Any news with the RPSI's B134?

[228RiverOwenboy]

Now that she's (cosmetically) restored, what's next for her? What is she doing now? Since I saw 134 in her original livery (which was a bittersweet choice in my honest opinion!), I've been curious about the plans set for her! Will she run a railtour by the end of the year?

 

Any info is appreciated! 

[DoctorPan]

Currently awaiting driver training and trial running before she can haul a railtour.

[NIRCLASS80]

7 hours ago, 228RiverOwenboy said:

Now that she's (cosmetically) restored, what's next for her? What is she doing now? Since I saw 134 in her original livery (which was a bittersweet choice in my honest opinion!), I've been curious about the plans set for her! Will she run a railtour by the end of the year?

 

Any info is appreciated! 

I don’t think cosmetically restored is a very fair summary of all the work carried out on 134. 
 

There was quite a substantial electrical and mechanical overhaul done on this loco much to the credit of the team responsible for all the hard work. 

[228RiverOwenboy]

On 30/8/2022 at 3:52 PM, DoctorPan said:

Currently awaiting driver training and trial running before she can haul a railtour.

Ah, lovely to hear! I wonder if she'll be able to run under her own power publicly by the end of the year... 

While 134 is fully done up, poor 124 sadly rots away under tarp along with other rolling stock within Moyasta, Co. Clare - it's a sad fate, that only surviving Mark 3 DVT's body is now corroding from the elements! I genuinely wish they were in a better place...

[Garfield]

13 hours ago, 228RiverOwenboy said:

...While 134 is fully done up, poor 124 sadly rots away under tarp along with other rolling stock within Moyasta, Co. Clare - it's a sad fate, that only surviving Mark 3 DVT's body is now corroding from the elements! I genuinely wish they were in a better place...

If a better place was available, then they'd be there.

[Mike Beckett]

14 hours ago, 228RiverOwenboy said:

Ah, lovely to hear! I wonder if she'll be able to run under her own power publicly by the end of the year... 

While 134 is fully done up, poor 124 sadly rots away under tarp along with other rolling stock within Moyasta, Co. Clare - it's a sad fate, that only surviving Mark 3 DVT's body is now corroding from the elements! I genuinely wish they were in a better place...

So do I, but I’m too busy struggling with our existing locos.

More people need to care and need to contribute if a difference is to be made. Opining on forums and Facebook doesn’t translate into contributions of time and money. If it did, we’d be sorted.

[228RiverOwenboy]

On 2/9/2022 at 11:31 AM, Mike Beckett said:

So do I, but I’m too busy struggling with our existing locos.

More people need to care and need to contribute if a difference is to be made. Opining on forums and Facebook doesn’t translate into contributions of time and money. If it did, we’d be sorted.

It is hard to maintain these locos with only a handful of people, and I understand that entirely. It's just sad that some people have no respect for other's property and proceed to vandalise it without a care in the world. The poor things either have smashed windows, doused in graffiti or have missing parts.

[Mike Beckett]

On 3/9/2022 at 1:48 PM, 228RiverOwenboy said:

It is hard to maintain these locos with only a handful of people, and I understand that entirely. It's just sad that some people have no respect for other's property and proceed to vandalise it without a care in the world. The poor things either have smashed windows, doused in graffiti or have missing parts.

Yeah, and I wasn't being personal with my remark, I didn't mean you - just the ratio of do-ers to wibblers is way off in this country. It's heartbreaking sometimes.

Though I really do want 124, it would go well with 146 & co...

[Branchline121]

Did driver training ever happen or is B134 still dormant in Inchicore, or even a run of the engine? Is it almost time for B134 to be back on the main line or is it still a while till we see any activity? I hope it’s out soon ‘cuz I can’t wait to see it!

[228RiverOwenboy]

That's what I'm wondering haha... Hope they don't treat her like B141; used her once for a railtour and let it sit in a shed... 

I personally think that the colour scheme was a little unwise... As a lot of dirt/dust will make it look like a weathered silver A Class!

[Sean]

I would have liked to have seen her out in the modern grey livery.

didnt like it at first but then i did. thought the same about the delivery grey livery.

[jhb171achill]

The "delivery grey" was an utterly impractical livery - bear in mind when they went into traffic they were surrounded by black smoke belching A & C class Crossleyfailures and still quite a few steam engines! Both of which added to their cosmetic woes.......

 

[leslie10646]

1 hour ago, jhb171achill said:

The "delivery grey" was an utterly impractical livery - bear in mind when they went into traffic they were surrounded by black smoke belching A & C class Crossleyfailures and still quite a few steam engines! Both of which added to their cosmetic woes.......

 

Rhubarb, JB!

Take a look at this sister after a couple of years. March 1963. Almost like new!                                      Lance King 23 March 1963 Copyright IRRS

[jhb171achill]

8 minutes ago, leslie10646 said:

Rhubarb, JB!

