airfixfan

Despite all the money spent on the NW Transport Hub it becomes a ghost town after 17.30 at night with passengers to/from the bus link negotiating a building site en route. The train timetable remains unchanged with no improvements to the rail service to/from Derry with the exact same journey times. There are no improvements to connections to/from Dublin services at Belfast Central and there are still no cheap web fares available to stations on the Dublin line from any station on the Derry line in 2019. That is after trying to navigate the impossible new Translink website!

Finntown railway has been closed 3 times this year when I had booked a visit with them and 2 of these visits were with groups on a bus with myself as a tour guide. In contrast Donegal Railway Heritage Centre open an the same day that Finntown was closed and staff on Donegal told myself that this happens all the time!

Have some track plans and maps of the station from the late 1970s and early 1980s including a track plan when both stations were still in use in theory..

The EU should also take a look at Translink who along with the DFI block any proposal to re-open railways in NI for the last 2o years at least in favour of buses/roads. Indeed NI is the only region in Britain/Ireland not to have any completely closed railways re-opened for passengers in this century.

There is a public meeting in Derry at 18.00 on Wednesday 26th about the future of railways in the North West. The guest speaker is Chris Norton from the Borders Rail group and it is being held in the Holywell Trust building in Bishop Street Derry. All members of IRM are most welcome to attend this event organised by Into The West.

Heard the 70 class decsribed as Hampshires when I was younger on a regular basis as they were based upon EE Hampshire DMUs built a few years earlier for the Southern Region. On later NIR days the 450 class also became known as the Cattle class by long suffering passengers on the Derry line in particular!

Article in the latest issue of Railway Magazine now confirms my earlier comments that 85 is not allowed by Irish Rail to do the Sunday leg from Waterford to Limerick and return. Also hearing that 85 has to pass a boiler inspection over the next few days before it can operate any part of the May rail tour.

This refurbishment seems a much higher standard than the refurbished class 3000 sets completed by NIR so far in my eyes.

The problem is that 131 is ready and was in fine form over Easter but that it is not allowed south of Newry as it is not yet accepted by Irish Rail. Hear that as 85 is banned on the Waterford/Limerick line that it is an 071 on Sunday 12th now.

So 85 will do Waterford to Limerick for the first time on Sunday 12th?

If 85 is going north on Sunday does that mean that only 85 is doing the whole 3 day tour in May?

Suspect that the group in Donegal Town would interested in some track for their plans discussed in the latest issue of Steam Railway.

Very good JHB but a few minor points. Firstly the spare MED sets were to found anywhere on the ex NCC lines such as trains to Portrush and Derry though they were more common on the Larne line. They also lasted to about 1979. Also not all the coaches used as trailers or centre coaches were ex NCC such as 727.

Due to delays with Brexit the light engine move north for 85 has been postponed for March 24th.

Merlin 85 is due to return North light ensgine on March 24th to Whitehead.

Getting back to the theme of the County Donegal railway the CDRRL have just launched a crowdfunding campaign to complete the cosmetic restoration of Drumboe by the RPSI before bringing it back to Donegal Town. See the CDRRL website for details of how to support this scheme.

When did freight traffic to Belfast stop running? What year did regular NIR freight trains stop running to and from Derry?

Can anyone out there help me? Looking for interior photos of the former BNCR station taken after it was closed to service trains in 1980. Does any member have such photos? Thanks

Thanks for all your help and have arranged to get a new copy of the Journal. Apparently there were a few more misprinted copies of the latest issue sent out.

Just go my October issue but there are pages missing and other pages are repeated. Have other IRRS members found the same problems?

The Sandite train was in the running shed for a bit of TLC. The Sandite train is now in its usual siding beside the M2 this afternoon with 112 on top of the 80 class getting prepared for its rambles this Saturday!

The loop will be removed after it is taken out of service after the last service trains today, after which Castlerock will no longer be a passing loop on the Derry line

There is a photo of a Belgian MGWR coach on page 22 of Coakhams book on Broad Gauge coahes.

Sorry Lelie thought you were saying that the manuscript of Volume 3 is in your care? Can you clarify this point please and thanks. Connections were removed and Mount signal box closed in 1967. All further help welcomed.

Pleased to here that manuscript of Volume 3 is in secure hands. Have been going through what is published on this issue which is very little or vague and even incorrect. Some books state that the Courtalds traffic ended in 1968 and my own memories put it around 1967. The IRRS JOURNAL 44 October 1967 states that the signal box at Mount was closed on 25th May 1967 with signals and connections removed. From memory the UTA had tried and failed to end this contract in the mid 1960s. This is why they had to overhaul a large number of wagons for mainly this traffic which is supported by Journal 36 February 1965 which refers to 300 wagons being overhauled by the UTA at this time. These wagons would have a C prefix and be painted bauxite red with 200 wagons required for the Courtalds traffic and 100 wagons needed for ballast/dept. work. In the UTA IN COLOUR book on page 71 there is a photo of this coal train from July 1966. So it is clear that this traffic had ended by early 1967 and the 2 Peckett tanks were sold for scrap in 1968 and I remember an article about them in the Belfast Telegraph in that year which I could not find today having just moved recently! Any more detail appreciated.