Some of the club members paid a visit to the
National Transport Museum in Howth on the afternoon before the Dublin Nationals in Swords.
Not being an armour head, I was not aware of the significance of some of the exhibits, so my photos here are more of general interest - no doubt
some of the guys who attended would have more "technical" walkarounds that they could put up on this thread.
Here are three of the folks - Simon, Pat and Filip.
Two decided to clamber up into the armoured car - which was the Timoney and which the Unimog - or is the first one something else??:-
Simon:-
And Filip:-
There were lots of vehicles, all parked up inside the large garages/sheds - probably more for preservation than display, as we
couldn't get to reach some of them, so tight was the parking....
This badge on one truck looks to be of historic interest....
But there were also commercial and other trucks there, including this repair truck from the ESB, with a very old logo on the side:-
The biggest element of the display was of buses and trams, from times gone by.
This included the basis of the collection, the 1940's Howth Tram (beautifully restored):-
There was also another lovely one, a Dublin street tram from the turn of the 20th Century:-
This would make a marvellous modelling subject, if one could find a suitable kit....
The trip was, for me at least, a trip into a bit of nostalgia into transport in Dublin in the "rare old times".
This was one of the buses that I used to get to school:-
('Rhelig Ghlasnaion' is Glasnevin Cemetery, by the way.)
There were older buses, too, one of which had been restored and you could go into.
Inside, the downstairs area hadn't changed much:-
The conductor stood at the back, on the platform, and banged the bell twice when all had got on, to alert the driver to move off.
He also banged it once if someone moved down in readiness to get off at the next "Stad".
Even upstairs, where you went if you wanted a view, or to smoke, or to avoid the conductor, was also so familiar:-
(I am explaining this to assist all those younger modellers, who have never met a conductor, ...apologies to those "returning modellers"
who know all this and remember the good times we all had swinging from the pole on the back of the platform)
Many thanks to Simon, whose idea it was to organise the trip. A visit there is well worth doing, even if you are not as old as me (!).Philip (Jones)
"To boldly go.....wherever"
