Non-Passenger 80 Class Workings

[Jawfin]

Hello all

 

Is anyone aware of any non-passenger work done by the NIR 80 class when they were in service?

I can only think of a few examples - 90 hauling 458 to York Road a few years ago, 67 (I think?) hauling the DHs, and again 90 shunting about 728. Can anyone think of any more?

[hurricanemk1c]

I presume this excludes ECS / Ety movements. Would guess that they did some shunting in the depots with other stock but have no evidence to prove it

[Railer]

The NIR Sandite services for the past few years. This set is in York Road at present.

[Mayner]

80 Class power cars may have been used to work the "Derry Vacuum" between Lisburn & Waterside.

 

The Vacuum was an overnight fully fitted express goods that ran between North Wall and Derry with freight for Donegal in the 60s & 70s

 

The train was diverted to run via Antrim after the closure of the GNR Derry Road and was usually hauled by MPD or EE railcars between Lisburn & Waterside.

 

The service ended in the late 70s when traffic to rail freight to Waterside was cutback to Fertiliser and possibly bagged cement

[Jawfin]

Thanks very much all I presume that the freight was vacuum, from the name - are 80s not air?

Edited August 31, 2015 by Jawfin

[jhb171achill]

I wouldn't be sure that they worked the goods..... Air braked.

 

The Derry goods - any time I saw it - was always MPD. I never saw a 70 on it either, though it's possible they did.

[NIRCLASS80]

The Class 70's definitely hauled the Derry goods back in the late 1970's. I am sadly old enough to have witnessed it. If I recall correctly it was on occasions two power cars back to back.

[jhb171achill]

Now that you mention it....

 

Yes, while I never saw it myself, I saw a picture of something like that. More I think of it, definitely not 80s though.

[NIRCLASS80]

I have just checked up and if you can get your hands on a book called "35 years of NIR" go to page 100 and you will see a photo of a twin Class 70 power car set powering the "Derry freight" on the 3rd July 1979.

[jhb171achill]

Genius, NIR, I have that book upstairs....

[The Derry Road]

Here's the link to one . http://www.geographical.org.UK/photo/3481741

Hope it works or type it into your browser TDR

Edited August 31, 2015 by The Derry Road

[GSR 800]

TDR that link isn't working, for me anyway

[The Derry Road]

TDR that link isn't working, for me anyway

 

Search for 70 class in Derry, then select waterside railway station 51 images, then view all images using waterside railway station, picture 11 shows an example

[GSR 800]

http://www.geograph.ie/snippet/9157

[Garfield]

There are also some nice shots of class 70s passing Downhill on freight workings...

 

1977: http://www.geograph.ie/photo/3462144

1979: http://www.geograph.ie/photo/3462139

[Mayner]

There are also some nice shots of class 70s passing Downhill on freight workings...

 

1977: http://www.geograph.ie/photo/3462144

1979: http://www.geograph.ie/photo/3462139

 

Great photos I did not realise CIE operated bulk cement and unit load/sundies container service to Waterside. The mixed manifest consists are more typical of the Speedlink wagon load era in the UK than CIE freights of the same era.

[jhb171achill]

I've seen a pic of a train somewhere with four MPD cars hauling it..... four!

 

Like Union Pacific or something!

[Mayner]

I've seen a pic of a train somewhere with four MPD cars hauling it..... four!

 

Like Union Pacific or something!

 

They would have needed at least 3 MPDs to put out a similar power output to a 141 or 4 to equal a 181 or Hunslet.

 

The heavy freights would have put a terrible stress on the MPD engines and transmissions. In Diesel Dawn Patrick Flannigan spoke of power units shutting down as engines and transmissions overheated until there was only one 275hp power car trying to keep the whole train moving.

 

Between the constant threat of closure, reliability problems with MPD cars and Crossley locos the drivers and fitters lot could not have been a happy one in the 60s and 70s

[jhb171achill]

The fitter's lot was indeed not a happy one then. All of the railcars NIR inherited from the UTA had been poorly looked after due to severe lack of Stormont funding, this in itself contributing to comparatively short lives.

[Jawfin]

http://www.geograph.ie/photo/2318080

 

This one is a favourite of mine

[jhb171achill]

That, Jawfin, is a REAL catch! As rare an Irish railway photograph as you'll ever find!