Your Top 5 Irish locos of all time.

[Mayner]

Its a great reference I came across it by accident while looking for a photo of the 500s.

 

Those small wheeled Coey D4 4-4-0s had such a massive powerfull modern look compared to the large wheeled version the D10-12.

 

If you want ugly look at the inside cylinder Coey Moguls http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/18279129_TbnP49#!i=1744829413&k=wN8vPQG&lb=1&s=L.

 

John

[heirflick]

another great pic mayner! to me there is no such thing as an ugly steamer- even this has a certain attraction!

 

 

[Mayner]

another great pic mayner! to me there is no such thing as an ugly steamer- even this has a certain attraction!

 

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]1326[/ATTACH]

 

Your warped like poor old 356

[heirflick]

yep, thats me! you have to admit that 356 would make an interesting feature on a layout!

[Weshty]

another great pic mayner! to me there is no such thing as an ugly steamer- even this has a certain attraction!

 

Jayzus Heirflick, you've obviously never been in Sacks Hotel of a Thursday night back in the early 90's.

[Horsetan]

....356 would make an interesting feature on a layout!

 

Not sure if it's true or not, but when 356's tender became dirty, the cleaners allegedly only cleaned some of the lettering on it, so it read:

 

"C I E

 

...MENTAL TURF BURNING LOCOMOTIVE"

 

[WRENNEIRE]

Another Turfburner

 

 

 

 

[heirflick]

dave, tell us more about this little beauty pleasae...a fine piece of workmanship

[Guest hidden-agenda]

Lovely piece of work Dave any chance you can show a pic of the other side and a pic of the ends please.

[WRENNEIRE]

Gaz

I will get you some more pics and info during the week

She is mounted on a Kato SD45 chassis

[Weshty]

Mighty class of a yoke there Dave, another special commission?

[Horsetan]

Mighty class of a yoke there Dave, another special commission?

 

I'm hoping his next one will be powered by microturf!

[Midland Man]

I though it would be nice to bring this back. To see...

1. If the original people on this topic changed there favorites.

2. So new members (like me) can put a list of there favorite engines.

So here is my top 5 list of favorite engines.

5. East Indian railway 2-2-2 Fairy queen. (This is preserved thankfully)

 

4. MGWR G2 Tender engine 654 Clara 2-4-0.

3. MGWR B class 0-6-0.

2. GSWR E4 0-4-4.

1.WTR 2-2-2 Number 1 (GSR 483)

Engines that should be mentioned.

D&B number 9 2-4-2

MGWR C class 4-4-0

K3 2-6-0 inside cylinders

SLNCR Sir Henry 0-6-4

NCC 4-4-0 number 55 

Things I hate and would scrap

BCDR Baltic tanks.

850 2-6-2 (let's be fair it was unsuccessful) 

Leaders/Turf burners

Great Bear 4-6-2.

Hope you all 

MM

 

 

 

[hexagon789]

1. 071 Class

2. 141 Class

3. "A" Class

4. 121 Class

5. Modern IÉ 201 Class

 

Which is interesting because if you'd asked me when I first became interested in Irish Railways, the IÉ 201 Class in as delivered livery would've been no. 1!

[airfixfan]

Locos as follows,;

1 LLSR 4-8-4

2 CDRJC 4-6-4T

3 LMS NCC 2-6-0

4 LLSR 4-8-0

GNR VS 207

[Galteemore]

SLNC ‘Sir Henry’

GSWR D19 class

GNRI PP class

NCC ‘S’ class (3’ gauge)

BCDR 2-4-0 No 6

 

[Noel]

On 6/24/2012 at 5:09 AM, heirflick said:

another great pic mayner! to me there is no such thing as an ugly steamer- even this has a certain attraction!

