minister_for_hardship

I was the last of my peer group to use a "dumb" phone, I was still sending old timey texts when everyone else was messaging. When the speaker got stuffed, I moved onto smartphone. I do appreciate the fact I've got a powerful mini computer in my pocket now which comes in very useful when I need to find out where the next train is, how to change a van lightbulb or find out if cats eat pancakes at 2am. My current smartphone screen is cracked and the case is held together with gaffer tape. I don't see the value in chucking something for fashion's sake, so long as the thing works it'll do me.

At a guess, maybe it was a sample from a sign manufacturer that was never actually installed? The enamel around the fixing holes isn't chipped. The wording is unusual too, a station having roadside parking, but important enough to have a dedicated attendant?

The GSR appeared to have used an upper case "B" (like a Latin B) on nameboards, some free fonts don't have this character.

The GS&WR had an Irish language examination for clerks around 1920, along with Latin, Geography and Algebra. Have a few of the exam papers. The Tralee and Dingle had Irish in its company seal as well. Ironically, a contributory factor to the rough and tumble early years of the T&D was the fact that the rule book was in English and many of the staff could only understand Irish. A very early use of Irish in locomotive names were a pair of well tanks supplied to the Cork & Bandon named Sighe Gaoithe and Rith Tineadh (Fairy Wind and Running Fire)

Typical Councillor 'wouldn't it be lovely' brain-fart.

This I've not seen before. Black on white enamel from the GSR, usually the other way around.

Not keen on the external paint job. I know they're trying to incorporate that soulless Origami Tricolour logo into the design. The big areas of white or off white will look dirty in a very short time.

Kilmallock, Buttevant, Blarney.

If there's a suitable chassis out there, can't see a reason why someone couldn't 3D print a body, bar getting hold of an accurate drawing for such an unusual short lived loco could be tricky.

Waterford and Suir Valley can get what I assume are modern purpose built passenger coaches. BnM could too, if they had any imagination or even the faintest interest. But whatever makes money with minimal effort I guess (scrap)

It would have been an easy win to take one rehabilitated bog and make it accessible by rail, reusing some of the old equipment. Not everyone has the ability or inclination to hop on a bike on a greenway, which I believe some of the trackbed will be converted to. Even just to access parts of it with equipment for maintenance.

WW1 part 2 was always going to mean that materials to expand or at least keep that going were to be in short supply.

No offence, but (usually said by those who tend to offend) the 800 class were a waste of resources given their limited usefulness and smack of a vanity project. As far as I can see built for just one purpose, to start out of Cork without a pilot. Perhaps with a bit more thought, the J15 Nua class could have been improved from the disappointments they turned out to be? A Jeep-like loco would have been an ideal, go most anywhere loco, but unlike today there was no shortage of operational turntables for tender engines. OHLE was tried and trusted by the 20s and 30s, perhaps that could have been adopted for Dublin suburban rather than the Drumm units in a what if scenario?

Not even a hint of yellowing, and a rail worker going to the effort of writing 'Ford' in that company's font, really? It looks like it's written with a black Sharpie, first sold in 1964! If it was an excursion for Ford employees only, why put it on a poster (intended for general public)? Everything about the second one is suspect! Rail and Bus. But the whole thing looks fabricated.

I'd say the poster is genuine, a little sceptical about the pencilled in details. Why would they go to the trouble of writing that out and not paste it up?

+1 for another J15 breakdown, worm slipping on the shaft if I recall. Fixed free of charge.

I suspect bunker capacity may have limited usefulness on longer runs and aprés amalgamation there was no shortage of handier locos available to poke around the city quays and Courtmac.

Tacked on to production of the identical British based locos, just a different coat of paint and number plates. If it were a stand alone Irish obscure model, it may not have fared as well.

Safety lamp? Probably not railway.

Apart from a brief exhibition on travel posters at NM, the powers that be up in the NM haven't the faintest interest in railways. Even in that exhibition, the emphasis was placed on the history of the tourist trade and the poster artists rather than the railways themselves.

It's not even that. The money was there for the initial steam railway, and in a rich country now money shouldn't be a problem, but interest to keep it alive/interest in a reboot is the rock it founders upon. Always.

Usual kicking the can down the road. Wash, rinse, repeat for next meeting.

I find it useful to complain about things when I'm out of options, most, not all, companies tend to take notice of public shaming when they ignore direct emails.

"But until such time as we know how good or how bad the condition of the tracks and train is, we can’t make a decision." Sadly nothing will, that bunch haven't a Scooby Doo.

On today's "someone should do something" news, Blenderville is brought up at a council meeting... https://m.independent.ie/regionals/kerry/tralee-news/no-sign-of-tralee-blennerville-steam-train-coming-down-the-tracks-just-yet/a1367704916.html