Railway Memories

[Del.Monte]

Came across this one recently - a real blast from the past - when NIR 80-class railcars provided a shuttle service between Bray and Greystones in the late 1980s. They were on hire from NIR from October 1987 to October 1990 and replaced the clapped out AEC push-pull railcar set that had operated the service after the DART system started in 1984.

The 80-class were returned to NIR in 1990 and the hapless commuters of Greystones had to make do with a bus transfer from Bray until the DART was extended to Greystones in April 2000.

[Fratello]

I remember a a little fella in the early 80's in Heuston the noise as 3 or 4 071 class reved up in the background. It's probably the reason I have devoted many years of Saturdays restoring a locomotive.

[kadman]

Fair play to you, but you'll never pass a DOE with that smoke.

I remember traveling from London when I was a nipper for me holidays to Ireland.

On a n old steam train, it was brilliant. All the travellers with their old blue Thermos flasks and cheese sandwhiches.

[Fratello]

Fair play to you, but you'll never pass a DOE with that smoke.

We set the injectors since then and it improved a good bit. Engine is a good one.

In case you are interested this shows the CIE re-engining in the 1970's. You will notice how ancient looking the former Crossley engine was compared to the current GM unit.
The filth from the Crossleys both inside and out is evident.


The CoBo group in the UK will one day fire up D5705 with it's rebuilt Crossley HST Vee8 engine.

[Del.Monte]

What a swizz - no sound effects on that video!

[Fratello]

It's better than nothin'!

[Del.Monte]

Another one from happier times when I still believed that anything was possible. A pit-stop at Tyrellspass on the way from Portlaoise PW Depot to Dromod, Co.Leitrim c.1997 with a CIE Wickham inspection car. Later circumstances dictated that it be sold on to the Irish Traction Group and it's now to be found at Downpatrick. Note younger, enthusiastic Del Monte sporting a very trendy boiler suit!

[95438756]

The 80-class were returned to NIR in 1990 and the hapless commuters of Greystones had to make do with a bus transfer from Bray until the DART was extended to Greystones in April 2000.

used to ferry Dublin fans to Kent Station Cork for the Michael Jackson Concerts in Pairc Uí Chuimh back in the day as well

[kadman]

There is a diesel locomotive in a pub used as an attraction and seating in Castlerea just outside Athlone.
I was in it, and its a brilliant thing.

[Del.Monte]

There is a diesel locomotive in a pub used as an attraction and seating in Castlerea just outside Athlone.
I was in it, and its a brilliant thing.

https://www.hellskitchenmuseum.com/

[kadman]

Seeing that agin brings a smile to my face.

[Del.Monte]

I call this one "Last Rites for an AEC railcar". Taken at Mullingar railway scrapyard in the mid-1980's - probably by Joe St.Leger.
The late Brian Greene (then signalman at Liffey Junction) at the controls; younger, and considerably happier, Del Monte (left) and Bill Garrioch a stalwart of the National Transport Museum in Howth. Carefree times with little to worry any of us!

[95438756]

Since the circuit of Dublin - Rosslare, Rosslare - Waterford - Waterford Dublin was broken,

Dublin - Limerick, Limerick - Galway - Galway -Dublin is the last complete circuit you can do on the whole rail network in Ireland.

I did the latter in 2015.

Oh, and since the service was discontinued in 2010, the circuit cannot be started at Dublin Conolly.

[kadman]

My workshop for many many years, was one of these at the back of my house.
I did everything in it, both woodwork related and car and motorcycle mechanics. I restored many bikes, and car engines.
I also taught woodturning to neighbours and friends, and anyone else who wanted to learn,free of charge.

I remember taking out the end steelwork, and putting in two wooden doors, so I could drive in me Austin metro.
I eventually had to remove it for house renovation. Cut all the steelwork with a 9" angle grinder. But I could not cut the floor steelwork it was way too big. A passing uk lorry called in one day looking for scrap, I said you can have this if you can get it out.

