jhb171achill

VERY much a retrograde step - downright ridiculous, as are the lack of glider* and bus connections in the city. Very bad planning indeed. Have they learned nothing since 1976? (* “Glider” = wannabe luas)

Methinks they speak tag-along…..!

I ordered one but they’ve lost it! It’s not in my order.

Now, here goes... The following is a telephonic exchange between maybe you as a hotel guest and room-service in China ...... Room Service : "Morrin. Roon sirbees." Guest : "Sorry, I thought I dialed room-service." Room Service: " Rye . Roon sirbees...morrin! Joowish to oddor sunteen???" Guest: "Uh..... Yes, I'd like to order bacon and eggs." Room Service: "Ow ulai den?" Guest: ".....What??" Room Service: "Ow ulai den?!?... Pryed, boyud, pochd?" Guest: "Oh, the eggs! How do I like them? Sorry.. Scrambled, please." Room Service: "Ow ulai dee bayken ? Creepse?" Guest: "Crisp will be fine." Room Service: "Hokay. An sahn toes?" Guest: "What?" Room Service: "An toes. ulai sahn toes?" Guest: "I.... Don't think so.." RoomService: "No? Udo wan sahn toes???" Guest: "I feel really bad about this, but I don't know what 'udo wan sahn toes' means." RoomService: "Toes! Toes!...Why Uoo don wan toes? Ow bow Anglish moppin we botter?" Guest: "Oh, English muffin! !! I've got it! You were saying 'toast'...Fine...Yes, an English muffin will be fine." RoomService: "We botter?" Guest: "No, just put the botter on the side." RoomService: "Wad?!?" Guest: "I mean butter... Just put the butter on the side." RoomService: "Copy?" Guest: "Excuse me?" RoomService: "Copy...tea..meel?" Guest: "Yes. Coffee, please... And that's everything." RoomService: "One Minnie. Scramah egg, creepse bayken , Anglish moppin, we botter on sigh and copy ... Rye ??" Guest: "Whatever you say." RoomService: "Tanjooberrymutts." Guest: "You're welcome" Remember I said "By the time you read through this YOU WILL UNDERSTAND 'TANJOOBERRYMUTTS' ... Clearly the same call centre as Eircom and the Bank of Ireland…..

If anyone else weighs in and we get a tentative six, I will approach Allen and see what the craic is. I wonder what wheels / motor etc would be involved..... I think if I was starting all over again, I'd forget about diesels and just model an accurate part of the Achill loine, and get all six D16s, 530-5!

I had ordered a BnT one too - but it doesn't appear within my order.

They would have just done a run of their existing body shapes in Irish liveries…

Lough Neagh would be green now, with heavy agricultural pollution!

My understanding is that there won’t be a second run, unfortunately.

Most interesting recollections and certainly I can corroborate…..

Can’t see it….. link?

Yes. Theres’s another tomorrow, but it might be a bus. Or something.

This one’s a big ask. If Allen needs a minimum of six kits, I’d go for two ex-MGWR “D-bogies” (D16 - Achill Bogie). That would leave him with four to sell. Plus, neither my eyesight nor slightly arthritic fingers are conducive to kit-making. So, if four buyers and a kit maker can be assembled, let’s talk?

Dark grey. Nothing was black in GSR or early CIE times.

Superb! Captures the atmosphere perfectly!

Ping me!

Correct. We have a predisposition here to expressing outrage when heritage matters are not paid for and carried out. Like railway preservation, it’s never us that should cough up. It’s “someone”. ”Someone” always “should”, or better, “NEEDS” to do “something” about it; but any political party advocating just an extra 1% tax to address such things, will never get a single vote here. Tis what it is……

Wow - I certainly wouldn't say this has turned out "OK" - "outstanding", though - certainly! Yet again, very well done indeed. Very nice prototype, in my opinion one of the most well-proportioned narrow gauge locos ever to run here.

Again, it's like freight traffic. The government funds the railway to get passengers about, plus a few grudging logs and containers. The money doesn't stretch to anything else, nor is it intended to. So until or unless the subsidy increases, and the broad area of responsibility of IE changes to include redundant building stock; or a separate body like the OPW takes on responsibility for railwy structures no longer used, we may but watch Mullingar, Waterford signal cabin, and other places including Foynes station, just fall to bits. The issue is central government funding, rather than any railway policy or practice. The NTA (No Trains Authority) will likewise have no role in this - though if they did, they'd probably convert the entire railway system into a greenway within the month.

So, a through service to Lanyon? From when? Until i can get a proper train to belfast, without buses, I'm driving - sorry, Eamonn Ryan.

Interesting - my sources suggested that these were entirely separate projects. Nothing at all of the old station will be anything to do with the new terminal, which in any case is slightly off to one side. Listed building or no, the main line network is awash with old stone buildings now locked up and uncared for, with buddleia growing in the stonework and cracking it, and roofs leaking. Clearly, if old buildings are not actually in daily use now, there seems to be no funding to care for them. And in reality, in cold, hard practical terms, the government subsidises IE to get people from A to B, not to look after historic buildings. That, one could almost think, would be one for the OPW. Against that background, it is hard to see ho the Foynes relaying project could have anything whatever to do with any restoration of the Foynes station building. Now, it may very well be, and hopefully it is, that they've combined the two - the actual railway, plus, as a separate issue, a listed building. But given the background, it's hard to see the two being connected.

They need to call in the Mad Hatter, and set up a trial.

Absolutely magnificent!!!! Absolutely amazing stuff - great to see the GSR era being modelled now. Massive potential there.

00 or N scale ones?

They would have to actually build a completely new line, as both the Pennyburn and circuitous Strabane lines would not be possible to reopen without knocking down half of Derry. One may asume that they would continue the existing Waterside line across the road, past the old CDR station, and across a brand new bridge south of the existing one, probably at an oblique angle; then off down the GN for a short distance, then a completely new line due west. Best route would be down to Carrigans, then directly across to Manorcunningham.