hurricanemk1c

Nope, before my time

3 hours ago, IrishTrainScenes said:

Are they to remain in that livery after the tour?

Yes

On 26/4/2024 at 12:03 AM, GSWR 90 said:

Very well done to IÉ and the IRRS for making this possible. I’m very tempted to go on the IRRS railtour, but I can’t afford a hotel in Cork!

Táilte Tours put up a great article about the 2600s a few weeks ago – you can read it here

Can always start out of Dublin

It was thought for many years nothing substantial of the Baby Deltics survived, until one power unit was discovered in a store at the National Railway Museum. It's this power unit being used (and has ran). With proper maintenance and care it should be a reliable performer (like the Class 17 has been, and hopefully the 28 and D8233). It's also pretty much a private project, and they sound quite different to the normal Deltics

1 hour ago, B141 said:

You say that as if there wasn’t a coordinated mass arson attack against Irish rail’s infrastructure last Sunday 

I say that having seen numerous theories, all currently just that. You made a blanket comment about a steam ban in spring/summer too, completely unsubstantiated 

Or, it's giving everyone concerned time to look at the incident and come up with solutions (if required) properly rather than rushed out. Not everything is a conspiracy or the end of the world

1 hour ago, airfixfan said:

On Monday got the 11.20 ex Dublin blocked by a DART looped at Congiffin first time I have seen this done. How unusual is this?

Booked move to overtake in Clongriffin

And also remove at least 50% of the services both sides of the border to have the freer railway....

The Nenagh split happens Monday-Friday, 0645 Limerick - Ballybrophy splits at Nenagh to form the 0753 Nenagh - Ballybrophy (continuation of 0645 ex Limerick) and 0749 Nenagh - Limerick.

On Saturdays the 0749 Nenagh - Limerick does not operate, so the 0645 ex Limerick departs at 0700 and same path from Nenagh

On 10/4/2024 at 6:53 PM, Ironroad said:

But when oh when will that capacity be provided and how can cause an awakening?  Have you ever watched a televised Dail Committee meeting/discussion with so called experts or with those being called to account on any issue?  Pathetic and uninformed nonsense is the order of the day.

Instead I just have to deal with it on a daily basis, and trying to explain to people who have no concept of how a railway works why certain things are done, while at the same time trying to prove the need for funding for various far smaller projects that would be far more beneficial and prove rail value

On 8/4/2024 at 10:50 PM, Ironroad said:

That foundation analogy misses the point.  As it stands the branch won't be built because the additional running lines don't exist and we won't add the running lines because the branch doesn't exist. So we "make do" as we are (and have been). That is a circle of negativity, that has existed for a very long time. I don't pretend that a standalone branch that relies on the current level of services on the main line would be ideal. It would however be a pragmatic incremental step that could deliver a service in a reasonable timeframe and provide the impetus to improving the main line and the services on that line.

The news hounds will find something to bark about no matter what and heavens forbid they might have something constructive to say, isn't that part of the problem?

No the foundation analogy is exactly the point - additional capacity requirements on the Northern line stands without having an airport connection. Add an airport connection, even a branch with a connection (and associated increased dwell times to accommodate transferring passengers) and you're back to square 0, let alone square 1. In an ideal world, do both at the same time - capacity and airport. But capacity should come first, as it benefits far more people.

There's not a willingness to fund this however within the political election cycle. It's a higher priority than an airport line (and if I'm honest double track Portarlington-Athlone would be equal priority). And there's no stomach for CPO, so Metro to the airport would be sufficient and likely deliver far higher capacity too than any heavy rail link

3 hours ago, Ironroad said:

As for stopping the enterprise at Clongriffin. This train already makes six stops, Drogheda, Dundalk, Newry, Portadown, Lurgan, & Lisburn and accordingly seems more like a commuter than an express service between the two biggest cities on the island. I think eliminating stops that are already served by commuter trains and adding a stop that provides connectivity to the major airport on the island would be more logical.

 

1 train out of currently 112 a week stop at 6 stops. 13 a week stop at 3 stops, the rest at 4 stops being relatively major population centres along the route and therefore logical for an Inter-City service.

You need a good foundation to build anything extra. Part of the DART+ extension to Drogheda includes better acceleration/braking than 29000 units and freeing up some capacity that way, likewise with a new Enterprise fleet having better traction capabilities than a 201+DD fleet, and also making Howth-Howth Jctn a shuttle service. My day to day job comes up against a variety of capacity constraints that adding a spur from Clongriffin to the airport will only add to, resulting in a sub standard service.

I want a link to the airport, being a regular user of Dublin Airport, but it has to be done logically. The only way without extra track between Clongriffin and the city centre that you are going to get a decent service to the airport is divert services from other locations. It's not a "circle of negativity", it's being logical about the problem. Otherwise we build a spur, can't adequately use it, and the only winner then is newspaper headliner writers saying another public transport screw up. You don't randomly build a house without checking the land and whether it can support the proposed structure, why should provision of a rail line be any different?

It amuses me that a shuttle is fine to the airport, ie changing trains with suitcases in Clongriffin, but not elsewhere. Either it's OK or not. Why would I get a train from Howth to Howth Jctn, change to a train to Clongriffin, and change again to get to the airport when there's a near direct bus? Same from various other parts of the Dublin area, such as my own on the Maynooth line (when BusConnects reaches us we'll have a direct link to the airport by bus, rather than two interchanges as proposed above. Even today it's just one).