 

 

 

Like the two torpedo tubes

[jhb171achill]

In no specific order:

1.  GSR B1a 4.6.0 No. 800 "Maedb". I'd settle for 801/2 also!

2.  London & South Western 4.4.2T "Radial" tank engine.

3.  MGWR D16 4.4.0 "Achill Bogies"

4.  Isle of Man Nos. 4 & 5 "Loch" & "Mona"

5.  Indonesian State Railways 60-class or B50 class 2.4.0 tender engines.

I would have to add a few "also-rans":

1.  GSWR J15 0.6.0s for sheer hard work and availability.

2.  CDRJC Class 5A 2.6.4T tank engines.

3.  LLSR 4.8.4Ts, for sheer brute force.

4.  Indian standard design metre gauge YP and YG classes.

5.  South African 19D, 24 and 15CA classes. (OK, that's three.....)

And a final special mention for the GNR's "S" class 4.4.0s.

[leslie10646]

Desert Island Trains (a copy of my offering to the RPSI e-mails)

To start at the beginning: I was born within whistle-sound of the GNR(I), so I suppose that had an effect? When I was still a babe in arms I would be held up to look down over the fields to Richhill station to see the trains depart from the little station there. I am using the Lockdown to try and complete my model of the station in my loft – it sits under the original signal cabin diagram.

The first loco which I was aware of was No.83 Eagle which hauled us from Portadown to Belfast, but it is the VS Class which is my first Desert Island loco and I suppose No.207 Boyne, on which Ned O’Hara gave me a footplate ride from Goraghwood to Portadown in 1964. It’s hard to explain exactly why, but the smoke deflectors gave them a certain something and they certainly were fine engines.

My first railtour was Class PP No.42 (UTA number) on an IRRS tour to Coalisland and Omagh – the start of a lifetime of enthusiast travel.

I often say that if the NCC men of the 1960s, led by the estimable Frank Dunlop, hadn’t been such fine enginemen, giving me many memorable runs, I wouldn’t have spent my life travelling the world, timing steam trains. So, bless the memory of a remarkable bunch of drivers and their equally remarkable young firemen. Class WT No.10 (which gave me my fastest speed with steam in Ireland) has to join No.207 on the Island as well.

1967 saw me move to England and I managed 10,000 miles on Southern steam, so obviously a Bulleid Pacific is another Desert Island loco – never quite got the ton, but 35028 Clan Line gave me 97mph one morning near Winchfield – so that’s were my ashes will go! Norman Foster and David Houston were on the same train! My younger son, Oliver, was named for the designer!

1969 saw my first visit to West Germany and an introduction to the oil-burning 01.10 Pacifics. The following year I went to Hamburg and enjoyed endless (VERY) noisy running at 80mph with them. There was one train from Hamburg in the afternoon to Kiel – four sections of roughly twenty miles and sharply-timed. Almost every run saw a jet engine roar up to 80mph and hard braking to the next stop, often averaging mile a minute. Definitely another engine for the list!

Family life began in the early 1970s, so there was no money for travels to East Germany, as many another Irish timer did – I did manage a steam run on the Dresden line as part of my honeymoon!

Family holidays were often spent in North Wales (for cheapness) and much travel on the Ffestiniog Railway. My sons have travelled hundreds of miles on that railway and I was commanded by my elder son to come to Wales to accompany my grandson on his first run on the line. Oliver went one better, by proposing to his wife on the Cob at Porthmadog. So, the little tender tank engine Linda is another Desert Island engine – the family’s favourite. – good for about 20mph on a good day!

In the mid-1980s, British Rail ran a series of Sunday Luncheon Trains The Shakespeare Express from London Marylebone to Stratford upon Avon. In those days, it was local men who drove steam on a volunteer basis, so these were guys who drove diesel railcars during the week.  One of the firemen was Richard Rogers, son of the pre-War NCC driver.

At the time, I was flush enough to travel on almost every train – ah, there’s a thought – use the Lockdown to write the logs up properly. Anyway, a galaxy of locos worked the trains, but easily the cream of the crop was 46227 Duchess of Hamilton. One Sunday, the Inspector decided that it was perfect conditions to try and get over Saunderton Bank with a minimum speed of 75mph (I should mention that there was a 60mph limit on steam at the time!). Restarting from the High Wycombe stop and once we were off the 45mph curves the sound level went off the dial and we topped the climb at 74mph – setting a new horsepower record for British steam in the process. So, the Duchess is another engine for the Desert Island.

