Orange 201's

[Seanw12]

I was in dublin yesterday and got this vid of what I think 7 orange 201's,if anyone knows what's going to happen to them please tell me.

Sean. [video=youtube_share;My_uhxdxsFI]

[Niles]

Sorry meant the regular mk3s with regard to the aircon. As for keeping a rake of coaches just for the two 141s, you wouldn't make enough money to keep it going. The enthusiast market isn't big enough to sustain more than at most 2/3 enthusiast trips a year, I recall that when the ITG went for mainline running with A3r and A39, they found support dwindled after the first tour, and it wasn't sustainable for a second year. Far easier to run the 141s with Cravens/Mk2/Heritage stock which can earn its keep on the steam trips (which the general public will support).

 

There's also the matter of volunteers, the RPSI have barely enough volunteers to keep its existing fleet going, never mind an additional mk3 rake.

[201bhoy]

Bottom Line now is' date=' we have gone from the most comfortible and smooth running rolling to stock to poor quality PLASTIC!![/quote']

 

Yeah, I had a lovely run on the mk2s from belfast to dublin behind 217 back in the day, but one of my great regrets is that I never travelled on the mk3s

[jhb171achill]

The RPSI (or for that matter, the DCDR or ITG) will willingly co-operate, as it were, with anyone... However, the issue inevitably is that the "preservation equation" comes into play:

 

Low Volunteer Numbers + Barely Adequate Finances* + Tiny Enthusiast Market in Ireland = Run What You Can Manage To Turn Out.**

 

 

* Lower public market than in, say GB; less grants post-recession - not that any organisation can rely on grants to survive, no financially viable enthusiast market, high operational costs.

 

**. Rather than what us enthusiasts might like in an ideal world!