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Friday
"Barrow Bridge" Railtour
Dublin-Mullingar and return

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.


RPSI Photonews Image 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.

RPSI Photonews Image 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.

RPSI Photonews Image 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. 
RPSI Photonews Image  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.
RPSI Photonews Image 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. 
RPSI Photonews Image Bill can be seen storming off down the platform with a hose for watering the engine. Photo by Roger Joanes.

RPSI Photonews Image  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. 

RPSI Photonews Image  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.

RPSI Photonews Image  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.
RPSI Photonews Image 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). 

RPSI Photonews Image  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. 

RPSI Photonews Image 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!"?

RPSI Photonews Image  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. 

RPSI Photonews Image  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). 
RPSI Photonews Image 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.

RPSI Photonews Image   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.

RPSI Photonews Image No.186 waits for permission to leave Mullingar Station railtour train en route to Dublin Connolly. Photo by Brian Stinson.

RPSI Photonews Image  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. 

RPSI Photonews Image 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. 
RPSI Photonews Image At Glasnevin Junction, 186 and train swung off the former MGWR lines to join the former GSWR line through Drumcondra towards Connolly. 
RPSI Photonews Image 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!".

RPSI Photonews Image With the day over, Chas packed up his real-ale emporium cum drinks counter and trundled the remains off for safe keeping. 
RPSI Photonews Image 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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