Remember Cyril Fry. He had a lifelong passion for trains. His exquisite hand-crafted models live on at the Casino Model Railway Museum.
The Casino Model Railway Museum offers a close-up look at Cyril Fry’s models. They are hand-crafted and amazing. You can delve into interactive displays. Learn about Irish rolling stock. Discover the history of Irish railways.
The Casino cottage is now sensitively renovated. It was built around the beginning of the 19th century. Richard Wogan Talbot designed it as a shooting lodge. It is a Cottage Orné a decorated cottage. This rustic style developed in England. It came from the Italian picturesque style of painting. That was in the 17th century. The style used shaped thatched roofs. It featured elaborate woodwork. The surrounding landscape created a picturesque effect.
The Talbot family lived in Malahide for over 800 years. Sir Richard de Talbot was a Norman knight. He was granted lands in 1185 for service to King Henry II. Richard Wogan Talbot joined the British army. He fought in several European wars. He was elected to Westminster in 1806. He served until his retirement in 1833.
In the early 1920s the Kirker family moved into the house. They were well-known in the Malahide area. Dr. John Gilbert Kirker served as President of the Royal College of Physicians. He helped found the Irish Epilepsy Foundation in the 1960s. It is now called Brainwave. The Kirkers had two donkeys. Their names were Salt and Pepper. All the children around the area knew them. The family left the house in 1999.
The Casino Model Railway Museum is in the heart of Malahide Village. It is on the beautiful north coast of Dublin. It is easily accessible. Take a bus, train or DART from Dublin City Centre. It is just 13km away. By car, it is 10 minutes from Dublin Airport. It is 25 minutes from Dublin City Centre.
The Casino cottage is described as one of the finest thatched cottages in the country. It has been a landmark in the picturesque village of Malahide for over 200 years. Take an intriguing self-guided tour. Experience this spectacular Model Railway Museum.
Cyril Fry’s hand-made models are possibly one of the most important private collections ever created. They feature miniature railway engines. They include wagons and carriages.
Casino House was built around 1750. Some claim it dates back to the late 17th century. It is a two-story thatched house. It has eight bays. It was a shooting lodge for the Talbot family. Some suggest it was a romantic summer house. The family owned it until 1927. The building had been allowed to deteriorate. In May 2019, the building was renovated and extended. It now houses the railway museum and collection.
The Fry collection includes hand-built models of Irish features. It represents Irish railway heritage since about the 1840s. The new layout is expected to run six trains simultaneously. There are about 360 hand-built carriages and locomotives. The main basis of the running display layout is a double loop oval. A single track goes round Bray Head at one end. Dublin city is represented at the other. Mallow railway station in County Cork and the local Malahide station are represented on the sides. A single track loops overhead. The Casino incorporates an educational center for groups of scholars.
The Casino Model Railway Museum opened to the public on 22 January 2020. The railway and collection moved from its previous home in Malahide Castle in 2010. The collection originated from Cyril Fry. He created the collection to run on his layout at his cottage in Churchtown, Dublin. The original layout was called “The Irish International Railway and Tramway System”.