Thanks for a great video. Liked the Park Royals on the Ballina shuttle and the Limerick shuttle, and A Class 014 on a rake of Cravens probably doing a Maynooth. Great views of the former track layout at Limerick Junction. Alas no video of the Limerick Rosslare doing a 5 point turn !
This is great footage I used to travel from England to Ireland in 80s to see my grandparents and loved the Irish trains and hospitality great times and miss them wish I had a time machine.
Just love this! Used to stick my head out the window on the way to school and wherever else I could. The feel of the chill morning air. The sound of the steam leaks. That very particular long metalic chime from the Park Royal bogies. The huge comfort and width of their seats. And the glorious crescendo of a whole train braking, squealing, shuddering and clanging to a gentle stop!
I used to travel by train and ferry from Crewe in England twice a year to visit my family in Limerick from the late 60s until the early 80s. As a young boy I was struck by the CIE livery and how the Park Royal coaches had that exotic oval window. I will never forget being greeted by the Dun Laighoire boattrain with steam rising everywhere from the heating. CIE even had a disinfectant/cleaner whose unique smell permeated the carriages. Heady stuff for a schoolboy enthusiast! This video helps rekindle those memories for me.
I remember in the 80's you could get a train from Limerick to Rosslare (passing through Waterford), take the ferry to Fishguard, then an Intercity 125 train to London Paddington. Those were the days before budget airlines like Ryanair or EasyJet. Ryanair started in 1985 at Waterford Airport then quickly expanded. Now the railway line between Waterford and Rosslare closed in 2010, there's no direct trains between Fishguard and London and you have to change trains in Cardiff, and the Rosslare/Fishguard ferry is only about half the size of what they had in the 80's.
I would say that this fantastic footage was shot between 1989 and 1993. There are "A" Class locos and Park Royal rolling stock but the "ir" logo came in in 1987 and Manulla opened in 1989. One of the guys on the platform at Ballina is wearing a "Father Ted" type anorak which would suggest nearer 1993. It looks like autumn or winter too. The railway has improved a lot in the 20-25 years since though. The track from Manulla to Ballina appears to be very rickety and, as was the case from the late 70s to the mid 00s, the locos are very oil stained. I really miss steam heated carriages: they just invited you aboard!
Paul, The sequence is 076 hauling MkII air-conditioned, vacuum braked, rake of EGV, MKII "First" class (7 windows, "1" on front and rear doors), buffet car ("offside", has panel instead of window near front door, followed by 7 additional windows, kitchen side easily recognizable due to small/odd shaped windows), another 1st without door markings OR previous 7-window "First", now converted to standard class but retains external window configuration (more likely, unlikely to have two firsts on a train this length), 2x MkII standards bringing up the rear. Seven windows coaches recognition- window 4 centred over "Intercity", eight windows - windows 4 & 5 both split over "IC". Other 7 window coaches to confuse you are the composites (4 "First" windows plus intermediate DOOR between classes plus 3 more standard class)
great to hear all those sounds again as well as the carraiges. there was a 2 carraige mail train which connected wth the Galway mail via Mullingar. One carraige was partly a corridor and the rest of the carraige for baaggage. Had the old leaf spring bogies.
Totally enjoyed that video, pure magic, some great scenes of the very best time on Irish railways, thanks for sharing, now tell me this if you can. As loco no. 076 leaves Connolly the last two (2) carriages have 8 windows while the previous 3. Have only 7 ! So can someone explain the difference please, thanks in advance,
The days when everything was loco hauled. I really miss the them days of the railways. Now they are just so boring and miserable. I used to love an 071 class, or a 121 class, or even the 201 class in the original livery passing by with MK2, MK3 or Cravens coaches. I would watch them all day. Now I see a train and there is no nice motor sound and they are look so boring. I miss the good old days of Irish Rail.
One can still travel on some Park Royals or the wonderful, grooved, Cravens. The RPSI and MRSI do run trains (specials), with them, on both IE and NIR metals.
