irishrail201 Posted February 26, 2015 Posted February 26, 2015 Hi folks the up to date position. Our impromptu Grouping met a month ago in Tralee and held a Meeting .What followed that day was a photo taken with our Town Engineer and a marvellous article in The Kerryman Newspaper by marisa reidy see link attached http://www.independent.ie/regionals/kerryman/lifestyle/we-want-to-get-our-train-back-on-track-30943062.html , which ( excuse the pun ) helped set off a head of steam , for the regenerated Campaign. The Blennerville Windmill Company controls the Steam Railway facility - dormant now for nearly seven years. The informal group met on the 21st Feb in Tralee and following a short Meeting, visited The Blennerville facility and then walked the Rail Line, including an evaluation of the track with sleeper inspection and rail inspection. All is not as worse feared, and is very easily rectified. At 4.15pm , we then met Jim Finucane, MCC & Tralee District Mayor. He was accompanied by John Griffin , representing KCC who has a proven record, going all the way back to the original Project in getting The Tralee - Blennerville Steam Line , up in running in 1995. We have had, what we describe, as a preliminary sounding out Meeting .We will meet again , with John & Jim , to present a detailed Proposal. We are not at one Yet , in the way they perceive control over the project succeeding and where we see it going. We see a very Volunteer orientated Organisation, which we believe , may appeal to them , when they see the fuller picture. A 3ft diesel loco has been identified. In the meantime , we need to stabilise and formulate our structure. We have lots of work to do and we need people to Volunteer their Services - where they feel that they have a particular Skill level ? So basically , an Audit of Talents , is immediately needed and then we can assess where we are going .We are setting our perceptive sites on 2016 or late 2015 at the earliest, to get this project up and running - if we succeed in selling our ability and skills to the current Company and Kerry County Council. check the facebook page which has now grown massively to over 530 members! http://www.facebook.com/groups/traleeanddinglesteamrailway/ http://traleesteamrailway.webs.com Eddie Barrett & Darragh Connolly
jhb171achill Posted February 26, 2015 Posted February 26, 2015 I hope this gathers the momentum it deserves and indeed, points to a new way in Derry. That is - voluntary bodies, not ill informed and uninterested local councillors.
jhb171achill Posted February 27, 2015 Posted February 27, 2015 If you happen to be free on and from 10th September 1934.......
DERAILED Posted February 28, 2015 Posted February 28, 2015 Good luck in your dealings with local officials/business interests in Tralee. It should be borne in mind that some of those who drove away enthusiasts in the first place are still in the mix.
jhb171achill Posted February 28, 2015 Posted February 28, 2015 It's like Derry. Put enthusiasts in charge, and if something's possible, it can happen. Put local government officials in charge, and all will go irretrievably pear shaped.
DERAILED Posted February 28, 2015 Posted February 28, 2015 Sorry about the poor scan above but if you press Ctrl + it should enlarge enough to read. Two more T&D items from the archive. 5T at Liverpool on way home and the 'welcoming' committee in Dublin.
DERAILED Posted February 28, 2015 Posted February 28, 2015 Two comparison shots of Blennerville station - I prefer to remember it as it appeared in the 1984 (Joe St.Leger) pic rather than its present incarnation.
jhb171achill Posted February 28, 2015 Posted February 28, 2015 The current incarnation is ghastly, and if I was involved in a heritage body on charge of the railway, its "stations" would be among the first things to receive attention. Public perception is everything. A heritage railway needs public bums on seats, end of.
DERAILED Posted February 28, 2015 Posted February 28, 2015 Some more background to the origins of the Tralee/Blennerville saga here: http://irishrailways.blogspot.ie/
jhb171achill Posted February 28, 2015 Posted February 28, 2015 Online character asassinations are always best ignored....! This reads like a carbon copy of Derry. Local "business interests" are just that; they see a business opportunity, and there's nothing wrong with that per se. In fact, with no credible business case, any fledgling outfit will probably fail, and deservedly so. The difference between Tralee (and Derry) as opposed to, say, the RPSI, DCDR or Dromod, is the involvement of "local business interests" aka the local bar-room intellectuals and gombeen men, as opposed to genuine enthusiasts. For while the former will lose interest and walk away at the first sign that the thing won't be the cash cow they imagined having a trough to bury their nose in, the latter are under no initial illusions on that point, and will persist against all odds, to make reality out of whatever's possible.
irishrail201 Posted March 1, 2015 Author Posted March 1, 2015 FYI folks today we just reached 555 members online! For those that don't know 555 is the works number if number 5 built in 1892 by hunslet
Blaine Posted March 2, 2015 Posted March 2, 2015 Of those 555 how many will actually actively do something more than offer encouragement via social media
DERAILED Posted March 3, 2015 Posted March 3, 2015 Of those 555 how many will actually actively do something more than offer encouragement via social media +1 The Facebook page has already started to resemble the one set-up to save the Waterford/Rpsslare line i.e. all sorts of unrealistic/irrelevant posts and pie in the sky ideas. Time will tell.
minister_for_hardship Posted March 3, 2015 Posted March 3, 2015 Leave them off. If they get something done, fair play. And a message for the negative Nancys out there...
Blaine Posted March 3, 2015 Posted March 3, 2015 Leave them off. If they get something done, fair play. And a message for the negative Nancys out there... Im not being negative - Im being realistic.
irishthump Posted March 3, 2015 Posted March 3, 2015 Im not being negative - Im being realistic. As usual....
Garfield Posted March 3, 2015 Posted March 3, 2015 Folks, can you leave the handbags at the door please? Thanks.
Blaine Posted March 3, 2015 Posted March 3, 2015 As usual.... Whats the problem with being honest then?? Cant say anything at all now without being hopped on by the do-gooders brigade
Garfield Posted March 3, 2015 Posted March 3, 2015 (edited) For the last time: Handbags! Door! Now, back on topic... Edited March 3, 2015 by Garfield
Noel Posted March 3, 2015 Posted March 3, 2015 I've fond memories of that little railway many many summers ago when we used to bring our children to see it and travel the short run. On the southerly coast of the Dingle bay ria there is another track bed which I had always thought was a narrow gauge line, formerly operated by GS&WR but I think it must have been 5'3". From the road the mountain side trackbed is clearly visible for miles with many small bridges still intact. The scenery down there is awesome, what it must have been like travelling by train on some of those lines.
jhb171achill Posted March 5, 2015 Posted March 5, 2015 That's the GSWR's erstwhile Farranfore - Valentia line, closed in 1960. Highly scenic indeed.
DERAILED Posted July 20, 2015 Posted July 20, 2015 +1 The Facebook page has already started to resemble the one set-up to save the Waterford/Rpsslare line i.e. all sorts of unrealistic/irrelevant posts and pie in the sky ideas. Time will tell. Well it didn't take long and for those of you who like bloodsports it's all happening here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/385672148111486/ and more here: http://irishrailways.blogspot.ie/ All so predictable.
minister_for_hardship Posted July 20, 2015 Posted July 20, 2015 Dear God. The double edged sword that is social media....dirty laundry being aired for all to see. Shame it had to come to this.
Riversuir226 Posted July 20, 2015 Posted July 20, 2015 Could also leave it too facebook and dont be dragging this site into it...... A few of the people that are involved in this are on here and they haven t brought it up here so why would you?
Warbonnet Posted July 20, 2015 Posted July 20, 2015 Can we leave that to Facebook and not go into it here please? Thank you.
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