NIR 101 class ... post Enterprise

[T_Bois]

Hello there, 

I'm doing some research into a couple of Irish railway related topics with a view to future modelling scenarios, one of which is as to what the old NIR 101 locomotives used to get up to after they were kicked off regular Enterprise duties by 111 and 112 in early 1981?

Firstly during the period when there were only 2 x 111 class between Feb 1981 and Aug 1984 ... how often would the 101's deputise on the Enterprise. There were 2 x NIR diagrams so presume this would have been semi regular with failures and exams on 111 and 112 ? I recall seeing 101 on the Enterprise at Dundalk during one of my visits to my Grandparents in 1983.

Other question on the NIR 101 class ... how often did they work on the Portadown - Bangor circuit along with the multiple units? I've seen a fair few photos but no idea if this was a daily or occasional occurrence in the 1980's. Also did they ever get to Derry, Portrush or Larne working amongst the DMU's or was it pretty solid Bangor only?

Cheers in advance if anyone can shed any light.

TB

[jhb171achill]

21 hours ago, T_Bois said:

Hello there, 

I'm doing some research into a couple of Irish railway related topics with a view to future modelling scenarios, one of which is as to what the old NIR 101 locomotives used to get up to after they were kicked off regular Enterprise duties by 111 and 112 in early 1981?

Firstly during the period when there were only 2 x 111 class between Feb 1981 and Aug 1984 ... how often would the 101's deputise on the Enterprise. There were 2 x NIR diagrams so presume this would have been semi regular with failures and exams on 111 and 112 ? I recall seeing 101 on the Enterprise at Dundalk during one of my visits to my Grandparents in 1983.

Other question on the NIR 101 class ... how often did they work on the Portadown - Bangor circuit along with the multiple units? I've seen a fair few photos but no idea if this was a daily or occasional occurrence in the 1980's. Also did they ever get to Derry, Portrush or Larne working amongst the DMU's or was it pretty solid Bangor only?

Cheers in advance if anyone can shed any light.

TB

Mostly ballast, but rare passenger turns. Of the passenger turns they did, most would have been Enterprise or rugby specials, but they had become unreliable. 103 was a lost cause, almost never used and set aside. They also shunted Adelaide goods yard, especially 102 which was the only one to get the darker blue livery (despite being withdrawn not long afterwards).

At least one got to Derry, I’ve been told - though I am not able to verify this. 101 did a few runs between Bangor & Portadown at the end; I was on it one evening as it pushed a scruffy three-car set of Mk 2s (only one in the latest livery). It was meant to do all stops Central - PDN and back, but it threw its toys out of the pram when it got to Portadown and I don’t think it ever ran again. After that, 102, minus vacuum bags, shunted Adelaide on and off - with a Dundalk 141 filling in when it was ill. By this stage, ballast was in the hands of 111s.

[LARNE CABIN]

18 minutes ago, jhb171achill said:

At least one got to Derry, I’ve been told - though I am not able to verify this. 

Page 35, Sam Somerville's Rail Runabout, "An unidentified Hunslet locomotive propels it's short train into Belfast Central station from Central Services Depot prior to forming a down service to Londonderry". (September 1984).

[Blaine]

They did get to Derry at least once, a pair visited with a rake of Ferts but this may have been in lieu of a 141/181 or two. There was a video on youtube but sadly gone

Also the first 'farewell' tour featured 101 from Coleraine to Derry, along with plenty of other things from 3 decades ago 

 

 

[jhb171achill]

Now that you mention it, yes, they turned up in Derry with the CIE goods - possibly more than once?

[airfixfan]

The Hunslets made it to Derry more than once with goods trains and/or Fert Specials.

[jhb171achill]

9 minutes ago, airfixfan said:

The Hunslets made it to Derry more than once with goods trains and/or Fert Specials.

And double headed once on a goods - yes?

[MOGUL]

8 minutes ago, jhb171achill said:

And double headed once on a goods - yes?

There was an article about Castlerock in the IRRS journal a couple of years back that mentioned and might even had a pic of a 101 and a MV/ c class double heading a fertiliser..

Will see if I can find which journal it was

[jhb171achill]

2 minutes ago, MOGUL said:

There was an article about Castlerock in the IRRS journal a couple of years back that mentioned and might even had a pic of a 101 and a MV/ c class double heading a fertiliser..

 

That would be VERY rare!!!! I didn't think they were compatible? Had one failed (inevitably, the Hunslet) and the other was rescuing it?

 

[T_Bois]

All, Many thanks for the info so far, all useful stuff.

I actually remember the farewell tour in the video clip, quite a few folks I knew in England were on it, I was probably 6 months or so too young for heading off on overnight trips etc on my own!

Grateful for any more snippets.

TB

[airfixfan]

Yes double headed at least once. Only ever saw one Hunslet hauled train on the Larne Line rescuing a failed MPD set with passengers!

[Mike Beckett]

I saw a pair of Hunslets on the Derry fertilisers pass my school at least once back in my youth. Probably should have paid more attention to maths and less to the railway line.

[LARNE CABIN]

Page 67, Jonathan Allen's 35 Years of NIR, 101 entering Waterside Station on 9th August 1983. Mark 2Bs in blue/light grey livery as per IRM models eagerly awaited.

[Niles]

20 hours ago, MOGUL said:

There was an article about Castlerock in the IRRS journal a couple of years back that mentioned and might even had a pic of a 101 and a MV/ c class double heading a fertiliser..

Will see if I can find which journal it was

Pretty certain I've seen a pic of a MV/C and a Hunslet double heading on one of the early ITG tours (I presume two drivers).

[hexagon789]

On 6/10/2022 at 4:13 PM, LARNE CABIN said:

Page 67, Jonathan Allen's 35 Years of NIR, 101 entering Waterside Station on 9th August 1983. Mark 2Bs in blue/light grey livery as per IRM models eagerly awaited.

Jonathan Allen has an excellent flickr account, including several photos of Hunslets on all sorts of workings: https://www.flickr.com/people/152343870@N07/

[airfixfan]

Photo of Castlerock

Edited October 16, 2022 by airfixfan