Niles

An update on the restoration of GSWR 6 wheeler No.69 has been added to the DCDR website. This will be a lovely little vehicle to travel in once completed: https://www.downrail.co.uk/2025/07/restoration-update-gswr-carriage-69/

Tickets available here, I know there's some from this parish going so should be a nice social event if you can make it https://www.downrail.co.uk/2025/07/40th-gala-dinner/ And if you're making a day of it, DCDR will be operating heritage services between Downpatrick and Inch Abbey earlier in the day.

They had samples at the Clontarf Show, I think developed in conjunction with Alstom?

Michael Baker did Irish Railways Past & Present and Irish Railways Past & Present: Dublin in the mid 1990s. they've been updated once or twice since. A nice selection of images during that period. He also did a Bradford Barton volume in the 70s (I got a copy as a child in the 90s, the 'new' stock mentioned in the book was the mk2ds of 1972!). I don't think they're too hard to come by on the second hand market. Colin Boocock's Irish Railways: 40 Years of change 1956-1996 is another 90s title with plenty of images from your period, and there's a bit of a narrative to it. Colm O'Callaghan's Irish Traction: Iarnród Éireann is a great volume, thought might be a little late for your period. As as been pointed out, past IRRS Journals and their Flickr page are a treasure throve.

Another 'first' in Irish preservation has just been achieved... https://www.irishtractiongroup.com/2025/a-trio-of-bo-bos

Another update on 124: https://www.irishtractiongroup.com/2025/tests-continue-on-loco-124

This thread reminds me of a visit to the West Somerset Railway (the longest standard gauge heritage line in these islands) a few years ago. I was chatting to some of the volunteers, and mentioned I was involved in Downpatrick. I asked how many volunteers the West Somerset had, I got the somewhat mournful response 'We used to have over 1,000, now it's only about 600'. Yes, 'only' 600... From experience in Downpatrick, even a small line takes a lot of volunteers and certainly in our case there's plenty of examples of volunteers 'double jobbing' (more often 'treble'). Generally speaking all board members will also be found grafting on the ground in some shape or form, the concept of lines having volunteers who are solely managerial is way beyond a luxury. Thus is the reality of heritage railway operation in Ireland, I know our friends at the various narrow gauge lines can tell a similar story.

Interesting, I wasn't aware of this either.

I've read varying sources suggesting that 802 (a)received the experimental livery in the late 40s and later was repainted into the regular green, (b) that she was painted in the regular green, then experimental, then back to regular, and (c) that we she was painted regular green and then experimental for the rest of existence. Doesn't answer your question at all I know. The 800s can be confounding. As iconic and well known as they are, there's actually quite a bit about them that doesn't seem clear, with a healthy dose of typical Irish yarns woven into the canon. That theory on 801 running with 802's tender is interesting, hard to tell but that photo does give the appearance of being different shade. Mind you, I recall from my RPSI days there were occasions when 461's tender appeared to be a slightly different shade to the loco itself, the simple reason being when stabled in Connolly yard it was easier to clean one end than the other while lighting up.. maybe something similar is going on here, it's hard to tell...

A volunteer colleague undertook a study of this a few years ago, one taking was that those schemes that have been successful, and endured, in Ireland have been those that started small and developed out, e.g. Stradbally, Downpatrick, Dromod. Nice as they'd have been, schemes such as Shillelagh-Tinahely, Fenit-Tralee simply would have been too big to have been sustainable (I had a sight of a report which I believe @jhb171achill was involved in regarding the former, there were options for Shillelagh-Tinahely, Tinahely-Woodenbridge, the whole branch, or something to that affect. The figures were mouthwatering). I suppose Downpatrick, Dromod and Whitehead also have the benefit of being easily accessible by public transport, the former is right beside a bus station and the other two adjacent to mainline rail stations. I know for a fact all three of these have regular enthusiast volunteers not just from the locale but Dublin too. Local buy-in is another important factor, and it's worth bearing in mind that volunteers don't necessarily have to come from enthusiast ranks, I've known many 'non-enthusiast' people who just like getting involved in something local and have made excellent volunteers.

Might be of interest... https://www.irishtractiongroup.com/2025/124-lives https://www.irishtractiongroup.com/2025/190-roars-again

Video of the start up here: https://www.irishtractiongroup.com/2025/124-lives

Tricky is the word. There some green highlights but I can't tell if that's just the reflection of the vegetation...

Re: silver Park Royals, I was always under the impression none of them were, however, a while back I copped this Tom Davitt photo in the IRRS Flickr Archive (you'll need to be a member to view the link) The third vehicle from the loco appears to be a silver Park Royal. https://flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53511615324/in/photolist-2pwBnJp-2pwDBh6-2pwCeH4-2pwD1Vj If only the 10 'mainline' ones were done as such then it would explain the lack of colour photos, probability wise. Another 'myth' was that Park Royals never carried the earlier dark green; while researching this for the DCDR restoration a few years ago we discovered that several were, likely the early suburban ones (in fact they've appeared on at least three IRRS journal covers over the years, hidden in plain sight). Interesting to see that Fry 'invented' a 51st member of the class, 1430.

152 arrived safely at Downpatrick over the weekend... https://www.irishtractiongroup.com/2025/o-christmas-tree-o-christmas-tree