No.186's day in the limelight
dawned a little damp, but that didn't put off our 170 tour particpants.
Photos by C P Friel unless
otherwise credited.
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Early Friday morning found our J15 for the day getting up steam in the
yard behind the old valeting shed at Connolly. The fire was lit late on
Thursday afternoon and the engine was brought to the boil slowly.
Photo by M S Walsh. |
A few minutes before departure time, Dan, one of our regular IE steam drivers,
brought No.186 to platform 1 at Connolly and backed onto the train. Lar
helps him keep a good look out. |
The draincocks are hissing as No.186 is tied on to her train, the photographs
are taken and the passengers find their seats in the wooden-bodied set
of carriages. |
After a slightly hesitant run behind an all-stations railcar, a stop was
made at Maynooth for crossing purposes - one railcar set overtook us and
we met another. During the stop, the crew posed for a team photo. On the
platform, left to right, is Tony, one of two steam drivers on IE, Mark,
Dublin Area Operations Officer, and Gerry, the RPSI loco rep. On the footplate
is Tony, the inspector, flanked by Dan and Lar. |
A railcar set that had followed us from Dublin uses the up platform to
get around our train. Shortly after this, to make best use of the enforced
time here, No.186 and train set forward to allow the water hoses reach
the tender. This obviated the need to stop at Enfield later. |
Bill can be seen storming off down the platform with a hose for watering
the engine. Photo by Roger Joanes. |
Another railcar set, this time Dublin-bound, crossed us at Maynooth and
soon there were lots of whistles, hurrying feet and banging doors as we
all piled in for the run to Mullingar. |
No.186 passing the new station at Kilcock with the railtour train en route
to Mullingar after an extended wait at Maynooth. Photo by Brian Stinson. |
At Mullingar, No.186 left her train in the down Sligo platform and made
her way to the turntable at the Athlone end of the former engine shed.
In this shot No.186 has just passed onto the disused former MGWR main line
to Athlone. Photo by Brian Stinson. |
Here No.186 has gained the old down Athlone line and is running forward
towards the former Mullingar West signal cabin. To the left are the relatively
new apartment blocks that now occupy the former cattle market on the far
side of the Royal Canal; they rejoice in the unimaginative title "Market
Towers". On the right is a former GNR tender, one of the roller-bearing
ones built at Dundalk in 1948 for the U and UG class engines (this one
was No.43 in the GN fleet and is ours). |
For the first time in many a long year, one of our engines approaches Mullingar's
turntable. It is now surounded by a high fence, as you can see. |
With 186 finally - and finely - balanced on the table, Peter, Ken and Gerry
help bring the engine to face east for the run back to Dublin. Who said
"Just the once!"? |
No.186 reverses off the table, much to the relief of the local permanent
way gang who cleared much undergrowth and shrubbery as well as preparing
the table and supervising the moves. |
No.186 then made use of an old pit to have her fire cleaned, ashpan raked
and boxes oiled. In the right foreground is an MGWR-style milepost, this
one for 50 and three quarters (from the Broadstone, of course). |
Despite much work by the PW people, the pit resembles something from the
wreck of the Titanic with odd growths almost obscuring everything - but
it did the job! Last year, this area was totally impassable. |
No.186, after a further series of reversals, eventually regained the former
up Athlone platform and waited here while an empty timber train from the
North Wall to Sligo rumbled through. The former down main line, as you
can see, has been broken and the canopies in the background are a mute
testimony to former days of glory when up and down Mail trains brought
huge blurs of acvtivity. On the right, a grandfather introduces a somewhat
incredulous grandson to steam. |
No.186 waits for permission to leave Mullingar Station railtour train en
route to Dublin Connolly. Photo by Brian Stinson. |
During the run back to Dublin, the opportunity was taken to stop at a brand
new station, Phoenix Park, which will be in the centre of a huge new housing
development. |
Another team photo before leaving the new station. On the footplate is
Tony with two men learning the art of handling steam locomotives - Lar
(from Inchicore) and Ken (from Cork). Gerry, the RPSI loco rep for the
day, completes the scene. |
At Glasnevin Junction, 186 and train swung off the former MGWR lines to
join the former GSWR line through Drumcondra towards Connolly. |
Waiting for us at Connolly was Dick Fearn, Chief Executive of Iarnród
Éireann. He joined the footplate crew for a time - long enough to
add some necessary coal to the firebox. Dan and Tony, behind, provided
just a little coaching. Mr Fearn commented later that "it certainly beats
paperwork!". |
With the day over, Chas packed up his real-ale emporium cum drinks counter
and trundled the remains off for safe keeping. |
A few minutes later, Fergus and David were captured behind another trolley,
this time with supplies from the Dining Car (GNR No.88). |
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