Iarnród Éireann DMUs reliveried

[spudfan]

Short article here

Iarnród Éireann DMUs reliveried | News | Railway Gazette International

[Noel]

55 minutes ago, spudfan said:

Short article here

Iarnród Éireann DMUs reliveried | News | Railway Gazette International

Did the 29k not get that new all green livery a few years ago before the pandemic?

[jhb171achill]

13 minutes ago, Noel said:

Did the 29k not get that new all green livery a few years ago before the pandemic?

Most of them did. The last few sets only received it last year, but they've been doing a few at a time for quite a few years now.

 

[hurricanemk1c]

Several sets were painted, but with the slow progress the last sets weren't painted but wrapped in vinyl, hence the article. Although rather late as the last one was done in September from memory

[connollystn]

In my humble opinion it's a horrible livery on an ugly diesel railcar set.

[Noel]

1 hour ago, connollystn said:

In my humble opinion it's a horrible livery on an ugly diesel railcar set.

This was my favourite livery for ugly DMUs here. Bright and visible.

[jhb171achill]

2751 almost ended up in Downpatrick! There's a story behind it............................... (but it wouln't have had that livery for long it it had gone....)

 

[Bob229]

Still like the old DMU,  recently got one from C Dyer very well finished

[Rush and Lusk]

Agree with virtually all on the "current" dark green livery - truly awful. It intrigues me as to how this livery was pitched, evaluated and decided upon within Irish Rail ? - brightly/invitingly coloured vehicles, create a warmer and more positive response from travellers, consciously and unconsciously - these miserable things are just so negative. Urgently need a repaint/wrap 

[Westcorkrailway]

On 25/2/2023 at 11:48 PM, jhb171achill said:

2751 almost ended up in Downpatrick! There's a story behind it............................... (but it wouln't have had that livery for long it it had gone....)

 

Do you know the story JHB or is that something you need a few pints in you to explain first

14 hours ago, Rush and Lusk said:

Agree with virtually all on the "current" dark green livery - truly awful. It intrigues me as to how this livery was pitched, evaluated and decided upon within Irish Rail ? - brightly/invitingly coloured vehicles, create a warmer and more positive response from travellers, consciously and unconsciously - these miserable things are just so negative. Urgently need a repaint/wrap 

I do not mind them so much at all. I was never a fan of the recently gone “claas” green and blue. Obviously the orange livery is the most fun…Albiet unsafe for modern standerds 

[jhb171achill]

9 hours ago, Westcorkrailway said:

Do you know the story JHB or is that something you need a few pints in you to explain first

Without wanting to veer away too much, in the mid 2000s when the 27s were being withdrawn, I was finance officer for the DCDR, and was involved in the transfer of 0.6.0T No. 90, the SLNCR railcar and the remains of two mangy old MGWR six-wheelers to Downpatrick. Being in touch with IE over this matter, I broached the subject of the society getting 2750, 2751 or possibly even both. The background to this was that the DCDR had, at the time, a funding application being put together for a possible extension to dundrum, and it was felt that if this was to come into being, the very severe gradient just south of Ardglass Junction (in the cutting; a quarter mile of one of the steepest gradients in Ireland) plus thee length of line would be too much for maybe a three-coach train in the summer behind a Sugar Co. loco. These things were not made to do a 9 mile return trip.  My query was a general one, and a casual one, but was siezed upon with interest by the folks in IE with whom I was dealing. I relayed this information to the DCDR committee, but as the funding scheme was abandoned shortly afterwards due to a change in personnel in Down District Council (as was), no formal request was ever made to IE.

Bottom line, had things been different, you could have had a 27 from Downpatrick or Inch Abbey to Dundrum...... Mind you, maintenance of these things would have been an unholy nightmare for an organisation like that, for a number of reasons.

 

[Westcorkrailway]

18 minutes ago, jhb171achill said:

Without wanting to veer away too much, in the mid 2000s when the 27s were being withdrawn, I was finance officer for the DCDR, and was involved in the transfer of 0.6.0T No. 90, the SLNCR railcar and the remains of two mangy old MGWR six-wheelers to Downpatrick. Being in touch with IE over this matter, I broached the subject of the society getting 2750, 2751 or possibly even both. The background to this was that the DCDR had, at the time, a funding application being put together for a possible extension to dundrum, and it was felt that if this was to come into being, the very severe gradient just south of Ardglass Junction (in the cutting; a quarter mile of one of the steepest gradients in Ireland) plus thee length of line would be too much for maybe a three-coach train in the summer behind a Sugar Co. loco. These things were not made to do a 9 mile return trip.  My query was a general one, and a casual one, but was siezed upon with interest by the folks in IE with whom I was dealing. I relayed this information to the DCDR committee, but as the funding scheme was abandoned shortly afterwards due to a change in personnel in Down District Council (as was), no formal request was ever made to IE.

Bottom line, had things been different, you could have had a 27 from Downpatrick or Inch Abbey to Dundrum...... Mind you, maintenance of these things would have been an unholy nightmare for an organisation like that, for a number of reasons.

 

One thing is for sure….you possibly would have had a very large pool of spares

Dundrum would have been some distance and that sounds like…quite a steep gradient. The little G class would have no chance 

 

Where was the SLNCR railcar that time? 

