BSGSV

That's a new one on me, but of a piece with other schemes that seem to have been floated in the mid-1970's. Aside from Blue Pullmans, CIE looked at re-engining the Sulzers, and I was also told by someone who would know that they looked at buying redundant Westerns from BR. I'm sure the new 071's they did go for would have seemed quite pricy given the times, but haven't they got their money's worth out of them since!

When the carriages were newly repainted/refubished, the set would be all Galway livery, 5 standards, buffet, standard, gen van. As the Mk.2 air con ran down, the Galway carriges could turn up in ones or twos, mixed in with IE livery carriages.

When Mk.2 air-conditioned stock came to the Sligo links, they got a composite (still with 1st, and between the gen van and the buffet) in each of the two sets, plus buffet and 4 or 5 standards. The Rosslare sets were all standard, and shorter, so probably more helpful as regards as 4-5 carriage train, including gen van. Ex-composites often turned up as one of the three or so standards, with gen van and buffet.

It had cabs both ends, so far as I know. I thought one problem was a relatively low seating capacity, and another was that it wasn't that mechanically reliable.

Adavoyle was replaced by a new "cabin" (a hut) at Meigh. Adavoyle was apparently inconvenient if a northbound freight was stopped at it, as it was not handy restarting on the rising gradient. Meigh was easier in that regard and also covered the level crossing.

The Up Home at Adavoyle does seem to have been been for sighting, as there's a farmer's overbridge not far north of the station. The station appears to have been built c1892, which would explain the integration of the signal cabin in the structure. Quite why the station was built at all, and not just an intermediate cabin, has always puzzled me.

Finally, a decent photo of one of the ten suburban compos, with the 3+3 second class seating, that became brake standards later. Many thanks.

Great photo, particularly nice for me in showing the EMD Worksplate was the blue/red version, rather than the grey I had thought was in use by the time they appeared. As for the train, from Irish Railfans' News:

The semaphore signalling on the ex-DSE side of Amiens Street was replaced in 1934 (commissioned 28/10/34), so the loco is probably less than a year old, given there is no sign of any replacement colour lights, which would have been installed before October.

I'm pretty sure that's Claremorris, with the two old cabin tops on the Goods Yard side of the station.

I thought the leading carriage looked to be a Harty GSR-built corridor third (flat sides), but I enlarged the photo and don't see any truss rods, so more probably a 1339 series CIE built corridor third (second by 1971). On a separate note, the Suburban Park Royals only seem to have got TL cabling c1980/1 or so.

And given Attymon - Athenry only got double-tracked c1905, it only lasted, such as it was, for 20-odd years.

Not having a dig at you or Mr. Hajducki. Given we all make mistakes, it's no surprise that books have them too!

I'm not aware of there ever being a cabin at Lavistown, I think it was always only two single lines running in from Carlow and Waterford to Kilkenny, together. Navan Junction to Kingscourt Junction was, for a short time, a proper double-track line, with a cabin at Kingscourt Junction. Like a lot of cabins probably over-provided during the installation of block working and interlocking, (post-Regulation of Railways Act 1889), Kingscourt Junction had a short life. Harpers block was installed Newry King Street to Bridge Street c1907, so the double-track was from Newry North to Bridge Street. The Belfast Central was double from Central cabin to East Bridge too.

On the MGWR, Collooney MGW station to Sligo was double-tracked, except for a short stretch from Collooney Junction to Carrignagat Junction. On the GNRI, Portadown - Trew & Moy was double, the section from there to Dungannon had a tunnel, so stayed single, so far as I know. Dungannon to Donaghmore also got doubled I think. Newry North to King Street was also double.