Take a look at this sister after a couple of years. March 1963. Almost like new!                                      Lance King 23 March 1963 Copyright IRRS

Ah, but you haven't seen the OTHER side, Leslie..................................... 

[leslie10646]

Round objects.

Produce the evidence!

[Mayner]

13 hours ago, jhb171achill said:

The "delivery grey" was an utterly impractical livery - bear in mind when they went into traffic they were surrounded by black smoke belching A & C class Crossleyfailures and still quite a few steam engines! Both of which added to their cosmetic woes.......

 

I always thought the as-delivered gray and yellow B121 colour scheme was reasonably practicable like other 1960s "dip job" schemes distinctive and cheaper to apply than the later Black and Tan and Supertrain schemes.

For many years the Louisville & Nashville, the Clinchfield both coal hauling railroads and their successor CSX painted their locos in a light (Confererate) Gray livery similar to the as delivered B121 Class.

The Clinchfield was a steeply graded mountain railroad with many tunnels, while the Mid West/Eastern US climate tends to be drier with less rainfall than Ireland, US locos tend to be covered in a coat of grime in winter time

While the 2 stroke General Motors locos like the Clinchfield F Units did not produce much smoke 4 stroke locos like L&N General electrics like 1481 could put out as much black smoke or clag as a steam loco.

 

 

[Sean]

ive actually seen a few videos of some USA RR with that same livery of grey with yellow railings all over, found it very surprising but cool.

[Broithe]

1 hour ago, Sean said:

ive actually seen a few videos of some USA RR with that same livery of grey with yellow railings all over, found it very surprising but cool.

The US Navy did it for a while.

[228RiverOwenboy]

Still can't get over how gorgeous she looked in May '22... Spanking clean too - a sight I like to see!

Credit - own work

Edited April 2, 2023 by 228RiverOwenboy

[Westcorkrailway]

Hard to believe that was almost a year ago now! 

Edited April 2, 2023 by Westcorkrailway

[228RiverOwenboy]

1 minute ago, Westcorkrailway said:

Hard to believe that was almost a year ago now! 

Indeed! Still curious as to what/how she's doing as we speak...

[Branchline121]

3 hours ago, Broithe said:

The US Navy did it for a while.

The Clinchfield RR also painted their EMDs in a grey and yellow livery (albeit without the stripes):

[228RiverOwenboy]

On the topic of liveries and 121s, that reminded me of something...

In '89, 124 received a "Suburban" livery; essentially the IR (1987) livery but with a dull green stripe. A Mark 3 was also given this treatment, but the livery on that was very short-lived, even shorter than 124's livery. Apparently the idea was a mix of the DART? I'm not too sure, I wouldn't take my word for it, but that's what the description below the original photo had stated.

Does anyone have any more photos of this livery of 124? Perhaps even the unknown Mark 3 that had also received a similar livery?

 

Any info is much appreciated, thank you.

Credit - seagoebox/Michael

Edited April 5, 2023 by 228RiverOwenboy

[the Bandon tank]

Thats  interesting, I never  knew that.

[Westcorkrailway]

3 hours ago, 228RiverOwenboy said:

On the topic of liveries and 121s, that reminded me of something...

In '89, 124 received a "Suburban" livery; essentially the IR (1987) livery but with a dull green stripe. A Mark 3 was also given this treatment, but the livery on that was very short-lived, even shorter than 124's livery. Apparently the idea was a mix of the DART? I'm not too sure, I wouldn't take my word for it, but that's what the description below the original photo had stated.

Does anyone have any more photos of this livery of 124? Perhaps even the unknown Mark 3 that had also received a similar livery?

 

Any info is much appreciated, thank you.

I didn’t know these actually made it out into the wild! 
 

Considering IR tried to do “arrow” railcars to replicate the relitive success as a kind of deisal version of the dart, my understanding is these mark 3 push pull sets would have worked dublin to Drogheada outside of dart range but the green colour would help people accociate it with “commuter” service 

[jhb171achill]

That's a totally new one to me!

Throughout history there have always been one-off livery variations, like a single grey locomotive in GSR times which had "G. S. R." in cream on its tank sides - one of the C&L tanks. Again, short-lived.

I was asked many times about a book on liveries. A nice idea, but the number of one-offs and oddball short-lived things - such as the above - would make such a book simply impossible to be all-encompassing. Include one oddball one, like an NIR Hunslet in tartan for one afternoon, or a Muskerry tank in fluorescent day glow yellow for one hour, or a green CIE carriage with a WHITE flying snail (!) for one minute - and you'll have a clamour of complaint that you didn't include the DART which was painted in invisible paint for two days, or the bright blue Donegal 2.6.4T with white chimney!

