GSR 800

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...

Believe so. 1700 Bellers has left 5 minutes early, a 22000 set in place of the DD

When will Merlin be on standby for Enterprise duty outside the shed instead of one of the 201s... saw one of the common liveried ones yesterday on shed, couldn't tell you which one now, good chance the same one pulling the one you saw up though.

1700 was DD again Not directly related, but on the way out from Connolly I'm after noticing the GNRI coat of arms at the engine shed where the CIE logo used to be! Looks tidy. After passing 8209 stopped between Drumcondra and Connolly. Coming from/going to Inchicore?

the 1700 Bellers was De Dietrich anyway

I wonder if sales were impacted by the notorious difficulties balancing 4-4-0 kits? (IIRC there's a thread with an S class under construction where this is noted) Alternatively, the sheer longevity of the 2-4-0s probably gives them the edge, they can be justified on an early '60s layout. the resemblance with the 38 and the Achill Bogie is striking

Locomotives that got to Amiens Street or Limerick after Inchicore closed to steam give a good idea of what was still kicking around in later years. 309 lasted a good long while anyway.

PM sent

Have you tried Mike Edge in GB? Gave me a reasonable price for getting 800s chassis up and running. Not sure if he does coaches, but worth giving him a shout?

we were promised an announcement within the year...I'd imagine if there was one it'd be around the time of some of the big shows?

These look fantastic. The detail is truly on another level. Rockefeller once said his idea of enough was a little more....so may I be so bold in asking will there be anything steam-powered to haul those RPSI coaches? Non existent! I recall footage on the DSER lines running specials for horseracing in the 1950s. People were opening the doors and getting off en masse on the trackside, while the train was still moving! To boot, another train was coming in on the other track. One man was very nimble indeed to avoid it!

I'm considering that for a timeline where the MGWR lines get some investment in the 20s and 30s under a better-managed GSR (or country!), which allows for more modern locomotives to oust the rough-riding MGWR 4-4-0s. Whatever it was about MGWR locomotives, they seem to have had a terrible time between rough riding and high maintenance. It's a shame too. The likes of the C class were very handsome machines indeed. Interestingly, speaking of bearings, apparently, the 800s tended to wear out the rear set of bearings due to the weight at the back. Perhaps a legacy issue originating from the Pacific design?