10;55, What's the story there? A small 141 with an 071 at the rear on what looks like a Heuston train at Claremorrris? had the 071 failed? big load for a single 141 that!
A 141 can take a heavy load but wouldn't be able to move it as fast as an 071 or 201. And that's a Mk3 formation I've never seen before because every one I've seen had 8/9 carriages but this one has only 6. A typical Mk3 would be: Generator Van First Class Dining Car followed 5/6 Standard Class This 6 car Mk3 is 2/3 carriages short of the typical 8/9 and one of the missing is First Class.
Mm nostalgic days indeed. Tho today one can still get a rail(GB)/ sail thru ticket (tho now only to/from one of the three Irish ports in Ireland). They are Dublin port, Rosslare Europort and Belfast port. No longer can one, either way, now get a **thru** Rail/sea/rail ticket (eg Dundee to/from Derry, or Galway to/ from Gateshead) . On arrival in Ireland, one now has to re book (in Euros) on IE or (in £ stg) on NIR. And the same going the other way (ie to GB). Internal trains tickets from any rail station to any one of the 3 Irish ports is usually ok (tho usually it is to only the nearest rail station [ Belfast Lanyon Place, Dublin Connolly or (at least close to the ferry) Rosslare, Stations ]. Only at the 3 ports, can one then buy a thru ferry / rail ticket.
201 was delivered by plane in June 1994. Irish Rail wanted the first one to arrive early to train the drivers on them before the rest gradually arrived by ship. There's a video on here of 201 being unloaded at Dublin Airport, being brought into Dublin by road, and doing a trial run in Cork.
Thanks for a great video. Liked the Park Royals on the Ballina shuttle and the Limerick shuttle, and A Class 014 on a rake of Cravens probably doing a Maynooth. Great views of the former track layout at Limerick Junction. Alas no video of the Limerick Rosslare doing a 5 point turn !
This is great footage I used to travel from England to Ireland in 80s to see my grandparents and loved the Irish trains and hospitality great times and miss them wish I had a time machine.
Railways were better back then ! Locos hauled, steam heated, mechanical semaphore signalling, single line tokens. Lovely.
Just love this! Used to stick my head out the window on the way to school and wherever else I could. The feel of the chill morning air. The sound of the steam leaks. That very particular long metalic chime from the Park Royal bogies. The huge comfort and width of their seats. And the glorious crescendo of a whole train braking, squealing, shuddering and clanging to a gentle stop!
I'm so glad you like it! Thank you for your comment!
I used to travel by train and ferry from Crewe in England twice a year to visit my family in Limerick from the late 60s until the early 80s. As a young boy I was struck by the CIE livery and how the Park Royal coaches had that exotic oval window. I will never forget being greeted by the Dun Laighoire boattrain with steam rising everywhere from the heating. CIE even had a disinfectant/cleaner whose unique smell permeated the carriages. Heady stuff for a schoolboy enthusiast! This video helps rekindle those memories for me.
I remember in the 80's you could get a train from Limerick to Rosslare (passing through Waterford), take the ferry to Fishguard, then an Intercity 125 train to London Paddington.
Those were the days before budget airlines like Ryanair or EasyJet. Ryanair started in 1985 at Waterford Airport then quickly expanded.
Now the railway line between Waterford and Rosslare closed in 2010, there's no direct trains between Fishguard and London and you have to change trains in Cardiff, and the Rosslare/Fishguard ferry is only about half the size of what they had in the 80's.
Wonderful footage of a bygone age, thanks so much for sharing it!! :))
Excellent footage! Thanks for sharing. Great to see Connolly station in those days.
I would say that this fantastic footage was shot between 1989 and 1993. There are "A" Class locos and Park Royal rolling stock but the "ir" logo came in in 1987 and Manulla opened in 1989. One of the guys on the platform at Ballina is wearing a "Father Ted" type anorak which would suggest nearer 1993. It looks like autumn or winter too.
The railway has improved a lot in the 20-25 years since though. The track from Manulla to Ballina appears to be very rickety and, as was the case from the late 70s to the mid 00s, the locos are very oil stained.
