Garfield

In fairness, there are reasons for some of those complications which had nothing to do with IÉ. The line into the port is Dublin Port's baby, and to be fair to them, there is limited space available. A traverser is used to move the loco onto the loop to let it run around its train as there's no room for points and a headshunt. The traverser is also the reason 201s don't work on the Taras, as it's not long enough to accomodate them. Until the '90s it was also too short to hold 071s, which is why an A class loco was always used to haul the Taras. As for the Sligo timber having to be split... that was because of the gradient on the branch from the docks. Nothing IÉ could do about that as that's the way it was when they inherited it. Even if they wanted to rebuild it with a gentler gradient, they couldn't because there isn't enough room available.

A train cleaner in Sweden took a commuter train for a spin and ended up crashing it... http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jan/15/cleaner-injured-train-building-stockholm?CMP=SOCNETTXT6966

The Food Safety Authority has published results of tests it carried out on several brands of beef burgers available from supermarkets here. Most also contained pork meat, but many also contained horsemeat! http://www.fsai.ie/uploadedFiles/News_Centre/Burger_results_2013_01.pdf Further proof that the best burgers are homemade burgers, using meat from the butcher!

Ah here... what next? A Gresley A4 with a flying snail on the tender?

Looks like Lance Armstrong will finally confess that he used performance-enhancing drugs to win the Tour de France: http://espn.go.com/sports/endurance/story/_/id/8844549/lance-armstrong-admits-doping-interview-oprah-winfrey-report-says It'll be interesting to see what happens on Thursday. Edit: And it looks like he may want to drag others down with him, according to CBS News on Twitter...

The building is definitely safe from demolition... in fact, if the developer hadn't bought it when he did, it was going to be knocked down.

Aye. We're all hard chaws around here!

You should see Longford at throwing-out time on a Saturday night!

The Irish Army used those Landswerks, too.

Going shopping in downtown Basra, eh?

I'd take one, too. Kicking myself I missed out the first time around...

That's not the one. Maybe it was a fictional film based on it. Edit: Found it... 'Attack on the Iron Coast'. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_the_Iron_Coast

Ha! Wasn't there a film made based on that raid? I think I remember seeing it years ago...

I think the ferry will be cheaper!

So much to get through whenever I get around to visiting UK air museums! Cosford would be worth visiting for the TSR2 alone...

That's one interesting oddball jet...

Ha, no it's not me! Those Falcons are a bit on the small side... need a Challenger or a Gulfstream so I can stretch my legs!

My dad has a helicopter PPL... must tell him that one, although I daresay he knows about it all too well!

Yep, empty weight is 8,340 lb (3,767 kg), which would include the powerplant and all other equipment. If that's the weight he's quoting, then it must include the engine. It should be possible to be made airworthy, in theory. The fuel bill would make your eyes water, though! Then again, a guy in Mullingar is (or was) able to afford to operate a Westland Whirlwind...

At a private residence? You'll have to get something fancier so... like a Harrier!

I actually saw that on MilWeb, Seamus! Wouldn't mind an AML or a Ferret to take out for a spin at the weekends!

...You could buy this for your garden: http://www.ebay.ie/itm/130823654360?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649#ht_2270wt_1037

Ah, I stand corrected. I only ever seen photos of the wagons with the gantries in situ... never really paid attention to the wagons themselves.

I think this is a case for The Wanderer...

Don't know what that is, but it's definitely not a Donelli track-laying crane...