| James Boyd's love of Irish railways began in the 1930s. These are his reminiscences of his visits. He concentrated his attention on the narrow gauge railway systems, but did not neglect the main line 5 ft 3 in. lines which he came across. Little of the subject matter of this book can be experienced today; accordingly, these accounts have taken on a historical significance. As time has gone by his knowledge of those early subjects has been enhanced by later fact-finding; this extra material has been incorporated into the text to give it more substance. Readers who expect to find some gems of research herein will be disappointed but to counter this there will be others who will read this with a certain amount of envy. For this is how it was. James Boyd writes: I am often asked to set down something about my lifetime's interest in railways; it is a reminder of my age and of opportunities which some people wish they could have experienced themselves. Herein I bow to their wishes. It must be understood that I had no conception that in later life notes begun when I was a teenager would be interesting to many today. Similarly, that photographs taken with a simple camera might become a rarity. Some things I saw I did not fully appreciate on the first occasion. My field notes and drawings began in 1933 and were made in a rather expensive Sketch Book from Reeves which I obtained through the school Art Room so that it might appear under Extras' on my father's termly bill rather than deplete my pocket money. I soon learnt that a Woolworth's penny note pad was sufficient for the rough and tumble of rucksack, bicycle bag and railway environment!' Includes:
- Authors Notes
- Preface
- Portadown A First Visit, August 1933
- Beyond Portadown A Second Visit, August 1939
- Into Donegal, August 1939
- To the Farthest North-West, Letterkenny to Burtonport, August 1939
- North Donegal Anthology, Part One
- West Donegal, County Donegal Railways
- North Donegal Anthology, Part Two A Hurried Finale, 26th March, 1953
- North Donegal Anthology, Part Three From Rail to Road, November 1961
- A Visit to Ireland Replaces Wales, June 1962
- A Long Walk in West Cork, The Schull & Skibereen Railway, April 1953
- Political Intrigue in Bantry, The Cork, Bandon & South Coast Railway, April 1953
- The Cavan & Leitrim Railway A Remote Delight, March 1949
- The Cavan & Leitrim Railway Revisited, July-August 1951
- The Cavan & Leitrim Railway Arigna Extension, May 1955
- Just Passing By Ballinamore Again, May 1958
- Antrim and the Ballycastle Line
- Once Daily and Once Monthly, The West Clare and Tralee & Dingle sections of the CIE, 27th-30th September, 1950
- Kerry Again! 29th May-2nd June, 1952
- Footplate in County Cork, August-September 1962
- Index
Continent: Europe
Country: UK |