I never saw 2 young lads work as well as they did. Backed in an old Bedford flat body with a lift. And lifted it up with millimetres to spare, onto the lorry. Serious weight tilted their lorry on the lift as it was an extended lift. I paid them as well, and they went off down the road happy as larry. It was a great haul for them, and a job well done for me

[Del.Monte]

Growing up I had no chance but to be interested in trains - these were on my Kellogg's Cornflakes boxes back in the 1960's - I still have them!

[Del.Monte]

Mid-1980's view of the new Railway Gallery at Cultra, Co.Down; I seem to recall that the turntable came from Athenry but time dims the memory.

[Del.Monte]

Another railway memory from my first scrapbook...unwittingly influenced/contaminated from an early age by my Grandmother.

[Del.Monte]

Thirty years of separation between these two items. Puffing Billy was my first 'railway' book and a better read than many I have owned since; and The Cavan Coup railtour organised by Sandy Mount and myself under the Southern Railtours banner. It was the last bit of available railway that I hadn't travelled over and and my interest in running further railtours effectively ended on that day. "Southern Railtours" continued for several more years without me but I have no regrets.

[Del.Monte]

Top: 27th July 1992 and still enthusiastic Del Monte winching pioneer CIE branchline diesel loco G601 onto a truck at Inchicore Works. The loco was purchased by the Irish Narrow Gauge Trust (myself and another) and was stored at Bord na Mona, Littleton, Co.Tipperary before being transported to Dromod, Co.Leitrim on the 4th September 1993. Ongoing financial problems led to it being sold and moved back to Tipperary, this time to the Irish Traction Group depot at Carrick-on-Suir station.

Bottom: Cosmetically restored G601 put in an appearance at the Inchicore Works 150 celebrations in June 1996 before returning to Carrick-on-Suir once more, where it has now has a shed built over it to protect it from local pond life. Will it ever run again - who knows - but if it had been left up to other parties we would have been shaving with it by now.

[kadman]

Bord Na Mona had some strange habits when it came to machinery and the restoration of it. They had dozens of both Bultacos, and BSA for tripping all around the bogs. But I remember when they were closing a lot of works in the midlands, many , many bikes and parts were buried around the bogs. And despite your best efforts you could not get a hold of anything at all that was being decommissioned, not even for spare parts. Something to do with flooding the market with cheap spares I suspect.

[dawg]

Donno, my recollection is that secondhand BSAs ( C15s and the like ) were cheap - around 15 quid ( I bought one at an ESB auction, think thats what I paid for it.) - They were cheap because there was little demand for them. The Japs had arrived with bikes that started first time and didnt leak oil.

Might B na M maybe not have registered the bikes and so couldnt let them be used on roads ?

[Del.Monte]

Bord Na Mona had some strange habits when it came to machinery and the restoration of it. They had dozens of both Bultacos, and BSA for tripping all around the bogs. But I remember when they were closing a lot of works in the midlands, many , many bikes and parts were buried around the bogs. And despite your best efforts you could not get a hold of anything at all that was being decommissioned, not even for spare parts. Something to do with flooding the market with cheap spares I suspect.

My experience from a railway preservation point of view would be the exact opposite. Bord na Mona management and staff couldn't do enough to help us - free equipment, rail vehicles, track, help with recovery of same and then they would organise trips to visit our railway. The same could also be said for the ESB where the Chairman, the late P.J Moriarty regarded it as a personal failing if the company couldn't help us. If only the same could be said about another semi-state company...

[Del.Monte]

4th August 1986: Tralee & Dingle Railway locomotive No.5. at Dublin Port after its repatriation from Steamtown, Vermont in the USA. Despite the fact that I was one of the driving forces in getting her back to Ireland I have never had as much as ride on her or a trip over the now defunct Disney style railway at Blennerville near Tralee. I'm unlikely to now as the unfortunate loco is lying in bits in its shed having been flogged to death by the railway's operators.

And before anyone asks, there is a book on the way.

[Osciiboscii]

Ha, a rattly journey behind the dump. There was talk of getting the boiler fixed, if I remember rightly. Came to nothing.

[Del.Monte]

Ha, a rattly journey behind the dump. There was talk of getting the boiler fixed, if I remember rightly. Came to nothing.

Ha, great description - I might use that if it's not copyright.