airfixfan

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.

Now I got mome to ckeck the correct title is A Colour-Rail Journey, photo taken in 1961 and coach is immaculate. Picked the book up for a fiver a few weeks ago at the Glasgow show.

Book is The Colourail Journey published in 2010. Has some nice and rare Irish photos in the book.

That wagon could have been rebuilt in 1967 or even renumbered by NIR. There are some images of ex works wagons in red in the John Laird DVD. Fimally there were some references to Volume 3 of the Currie book in recent RPSI emails about NCC number plates and numerals. Can anyone help?

Have the book at home will check details tomorrow but photo taken at Ballaghaderreen.

Good photograph of a PW wagon on page 67 of the UTA in Colour and lots of film of UTA and CIE goods wagons in volume DVD by John Laird. Checking through my own stuff the UTA patched/done up a lot of ex GNR 10 ton and ex NCC 12 ton wagons in the early-mid 1960s mainly for the Courtalds traffic. They were painted bauxite read and numbered from C1 to C300 but most were gone by the late 1960s. There is very little published on this area and it is a great pity that Volume 3 of the Northern Counties book was unpublished although I have been told that a finished manuscript exists, does anyone know for sure?

In the Colourail Story there is a picture on page 121 of a 6 wheeler in Black and Tan livery which is immaculate.

Feature on BBC NI news last Thursday showed some of the Belmond coaches being done up by MIVAN near Antrim. On the Ballykelly story the new site owners told one of the local press that they planned to reopen the Ballykelly base as an airport. Maybe they think that the Derry line is closed or they have a rail problem!

NIR has Castlerock in daily use and Portrush as required. They also have a number of disused cabins that have not been demolished and many of them have all their gear inside.

You will not get any answer to their number! A visit to the Donegal Railway Centre and the Diffin Lake Railway could be also be arranged?