minister_for_hardship

Norn Iron branches of B&Q had Mole repellers in stock a few years back....moles are not native to the island of Ireland.

Is is simply IR/IE (or whatever it calls itself now) reasserting its right of way as opposed to a crackpot preservation scheme?

Getting information as to what goes on in Inchicore is like trying to get Cold War intel on the Soviet Union.

Must be B&NCR 'invisible green'

There was an admittance that at the time of the C&L record attempt, there was 'drink taken'....The locos at the time were definitely not in great shape, in the article the driving wheels were noted as wearing holes into the boiler cladding! Different times indeed.

I read a piece about a cab ride on the Cavan & Leitrim before it closed, the driver confided with the author that he had taken a Passage loco up to 50 mph.

Thought it was turned out first in dark grey with no identification, then red 'CC1' added and finally turned out in mid green, eau de nil 'CC1' and waistband and, oddly, eau de nil wasp stripes on the ends.

Thank God. The paint suppliers have had some GSR battleship grey on special offer. Apart from the silly Euro numbering (what's the point, it's not as if it going to run on the Continent) it's not bad.

This is Kerry/Bull McCabe country we're talking about here!

The Listowel town counciller has a farm on the route, quelle surprise. The North Kerry was never sold off in the same (hurried) fashion as the West Cork, it's still owned by CIE to this day, likewise W.ford-Ballinacourty/New Ross. There is a walkway/cycleway (the Great Southern Trail) developed from Ardagh through to Newcastle West and currently ends around Abbeyfeale, walked a bit of it recently around NCW, quite well done and a great leisure/tourism asset. The only major structures on the route are a large steel bridge outside NCW (a team from Irish Rail did some repairs on it a few years ago) and Barnagh tunnel.

Everything that's wrong with rural Ireland here....incl an idiot of a town counciller who should know better. http://www.radiokerry.ie/news/walkers-blocked-from-entering-kerry-on-old-rail-line/ http://www.radiokerry.ie/news/listoweltown-councillor-called-on-to-make-a-statement-about-his-involvement-railway-line-protest/

What's the little Wanderly Wagon/tramcar-like thing top right? They even managed to make tampers good looking back then, rather than variations on a brick shape.

Alphabet sweets that tasted like flavoured pieces of chalk in a cube-shaped box.

Oxford do a David Brown tug, Aer Lingus used use these, painted white. Can't think of any excuse to use it in a railway context though!

Quote from Leo Varadkar...Jesus wept... "It doesn't make sense to sell them because they're narrow-gage, they're rolling stock - they were designed for a narrow-gage railway, and would need to be adapted before they could be sold.'' http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/varadkar-no-sense-in-selling-surplus-to-requirements-train-carriages-582456.html

Let's hope it doesn't fall between two stools again.

I have the Patterson CVR book, I don't know how much detail is goes into, but can look it up.

I think the George Hook/Barry Kenny love-in is on Thursdays.

In the best tradition of giving nicknames to logos, I'll be calling the new one the 'Wiggly Worm'!

Translink's is a boring generic logo, it could be any TOC beginning with the letter 'T', but it's still better looking (marginally) than this atrocity.

Our hard-working decal manufacturers can't keep up at this rate of rebranding.

Family Guy had a pop at Lance: Peter: I always wanted to be an astronaut, like Lance Armstrong. Chris: It's Neil Armstrong. Peter: He lied about his name, too?!

Is this Irish Rails topical response to the Belfast 'flegs' dispute?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CIE-Bassett-Lowke-Model-Train-Maunsell-KI-Woolwich-Class-2-6-0-/261155148143?pt=UK_Trains_Railway_Models&hash=item3cce0f516f What price were these when they came out? For those kinda bucks, I'd prefer live steam and a less primitive valve gear.