Cork’s 150th
sees Opening of Railway Museum
Railway Museum
opens in Kent Railway Station Cork
Mary Linehan RIP
visits and reports on our first railway museum
A
new railway museum, which was officially opened by the CIE Chief Executive
Michael McDonnell RIP in Kent Station, Cork during the Cork 150 years of
Railway’s celebrations, had a second opening recently which took place by way
of a ‘thank you’ to all the people who had contributed valuable historical
documents and railway memorabilia to the museum.
On this occasion, the ribbon was cut by Inspector Billy Arnold, North Esk
and celebrations afterwards took place in the CIE Sports & Social Club
across the road from Cork Station.
The
museum was the brainchild of Inspector Billy Arnold, North Esk, who started
collecting material back in 1996. He
says “I wanted to find a way to
celebrate my 25 years with the company this year” and what more fitting
way than being able to see his dream come true with the opening of the museum.
As word spread about his project, people began rooting in back rooms and
basements throughout the Company and sending him some very valuable pieces of
railway history. When Billy had
enough material, he initially obtained space for a small museum to a more
permanent location. A room on the
platform of Kent Station which was formerly the international rail office and
previously the parcel office, was provided by Timmy Sheehan, Acting District
Manager, Cork as the location for the museum.
Billy has handed the museum over to the Cork Retirement & Bereavement
Fund and all donations made to the Museum will be given to the Fund.
Billy says “I am anxious to thank
all the people who gave donations and artefacts and in particular I would like
to thank the following people without whose support the museum wouldn’t have
been a success; Maurice Byrne, Maintenance Building Foreman, Cork and his staff
who built the units and painted the museum, John Butler, Engineer, Cork, who
helped draw up the plan for the displays; Rachel Fleming, Clothing Dept. and
Michael Coakley, Depot Manager, Inchicore; Yvonne Dolan of the clothing company
Career Line; Bus Eireann colleagues in Capwell – Denis Twomey, Supervisor,
Michael O’Shea, Security and Maureen Sneyd, School Transport; Chris Larkin of
the Irish Railway Record Society who helped with the setting up of the model
railway display and who also supplied valuable memorabilia; the committee of the
Cork Retirement & Bereavement Fund, our Director Ann Marie Mannix who
promoted the museum the length and breadth of the country, resulting in the
contribution of many items; and last but not least, all the employees from all
over the system who donated exhibits. Only
for all of the efforts of these people, the Museum would not exist.
I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a happy Christmas
and a prosperous new millennium”
The museum contains an amazing amount of historical artefacts and
historical exhibits. Alice
O’Donovan, who has no connection with the Company, heard about the museum and
paid £700 at an auction for a CIE horse’s bridle, which she presented to
Billy for the museum. The bridle
was dated 1945 and was used for Cork city deliveries.
Among the vast array of items are some old metal notice signs, one of
which is a GS&WR notice – Any Person Leaving This Gate Open is Liable to a
Penalty of Forty Shillings. Another
is a Great Southern Hotels notice – Warning Under No Circumstances must
articles of clothing or other such articles be placed on or around this heater,
such obstruction of the free emission of radiant and convected heat may cause
overheating with dangerous results. There
is a fantastic model of the gantry at North Esk, sponsored by Railcon Ltd. and
built in 1998 by Gerry O’Sullivan which took a year to build.
Among
the display of uniform caps and badges were two of note.
One is a well preserved GS&WR stationmaster cap from the late
1880’s which was presented by Regional Inspector P.R. Lenihan, which was worn
by his great grandfather who was stationmaster in Dundrum.
His son Andrew, Senior Depotsperson, Cobh Station, and his daughter
Angela, Trainee Driver, Kent Station, make them a 5th generation
railway family. The cap is black
with the letters GS&WR in heavy gold braid and a gold-crested knob on the
top. The other cap is a 1952
Checker cap which was presented by railway photographer Joe St. Leger and
belonged to his father Bob St. Leger of Dunkettle Station.
There
is a 1897 map of Cork Blackrock and Passage Railway Company’s map of Cork
River and Harbour showing their routes by rail and steamer.
Among the dozens of railway company booklets is a GS&WR Form of
Examination for Flagmen; a 1935 Additions & Amendments to the Appendix to
the Working Timetable; a 1946 booklet of CIE agreed rates of pay and conditions
of service; a 1952 CIE Regulations for Train Signalling on Double & Single
Lines; a 1933 Rules & Catalogue of the GS&WR Library, Cork; and a
booklet with – wait for it – Interesting and Rewarding Careers in CIE!
A docket book from the GS&WR shows a ticket for military police and
naval seamen – one officer and 99 men £10.6s.10d. There is a selection of old oil lamps, gaslight and carriage
keys and an interesting selection of old gauges – a timber track gauge, a
GS&WR wheel gauge, an elevation gauge, a crossing gauge and an extending
gauge.
Billy’s
museum at North Esk was featured on RTÉ’s Nationwide
programme. He has also written a
book and produced a video called Past,
Present and Future which contains a lot of interesting historical footage
relating to the railways in Cork. It
includes Cork signalmen explaining the operations of the old and new signalling
systems; train operations on the Cork-Cobh line; the operation of the gantry at
North Esk and of course the museum in North Esk and its eventual transfer to
Kent Station. Billy won a well
earned suggestion scheme award for this project in 1997. Unfortunately the cost of producing the video for sale
purposes which he had hoped would provide funds for the Cork Retirement &
Bereavement Fund proved to be uneconomical.
The
museum is a great credit to the foresight and unrelenting commitment that Billy
Arnold has given to the project over the years.
Every item has been carefully collected and logged so that there is a
clear record of where the exhibits came from and who donated them.
He is appealing to everyone to be conscious of the museum when they are
clearing out locations. Even at
this stage, a lot of valuable railway history has been lost through lack of
awareness and also because we didn’t have our own museum.
So get crackin’ – it’s time that basement has a springclean!
If you have anything that might be of interest, just remember it
doesn’t have to be ancient. Items
from the sixties, seventies and eighties are equally relevant for preservation. You can contact Billy Arnold at North Esk on tel. extn. 7076
or Tommy Fenton at Cork Goods on extn. 7035.
And when you’re in Cork, be sure to remember to take in a visit to the
museum – if you’ve any railway blood in you at all, you’re bound to enjoy
it!
Pictured
at the opening (from left to right): Inspector Tommy Fenlon, Cork Goods and
Treasurer, Cork Retirement & Bereavement Fund (CRBF); Loco. Driver Ken Fox,
CRBF Chairperson, Inspector Billy Arnold, North Esk and CRBF committee member;
Train Guard Richie Hewitt, CRBF Secretary; and Travelling Ticket Checker Vincent
Prendergast, CRBF committee member.