Niles

Quick update on this, we have requested to operate over the very rarely used Tipperary loop on the outbound run.

For those planning on connections, outline pickup/set down as follows:

Cork Dept 10:00, back for 19:13
Limerick Junction 11:06, back for 17:47.

https://www.tailtetours.com/event-details/the-suir-lee-knot-railtour 

As it stands the tour is booked for a 4-car 2600 class railcar set. It will be the first working of the class into Waterford in well over 10 years, we think since the 2000s.

Passengers can join/leave at Cork or Limerick Junction (or mix and match) to suit connections from Dublin and other places.

As always timings are a guide and subject to tweaks but as an outline.

Big thanks are due to the Iarnród Éireann Sales and Planning teams for their help in putting this together.

I recall the paint had the same purpley hue when the original coat was applied in Mullingar but cured by the time we put in traffic.

Carriage stalwart @mphoey of this parish did the original striping. 

Also, the DSER 15/GSR K2 class and Sulzer B113 class have a 50% survival rate.  

21 hours ago, Westcorkrailway said:

I got a slightly battered barley working lima 201 for 15 quid, It’s even weathered.So infairness there is still hope for those starting out to find a bargain ! 

To be fair the real 230 looks worse at the moment... 

reminder kick off is at 19:45 tonight.

The latest in Irish Railways, Present, Past & Other Interesting Railways series of Zooms, this one manages to straddle both Irish and Interesting!:

28th February 2023 from 19:45 

With the imminent release of the All Ireland Strategic Rail Review, what better time and speaker than Cólman Ó Raghallaigh?
Join us as we talk about the background to West on Track, the need for transport investment outside of Dublin, the expectations of the Review and a lot more besides.

We will also have a round up of railway news, and more information about the upcoming event from Tailte Tours, the Suir Lee Knot tour.

As always, ALL are welcome to our Zoom and there is no admission fees or contribution required.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3040263673

Not necessary, Dromod is right beside the Station and accessible off the M4. Similarly Stradbally is just over an hour or so's drive from Dublin (not sure if there's still a bus but someone will know).

Its number escapes me but the Cavan & Leitrim have one of the Spence locos in the workshop at Dromod, some exciting plans for it too I believe...

Thankfully yes, new security fencing was added last year, given the amount of blatant trespassing that went on it's not surprising.

5 hours ago, Bob229 said:

A Railtour from Cork excellent, looking forward to it and on a line to Waterford I have not been on before,well done Tailte tours

If it's successful we might well look at running more tours from Cork in the future...maybe other places too.

Thanks to the kind co-operation of Iarnród Éireann, our first ever Cork-based railtour offers participants a rare chance to travel in a 2600 railcar set over the Limerick Junction-Waterford route; it is hoped to include stops to view the now-rare semaphore signaling installations at Clonmel along with the ITG base at Carrick-on-Suir. 

https://www.tailtetours.com/event-details/the-suir-lee-knot-railtour

Passengers will have ample time to get lunch and refreshments in Waterford.

Nowadays the Waterford-Limerick Junction route is exclusively worked by 22000 class Intercity Railcars, so this is a rare chance to travel the route in the classic 1990s-built 2600 class railcar sets. While the 2700 and 2800 classes have worked the route in times past, the 2600s  have always been relative strangers to the line so this is a rare treat.

For passengers intending to join us from other locations, connections can be made at Cork or Limerick Junction (our railtour is timed so as that Dublin-based passengers can get the first service to Cork and last one back).

Dept Cork approx 10:00am, back by 8:00pm

Full timings will be advised in due course, subject to final confirmation with Iarnród Éireann.

We have two ticket options available (no additional fees):

€65 Standard

€88 "Mystery Train" - this includes travel on the railtour plus a Mystery pack containing souvenir items with an RRP of at least €30.

Tickets are sold on a strictly non-refundable basis.

15 hours ago, jhb171achill said:

Seen in Malahide tonight, while on me way into town to perform the Great and Ancient Ceremony of the Imbibulation of Falling-Down Liquids.

 

.

 

In recent times, the following:

(Spot the odd one out. The winner gets to buy me a pint later this evening).

Obviously it's the 29000 with the brown patches.  

I remember Tayto sending in samples of said bars to the publisher I worked for about 10 years ago... I don't recall them going down particularly well!

I recall one whit describing them as 'tasting like a child's birthday party'.

Open to correction, but I think there's an exemption here in the case of regular domestic passenger services. Tourist or heritage passenger operators can apply (e.g. Belmond, RPSI) but it's not the case that Go Ahead, for example, could apply to operate a commuter service from Maynooth. Likewise, Belmond or RPSI couldn't apply to operate such a service either. 

As it stands, private freight operators have had access for what must be a decade now. The fact that there's been no take up says a lot as to its perceived lucrativeness though...

19 minutes ago, Irishswissernie said:

I have finally acquired some 70 Irish original slides; all June 1957. Yes Jim there are some Donegal views!

Cork Albert Quay.

Cavan & Leitrim, Ballinamore, Arigna branch coach.

SL&NCR Manorhamilton, Lough Melvin.

 

 

 

That Albert Quay one is just gorgeous. 

Well, that WAS fun.

3 minutes ago, DJ Dangerous said:

Hope you guys get some nice weather on Saturday!

I'm afraid to check it... 

Some pics to whet the appetite... if you're enjoying the model 141s and hoppers and plough vans why not come and see the real thing in action?

There's also the chance to get a spin behind A Class locomotive No.A39...

My understanding is tickets for the gala itself are approaching selling out point, so worth heading over to https://downrail.digitickets.co.uk/event-tickets/19164?catID=17699& and grabbing yours to avoid disappointment.

Tickets for our bus connection remain available at https://www.tailtetours.com/event-details/bus-to-downpatrick-mini-diesel-gala-jan-2023

3 hours ago, jhb171achill said:

Worth remembering too that the length will have changed over the years, so the length you want depends on the era you’re modelling.

Indeed, the 'main' platform was extended in March 2006, as seen in the snap below. The 'loop' platform was longer than the main to begin with.

(Picture of a Strawberry Fair steam special in 2001 for comparison).

Bump - updated as bus has now been confirmed.

Just now, Broithe said:

Ah, I did have the Lego motor unit an the individual rails.

Lego had the advantage of packing down with little airspace and not being very fragile.

With traction tyres and ridged rails, it would ascend a fair slope and rather extreme bridges could be constructed.

The batteries fitted in the larger box, above the motor housing.

You could, of course, make all sorts of things with the motor as the basis, no just railway-related items.

Traction tyres... now that you say it I had a Tomy set that I'm pretty certain had such features. You could plug in Lego bricks to the platforms too I think...

Probably had various Thomas and Brio sets when I was small but my first 'proper' trainset was the Hornby "Diesel Breakdown" set...

It was the Christmas of 1997 which as some may recall was during a big storm... we had no power for days so I couldn't use it. 

Quite a bit of play value in it to be fair, later discovered the 06 'never ran like that' but at that age I couldn't care...

1 hour ago, Horsetan said:

I think that just leaves two surviving Bredins, one at the RPSI, and the other as a grounded body (no bogies) at Moyasta

One more, 1144 (the only GSR-built 1st) survives sans running gear at Dromod.

Although there's a debate that none of these should really be called Bredins but it's too early in the morning for that... 

Re: AM13, I believe she survived as an RPSI spares coach into the early 2000s, at Heuston I think.