irishrail201

looks like its shaping up well, hope you get on good at it

Let us know if you do decide on Roscrea - my ultimate plan is a stylised Ballybrophy, so we'll have to organise timetables.

Sure thing! are you 00 gauge? I have some shots of ballybrophy during the late 90's/early 200's of my childhood which ill dig out.

here here broithe, I don't have any picture of it but immediately before the gas tower, a singletrack passed over a girder bridge (crossing a stream) meanwhile the mainline continued behind the backscene shown through a tunnel.

All,

Angus Moncur was born in waterloo, Liverpool. He and his wife moved to Ireland in the mid 1990's, they moved to a place called Muríoch in west Kerry the farside of Dingle. Angus told me about the trains he saw as a child, in LMS days, he was a BIG LMS fan, which later grew upon me, so now the majority of my steam locomotives and steam carriages are LMS because of his influence. As im sure ye know Bachmann are due to produce their LYR 2-4-2T after December, I had aimed at buying one to show angus, but I was too late.

Angus died during summer 2013, I had meant to go out to him the week after but unfortunately he died in peace. I should probably mention that his wife had cancer from 2009 and was going through radio therapy etc. she was in a wheelchair looking very frail when I last saw her, she was the best in the world very inviting and very friendly. I should also mention that angus was agnostic (had no religion) but he converted to Catholicism and was baptised in Dingle church! They became ministers of the eucharist, and angus even got a medal from the pope for his work! At every wedding, baptism and funera angus and mollie would be volunteering with no help from any one local. They truly were the best of humanity, pitty we cant all be like them.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

On my very last visit to Angus (after mollies death) I decided to take some photos of the east end of his large 00 layout. I was fortunate I took them as the layout is probably dismantled now. I brought my LMS 2P and my cravens over to show him their quality. His layout was based on waterloo to Crosby ("waterloo? I said, in London? It seems a bit small." Angus laughed and explained it was his local station in Liverpool, part of the Lancashire and Yorkshire later LMS I believe.). The layout ran the full length of the bungalow's attic which was considerably long. I haven't any measurements of it. The photos are not great quality but they are the only such photos of the layout, so apologies for that.

Also Angus had put aside his black 5 number 5000 and 4 LMS coaches away for me, he must have known that he was going to die, this surely must give me the reason to start building a model railway, I am undecided whether to do a 00 gauge version of my own local station Roscrea (with modifications to fit the room), a 009 layout based on the fictional but locally talked of extension from castlegregory to cloghane (my granddad was from castlegregory and got me interested in the T&D, now lives in dingle) or a 0-16.5mm version of the latter. Any suggestions would be great!

P.S date on pictures is wrong!

Wow dick macks pub will be out soon right across the road from my grannies house in Dingle! might be able to finally get going with my T&D themed layout

In inchicore, I see a Mk2 D coach hidden in the undergrowth near the carriage shed is it not 5408?

I think the jinty will be the Bachmann jiny with a discount

 

While a private operator may be able to achieve savings through less staff and lower wages, the Government will still be expected to burden the cost of providing and maintaining the infrastructure and rolling stock.

CIE has been protected from wage cuts imposed on the public sector as its a semi state.......protected by the militant bus and rail union....remember the ones who brought Dublin practically no public transport (with exception to luas and DART).....they have justified privatisation of Dublin Bus because of their strike (paid 40K 2nd highest paid in europe).......I agree ireland is too small for privatisation even if it wasn't small privatisation would make it a basket case like in the uk with high fares low costs poor service........but the freight sector could be privatised ............unions wont let their members run trains in the night after passenger trains stop!

I recently picked up a "your model railway village" collectors mag in super value today....for €5.00 included was a mark 1 coach and a length of track.....upon looking at the mark 1...it is actually pretty good.....unbelievable value.....id nearly say its better quality than the Hornby mark 1s.......maybe it might be an idea to buy up some mags and create a whole length train!

Metal wheels and quite heavy...... should check it out!

