GSR 800

I agree with much of this, though one must consider the inflationary impact low-interest rates (along with deregulation) have had on upward pressure on residential property markets and cause overall increased inequality as housing detached rapido from the average income. These are more international trends, certainly in the West. Something I find personally interesting, especially given the current debate regarding agriculture across the EU, is NZs approach which would probably be completely unacceptable but has proven productive for agriculture in NZ. What I will disagree on is the omission of Leinster and Connaught as a force to be reckoned with in Rugby!

Smokebox, splashers, cab and cab footplate area would need to be replaced completely, and if the tender is hard-wired in, strip out the wiring in the tender and put it into a six-wheeled version. LMS-type tender would need modification itself. New dome if you're picky. I've often thought it 'looks' closer to the 800s with the huge boiler, compared to the Royal Scots, but it seems like it'd be an even bigger job converting it

This is simply awful news. Truly a blow to the hobby as a whole. I've dealt with them countless times, their service has always been above and beyond, with perhaps the most reliable postage and best packaging from any company, alongside IRM.

Looks excellent so far. The HMS Hood Association is a very useful resource on paint matching, detail differences, and countless other things useful to modellers. I'm planning on getting myself a Flyhawk 1941 Hood sometime soon, but other projects come first! They usually have specific tips for the different models, such as a the poor fitting problems you mention. http://www.hmshood.org.uk/hoodtoday/models/airfix/airfix600.htm My one bit of advice would not be to go 'crazy' on the rust, especially if you intend on modelling her in the 1920s, the crews were kept busy in peacetime keeping her looking well!

I've considered Rebuilt Bulleid light pacifics as also being a possible. British loading gauge + 18 ton axle load makes them suitable for all mainline work. (IIRC the loading gauge of the 400s made them unsuitable for the MGWR lines). With tender they were roughly the same length as the 800s. Still I'd imagine turntables would be the bigger gripe with them. Standard 5MTs were great, but axle load is near 20 tons, so maybe the standard 4mt 4-6-0 or 2-6-0 would've been a better fit, or perhaps the standard moguls and 2-6-4 tanks. The 'Mickey Mouse' would've been ideal for branch line work but would've been overloaded (as the Woolwiches were) on heavier trains. With a 'what if' Irish standardisation I think a tint of Bulleid would be great to give uniqueness rather than a copycat of british standardisation. If he had spent more time on standard locos instead of the turf burner we may have ended up with some very interesting designs.

They'd have been more reliable than any Crossley! I'm quite partial to them. I've one myself, but it doesn't have to worry about being "Inchicorised"

if CIE stuck with Steam we may have ended up with some bulleid Q1s!

On the Dart + ramps extend from the doors to the platform

To Belfast would probably be possible, with some bottlenecks like the Malahide viaduct. AFAIK there's been no mention of quad tracking to Drogheda for Dart +, which makes me seriously wonder how Intercity services are going to manage. Greenway is a waste of time IMO, and this is someone who's cycled it regularly. Very few trek more than a few miles.

208 was with 9001 today. She replaced 227 who had brought the service in from Belfast. 227 will be sent to Inchicore as she's having her bogies removed.

They'd have to rip up the greenway to get double track back down Mullingar-Galway etc. Definitely not happening with the current crowd in, since the greenway was done under their watch. Any reopening would require serious work. Do you get rid of the Greenway? Leave it running alongside with a big fuck off fence/wall running the whole length of the line? The biggest thing that can be done rn IMO is double-tracking The Sligo line. Would significantly improve services on the line, putting an end to loop bottlenecks, allowing for more regular services and better timing. The morning commuters and rush hour intercities are usually packed to the gills.

https://lovindublin.com/news/new-dart-station-woodbrook Built to serve a new housing development of 5,000 people

How are they doing that then

From what I've heard, ICRs are preferred for taking early morning Enterprise services over the locomotive hauled DDs. Something regarding handling the colder temperatures better.

The sleepers for the narrow gauge track

85, 800, 171, 461, most likely in my opinion. J15s would probably still sell well too but so soon after oo works, I'm not sure. Maebh (and the 800s) would be the obvious choice but she has sat in Cultra for the last 60 years, whereas the RPSI locos have been out and about, and all the major RPSI locos have decent class numbers (apart from 461). V class hit most of the right marks, big loco, nice livery, decent working career, and still working in preservation (good use for those RPSI coaches) and 5 of them. Very little GNRI rtr rolling stock available atm would be one minus for them, whereas a southern loco has the six-wheelers and the irm laminates coming through the pipework. For GSR 4-4-0s, surely the go-to would be the 301s. Still think it is unlikely (at least for a good while) that we'll see a southern 4-4-0 in rtr, unless oo works decides to have a lash at it.

Excuse the quality, video was very much done on the hop! The 16:50 Enterprise departing from Connolly 7/11/23 20231107_165234.mp4

Whatever loco it is, I hope its announced soon...

Beet wagons!

wasnt the one for the park royals off by about a day too

something like a van or wagon wouldn't surprise me given the amount of grey

tbf it only shows up when you go specifically to the news section, not when you go to the site's main page, at least for me. With 10 days to go, dare we believe there may be a few hints to whet the appetite?

Aye, which is why I brought it up. Questions also remain regarding the Dart + coastal north and its impact on Belfast services.

Here's to hoping the DD replacements will have the looks of the BR class 800 and the reliability of the Stadler FLIRTs, while retaining the comfort of the DDs.

let there be steam...