201bhoy

I'm off on the annual jaunt to France this week, and I've worked in bonus rail travel...

 

In addition to the usual loco-hauled (Sybic) trip from Paris to Clermont-Ferrand, I'll be taking the leisurely (5+ hour!) trip from Clermont to Nimes via 'Le Cevenol' - a rural route which passes through some of the most spectacular scenery in France. The train I'm taking is usually comprised of a veteran BB67000 diesel and three or four coaches, and speeds are moderate at best... should be quite the experience! I'm especially looking forward to it because I plan to set my proposed SNCF layout (a long way off/pipe dream) along this route.

 

The journey from Nimes back to Paris will be on board a TGV service, which will also be fun!

Is that the jounrey that passes through the Massif Central? I've heard that's stunning, have a good time! I love the 67400s, I remember getting a night train from Annecy to Nice double headed by a pair of them when I was young. Plenty of pics please

Stunning!!!!!!!!!!! Just ridiculously good!

Penance?

Maybe he's testing my faith and next Sunday there'll be two runs... Great pictures by Chris by the way! Anyone have any info on whether there'll be another run? If so when?

I missed them!!!!!!!!!!!! I was out for like on flipping hour for mass and I missed them WHY, GOD, WHY?!

None of them have even made it to Adelaide yet. They were suppose to run the ones currently in Dundalk up there the past two Sundays but it was called off.

Ah ok, thanks, at least I didn't miss them anyway!

Here's an excellent video taken by Joseph Newsome of the mk3s on their way to Dundalk.

Great video!

Great photos finnyus! Raging I missed the mk3s going, any ideas of when the next run will be?

Anyone know when or if there will be another run to Belfast, and are the mk3s in Adelaide now awaiting scrapping?

That is absolutely stunning. More please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Superb!!!!!!!!!!!

Ah ok, I thought the only reason they didn't work the Taras was because they couldn't fit on the traverser, which seems like an easy enough thing to change! Thanks lads!

Just wondering really why all the non push-pull 201s are in storage and now surely condemned to never running again, but all of the 071s are still out and about? I'm not complaining at all about this, on the contrary I'm very grateful for the small bit of the variety we have from there being more than one type of loco, but surely it would have made much more sense to keep the 201s, a much younger loco?

Guys, how long does it take the liner to get from ballina to north wall? I will probably be up too late to see it depart Alexandra road but may be around to see one coming in! I'm thinking of trying to catch the one that departs ballina around 8!

I got the times myself a while back of the tara's from someone who works in the freight side of Irish Rail.

Oh ok. I'm trying to find a good window in which I could maybe see a liner and the Taras without having to wait around for ages!

Irish Rail Tara's Mineral Train: Direction Dublin to Navan...

Alexandra Road Tara Terminal 04:45 --> North Wall 05:00 --> Howth Junction 05:16--> Tara Mines 07:11 Tue-Fri

Alexandra Road Tara Terminal 14:00 --> North Wall 14:20 --> Howth Junction 14:36--> Tara Mines 16:25 Mon-Thurs

Alexandra Road Tara Terminal 14:00 --> North Wall 14:20 --> Howth Junction 14:36--> Drogheda 15:15 Fri Only

Alexandra Road Tara Terminal 19:15 --> North Wall 19:30 --> Howth Junction 19:48--> Tara Mines 21:58 Mon-Thurs

Alexandra Road Tara Terminal 19:15 --> North Wall 19:30 --> Howth Junction 19:48--> Drogheda 20:27 Fri Only

Alexandra Road Tara Terminal 23:35 --> North Wall 23:50 --> Howth Junction 00:06--> Drogheda 00:45 Mon-Thurs

 

I'm not too sure about the services from Drogheda to Tara Mines on the continuation services times on Friday or Sunday @15:15 and @20:27. I think they run Sunday night or Monday morning. Hope this helps.

Absolute gem, thank-you so much! Out of interest, where did you get these times from?

Irish Rail Tara's Mineral Train: Direction Navan to Dublin... Tara Mines 00:15 --> Howth Junction 02:02 --> North Wall 02:15 --> Alexandra Road Tara Terminal 02:30 Mon-Fri Tara Mines 09:20 --> Howth Junction 11:28 --> North Wall 11:44 --> Alexandra Road Tara Terminal 12:00 Mon-Fri Tara Mines 12:25 --> Howth Junction 14:44 --> North Wall 14:57 --> Alexandra Road Tara Terminal 15:13 Mon-Fri Tara Mines 18:50 --> Howth Junction 21:02 --> North Wall 21:15 --> Alexandra Road Tara Terminal 21:30 Mon-Thurs

Here's the schedule for the IWT liners taken from one of the IRRS journals. From what I have seen from videos on Youtube the IWT liners don't head straight down Alexandra Road on arrival at North Wall. A lot of the time the loco seems to be taken off the liner and used to shunt in the yard before bringing the train into the port. I don't know the Tara mines trains timetable but I will see if can I get it for you. 8:15 Ballina-North Wall IWT Mon-Fri 09:35 North Wall-Ballina IWT Mon-Fri 11:05 Ballina-North Wall IWT Wed 14:00 North Wall-Ballina IWT Thur

Thank you very much for the info! Do you have any idea how long the loco spends shunting before it goes down Alexandra road? Also, any luck on the taras?

Does anyone know what are the best times to go to Alexandra Road to see the liner and Tara mines trains go past? Going to Dublin and will be there on easter Monday and Tuesday!

Non authentic or not' date=' it looks amazing! I think the grey suits this class.... Didn't someone paint a model 141 in black & silver? I thought that looked well too....[/quote']

 

Yes, the person who has fingal harbour layout had a repainted 141, and it looks very nice!

Superb!!!!!!

He's on RTE radio 1 now, quite a funny response to that "article". Hard to close rural lines, since there are none, and any existing rural lines connect large towns/cities together, so just a bit of pot stirring scaremongering. He also said he loved the romance of the railways, but had to be practical when it's cheaper to drive busses than trains. Rail Unions are still in cloud cuckoo land/2006...

Absolutely right. I mean what truly rural lines are there? Smallest towns with terminus stations I can think of are Ballina, which obviously won't get closed because it's a booming freight hub, and Rosslare, which won't get closed as it's a major ferry port.

Superb!!!!! Could we see the bubbles in the freight yard please? With an 071 or 141 pair? Would look right at home there!

I can almost hear the lad with the crutch, rattled with the DTs, shuffling up to you and asking

 

"Fugga, sorry bud, wouja, wouja have any cheyange dhere playazz?"

Hahahaha yes excellent! "Ahhh, wha' are ye arrestin' me foooor, Ine joost staaaandin' heeeeyer!"

Every year about this time Model Railroader publishes its annual Model Railroad Planning magazine. Not that I am into railways across the pond, but there is always some good stuff in it, once you get used to the differences between them and us e.g. railways, language, etc. Once there was a piece about the design of pointwork to get rid of buffer locking, etc, not that American rolling stock has any, and I have applied its principles in the design of my layout which is slowly beginning to emerge. Unfortunately, we are only at the baseboard stage!

Stephen

Any chance of a few pics of the layout, even if it is only at early stages? Always interesting to see a layout develop!

Welcome back Anto. Ballykay is looking well, and some stunning weathering!