On another occasion, Flying Scotsman worked the outbound trip and Mallard the return. William and I were on the train and afterwards spent an hour on the A4’s footplate doing some very rare track – including turning on the Marylebone turntable. So, Mallard has to join me on the Island – well, actually pretty well any Class A4 would do!

A couple of years later, I took William out to Vienna for the weekend to do 90mph with steam – this time behind 18.201, an East German hybrid pacific. The crew so forgot themselves that we did 100mph for 400 metres. William, at 45 years old now ((he was twelve then), remains, I think, the youngest person alive to have stopwatch-timed a speed in the high nineties with steam. He only made it 98mph! So, 18.201 is on the list.

Fast forward to my retirement year (1996) and I participated (and timed about 60% of) Tim Littler’s ground-breaking Trans Siberian tour. Just 76 different steam locos used between Berlin and Vladivostok. After a month, the Russian L Class 2-10-0s became my most numerous Class for travel (53 locos, now after a further trip, it’s about 75 of them). So, an L Class is on the list.

Finally, my two years in Hong Kong saw me travel extensively in China. I travelled behind 85 different members of the QJ Class 2-10-0s. So I’ll have one of those too, please.

Finally, the best comes at the end. I have helped, with The Syndicate, to raise a few quid for the Society and once presented Peter Scott with a cheque for a couple of Grand and asked him to get No.171 running again before I die. It’s still my fervent wish.

The numerate among you will have noted that I’ve gone past the “Eight Records” allowed by the BBC and even the Top Ten Locos suggested originally. I should explain that I was thrown out of Uni because of my poor Maths.

Finally, that Desert Island Book. It has to be Tales of the Glasgow and South Western Railway by David L Smith. Less than eighty pages, but a sheer joy to read. My copy has been to Vladivostok and Hong Kong. So, incidentally has Mac Arnold’s Golden Years of the GNR – it would be hard to choose between them!

I’ll do another epistle with top ten journeys when I have a moment to spare and tell you what I’d use a Time Machine for …..

Keep well.

Leslie

 

 

[David Holman]

Good to see Sir Henry getting plenty of votes and likewise the Swilly 4-8-4Ts. A little surprised the GNRI S class not mentioned more, or anything in that fabulous blue livery. For sheer charm, Argadeen, the little 2-6-0T on the T&C is on my list, likewise the Achill bogies in original form.

 

[hexagon789]

Seeing as others have included non-Irish classes, can I do another list of 5 non-Irish locos?

 

1. BR Class 87 "Electric Scot"

2. SNCF CC7100 electric

3. DB Class 103 electric

4. BR Class 55 "Deltic"

5. LNER A4 pacific "Streaks"

 

(And yes, I do have an obsession with speed and power! ;))

 

 

[Liam_Murph]

Not all Irish but I will take artistic licence:

1. 121 Class (one of my first memories as a child is of being given a cab ride in one of these in Waterford)

2. Black 5 (First steam locomotive I ever saw in Carlisle station in the 90s; I really like their unassuming but quietly elegant aesthetic at the same time)

3. Finnish Hr1 "Ukko-Pekka" pacifics (Still a load of these in Finland although only a couple have running the last few years. They make the A1/3s in the UK look relatively small....)

4. Finnish Dr14 (These diesel shunters pass my apartment everyday with various timber trains or empty wagon movements)

5. 141/181s (another childhood memory filler; saw them on the beet trains every morning when walking to school during the beet season in Waterford)

Edited June 16, 2020 by Liam_Murph

[jhb171achill]

20 hours ago, leslie10646 said:

 

I’ll do another epistle with top ten journeys when I have a moment to spare and tell you what I’d use a Time Machine for …..

Keep well.

Leslie

During my RPSI Treasurer years, I remember Leslie’s “Syndicate” sending not just that ONE cheque, but quite a few!

All hugely valuable and appreciated!

