jhb171achill

Interesting that the three 111s STILL carry an NIR logo, rather than a Translink one; the NIR markings were officially superseded in 1996, or 25 years ago! Wonder what one of those yokes would look like with a Translink "egg" logo! Even "flying snails" didn't last beyond fifteen years after they were replaced.....

The front fell off..........

Correct. In fact the last time I saw them in use, ever, was a three car set being pushed by Hunslet 101 - I wish I had noted the date, but early 1990s. If I remember correctly, one of the three carriages in use still did not have the white stripes, but the other two did. A driving trailer was leading with the loco propelling. It was on an all-stops from Central (or possibly Bangor) to Portadown. I had not seen a Hunslet in traffic for quite a while at that stage, other than shunting Adelaide. 103 had already succumbed so only 101 and 102 were left - again, while i didn't note it, memory suggests that 101 was considerably less active even by then. She looked pretty shook up that sunny evening, and I believe that she actually expired at Portadown on that very service that evening, never to run again.

That had occurred to me - I have info on this somewhere. I’ll check it out & post details. They weren’t as well travelled as 80 class railcars though - 80s were to be seen on Waterford - Limerick Junction and Limerick - Athenry, among other places!

“A”’s never hauled them, but were in Supertrain livery hauling the CIE set at the same time as the grey & blue ones, and the “tippex” white lines started appearing on IE liveries at the same time NIR were adding them to the NIR livery. I got the impression at the time that NIR took that “white line” idea from IE. CIE Black’n’tan on locomotives was long dead when this NIR livery appeared. I think so, certainly on rugby specials.

Four; the original maroon & blue also.

It's Thursday now.....

One of the orange locos was on the Taras today....saw it last week too.

I've written what I am guessing on a bit of paper. I'll see how it compares with tomorrow's announcement of MGWR six wheelers and RTR steam!

(Had to look that up myself!) Judging by retrospect and bits and pieces of what Senior had had to say in the past, that itself informed by Inchicore and York Road thinking a generation earlier, it seems likely that had no border ever existed, the overall Derry - Killybegs spine might have developed as more of a "through" route. With Henry Forbes simply being a small cog in a big Dublin-centric organisation, the early dieselisation simply would not have happened, but it's reasonable to assume that the mid-1950s modernisation, as on the West Clare, would have done. Branches and anything north of Buncrana or west of Letterkenny (or Stranorlar) would have had no better chance of survival, but on the proviso that either the Derry Road or the INW line had survived, we might still have a line from Pennyburn to Letterkenny, and from Victoria Road to at least Donegal town, operated by diesels. At the least, an influx of Walker railcars and "F" class diesels would have kept it going until the 1975 closures, at which time these - plus the track - would have been in need of replacement. Goods would have been gone by the early 70s. But of course, nothing but speculation. Donegal 2.6.4T in plain grey, anyone? The cherry red would never have existed at all in the above scenario!

Europe to Tasmania in a week, and in the current circumstances - that IS impressive!

So there’s more downhill heading west?

“Well, I always call it Maryborough. When I joined the Great Southern twenty years ago, it was always Maryborough….” “Nine passengers on, don’t know why they’ve put a second coach on today….”

That's one line that CIE couldn't wait to close; on the day the last train went in there, one account has it that once the loco had run round, but before the train left, PW men working in the station lifting a siding started banging the keys out of the run-round loop just after the loco had passed over it! To be fair to CIE, that's one branch line that never would have survived anyway.

I'm glad to hear that, Skinner. Apart from that time I did those runs I mentioned, which was about 15 years ago, I haven't sat on a bicycle since I was about 15. And the Waterford line is longer than the Achill line. I only got as far as Kilmacthomas by train, so it's one to do. Then there's the North Kerry Greenway, or whatever it's called. (G S Trail). That's maybe a step too far for one of my worn-out and decrepit state.

Thank you for your comments, Mike. The flyaway cabs must have been an absolute punishment for crews - absolutely, totally and utterly useless as crew protection - especially in horizontal Connemara winter wind and rain!

A superb collection - pity he didn’t do colour, though! I spent much of January going through the entire collection (again!), making copious notes…..

“Will yez get off your backsides! I’m not unloading this van on my own…..”

“I’m tellin’ ya - THIS size it was. But the poaching man was about so I had to throw it back into the river…..” ”OK, a minute to go, c’mon. Yer man will give out if we’re late at the junction….”

Many thanks, airfixfan!

Then it's maybe 2661. Hard to make out, and I think that the number has got worn off a bit anyway.......

The non-stop one goes to infinity and beyond......

Folks - I forgot to mention that in order to comply with covid regulations regarding numbers attending, can I ask anyone planning to go if they can just fire off a RSVP to info@railtoursireland.ie. Many thanks, and see you there.

Superb articles!

Correct. Ghastly looking things, rivalled only in their ugliness by NIR 450-class things! I think the railcar is 2641?