Niles

The last Lapland Express of the day at Downpatrick yesterday evening. I believe driver @Mike Beckett is still thawing out his legs.

Last Saturday saw a trio of DCDR Munster-based members visit the railway for a day of volunteering (some of whom are on this site but I'll let them expose their secret identities if they wish )

Find out about what they got up to here:

https://www.downrail.co.uk/2025/11/munster-members-visit/

Only a handful of tickets remaining for this event. Not only do you get to meet Santa but if you're really luck you might to get meet @Mike Beckett and @GSWR 90.

https://www.downrail.co.uk/event/santa/

Only a few weeks to go until this year's Lapland Express operations start at Downpatrick, this year using the 450 class 'thumper' set. As always, these are proving popular with some trains already sold out, so best to book sooner rather than later.  

https://www.downrail.co.uk/event/santa/

3 hours ago, exciecoachbuilder said:

Hi, the grey paint on loco 134 is actually anti corrosive primer/undercoat (ICI fastbuild) that was used when the new paint shop was opened, 1999- 2000, and when Irish Rail started to use 2 pack polyurethane paint. The loco would have had filler put on the body, then sanded down to an accepted level, then given  two coats, possibly three of this 'fastbuild'  primer. Loco's , and most of the other rail vehicles were never stripped down to the bare metal. There was generations of black and orange paint on the loco body and older coaches ( Craven , MK2's) so getting it back to the bare metal , while doable, would have taken too long in the eye's of the Irish rail traffic controllers, who were always screaming out for coaches and locomotives. The white stripe that you see, was one sided adhesive tape that was  stuck on the loco sides ( and coach sides ) except the front  which was handpainted with white undercoat then finished with white gloss as it wasn't possible to bend the white bands. I have only seen traces of the original paint on these 121 class loco's in the Inchicore paintshop and workshops. The grey that we see in the photo is too pristine for something that was painted in the early 1960's. 

                                                                                                                                  Paul.

I remember having to remove the white stripe when I was involved with restoring the RPSI Cravens many years ago, it was... an ordeal.  

2 hours ago, Westcorkrailway said:

Wait until he sees 802 tailte on the 10:45 mixed train Ex Trá na Gréine… 
 

 

Well one of them got onto to the Croom line... just.

Looking at this yesterday, it falls into what I term my 'absolutely no justification for, but want' category (didn't stop me ordering an 800 though).

Really enjoyed seeing this layout over the weekend, great subject for a layout.

Another year over, it felt like the best Blackrock show yet!

Thank you to everyone who supported the Táilte Tours (at which my co-conspirator @jhb171achill seemed to be the main attraction) and DCDR stands over the weekend (I was literally swapping jackets over between shifts!), enjoyed putting a few more faces to names from this forum and I even treated myself to another GNR cement van from @leslie10646.

As DCDR people, @GSWR 90 and particularly enjoyed watching the little G on Beagnach End.

https://www.downrail.co.uk/2025/10/south-dublin-model-railway-2025/ 

Freshly outshopped from Provincial Wagons, this cement van arrived on the Tragreany goods this evening.

The Civil Engineer won't be happy to find out a Woolwich has encroached on the branch though...

Busy first day, haven't had a chance to view everything. I'm floating between the Táilte Tours stand with @jhb171achill and the DCDR stand with @GSWR 90, so do say hi (good to meet a few members of this parish yesterday). 

A further update on progress with the restoration of 80 class power car 69.

https://www.downrail.co.uk/2025/10/80-class-railcar-horn-repairs/

Fascinating thread, I never knew of the steel works locos but the family resemblance is definitely there. I've always felt they were the most obscure of the CIÉ fleet, with comparitively little written about them in their own right even compared to the Sulzer twins, at most getting a passing mention in articles on wider topics. Great research @Mol_PMB.

5 hours ago, Mol_PMB said:

Thanks - that is interesting. As well as the Kockum builder's plate (their works number 15562 I think), note that there is another stamped plate on the left, it was probably enamelled but has been painted over so it's harder to read. 

The tanks were pressure vessels so they would have all carried registration plates and had their own individual number, because in the case that tanks and chassis were swapped around, the pressure vessel registration and inspection records needed to go with the tank not the chassis. I suspect the plate on the left may be associated with the pressure vessel testing and certification.

On the early batches, the tanks were originally numbered on the catwalks from 001 upwards, these numbers may have been used by Irish Cement or CIE for maintenance and inspection purposes. Of course the wagons were numbered from 25050 upwards, so the tank number was 25049 less than the running number. Later there was a renumbering of the tanks (and presumably the paperwork) so that the tank number matched the last 3 digits of the running number. I think this was implemented before delivery of the last batch, so we would expect that wagon 25199 would have carried tank 199. Neither of these tank number series seem to match the Kockum's works numbers.

Very insightful!

I'll see if I can get a closer shot of the second plate next time for you 

Also may be of interest, a close-up of the tank's build plate.

In an alternate timeline, A39 gets ready to depart with the Downpatrick-Platin cement empties.

For those who like such things, 3003+3001 worked the 16:05 Belfast GC-Connolly today

The DCDR website has been updated with the news of the bubble's arrival, including some photos showing a rather interesting shunting formation, should any of you be looking for 'prototype for everything' inspo.   

https://www.downrail.co.uk/2025/10/dcdr-welcomes-cement-bubble-wagon/

Cement Bubble 25199 safely touched down on DCDR rails this morning, and has already been reunited with 124.

A big thank you to everyone who donated to make it happen.

Full report will follow on the DCDR website in due course.

Set 37 still in Belfast GC as if 11:35 this morning anyway.

22038 appears to be on the 08:50 Connolly-(Dundalk)Belfast.

Quite a bit has taken place in the past few weeks, with 80 class 69 now in the final stages of its restoration:  https://www.downrail.co.uk/2025/10/80-class-restoration-update-reupholstered-seats-installed/

Shunting at Tragreany or a future runpast at Downpatrick?

A possibility for a future DCDR gala (we have a H-Van too, it even has a name).

Thanks to everyone who donated, the below will now be possible in 1:1 scale.

The good news is we have already raised enough to transport the bubble to Downpatrick, thank you to everyone who has donated so far (including a substantial sum pledged from the good folk at IRM/Accurascale, once again demonstrating their commitment to supporting the preservation movement).

That being said, if anyone would still like to contribute it won't go to waste as we'll still need to spend a bit of money in readying the vehicle for display (let's be honest, there isn't a vehicle in preservation that doesn't need money ).

https://www.downrail.co.uk/donate/