Now, top ten JOURNEYS!! Now there’s a thing....

Overnight steam across the Montagu Pass  and the Cape Town - Port Elizabeth line in South Africa in the 1970s has to top MY list!

My DIESEL list of locos wouldn’t be big!

1. 141s

2. 121s

3. South African Class 91 narrow gauge

4. The four 1960s Majorcan 1100 class Bo-Bos. Almost like a 3ft gauge A class....

 

I don’t even have a fifth diesel!

[Midland Man]

Just now, David Holman said:

Good to see Sir Henry getting plenty of votes and likewise the Swilly 4-8-4Ts. A little surprised the GNRI S class not mentioned more, or anything in that fabulous blue livery. For sheer charm, Argadeen, the little 2-6-0T on the T&C is on my list, likewise the Achill bogies in original form.

 

I always loved Argadeen but found it hard to put it into my list. You could probally build it using a jintie chassis. Mite build it (let me reprise myself try and build it)

MM

Edited June 16, 2020 by Midland Man

[leslie10646]

It would be hard to argue with Mr B re an overnight trip behind steam in South Africa - I once sat up all night timing De Aar to Capetown - boy was I knackered next day!

Now, for a younger man's taste in locos, Hexagon's list would be hard to beat.

A Class 87 gave me my only sub-five hour loco-hauled trip London to Glasgow - arriving fifteen minutes early in roughly 4hrs 45mins (first week of electrics to Glasgow and on The Royal Scot);

I'm not familiar with the French job, but the 103 Class on DB are imposing, fast machines and looked terrific with a train of red / cream TEE coaches

The Deltic and the A4 speak for themselves

11 minutes ago, Midland Man said:

I always loved Argadeen but found it hard to put it into my list. You could probally build it using a jintie chassis. Mite build it (let me reprise myself try and build it)

MM

I never saw her, but I've seen both her nameplates and have held the one which the RPSI museum now has - that nearly counts?

Mr Holman lists locos which have undoubted charm, but this particular Philistine is into brute force, noise and speed.

[Galteemore]

In terms of rail journeys, this would be some crack - the Khyber Pass...

 

 

[hexagon789]

35 minutes ago, jhb171achill said:

The four 1960s Majorcan 1100 class Bo-Bos.

 

Sounds interesting, I'm only familiar with the DMUs/Railcars of the non-electrified system pre-metric conversion, any idea of the power or manufacturer?

 

14 minutes ago, Galteemore said:

In terms of rail journeys, this would be some crack - the Khyber Pass...

 

 

 

I'm reminded of an episode of Great Railway Journeys, journalist Mark Tully I think it was undertook several journeys across Pakistan, including a steam tour up the Khyber Pass and a steam-hailed freight across the desert, that photo is very evocative of the geography out that way.

 

21 minutes ago, leslie10646 said:

A Class 87 gave me my only sub-five hour loco-hauled trip London to Glasgow - arriving fifteen minutes early in roughly 4hrs 45mins (first week of electrics to Glasgow and on The Royal Scot);

The timing was 6 hours with one stop in 1973 - 86 to Preston and double 50s north.

In one fell swoop the 87s cut it to 5 hours, no increase in speed limits simply the reduction in the Preston stop dwell and the ability to hold 90mph up Shap!

The fastest ever booked timing with loco-haulage was in 1992, Class 87+Mk3, three stops and 110mph running - 4hrs 43 mins (85mph average).

 

24 minutes ago, leslie10646 said:

I'm not familiar with the French job

They were the class which broke the 200mph barrier in 1955 reaching 331km/h (206mph) on a test run. I also love the simple styling, rather like the French cassé nez designs, you just know it's French!