So, you stick to main "official" liveries instead. But then, the book is actually not complete...........

If anyone else wants to undertake a publication like that, I'de be delighted to share a large amount of info I've collected over the years, but I wouldn'y have the time now at my state of vintage............!

 

[Ironroad]

49 minutes ago, jhb171achill said:

That's a totally new one to me!

Same here, I was using the commuter services daily in 1989 and never saw the green strip depicted in the photograph above on either a loco or a Mk3 coach.

There is something very odd about that photograph, if that is Connolly station and I think it is,  The footbridge that is visible was removed in the early '80s as part of the renovations made to the station in the early '80s in preparation for the introduction of the DART services and long before introduction of the tippex livery Additionally there are no over head cables visible.   Photoshopped???

 

[Mayner]

5 hours ago, 228RiverOwenboy said:

On the topic of liveries and 121s, that reminded me of something...

In '89, 124 received a "Suburban" livery; essentially the IR (1987) livery but with a dull green stripe. A Mark 3 was also given this treatment, but the livery on that was very short-lived, even shorter than 124's livery. Apparently the idea was a mix of the DART? I'm not too sure, I wouldn't take my word for it, but that's what the description below the original photo had stated.

Does anyone have any more photos of this livery of 124? Perhaps even the unknown Mark 3 that had also received a similar livery?

 

Any info is much appreciated, thank you.

At the time it was planned to introduce the MK3 Push-Pull sets and push pull equipped 121s in a "suburban" livery with a green strips. Nots sure if any Push Pull MK3 received the livery, mentioned in the IRRS Journal and other enthusiasts news letters

[Westcorkrailway]

3 minutes ago, Mayner said:

At the time it was planned to introduce the MK3 Push-Pull sets and push pull equipped 121s in a "suburban" livery with a green strips. Nots sure if any Push Pull MK3 received the livery, mentioned in the IRRS Journal and other enthusiasts news letters

Infairness I have seen photos of a MK3 DVT in inchciore in a livery similar to that one. Still quite different to this 124 livery

[Branchline121]

10 minutes ago, Westcorkrailway said:

Infairness I have seen photos of a MK3 DVT in inchciore in a livery similar to that one. Still quite different to this 124 livery

Here’s the mock-up — on a parade float!

[Westcorkrailway]

3 minutes ago, Branchline121 said:

Here’s the mock-up — on a parade float!

Yes very similar to that but applied across a whole coach! You can see they were clearly wanting a dart branding for normal commuter trains 
 

Aperently it is January of 1989 this livery saw a month of use! 

[Ironroad]

I should apologise. after more research it would appear the footbridge in Connolly Stn was only truncated in the early '80s. From photos posted by Irishwissernie it looks like the section spanning the terminal side of the station may have only been removed as late as 1995. 

[jhb171achill]

2 hours ago, Westcorkrailway said:

Yes very similar to that but applied across a whole coach! You can see they were clearly wanting a dart branding for normal commuter trains 
 

Aperently it is January of 1989 this livery saw a month of use! 

Most interesting!

Yet, a more utterly ridiculous “livery”, I’ve never seen on anything but modern British privatised locos which look like smartie tubes on wheels!

Edited April 5, 2023 by jhb171achill

[GSR 800]

4 hours ago, Ironroad said:

I should apologise. after more research it would appear the footbridge in Connolly Stn was only truncated in the early '80s. From photos posted by Irishwissernie it looks like the section spanning the terminal side of the station may have only been removed as late as 1995. 

Footbridge was truncated over the old CIE lines when the old platform canopy on the CIE side went.

Footbridge over the main terminus was not removed until 1997 (by which stage it looked quite sorry for itself) from pictures I have seen when work was being done to the front of the train shed 

Edited April 5, 2023 by GSR 800

[Mayner]

5 hours ago, Westcorkrailway said:

Yes very similar to that but applied across a whole coach! You can see they were clearly wanting a dart branding for normal commuter trains 
 

Aperently it is January of 1989 this livery saw a month of use! 

The 121 Class hauled push-pull sets were developed possibly as an interim solution for upgrading the rolling stock used on Dublin-Drogheda suburban services after the Government refused to provide funding for IEs proposal to build a fleet of diesel electric railcars to replace loco hauled trains on suburban and branch line/secondary main line services. 

The original intention was to build the MK3 Push-Pull Trailers as diesel-electric railcars, the Push-Pull trailer cars were originally class as Railcar Trailer Cars in the BREL drawings.

The Power Cars were intended to have underfloor power units driving AC traction motors hence the LHB bogies used in the 6 Push-Pull Trailer cars.

In the bigger scheme of things livery used by CIE/IE as a monopoly rail operator is irrelevant in terms of branding or encouraging people to use rail, clean reliable trains that operate on a convenient timetable on a reasonable fare structure are far more important than livery and branding.