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@DERAILED  David Parkes (deeply involved several preservation attempts during the 80s-90s) passed away last October. I suspect he was being sarcastic when he mentioned an old GSWR 6 wheeler being a major asset on a Waterford/Rosslare preservation scheme. During the 80s-early 90s David was deeply involved in the GSRPS, Irish Narrow Gauge Trust-Cavan & Leitrim Dromad.

Not sure if this is considered ok for 071 black and silver €350 . The rest is a rip off. https://touch.adverts.ie/models/murphy-s-models-model-trains/40740997

https://www.rte.ie/news/2026/0806/1586818-irish-rail-tea-trolley/ Quite a lot of chat about this on the radio today. Hopefully it won't be too long until we can get a cup of tea again!         

@DERAILED what Waterford/Rosslare preservation scheme are you talking about…? The Suir Valley Railway at Kilmeaden…? Being a Deise local, and obvious railway enthusiast I’d like to think I’d have heard some murmurings of a preservation scheme on the South Wexford Line… I think it’s still in the hands of IÉ though, the weedsprayer made its annual trip from Rosslare Strand to the Barrow Bridge and back only a few months ago and I think it’s is still on IÉs backburner for reopening - especially if it’s to be part of rerouting Wexford - Dublin trains away from Connolly, and into Heuston via Waterford.  

@jhb171achill I suspect rather than central tracks and outer tracks, they will do what they’re doing with DART+ SW, and keep the slow lines to one side and the fast lines to the other. In this case, I think the best option is to put the slow lines (the DART tracks) to the western side, for seamless access to platforms 5, 6, and 7 at Connolly, and the loop line, and the fast lines to the east for direct access to the terminating platforms at Connolly’s trainshed. This also gets rid of any and all conflicts at the Connolly station throat with slow trains approaching from the western and southwestern lines, and continuing southbound. Sligo trains will of course in the long run be sent to Heuston via a Maynooth/Kilcock - Adamstown link, but even in the meantime, can use platform 4 at Connolly, without causing any conflicts with Enterpirses and Northern Line express traffic, which can operate out of platforms 1, 2, and 3. In terms of Malahide and the Broadmeadow Estuary, I think the study area only extends as far as Malahide, with a view to maybe even only quad tracking as far as Clongriffin - where a new M1 Fast Line to Drogheda might branch off. So there isn’t much worry about the Estuary crossing at the moment. DART capacity will halve after Malahide anyway - 2 an hour will turnback at Clongriffin, a further 2 at the new turnback being constructed at Malahide, and only 5 DARTs an hour projected to extend northward to Drogheda, of which 2 will terminate at Laytown and run empty to Drogheda. Eventually once a fast line to Drogheda is built, this of course won’t be an issue, but out of the projected 9 Northern Line DARTs an hour, only 5 will continue beyond the end of the quad tracking at Malahide, which is more manageable in the short term. This official announcement, and even opening of consultation for Northern Line quad tracking is phenomenal news though. It is a shame however, that it is not being amalgamated with DART Underground as some wider plan for the Northern Line. With the new Spencer Dock station (and its non-compatibility with DART Underground…), and the likely selling of the Clontarf Golf Club lands, it is increasingly likely that DU will surface between Clontarf Road and Killester Station, resulting in some unused quad-tracking post-DU, which will be money and time that could’ve been saved if all incorporated into the one plan… Still, FourNorth is an inevitable precursor to DART Underground (or the Cross Dublin City Tunnel - whatever they’re calling it now), and will only mean that DU becomes the obvious and only next step afterwards.