Give us tick and I'll find a picture of one

[NIRCLASS80]

1. EMD 071/111 Class

2. GMD/EMD SD40-2  The workhorse of North America for 20 years but many still going after over 40 years in service.

 

[hexagon789]

@leslie10646 the SNCF CC7100 Class:

3,490kW; 150km/h 

And the famous high-speed run:

 

Edited June 16, 2020 by hexagon789

[Noel]

1. 800 class steam
2. EMD/GM 121 CIE
3. EMD/GM 141 CIE
4. EMD/GM 181 CIE
5. EMD/GM 071 CIE/IR
6. J15 class steam
7. MV 201/C class CIE
8. MV 001/A class CIE
9. Sulzer 101 class
10. Sulzer 113 class

[hexagon789]

13 minutes ago, Noel said:

1. 800 class steam
2. EMD/GM 121 CIE
3. EMD/GM 141 CIE
4. EMD/GM 181 CIE
5. EMD/GM 071 CIE/IR
6. J15 class steam
7. MV 201/C class CIE
8. MV 001/A class CIE
9. Sulzer 101 class
10. Sulzer 113 class

A nice selection of motive power there, the only class I'm not familiar with is the J15, but then I'm not really au fait with Irish steam in general save the GSR B1a/800 Class.

[David Holman]

This is turning into a fun exercise. Five non Irish locos?

Deltic - gave me my best stop watch trip the ECML. Aberdeen mail, 15 on and Grantham to Newark, 15 miles in just over 12 minutes, start to stop. The howl of the twin engines through Peascliffe tunnel was astonishing!

9F 2-10-0

Denver and Rio Grande 2-8-2s

A Chapelon pacific

Any Shay logging engine, but the 3' gauge one I had a cab ride on at the Forest Museum, Vancouver Island was very special.

 

 

[jhb171achill]

2 hours ago, hexagon789 said:

 

Sounds interesting, I'm only familiar with the DMUs/Railcars of the non-electrified system pre-metric conversion, any idea of the power or manufacturer?

 

 

I'm reminded of an episode of Great Railway Journeys, journalist Mark Tully I think it was undertook several journeys across Pakistan, including a steam tour up the Khyber Pass and a steam-hailed freight across the desert, that photo is very evocative of the geography out that way.

 

 

The Majorcan diesels were, for the 3ft gauge, huge beasts indeed. Four were built about 1959 by Creusot, but when the railcars arrived to on the CFM system, there was little for them to do. They were 675hp, numbered 1101-4. they could do 70km/h but the track then would barely have allowed 45kp/h! No. 1102 shown below, with a ridiculously small load for it, en route in 1960 from Palma along the soon-to-be-closed Santany branch.

The last steam locos were withdrawn about 1964 and these things were left to haul 3 or 4 coach local trains. Hardly surprisingly, by 1965 two went back to the mainland, their subsequent fate unknown; the metre gauge lines on mainland Spain had more of them, so they must have disappeared among them. When goods ended in 1967 and two long branch lines had closed, there was nothing for them to do. They were noted out of use as late as 1974, but appear top have been scrapped soon after. 

 

Regarding the Khyber Pass, with the famous Beyer, Peacock 0.6.0s, 4.4.0s and 2.8.0s, I almost did that one in 1978. I could kick myself now for passing up the opportunity!

Edited June 16, 2020 by jhb171achill

[irishthump]

16 minutes ago, David Holman said:

This is turning into a fun exercise. Five non Irish locos?

 

EMD F7

EMD GP7

BR Deltic

BR Class 08

Soviet M62

 

[hexagon789]

11 minutes ago, David Holman said:

This is turning into a fun exercise. Five non Irish locos?

Deltic - gave me my best stop watch trip the ECML. Aberdeen mail, 15 on and Grantham to Newark, 15 miles in just over 12 minutes, start to stop. The howl of the twin engines through Peascliffe tunnel was astonishing!

If I may offer another piece of data which cements the Deltic's place as the top dog of British diesels? Only two years before they were withdrawn, one of the few top ECML expresses which had not become an HST, the Hull Executive was retimed in 1979, departing from King's Cross it's first booked call was Retford, 138 miles, 49 chains up the line in a blistering 91 minutes, a start-to-stop average of 91.3mph!

And that was based on only 100mph maximum running, though 55s were capable of plenty more in their twilight years after the traction motors were beefed up accordingly.