I really miss steam heated carriages: they just invited you aboard!
excellent footage the old train clackty clak is worth listening too brings back good memories thanks
Paul,
The sequence is 076 hauling MkII air-conditioned, vacuum braked, rake of EGV, MKII "First" class (7 windows, "1" on front and rear doors), buffet car ("offside", has panel instead of window near front door, followed by 7 additional windows, kitchen side easily recognizable due to small/odd shaped windows), another 1st without door markings OR previous 7-window "First", now converted to standard class but retains external window configuration (more likely, unlikely to have two firsts on a train this length), 2x MkII standards bringing up the rear.
Seven windows coaches recognition- window 4 centred over "Intercity", eight windows - windows 4 & 5 both split over "IC".
Other 7 window coaches to confuse you are the composites (4 "First" windows plus intermediate DOOR between classes plus 3 more standard class)
Excellent nostalgia there John. Thank you. I was expecting a derailment after 2:30!
great to hear all those sounds again as well as the carraiges. there was a 2 carraige mail train which connected wth the Galway mail via Mullingar. One carraige was partly a corridor and the rest of the carraige for baaggage. Had the old leaf spring bogies.
Looks like flowers or plants loaded on that train. High value goods that should still be moved this way in Ireland the UK and elsewhere
They are park royal coaches on the ballina train
Thank you.
Totally enjoyed that video, pure magic, some great scenes of the very best time on Irish railways, thanks for sharing, now tell me this if you can. As loco no. 076 leaves Connolly the last two (2) carriages have 8 windows while the previous 3. Have only 7 ! So can someone explain the difference please, thanks in advance,
The days when everything was loco hauled. I really miss the them days of the railways. Now they are just so boring and miserable. I used to love an 071 class, or a 121 class, or even the 201 class in the original livery passing by with MK2, MK3 or Cravens coaches. I would watch them all day. Now I see a train and there is no nice motor sound and they are look so boring. I miss the good old days of Irish Rail.
One can still travel on some Park Royals or the wonderful, grooved, Cravens. The RPSI and MRSI do run trains (specials), with them, on both IE and NIR metals.
Glorious steam heating :)
Where are all the Park Royals and their steam vans now???
I love the rattle of the rails. Brilliant footage. Thank you! What's the year?
10;55, What's the story there? A small 141 with an 071 at the rear on what looks like a Heuston train at Claremorrris? had the 071 failed? big load for a single 141 that!
A 141 can take a heavy load but wouldn't be able to move it as fast as an 071 or 201. And that's a Mk3 formation I've never seen before because every one I've seen had 8/9 carriages but this one has only 6.
A typical Mk3 would be:
Generator Van
First Class
Dining Car
followed 5/6 Standard Class
This 6 car Mk3 is 2/3 carriages short of the typical 8/9 and one of the missing is First Class.
The 071 was dead in train. A failure.
Mm nostalgic days indeed. Tho today one can still get a rail(GB)/ sail thru ticket (tho now only to/from one of the three Irish ports in Ireland). They are Dublin port, Rosslare Europort and Belfast port. No longer can one, either way, now get a **thru** Rail/sea/rail ticket (eg Dundee to/from Derry, or Galway to/ from Gateshead) . On arrival in Ireland, one now has to re book (in Euros) on IE or (in £ stg) on NIR. And the same going the other way (ie to GB). Internal trains tickets from any rail station to any one of the 3 Irish ports is usually ok (tho usually it is to only the nearest rail station [ Belfast Lanyon Place, Dublin Connolly or (at least close to the ferry) Rosslare, Stations ]. Only at the 3 ports, can one then buy a thru ferry / rail ticket.
14:50 - Who the hell is laying a track like THIS?
The whole limerick junction layout was beyond ridiculous
What year did the 201s come
1994 and 1995
201 was delivered by plane in June 1994. Irish Rail wanted the first one to arrive early to train the drivers on them before the rest gradually arrived by ship. There's a video on here of 201 being unloaded at Dublin Airport, being brought into Dublin by road, and doing a trial run in Cork.