Fry Model Railway

Coordinates: 53°27′02″N 6°09′30″W / 53.450634°N 6.158326°W / 53.450634; -6.158326

Casino House before refurbishment (which is currently undergoing and set to be complete in 2019) to hold the Fry Model Railway

The Fry Model Railway and collection consists of an O gauge working miniature rail display that grew to 2,500 square feet (230 m2) primarily depicting Ireland in the 1920s—1930s. The collection includes handbuilt models of Irish features, stations and trains throughout the ages.[1]

The railway was moved from its' previous home in Malahide Castle in 2010. In September 2017 the exhibition was expected to re-open in 2019 following refurbishment of the 'Casino' cottage building near Malahide railway station.[2]. By the end of April 2018 some progress had been made with the tendering process complete and the contractor having commenced on site with extension and refurbishment of the Casino Cottage to complete in February 2019 with public opening in Spring 2019.[3][4] Expected costs have risen from €2.4 million to €2.7 million.[4][5]

History

The layout and collection was created by the railway engineer and draughtsman Cyril Fry, an employee of Inchicore Works, and his family. It outgrew his bungalow in Churchtown, Dublin and passed to Dublin Tourism in the 1970s.[6] Following work by retired CIÉ craftsman Thomas Tighe at Inchicore Works the model railway was moved to Malahide Castle in 1988.

Move from Malahide Castle

The exhibition was forced to be removed to storage for the redevelopment of Malahide Castle in 2010 following notice from the owners Fingal County Council.[7] A 'Friends of the Fry Model Railway' association was formed and initial suggestions of where to relocate included Collins Barracks, Dublin.[7] The only viable proposal to emerge was to re-open the railway at the basement Eblana Theatre in the Bus Éireann station in Dublin.[8] An unexpected turn of events was that a wealthy farmer who died in January 2012 left a bequest of €1.5m to restore the Casino House cottage near Malahide railway station but a condition of the legacy was that it be used to hold the Fry model railway exhibition.[9] Fáilte Ireland initially wished to continue with the Bus Éireann option however this would have lost the conditions for the bequest.[10] By April 2012 Fingal County Council determined to accept the bequest and the incumbent transport minister Leo Varadkar indicated he was delighted the matter was resolved.[6] In a Malahide/Howth area committee meeting in June 2017 councillors expressed frustrations over the delays but that matters concerning heritage buildings were complex and of the need to meet the constraints of the funding bequest.[11] As of March 2018 the exhibition remains broadly on the September 2017 plan to re-open in early 2019 in Malahide following refurbishment and extension of the Casino building.[1][12][3]

Casino House

Casino House, which is intended to house the Fry Model Railway following refurbishment and extension, was built around 1750[13] though some claims date it earlier to late 17th century.[6][14] It is a two story thatched house with eight bays.[13] It was a shooting lodge for the Talbot family (though some have suggested a romantic summer house[6]) and remained with the family until 1927.[14] The building has been allowed to deteriorate.[11][15][16]

Layout and collection

The O gauge[17] collection of about 360 rail vehicles[5] layout represents Irish railway heritage since the about the 1840s[7] through to more recent representations of the Dublin Area Rapid Transit and the Luas.[6] The main line section was designed to represent Dublin - Belfast - Cork whilst even an Irish Sea mail Packet boat was represented in the background.[7]. While the models were usually accurate the Drumm Battery Train model appears to be have been taken from preliminary drawings incorporating streamlined ends which did not appear in the actual train.[18]

Steam locomotive models

Partial list of steam locomotive models in the Fry Collection[19]
Company Number Class Type Livery Notes
GS&WR  47  47/E3 0-4-4BT Grey
GS&WR 341 341/D1 4-4-0 GS&WR Sir William Goulding
GS&WR 362/B3 4-6-0 Lined GSR green Livery incorrect
GS&WR 501 500/B1 4-6-0 Lined GSR green Type E tender, livery incorrect
GS&WR 900 900/A1 Lined GSR green Livery incorrect, original locomotive 4-8-0T rebuilt to 4-6-2T
DSER 461 461/K2 2-6-0 CIÉ Black Original locomotive preserved
WTR   2 483/N1 2-2-2T Original
MGWR 650/G2 2-4-0 Original MGWR green MGWR K Class
WCR   5   5C/IN1 0-6-2T Original Narrow gauge, Original locomotive preserved
WCR   2   2C/PN1 2-6-2T Original Narrow gauge
GSR 372 372/K1 2-6-0 CIÉ Green
GSR 670 670/I3 0-6-2T CIÉ Green
GSR 710 710/J15b 0-6-0 CIÉ
GSR 800 800/B1a 4-6-0 CIÉ Maeḋḃ, original locomotive preserved
GS&WR 404 400/B2 4-6-0 Lined black Built by Bassett-Lowke for the British Empire Exhibition

See Also

References

  1. 1 2 "Fry Model Railway Exhibition". Mr. Dublin Guide. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  2. ↑ "Casino to open in 2019". Irish Independent. 16 September 2017. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  3. 1 2 "Update On Fry Model Railway & Casino Project". North County Leader. 27 March 2018. Retrieved 29 March 2018.
  4. 1 2 Pownall, Sylvia (12 April 2018). "FRY RAILWAY WORKS 'IMMINENT'". Bublin Gazette. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  5. 1 2 "Fingal County Council - Press Release" (PDF). Fingal County Council. 27 April 2018. Redevelopment of Malahide Casino begins. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Sheehy, Clodagh (28 April 2012). "Fry Model Railway finds new €2m home". The Herald (Ireland). Retrieved 4 February 2012.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Hamill, John (2 February 2011). "Fry Model Railway Museum to be closed down!". Collect Ireland. Archived from the original on 4 February 2018. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  8. ↑ "Bus Eireann submitted only suitable proposal". Fingal Independent. 10 April 2012. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  9. ↑ Melia, Paul (3 January 2013). "Saviour of Europe's largest model railway leaves €17m in will". Irish Independent. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  10. ↑ Hogan, Louise (12 March 2012). "Failte throws a spanner in €1.5m model railway plan". Irish Independent. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
  11. 1 2 Maddock, Fergal (17 June 2017). "Frustration mounts over Casino redevelopment delay". Fingal Independent. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
  12. ↑ "Casino to open in 2019". Irish Independent. 16 September 2017. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  13. 1 2 "Casino, Dublin Road, Malahide, Fingal". National Inventory or Irish Heritage. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  14. 1 2 Malahide Historical Society. "Malahide Landmarks include:". malahide.ie. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  15. ↑ "CASINO". Malahide Historical Society. 2011. Archived from the original on 25 August 2011.
  16. ↑ "Casino, Malahide". An Taisce - The National Trust for Ireland.
  17. ↑ Emerson, John (3 January 2017). Modelling Railways in 0 Gauge. The Crowood Press Ltd. Sixty years of the senior scale. ISBN 978-1785002540.
  18. ↑ Clements, Jeremy; McMahon, Michael (2008). "Battery electric powered units - Drumm Electric Multiple Units". Locomotives of the GSR. Colourpoint Books. p. 313. ISBN 9781906578268.
  19. ↑ Clements, Jeremy; McMahon, Michael (2008). "Appendix K: GSR Locomotives in minature". Locomotives of the GSR. Colourpoint Books. p. 380. ISBN 9781906578268.
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