Irish rail has got to prioritise existing rail routes and invest in the network and improve line speeds e.g Dublin-Cork is an average train speed of 60mph...not really acceptable for €50 on-peak.....if brought up towards 80/90mph as in the UK train time would cut to 1 hour 45mins which would be worth the €50 on peak.....

I live in Roscrea on the ballybrophy line I use it every week to go to Dublin...IE made the lunacy idea of upgrading the lesser used limk-nenagh section.....I am in favour of closing the route and replace it with a bus from nenagh town centre on the motorway to Roscrea town centre then on to ballybrophy or portlaoise...it would still be faster than conventional bus!!

Limk junction to Waterford has little if any strategic value and could be on the cutting block....as would ballina-manulla for passengers only.....

Salaries in IE and CIE are MAD.....average is €54,000 in the ROI and for translink its something like €34,000 when converted......semi states have had NO paycuts unlike there public sector counter parts......CEO is paid more than the Taoiseach and theres another 2 in bus eireann and Dublin bus.....

I did a big study on the issue for a job im doing at the moment.......the waste in the department of tourism & sport is appalling €390K and €300K were spent on "dressing rooms" in Donegal and ballymun....imagine if dromod, stradbally, Downpatrick, or another group got the same resources

I have to say I do like the "windowed" DART.....will the printed one be discontinued when it arrives? and would there be much of a difference in cost?

......the T & D may have a future, if a responsible group could take it over...

I hope so too! It may take a while though

Here follows a comment from Jonathon Levy (Peters son) on the Tralee and Dingle Steam Railway Group facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/groups/traleeanddinglesteamrailway

"The following was a letter to the editor of The Kerryman from my late father Peter, sent 28th October 2007, which we found recently in his old emails. In it, he expresses his disappointment at the condition of the steam railway at that time. I don't know if it was ever printed but I thought it would be worth sharing here.

SIR,

I was shocked, on a recent visit to Tralee, to see the neglected condition of the Tralee Steam Railway, a project I conceived way back in the 1980s.

It's probably been forgotten in Tralee now, but it was only thanks to a dedicated committee and the enthusiasm of many Tralee people that we were able to bring what I believe is a priceless item of Tralee's heritage, namely locomotive 5T, back from the United States where it had been rescued from scrapping by US railway enthusiast Edgar T Mead.

Thanks to the support of a number of key people - and I must single out the former manager of FAS, Joe Dunne, we were able to see the project through to fruition.

In those days there were very few positive things happening in Tralee. High unemployment and emigration overshadowed everything and the resoration of the canal, together with the Blennerville windmill and the train project, seened to offer an alternative to the gloom.

Unfortunately, the heritage projects went a step too far with the building of the Jeannie Johnston.

I think it would be a loss to Tralee and Kerry generally, though, if the Tralee Steam Railway is going to suffer continuing neglect because of the negative impact of the Jeannie Johnston disaster on heritage projects in Tralee.

Obviously, the Tralee Steam Railway needs money to get it back on track. But it also needs ideas to bring out its full potential and I would gladly assist any group in Tralee interested in progressing the project in that regard.

Sincerely,

Peter Levy."

In his obituary Peter was described as "disillusioned" with the outcome of the railway after spending so much time and effort in repatriating 5T from the USA, unfortunately Peter never got to "support" any group, as no one was interested, However his daughter got in contact with me via the facebook page and I did have contact with Peter himself, although he was quite ill at that time, he died after a long battle with pulmonary fibrosis an incurable lung disease.

Rest in Peace.

lads, is there any going to be preserved? there was talk of a few plus a jenny going to Moyasta a while back...any update?

Was it not the push pull MK3 to work with 124??

excellent

There is a set of photos of the unit in whitehead here http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/gallery/image/39950-uta-ex-lms-ncc-railcar-no1-at-rpsi-whitehead-february-1992/

Great pics!

I see on the RPSI website it lists the MPD driving trailer 532 as surviving....is this the case?

 

The debate of historic 'first' in mainline diesel preservation has got me thinking of preservation in the 1980s in places such as Attymon.

