A Brief History
His daughter Patricia remembers the attic layout as ‘an absolute fairyland’. His assembly displayed Dublin, Cork and Belfast stations. The model trains that ran between them ranged from the ‘Hibernia’, the country’s first steam locomotive, to trams and diesel and electric engines of the 1950s. They ran on broad- and narrow-gauge tracks and on tramways.
After Cyril’s death the Cyril Fry collection of models was purchased by Dublin Regional Tourism and initially stored in the CIE works at Inchicore.
The scale and complexity of the original Irish International Railway and Tramway System built by Cyril Fry in his attic, has always been a source of inspiration for transport and modelling enthusiasts.
In 1988 a working layout and model exhibition opened at Malahide Castle and gave a comprehensive view on the history of mechanised transport in Ireland until its closure in 2011.
A modern working layout inspired by both the original Cyril Fry layout and the Malahide layout has now been created for the Casino.
Fry’s original models are now over 70-80 years old, and very fragile. Even before he died in 1972, Fry was anxious that his models should not be continuously used and wanted then kept for posterity. The Casino Model Railway Museum will preserve this iconic collection for future generations