Just putting a spur from Clongriffin to the airport (and I saw single line mentioned, a mad bottleneck of capacity) will not solve anything without fundamental changes between Clongriffin and the city centre. Otherwise you're just adding congestion, or diverting trains which then will upset large numbers of people. It would only work with additional track laid on the existing corridor, or tunnel it. A relatively low frequency DART service would not be sufficent.

And I've crossed the road many, many, many times between Connolly and Busaras, easily done if you wait for the traffic lights. And a good proportion of bus services that serve Busaras also serve the airport

BS08E51 Warning Yellow

RAL7043 Traffic Grey (Underframe)

RAL9005 Jet Black

RAL9006 White Aluminium (Bodyside Grey)

RAL6036 Pearl Opal Green

22 hours ago, jhb171achill said:

I’m sitting in an ICR as I write this, and my back sympathises!

Unlike many of the good folk here, I don’t actually mind ICRs per se, but the new leather seats are too upright and too hard. As far as any railcars are concerned, probably the best of a very bad lot are NIR’s 4Ks at the moment. I agree about the DDs, by far the best there is operating today, outside Downpatrick!

They are exactly the same seat they were built with. Only covering changed, and refreshed cushioning where required.

Not sure about China, but plenty of model shops in Japan (such as Plaza Japan and Hobby Search) are full genuine retailers who sell a hell of a lot more than model trains, so just because they sell other unrelated things doesn't mean they are fake. This is a general comment, not about the specifics of Murphy's or Dapol

It should also be stressed that B134 is being worked on by IÉ employees, and naturally the usual diet of 071s and 201s are priority for their time and attention. It's moved around in the last week or so ready for electrical work to continue. It's also giving more time to get through certification with the CRR.

On 1/3/2024 at 9:28 PM, minister_for_hardship said:

I don't think the Irish public outside of enthusiasts pay much attention, there are adults now who won't remember orange and black anyhow.

When I was commuting from Portlaoise to Heuston there was still plenty of comments "the old orange and black trains were terrible". This would have been about 10 years after the last Mark 3 was withdrawn. Still high in public mind in many areas. I mean, there's still grudges held from which side of the Civil War families held

1 hour ago, Noel said:

Catering needs a big upgrade, with hot meals on board once again. Especially for same day return trip folk, working in Cork or Dublin for the day before returning home. If IE don't up their service levels sadly more and more folk may defect to the faster motorways where there is hot decent food available.

Passenger numbers are back to near pre-Covid levels particularly on Intercity routes, so think you're mistaken there. If the lack of catering was such an issue that would not have happened

12 hours ago, DiveController said:

Where is the dedicated provision for bicycles other than a bicycle on the floor which is where they’ll all end up?

standing on IC services? Lawsuit waiting to happen….

There's still the two slots in the A3 car, and there's effectively seat belts in between the tip up seats that strap it a bike in, exactly like a NIR CAF

9 hours ago, DERAILED said:

The 2200s are a horrible experience to travel on - airless, noisy internally from underfloor engines, noisy from lack of any internal partitions, tiny toilets apart from the wheelchair ones, no buffet car and no catering at all.. Having got rid of loco haulage and the associated vans they are now reinventing the wheel. Train travel is now an endurance which I partake of as infrequently as possible.

Have over 150,000 miles on them, if I need to do any kind of work I aim for them and deliberately avoid the bone shaking, dull and considerably more unreliable Mark 4s. The latter I'm sure actually caused bits of my laptop to fail from vibration. Everyone has their own opinion though, but the concept of the new B2 cars is not nonsense just because you don't personally like travelling on them

Don't go to Europe then where there's half a vehicle in a similar layout in many Intercity trains crossing countries. It's a good balance of requirements

On 17/2/2024 at 12:57 AM, jhb171achill said:

Pretty obvious why, in the case of railway preservation - they have the industrial history that we do not have!

We have industrial heritage, and plenty of it. It's just culturally determined as "British" and therefore doesn't fit into the post independence "everything British was bad" mindset of a lot of museums around the country. That affects not just railways but any industry of note that has been here

23 minutes ago, minister_for_hardship said:

Not Welsh. Not a "train".

Top journalism.

10/11/12 ICR formations are uncommon but sometimes the 2245 Heuston - Laois TCD Mon-Sat is that, it's entirely dependent on the maintenance requirements to get sets in the right place. Pre or post engineering work is more likely.

It happened on 10 November 2023, 22013+22059+22001

As stated above:

Max size is generally 7 ICR (4+3), but the 2100 Heuston - Cork is booked 8 ICR (5+3) currently on Saturdays (does not serve Ballybrophy). I personally have been on 9-car formations (3+3+3) but limited to where it can stop (0540 Portlaoise - Heuston back when it was limited stop sometimes threw one up as a way to get sets back in the right place).

10/11/12 ICR have operated in multiple versions between Heuston and Laois TCD (the only regular permitted route).

Fixed 7 ICR won't be permanent due to Laois TCD shed only being able to accommodate a 6 ICR length.

There's currently one 6 ICR (22040), more to follow as the 41 B2 cars start filtering into regular traffic