Dublin that still exists today? You can walk part of it. Guinness built it .

P.m me when you want my email address, phone number and we can plan from there if you go ahead with this.

Clancy

 

[masontaylor]

Just doing all those screenshots must have taken some considerable time, Bobby: as is working my way though them! However, having started with Belfast, which I'm acquainted with, having worked over there a handful of times not to mention having enjoyed a quick leisure break earlier this year, I have to say that it all looks immediately pretty recognisable and captures the character convincingly. Excellent work!*

 

[rjhowie]

Thanks very much for your comments there Mason and Vern, etc. Have been a visitor over the years both with family as a boy staying at both Lurgan and waringstown then myself as an adult. I can remember when the old Gt Victoria Street building was there and the whole place taken up by trains rather now by buses and a station tucked in a corner. Queen's Quay was once a hub from the old BC&DR days and in it's end game a station with only one route left out of around 5 thanks to the UTA. The old UTA has been my own Dr Beeching as they had no interest in the Ulster rail scene hence the immediate closures and going from nearly 900 to around 215/220 miles. Disgraceful. You were so right about the time taken on the "phoaties". For some dashed reason the 185 pictures had to be like doing double that as each time I went to paste I got a black screen then back to the picture, screen save again then it pasted. Literally hours over a few nights.

You are correct there Clancy, I wasn't aware of an old line under dublin so quite fascinating. Expect a PM re exchanging contact details. I either have to go straight to Dublin n the tgrain and do the staion getting off on the way back or vice-versa - have to think on that! What I also need to do is get to the Larne Line and from Downshire and Whitehead and the bit to larn itself. A bit awkward as trains beyond Carrickfergus are hourly and not half hourly as to Carrickfergus. There are 3 halts in the middle of noweher and the train tends to go fast for note taking. To get off at each would drag on for hours so that may be a miss1 Know that my sojourn down to Dublin will be sketchy but I want to see Dundalk, Drogheda and surronds. There is nothing avaialble on Trainz that looks like the Boyne Viaduct/bridge so that will have to be what can be used. A while ago someone was going to try build it but then that went. Will be in touch.

Bobby

 

[rjhowie]

I am a wee bit curious as to whether there would be any general interest of this thing I am doing for over the Irish Sea? It was brought to mind by a former Trainzer from S. Ireland who had left a time ago because there was a lack of such here. For me it has been a slog living in Glasgow but did go to the effort of going over for nearly a week to take notes. It is just that this has been a project with some effort and including the track all the way down to Dublin another big challenge ahead for me.

Of course I don't mind enjoying it myself as I am enjoying it inbetween passing frustrations at times! But I would like to think that others might be interested in what is a fairly considerate appraisal on what there is in N. Ireland Rlys and that I may well add two of the lines off the route to Dublin for more interest. My thoughts are that in turn with Ulster done and my exploring in the South it could open up all sorts of extension possibilities from Dublin - for someone else as I have really done my bit!

 

[rjhowie]

Oh well, I had better not judge my musing on interest by the number of responses! Although the stats for having had a look is a more notable and encouraging reaction! Keeps my optimism side ticking over when clouds are low and pavement is slippy and icey.......

 

[clam1952]

Oh well, I had better not judge my musing on interest by the number of responses! Although the stats for having had a look is a more notable and encouraging reaction! Keeps my optimism side ticking over when clouds are low and pavement is slippy and icey.......

I'm interested, been keeping an eye on your website and I expect there are loads of others doing the same.

 

[clanky]

Fantastic, the photos are looking very good indeed, have just spent a week in Ireland (freezing) and did a few back and forths on the Larne line which brought back a few childhood memories.

 

[rjhowie]

Nice to hear from you folk and that there is general interest. As it happens clanky, I am finding the larne Line a particular challenge as it happens. Not quite so easy to "access" re Google or Bing but i hope to get over for a couple of days after New Year to take a run on the Larne to have a better look although the train tends to speed a bit fasst for my notetaking! Dare say that few wuld go to the effort I did to spend a week after flying over and booking a hotel to get a wider appreciation although I know NI in general from years of occasional visits not of a rail nature. I dare say a one day on the enterprise route won't be sufficient but my main aim was to do the whole of the NIR but too tempting to leave things with ab blank spot after Newry!

Good to see so many visits to the website and when I finish Larne will get that slideshow up to add to those scores of picsfolowed by an attempt Southwards. Will keep things posted here so that people know that Ireland is being caught up with on Trainz (!) Now it is back to try getting smewhere beyond Whitehead next week.......

Bobby, frustratingly in Glasgow.......

 

[rjhowie]

Have been delayed in the project but got back to 6th and final route for Northern Ireland Rlys to Larne (Town) and (Harbour) stations. Spent a bit of time having to buold just about the whole of Whitehead and will inbetween breaks slowly work towards the latter part of the route.

However,Ii am giving some thought as to whether to continue running my project further south than Newry to over the Border on the Belfats-Dublin Enterprise Express route. Actually, I did put down all the track right down to Dublin (Connolly) and put in Dundalk and Drogheda Stations. as well as the junctions and tracks around Connolly Station. no building or platforms as I don't know what the place looks like yet. One of the things apart from anything else is the amount of effort as I have put in a considerable amount of that for the N.I.R. It took me ages to build the Belfast-Londonderry line and do much of the towns along what was 96 miles of a lot of scenery. Creating Antrim, Ballymena, Coleraine, Portrush on the branch all took ages. Hope to fly over from Glasgow assuming summer stays around for long enough and have a look at the last part of the Larne which is holding me back and maybe a quick day trip down to Dublin to have a look at things there. Being another long haul like the plod to the River Foyle in the northwest it is taking a bit of thought.If i was to try it then knowing me i would feel obliged to pout in the 2 branches along the way (!). Obviously my first concern is to finish the N. Ireland Rlys and suss out the bit of the last line that I need more info on.

Now i have to argue will I or won't I (it's tempting)?!

 

[rjhowie]

Apologies for the errors in that last insert on the thread. Have been having a recurrence of some permanent health problems that occasionally interrupt my life. In trying to get away from health issues thought Trainz would be a distraction. Should have waited a bit longer!