Brack

You could do all 3 types with the same chassis.... Bet its a jinty. Or a LNWR special tank...

Make sure the track clearances are wide enough for the bachmann quarry hunslet...

And not just on the East Coast of Ireland. Last week we travelled Milan- florence on the high speed trains, reaching 300km/h. Prices are very reasonable if booked in advance. The last 78km from bologna to Florence is a bit boring as 73km is in tunnels, but it does the trip in 2 hours, vs 3.5/4 in a car (whilst contending with Italian drivers). The investment must've been huge for all those tunnels, but the results are very interesting - rail's market share of rome-milan traffic has gone from 36% in 2008 to 80% in 2018. Air transport's market share of rome-milan has dropped from 50% to 14%. Load factor averages 78%. If we're serious about reducing carbon emissions and environmental impact from travel, this is how to do it. Make rail faster, cheaper, and less hassle than the alternatives. Yes it will involve investment, it might not make a profit so may need to involve the state, but it is a public good to reduce the pollution and congestion, and ease the movement of goods and people. An electric train powered mostly by renewables with regenerative braking is far more efficient and sensible than planes or hundreds of cars. Each train on the route has 500 seats, vs 189 on a Boeing 737-800. Of course we could've had that in the uk, but we started 40 years too late, then built a quarter of the line, didn't put it into the cities at both ends, then cancel most of it so we can fill in a few potholes in London. The huge capacity issues on the bottom of the wcml still remain. The message that sends about investment and hope in the future is pitiful. Short termist thinking, only concerned with what directly benefits themselves or their constituents and stuff everyone else is rife in political circles of all colours. If it can't be finished before the next election, then what's in it for them? Infrastructure investment is needed and has huge benefits, the longer it's delayed or the project faffed about with, the more it costs. Every appeal, every review, every postponement or prevarication to appease some angry voter group upset at the thought that some tax funds might pay for something that might benefit someone else just makes the costs rise. On this side of the Irish sea we knew well in advance we'd need to replace our nuclear power stations 30 years ago, but are just starting now, on half the number required. Guess what, they cost a lot more now. I'd be pretty sure that the metro would certainly have plenty of passengers on it. This isn't some white elephant in the middle of nowhere, nor does it strike me as solely for the airport traffic's benefit. Build it. Whether or not a heavy rail spur to the airport is viable seems a separate thing. There were similar complaints about LUAS when first mooted, but once built people just use it and are happy. Indeed the first proposals for that included a line to ballymun (I lived in glasnevin and Beaumont in 2001-3).

Every change increases the chances that something runs late and you miss a connection. Airports are fairly critical on timings and arriving before the thing takes off is kind of key! So with changes, it's not (just) the inconvenience, it's the risk you don't make it. Would I trust being able to get a train down from belfast then back out in time for a flight? Not sure. Last week I went to Italy with the family. Depending on time of day, there are 2-4 trains per hour to Newcastle, then the metro to the airport. Given the ticket prices, the fact I had my wife plus kids, the frequent strikes at the time I was booking the holiday, I drove to the airport and paid to park up, as I knew I could get there in just over half an hour rather than crossing my fingers nothing went wrong and taking twice as long, plus having to allow extra time so there was a backup service. On the other hand, if I were flying in to the airport from somewhere else, I'd be getting the metro into Newcastle - a reliable service where you know where you're going and where/when it stops is essential. Buses in unfamiliar places are awful - never sure of where you are, where your stop is, and what the actual route is. Trains you can be sure of all that I wonder what proportion of those coming in/out of Dublin airport are coming to/from Dublin City itself vs those coming in from further afield? The LUAS makes getting between Heuston and connolly much easier, but I still can't help but think that part of the trouble is there are too many termini in Dublin. If long distance heavy rail services had been centralised in one station (the logical choice being connolly, though that'd probably make capacity problems there) then much of the connection problem would be removed. The issue is trying to connect to both heuston and connolly services with one N-S line. As for Metro North vs a spur to the airport, putting in the new line will get far more traffic as there is currently an obvious railway/transit gap in that section of the city (likewise something through kimmage/bushy park/templeogue) on the south side). If the airport were connected in another way, I imagine there'd be no appetite/funding for a new line serving dublin 9/11. Though whether you'd want the denizens of ballymun gaining increased access to the outside world is perhaps a different question...

In my early 20s we used to get a bunch of us together and play hide and seek or sardines in the local ikea (it was open til 10). Tons of great hiding places, and worth it for the look on someone's face when the move a curtain in a fake bedroom and there's half a dozen students crammed in, saying shhh! And asking in a whisper if there's a lad in a grey hoodie nearby. We're probably responsible for a few heart attacks!

https://www.cavanandleitrimrailway.com/post/railbike https://www.railadvent.co.uk/2023/10/tralee-and-dingle-railway-carriage-restoration-reaches-milestone.html/amp

Looking at the proposed extensions for the schull and skibbereen and Clogher valley, you weren't the first person to think of that one!

Out of interest did you read the article on laser cutting stencils in the latest review? He cut them in masking tape, so single use. I wonder if there would be a way to do a multi-use stencil in very thin plastic?

I believe Chris O'Donoghue might've put a layout in his garden studio, which is sort of a repurposed railway carriage. (It's not a real carriage though, but a fake one built for his award winning 2007 Chelsea Flower Show garden) Sadly I suspect the garden shed we'll build in the next year or two will be a bit more conventional in style.

Perhaps one might restore 800, then run her in Brazil or Australia where the loading gauge or track might be less of a concern? Perhaps shipping the loco plus interested spectators over there might be cheaper than rebuilding the entire main line? If the paulista lines could fit these Or Then a 4-6-0 ought not to be much trouble.

Only 2 rows of standing in all that space? Even accounting for rising obesity rates, anyone who's been to London knows full well you could get another couple of rows in that gap in the middle.

I recall the gardai telling us to go a different way back to the flat than through fatima mansions one night... I think they were watching/staking out something. Likewise Dolphins barn could be hairy, and out inchicore way...

When I lived there (2001-3) I can think of some intact unused track in the middle of dublin next to a major tourist attraction, with surviving original stock and locos which mightve been restored fairly easily. Guinness presumably not interested?

The prototype is in the NRM at York, used to be in the interesting bit with all sorts near the signalling training layout and the large scale kitson meyer. I've often wanted to build a working one. It has been done in japan by a couple of modellers.

The barclay is shaping up nicely. Zooming in on a few of Dad's photos, whilst i can't find a top down view (west donegal not entirely being overbridge country) and i don't think the tanks are sheeted over flat to the boiler, there is a little fill in piece at the front that follows the boiler's arc, where the handrail comes out (not entirely sure I'm making much sense here, but hopefully zooming in on the photos will help decipher what I'm saying!).