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Tag: irish rail

  • In Picture: South Dublin Model Railway Club Exhibition 2025

    In Picture: South Dublin Model Railway Club Exhibition 2025

    Model railways are an age-old hobby, almost as old as the railways themselves. A favourite of generations past and present. If you ask your family, I’m sure someone will tell you about the Hornby train set they got for Christmas that brought them hours of joy.  

    In today’s modern world, the model railway is no longer as popular as it once was. Its popularity has been surpassed by new inventions, the most prominent of which is video games. How can a model railway compare to the likes of Train Simulator, where players can take charge of their own locomotives and simulate real world journeys in a detailed environment? 

    Or, more likely, they prefer to play something like EA Sports FC, Fortnite, or Call of Duty. I can’t say I’m an exception, as I’ve sunk hours into video games over the years. 

    But, in recent years, I have gained an interest in railways, and model railways have come part in parcel with that interest. In Dublin, there are two main clubs: The Model Railway Society of Ireland (MRSI), and the South Dublin Model Railway Club (SDMRC). In the name of fairness, the two clubs take it in turns to host an annual exhibition on the October Bank Holiday weekend, the biggest of its kind in Ireland. 

    This year was the turn of the SDMRC to host their show once again in Blackrock College, and once again, they did not disappoint. 

    The show has everything one could want; highly detailed layouts, passionate people excited to answer your questions about their work, the all-important tea and coffee stand, and, the source of financial ruin for many in this hobby, merchandise sellers. 

    The annual Dublin show has become a tradition for me. Here is just a selection of some of the layouts, and the people, who made a great exhibition. 

    This first layout is ‘Vesper Road’, by Adrian Clapa. It showcases a OO Gauge modern British freight yard.

    This is ‘BelleVue’, showcasing an American HO Scale (1:87) scene. Built by Ivan Thompson.

    This is ‘East Earlyton’, a scene showing the early years of the railways in Britain. I spoke to the owner at the Wexford show, and he explained that he designed the inside seen to be replaceable. the other scene is called ‘West Earlyton’, showing an early-American western railroad.

    ‘Past Avenue’ – OO Gauge Irish layout set in the late 20th century.

    ‘Dun Laoghaire DART’ – by the South Dublin Model Railway Club (SDMRC). This OO Gauge layout showcases Dun Laoghaire Station as it looked during the early years of the DART in the late-80’s.

    ‘Kildare Town’ – SDMRC. A large layout capturing Kildare Station as it was up to the early-2000s. Used as a test bed by some of the manufacturers, such as Accurascale/ IRM and Murphy Models, to show off their latest samples.

    GSR/ CIÉ 800 Class by Accurascale/ IRM.
    Irish Rail 22000 Class by Accurascale/ IRM.

    Speaking of which, Accurascale/ Irish Railway Models brought samples of their upcoming releases: GSR/ CIÉ 800 class (Ireland’s largest steam locomotive), and the Irish Rail 22000 class (the backbone of the modern intercity fleet. Both highly detailed models are due for release in 2026.

    Also at the show were samples of their NIR 101 class ‘Hunslet’, and a sample of Murphy Models upcoming model of the new DART train, part of the DART+ programme.

    Samples of Accurascale IRM NIR Class 101 ‘Hunslet’ and Murphy Models 90000 Class DART from the 2024 Clontarf show

    This is Johnathan King a volunteer the Downpatrick & County Down Railway (DCDR), the only full-size heritage railway on the island of Ireland. “We run steam and diesel trains for families, for railway enthusiasts to keep our culture alive.” You can find more information on the DCDR website.

    This is Glen Dixon, a member of the Model Railway Society of Ireland, with his layout ‘7 Éire’. It’s an N Gauge (1:148) layout based on Dalkey and Killiney, with one of the main features being the ‘Éire sign’ present on the real life Dalkey Hill. These were dotted around the coast of Ireland during the Second World War to alert aircraft flying overhead that they were passing over Ireland. “The beach itself is [made with] sand off Killiney beach.”

    “The DARTs themselves are made by myself. They take around two weeks to construct.” Glen is also active on social media under the account @offdrails.

    This is Bill Garrioch, another member of the MRSI, with his layout ‘Castlefinn’. It is a OO9 narrow gauge layout based on Castlefinn in county Donegal, once a part of the famous Donegal Railway.

    “It’s no particular period; it’s just done up to look interesting and have a few cameos in it and interest the public.”

    Bill bought the layout from a club member, but detailed it all himself.

    “Recently, I did a complete revamp of all the scenery and made the little lights and everything with brass tubes.”

    The mighty ‘Dundalk Works’ by the MRSI, hosts of next year’s show in Clontarf. Built over a period of seven years, this scene is over 19ft long and has been featured in the Railway Modeller magazine.

    I spoke with Peter Kelly of the IPMS Ireland.

    “IPMS Ireland is the International Plastic Modelling Society, the Irish branch.”

    Members of the IPMS model everything from aircraft to tanks, and from Gundam to submarines.

    “People come together, put their models on the table. We have a chat about modelling, we have a Facebook group and Instagram.”

    “Because we’re a small country, and because the modelling is an even smaller community, we tend to all know each other. You get a lot of help from people, you get a lot of constructive criticism in the best possible way, and you get to meet new people.”

    “From a mental health point of view, it’s great to go be able to have something where you go and spend some time and switch off. It can be a bit isolating, that’s why the IPMS is so good. Because you meet people who are in the same boat.”