[connollystn]

Certainly would have been nice if the DCDR could have gotten their hands on those railcars, don't think they ever operated as intended. Do remember the 2700s breaking down occasionally on the early morning commuter service to Dublin. Thought the seats were more comfortable than those in the Class 2600 which felt as if they were made for small people.

[jhb171achill]

23 minutes ago, Westcorkrailway said:

Dundrum would have been some distance and that sounds like…quite a steep gradient. The little G class would have no chance 

Where was the SLNCR railcar that time? 

It was already at Downpatrick but nothing short of a total rebuild will sort that one out - PLUS a new engine.

[Mike Beckett]

13 hours ago, jhb171achill said:

It was already at Downpatrick but nothing short of a total rebuild will sort that one out - PLUS a new engine.

This year we might get new tarps over the wreck. That is the limit of what we can afford for manpower and expense.

£900-£1000 to properly cover it. This might give insights into the challenges facing a small railway with eff all support. We have to focus on rolling stock or locos that will actually carry passengers sometime in the next X years.

[Westcorkrailway]

42 minutes ago, Mike Beckett said:

This year we might get new tarps over the wreck. That is the limit of what we can afford for manpower and expense.

£900-£1000 to properly cover it. This might give insights into the challenges facing a small railway with eff all support. We have to focus on rolling stock or locos that will actually carry passengers sometime in the next X years.

Fair enough, although I suppose that’s bad news for 6111 (I guess I’ll have to drive up the downpatrick every weekend personally for that one )

[jhb171achill]

9 minutes ago, Westcorkrailway said:

Fair enough, although I suppose that’s bad news for 6111 (I guess I’ll have to drive up the downpatrick every weekend personally for that one )

In all reality, as Mike implies, a preservation body must acquire what it can and when it can. Not everything will end up being restored for a whole range of reasons. Between Downpatrick and the RPSI, spanning my almost fifty years in preservation, I could mention various vehicles which either fell to bits (wooden coaches / wagons) were burnt by vandals, which (correctly) took a back seat because they were far too expensive to restore / rebuild, too much highly specialised manpower / maintenance needed, of little or no historic value (e.g. yet another Mk 2, for example), would not ever be of any benefit to the organisation concerned, and a host of other reasons. In an ideal world everything acquired would be preserved (and in the correct livery!) but the world’s not perfect, and preservationists have yet to discover how to get 25 hours into a day, nine days into a week, a decade into a year or how to obtain goods and services worth €1,000 with a fifty cent coin!

Yes, SLNCR “B” and 6111 (especially the latter) may indeed never run again - but look at the stuff we DO have! As Mike says, the operational stuff MUST take priority, always.

I lament the fact that no preserved MGWR locomotive exists. Yet, not one person has ever died, become injured or disadvantaged in any way as a result!

As always in preservation, cold hard practicality MUST prevail over our emotional attachment to what a senior RPSI steam locomotive person once described as “obsolete, redundant equipment“ when being badgered by people as to when a particular locomotive was going to return to traffic….

[Westcorkrailway]

25 minutes ago, jhb171achill said:

In all reality, as Mike implies, a preservation body must acquire what it can and when it can. Not everything will end up being restored for a whole range of reasons. Between Downpatrick and the RPSI, spanning my almost fifty years in preservation, I could mention various vehicles which either fell to bits (wooden coaches / wagons) were burnt by vandals, which (correctly) took a back seat because they were far too expensive to restore / rebuild, too much highly specialised manpower / maintenance needed, of little or no historic value (e.g. yet another Mk 2, for example), would not ever be of any benefit to the organisation concerned, and a host of other reasons. In an ideal world everything acquired would be preserved (and in the correct livery!) but the world’s not perfect, and preservationists have yet to discover how to get 25 hours into a day, nine days into a week, a decade into a year or how to obtain goods and services worth €1,000 with a fifty cent coin!

Yes, SLNCR “B” and 6111 (especially the latter) may indeed never run again - but look at the stuff we DO have! As Mike says, the operational stuff MUST take priority, always.

I lament the fact that no preserved MGWR locomotive exists. Yet, not one person has ever died, become injured or disadvantaged in any way as a result!

As always in preservation, cold hard practicality MUST prevail over our emotional attachment to what a senior RPSI steam locomotive person once described as “obsolete, redundant equipment“ when being badgered by people as to when a particular locomotive was going to return to traffic….

There is an awful lot of calls asking for a new build J26 but WHO is gonna pay for that. 
 

And something I’ve learned with the mark 2 situation is not all coaches are equal in the eyes of the mechanic. Most suggesting a 6 wheeler would be easier to restore!

[jhb171achill]

48 minutes ago, Westcorkrailway said:

There is an awful lot of calls asking for a new build J26 but WHO is gonna pay for that. 
 

And something I’ve learned with the mark 2 situation is not all coaches are equal in the eyes of the mechanic. Most suggesting a 6 wheeler would be easier to restore!

Well, it would - it’s just a wooden box on wheels. No bogies to worry about either…..

[Mike Beckett]

1 hour ago, Westcorkrailway said:

Fair enough, although I suppose that’s bad news for 6111 (I guess I’ll have to drive up the downpatrick every weekend personally for that one )

611111111 will also be tarped. So £2000 on tarps and straps. 

[Westcorkrailway]

611111111 is how much it will cost to fix  it 

[jhb171achill]

48 minutes ago, Westcorkrailway said:

611111111 is how much it will cost to fix  it 

In millions, yes.