minister_for_hardship

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.

Thailand would have an added dimension of Japanese-built locos. Looking at a display of old b/w photos at Bangkok's main station a few years ago, there was American, German and a few British locos (possibly ex Federated Malay States Railways?) in evidence. Also never knew that they regauged from standard to metre gauge. Most towns on the rail network have 'stuffed and mounted' locos on display, including at Kanchanaburi, the place that inspired the Bridge on the River Kwai. They had a Garrett, a couple of NBL 4-6-0s, a Japanese (2-6-0 I think) and a Japanese railcar adapted from an army truck. Burma still had some nice old diesels on VERY rickety track and a red/white railcar that wouldn't look out of place on the wee Donegal! And Cambodia had Chinese cast offs with a few Franco Belge kettles either on display or stored in sheds. Some rolling stock was either Aussie built or had components from that neck of the woods, saw 'Sydney Aust.' on one wheel bearing cover. The one passenger train I was on was hauled by a Czech shunter still in Czechslovakian livery and company plates!

It was an awful eyesore for visitors coming to the UFTM, like the previous poster I'm surprised the museum didn't make an offer for it as an admin building or something.

Thanks lads, I'll be looking into those over the next week or so.

What manner of bats**t is this?

Is there a site/resource that deals with doing this? Something that would explain it in terms a 5 year old would understand. Ta.

Wasn't the green Bandon tank the one that went 'foreign' (DSE section)?

The DSER also used oval plates, but I don't think they built steel bodied vans(?) GSR/CIE as you say had a 'D' shaped one with flat side up. MGWR had either small brass ones or a cast iron 'D' shaped one. GNR vans usually had tiny little tonnage plates bolted onto the body rather than the solebar.