    “From six to ninety-six, everybody is welcome. It doesn’t matter what your level is.”

    ‘T-Trak’, a modular N Scale layout with an Irish setting. Many of the trains running round are custom made.

    ‘Morceaux Ville’ by David McFarlane – A HO Scale tram layout.

    And finally, we have ‘Rathmichael’ by the Wexford Model Railway Club (WMRC). This OO Gauge layout models represents the now disused (but hopefully not for too long more) South Wexford Line that links Rosslare with Waterford.

    It took the club over a year to build, and they run trains from the 1980’s onwards. This layout has won praise for its scenic detail.

    The layout was named in honour of Michael Curran, a founding member of the WMRC.

    And that’s just a small sample from this year’s South Dublin Model Railway Club exhibition. It was a year of anniversaries, with the SDMRC celebrating it’s fiftieth, and Irish Railway Models celebrating ten years in business.

    Next year’s show is back to Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Clontarf, hosted by the MRSI.

    But fear not, there’s plenty of other shows in the meantime, including Wexford MRC, Erne MRC, and the Mid-West MRC.

  • Poor Wheelchair Accessibility on DART lines

    Poor Wheelchair Accessibility on DART lines

    Several advocates for wheelchair accessibility have come forward condemning the services provided by Irish Rail and the DART line. Nathan Davies discusses the state of wheelchair accessibility on the DART line to see where the problems are and what Irish Rail are doing to fix it.

  • Public Safety on Irish Rail: Part One

    Public Safety on Irish Rail: Part One

    DART and rail users – are you vexed by vandalism? Tired of tissue sellers? Disgusted by disruptive passengers? Or do you think your daily commute or weekend trip into town is among the safest journeys one could hope to take on public transport?

    Using information obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, The City looks at just how safe it is to travel by rail in Ireland – starting with the DART in the first of a two-part series which concludes next week looking at mainline journeys across the country.

    Redacted figures show that since 2015 there have been 514 reported incidents of antisocial behaviour on the DART. 2017 and 2018 have seen huge increases in the number of incidents being reported compared to previous years, with over double the number of incidents compared to 2015 and 2016. This year is set to have the highest number of complaints yet – with 175 incidents reported by the 13th of October compared to 187 in the whole of 2017.

    These rising figures support the recent calls for increased security on Irish public transport, with National Bus and Rail Union General Secretary Dermot O’Leary recently stating that: “It is no exaggeration to say that commuters and staff travelling and working on public transport are doing so in constant fear of either being attacked themselves, or witnessing various forms of anti-social behaviour, up to and including serious assault.”

    The incident of antisocial behaviour which is most commonly reported on the DART is incidents involving disruptive passengers, with 216 reported since 2015, more than a third of the 514 total incidents reported. Once again 2018 is conclusively the worst year on record – reports of 48, 31 and 54 recorded in 2015, 2016 and 2017 respectively are relatively dwarfed in comparison to the 83 incidents involving disruptive passengers reported by early October of this year.

     

    Vandalism is the next most common incident of antisocial behaviour that gets reported on DART services. There have been 125 reported incidents of vandalism since 2015, with 2017 and 2018 again almost lapping the previous two years in terms of figures. However, the high number of 49 incidents reported so far this year could partially be attributed to an incident at Clongriffin station on May 8th of this year, when around a dozen people in balaclavas boarded a train and caused €4,000 worth of damage in what Irish Rail described as “an unprecedented graffiti attack.”

    Following vandalism closely in reported complaints are incidents of intimidation, with 122 such reports since 2015. Bucking the trend so far, 2018 looks set to improve upon the substantial figure of 58 incidents of intimidation in 2017, with just 26 reported so far this year.

    While these figures are significant and a legitimate cause for concern, it is comforting for commuters to see that more serious incidents of theft and assault remain at a much lower level. A total of 19 assaults and 14 thefts have been reported in the redacted figures released to The City by Irish Rail, although incidents of theft in 2018 look set to surpass the highest figure of five reported in 2015, with an equal number reported as of October.

    The issue of ‘tissue sellers’ has also sprung up on DART services since 2017. This involves a person putting an item such as a packet of tissues or a lighter on train seats, along with a printed note asking for money in return for the items, which the note says will go towards helping a sick family member.  

    From the start of 2017 to October of this year there have been 13 recorded incidents of ‘tissue traders’ on DART services, although regular commuters will attest that figure is most likely higher. The Garda Press Office said that “An Garda Síochána have legislation available to deal with these matters”, referencing the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act, 2011.  

    The Act states that if a person begs “while in a private place without the consent of the owner or occupier of the private place, he or she requests or solicits money or goods from another person or persons.” The Act also states that “a person who, while begging in any place harasses, intimidates, assaults or threatens any other person or persons is guilty of an offence and is liable, on summary conviction, to a class E fine or imprisonment for a term not exceeding one month or both.”

    Speaking to The City NRBU General Secretary Dermot O’Leary said that he would like to see the implementation of a Garda Public Transport Division, with powers of arrest to act as a deterrent to disruptive passengers. “Antisocial incidents on public transport are rising year on year, and lots of our members aren’t even reporting some incidents because such behaviour has become normalised,” he said, adding that “Irish Rail is one very serious incident away from a situation where trains won’t operate in certain areas at certain times of the day.”