THE RISING OF THE MOON

IRE
1957
1hr 21mins
Dir: John Ford
Starring: Michael Trubshawe and Maureen Potter

Three vignettes of old Irish country life based on a series of short stories

This Irish anthology consists of three short films. The second story, A Minute’s Wait, is based on a 1914 one-act comedy by Martin J. McHugh and features rare shots of the 3’ gauge West Clare Railway. The station used for the majority of the film was Kilkee, renamed ‘Dunfaill’ for the occasion, and the train was formed of 1892-built Dubs & Co. Class 5C 0-6-2T No.5 Slieve Callan with carriages 7 and 27. The loco was repainted into a special black livery with silver and yellow lining and was given the new identity of ‘BDR No.14 Viceroy’, whilst coaches 7 and 27 were renumbered ‘145’ and ‘178’ respectively. A goods van on the rear was fitted out as a brake van and the whole ensemble represented a train on the fictitious ‘Ballyscran & Dunfaill Railway’. These rare scenes include some very good shots of the train travelling through the countryside and passing over a level crossing. Loco No.5 was the last steam loco to remain on the line and although withdrawn by the time of filming, it was returned to steam for the occasion, but was towed to and from Kilkee by a diesel. Each story is introduced by American actor Tyrone Power, and the actors listed above are two who appeared in A Minute’s Wait. It is a brilliant story, and very funny. It is an absolute blast and the heavy shunt scene in particular is most amusing. The West Clare Railway, meanwhile, was a fairly complex narrow-gauge system in County Clare which opened in 1887. The system pioneered diesel traction, with all passenger services dieselised by 1952, yet the whole line had closed by the beginning of 1961. As the last working steam loco, No.5 Slieve Callan has become the sole survivor of the line’s steam fleet. A preservation society maintains a railway museum and has successfully re-opened a section of the railway as a passenger-carrying heritage line where No.5 can be seen.

The story opens with this delightful shot of a 3′ narrow-gauge train steaming through the countryside of County Clare
No.5 slowly approaches a level crossing, the gates of which are still closed to rail traffic!
No.5, running here as ‘BDR 14’, crosses the road after the fireman gets off to open the gates. If one looks close enough you can see the VICEROY nameplate on top of the side tank.
Having safely negotiated the level crossing, the train carries on its leisurely way
This excellent shot shows the train having come to a stand at ‘Dunfaill’ station. This is Kilkee, on the 3′ gauge West Clare Railway, and the locomotive is 1892-built Dubs & Co. Class 5C 0-6-2T No.5 Slieve Callan.
A view from the platform shows the impressive glazed canopy was better than that found at some main line stations!!
This shot shows the goods van on the rear that was fitted out as a brake van and given the number 17. Note the glazed end panelling to the station canopy.
This lovely shot shows No.5 in the platform at Kilkee. The effect of light and shade is stunning and is something that can only be found at railway stations.
The train is waved away for the umpteenth time, but doesn’t depart on this occasion either
After this mad caper has ended, life returns to normal at Kilkee
The final shot shows the train disappearing off into the distance after its minute wait (which was 22 minutes in the film). The smoke and steam from the loco match the clouds rather nciely.