G601 was infact the first CIE loco to be preserved having been purchased by WISRA in 1982 as their main loco. Following the withdrawal of the 421 class in 1983 G601 was swapped for the more stronger E class in the form of E430. Subsequently E428 was purchased by WISRA for spares. Eventually after assessment at Attymon E428 became the focus of attention being restored to operational status in Aug 1984 taking test runs and perway trains out the branch towards Dunsandle. Later at Tuam in 1986 and being joined by G613 & CSET Ruston, E428 became the first preserved loco on the mainline clocking 40mph on the mainline on occasions during her preservation career. Very much a mainline loco 1986 - 93.

 

The second debate surrounding the first big mainline preserved locomotive would have to take into account the 1988 purchase by Westrail of B103 & B114. With 226 being purchased by ITG in 1992, the 1988 purchase of B103 & B114 would be deemed the first 'mainline' locos to be preserved in Ireland. Both Sulzers under WR ownership never left Inchicore Works due to the costs of transporting them to Tuam. Eventually in 1991 both Sulzers were swapped for the Limerick steam crane and supporting coach which eventually arrived in Tuam in 1993. This action allowed the ITG to purchase B103.

 

A small bit of history from the early days of diesel preservation in Ireland.

Thanks for the detailed info! I didn't know westrail originally got B114! Does the crane still exist? I know that a GSRPS version is at Mallow

226 in her CIE days seen here:http://eiretrains.com/Photo_Gallery/Railway%20Stations%20A/Attymon/slides/Attymon_20100118_0002.html

The ITG is a pretty unique group preserving (almost) all mainline and shunting diesel traction of irish heritage. (with exception to B113 and one or two shunting types).

That's a real achievement!

Some of the locos are historic in their own right C226 being the first mainline preserved loco in the country, C231 hauled the last train from birr to Roscrea and was the first C class to start in preservation, 003 was the last A (001 class) to haul a passenger train, G601 is a class prototype, B103 is the last sulzer remaining in Ireland, B124 is the oldest formof GM traction in ireland surviving, im sure ive missed a few more....

but well done!

I think An Post did some narrow gauge railway stamps about 20 years ago

I think it needed a new engine anyway!!!

It's not up to CIE/IE to preserve anything, but maybe offering 6111 to a (responsible) interested party or else put it out of its misery.

From the CIE's own website : "C I É is committed to safeguarding the treasures of the past for future generations. The Centre, planned for a location on the Company’s railway system, will also offer a secure base for exhibits in private ownership.

The National Transport Collection will include facilities for the enthusiast groups who are doing such a magnificent job in maintaining and running preserved trains, buses and other vehicles from a bygone era.

Locomotives, rolling stock, road motor vehicles and associated artefacts are being recovered and restored for future display. It is intended that this work will encourage strong community involvement through Government-assisted schemes and will allow the public to view restoration projects in progress. Skills in danger of being lost to modern technology will be preserved."

out of date perhaps??

 

There is now an agreement between ITG and DCDR which will see an operational "C" at Downpatrick as soon as this can be arranged.

with 6111 it would be a splendid pairing

 

For a small group mostly based in the UK the ITG have shown a lot of dedication and determination to collect and restore Irish diesels

Agreed...........

It is wonderful that (almost) the entire history of mainline diesel traction has been preserved by the ITG......

Its just a pitty IE evicted them from inchicore...afterall the RPSi still store their heritage and craven rakes there long with B141, B134 and B175.......#

now in moyasta....It may well be te only place offered (so far) but it is not ideal being so far west.

I don't really know Pat I only remember the 141/142 rail tour a while back would be nice to see them paired up again on another tour

B141/142 were the first GM built locos to operate in preservation on the diesel do railtour and need TPWS equipment because the rail system in the north somehow needs different safety standards than down here......the ITG's 039 I believe was the first preserved diesel to operate in Ireland with the "silver cloud" railtour?

But C226 is definitely the first mainline diesel loco to be preserved in Ireland