jhb171achill

Ah! OK - could have varied. I knew on one side there were both which probably prompted me to assume the other side were both blue! Or maybe they varied.

Made a few enquiries this morning from one who was on trial trips with 800 and footplated it a number of times Dublin - Cork and back. To his knowledge it almost hit 100mph, but not quite on trips he was on. He says it could have on other trips, but he thinks that had it happened he would have heard of it. Just wanted to clear that up!

Totally correct. Minister. If the line never left CIE ownership, nobody but CIE have any claim to it.

What was the one in those pics above showing a modern IE railcar at the bottom of an embankment?

I think only one window frame was in IE colours - maybe two; not all four.

As delivered, as Eiretrains points out, the CIE logo on the ends was not as normal (i.e. white lettering, orange surround). It was white, though, rather than cream but discoloured like anything white, I suppose. But - in that "as delivered" form, they were not the normal orange. They were a distinctly browner shade, nit the same as anything else on the railway. Thus, in order to be accurate an orange loco would have to have the normal orange surrounded logo, not an all white one.

Heirflick, the 071 run was in 1977 or 1978; almost certainly jointed, though I can't remember - but holding onto the seat was indeeda good idea! Mind you, a cab ride in a 141 at speed would have skaken the teeth out of your head. At the same time as the above I had cab rides in "A"s, "121"s, "141"s, and twice in an o71, and once in a C on a ballast from Clonsilla to North Wall. The 121s and 141s were much more lively than anything else and as you'd expect an A was relatively smooth. The C just bumbled along at slow speed as it had ballast trucks behind and in any case seemed to get stopped at every signal. I think one of the most bouncy runs I ever had has to be a tie between a pair of 121s on the 6pm up Sligo mail - he was tearing along and the track on the Sligo line at that stage was both jointed and of varying quality; that, and a run on a Cork-Cobh train in the hands of 150. THAT was lively. It seemed like the jointed track there was made of two-metre-long lengths! The 201 run I had was betweden Dublin and Dundalk about 1999 / 2000. Probably welded, but again, not sure?

When "Maedb" was on trial, I seem to remember hearing it did briefly hit the "ton" - I will be able to check this for certain this evening or tomorrow when talking to someone who was on it!

The thing in this pic hasn't been weathered yet.........

Excellent stuff... I think the "digging" that has started might be moles....

We could do one on the Festiniog and the Bluebell Railway and call it "Great landmass-between-Ireland-and-mainland-Europe Railway Journeys". Maybe we'd have to include the West Somerset for that!

Doritos and fiery hot salsa, bottle of red; or just loads of Guinness and a kebab from Ismael's on the way home. You wouldn't eat one in daylight. Or an Atomic burger from Eddie rocket's.

I can't see why railway operators are so paranoid about the public seeing the aftermath of an accident. Are we so sanitised now that it will shock us more than years ago? I attended the scene of one accident many years ago and wandered about among police, railway staff and general rubber-neckers, on and off the track, without a day glo jacket, PTS or steel capped boots. That, of course, is a different issue - the H & S stuff. If a 201 ends up at 45 degrees, big deal. Put it upright. If people want to look, let 'em look. Why not? The press frequently publish, with at times questionable accuracy, accounts of all manner of other things which really are none of their business, and which do not serve this great mythical thing, the "public interest", one bit! I have pics myself of the 1963 Lisburn smash...

I wonder why they call it great BRITISH railway journeys?? Maybe Portillo wants to reverse 1921 in time for 2021! :-)

I've been in an 071 cab at 87, and a 201 cab at 107.... which as far as I'm concerned is by far the fastest....

I just cannot get over how sophisticated Irish railway modelling has become, both the external appearance, accuracy and detail of models, and the techy stuff inside them. Well done to all concerned with bringing us forward from repainted BR Mk 2s and a BR "08" repainted as a "D" class! Or in my case very crude cardboard models made 40 years ago to fit over Hornby chassis....

A return to GSR / CIE all over grey!!

I suppose a half-baked livery option would fit well with that new logo!

Sounds almost like the livery applied to the "A" and "C" class in the sixties for a while - black all over with yellow patch on the front! (and white flash above cab). Will they prefix the "071", "080", "077" numbers with a letter again!!! (Which one? H?)

Mayner's post got me thinking. Kingsbridge, circa 1930 might well have almost every loco in grey, as few non-GSW ones had appeared there yet, and the GSW had been painting them grey since about 1915 - but carriages!! - GSWR crimson lake - GSR crimson lake - GSR chocolate and cream - occasional visitors in form of MGWR both deep maroon (1918-21) or brown - possibly occasional visiting DSER lined maroon/// Wagons - GSWR v. dark grey (blackish) or GSR grey (like LMS grey)... The again, the West Cork might have GSR crimson lake and/or brown and cream on visiting stock, or CBSCR green... locos grey or a Bandon tank in olive green!!

Indeed, Mayner - can anyone top that for a list of liveries side by side!!!

Excellent memories. I remember once seeing seven locos in Adelaide. 133 and 135 had brought the cement in, a pair of 141s was on the other goods, a single one had taken over shunting due to one of Hunslet 102's long absences, and another pair of 141s was sitting to one side, I think having failed... memories! Naturally, I didn't have a camera as I was on my way to work...

That's correct, eiretrains. And even then it was a very rare occurrence. Almost always pairs of 121/141/181.

Quote from Fletcher's intellectually-challenged cellmate in "Porridge"; "I read a book once!" (Astonished look from Fletcher and yer man Beckinsale) ...."...Green, it was".....

BCDR coach looks the part too - lining makes all the difference!