GREAT MODEL RAILWAY/CASINO NEWS: Article in the Sunday Independent: The largest model railway in Europe is on track to be housed in a historic Dublin building as the centrepiece of a new €2m tourism development. The Fry Model Railway, which was painstakingly painted by hand more than 70 years ago, will be at the heart of a massive new tourism project at the site of the old Casino House in the seaside town of Malahide, north Co Dublin. The Sunday Independent can reveal that Fingal County Council is set to purchase the 200-year-old abandoned building as the future home of the model railway. It also contains a prototype of every kind of train that has featured on Irish railways over the decades. The breakthrough also grants the dying wish of a generous benefactor who left €1.5m in his will to the project to rehouse the collection. Malahide resident Patrick Michael Gaffney, who died aged 95 in January 2012, donated the money to restore Casino House, but only on the condition it housed the model railway. Restoration work will commence following the conclusion of the transfer of ownership, and the Fry Collection will then be rehoused. That work will probably take at least 12 months to complete. Id imagine it will be next year before it actually opens to the public because the main delay has been the actual purchase of the Casino, Fingal councillor Eoghan OBrien told the Sunday Independent. Due to the sheer size of the model railway there will need to be modifications made to the building. But the longer its left the more disrepair the building falls into. I would like to see it fast-tracked and delivered as soon as possible. This development is hugely significant and encouraging because the whole issue had hit a brick wall in the past year, he added. The museum is expected to open to the public next year. Stephen Peppard, acting head of corporate affairs and IT at Fingal County Council, said: Significant progress was made literally during Christmas week and we are now in a contract situation with the owner of the Casino. It is the latest twist in a long-running campaign to locate the Fry Collection of model railways and the museum in the Casino House. The exhibit is a 2,500 sq ft working miniature rail display, initially constructed in the Twenties and Thirties, and developed and modernised to become the largest model railway collection in Europe. It is estimated to be worth up to €1m and includes models of railway stations, well-known landmarks and Irish landscapes. Article source: independent.ie/lifestyle/its-full-steam-ahead-for-model-railways-terminus-29929353.html
Posted on: Sun, 19 Jan 2014 15:55:12 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015