Our People (2011-2023)

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Some of the volunteers, members, railway crews and tour regulars who help make the Society what it is.

15/1/2011: Inchicore - Carriage volunteers Martin Hoey and Kevin Murphy take a break after working on sanding coach 1506.

26/6/2011: Our oldest workshop volunteer, Gordon Buick at Whitehead. (A. Reid)

26/6/2011: A fine study of volunteer Robert Chambers at Whitehead. (A. Reid)

9/9/2011: Province Of Leinster railtour - Fred Heide from New Jersey, a May tour participant for many years. Fred's motto was,"I'll keep coming back until you get it right!"

10/9/2011: Province Of Leinster railtour - RPSI timing stalwarts at Portarlington, Norman Foster, David Houston, Eddie Lewis.

24/3/2012: Spare Link railtour - Phillip Newell, Mervyn Darragh, James Friel, Mark Walsh, Ben McDonald, Edward Friel, Debra Wenlock and Mark Kennedy at Rosslare Strand.

25/3/2012: Spare Link railtour - The hardest workers on any train, Fergus McDonnell, Angela McCracken and Norman Foster, with Peter Shevlin behind.

11/5/2012: North Atlantic diesel railtour - Members of the bar and catering crew find sustenance outside a chippie in Portrush.

4/11/2012: Whitehead - Nathan Lightowler, the champion of No.85's "bottom end" overhaul, tightens bogie springs.

10/5/2013: Ben Bulben diesel railtour - Joe McKeown, Fergus McDonnell and Norman Foster pose in the bar before passengers arrive.

10/5/2013: Ben Bulben diesel railtour - Driver Robbie Jolley and long-time volunteer John O'Meara. (C.P. Friel)

10/5/2013: Ben Bulben diesel railtour - The Sales team, Jon Beaumont, Martin Hoey and John Friel, with steward Liam Mooney peeking through. (C.P. Friel)

10/5/2013: Ben Bulben diesel railtour - Maureen Walker in the Cravens tea bar, with Peter Shevlin and Norman Foster in the kitchen. (C.P. Friel)

11/5/2013: Golden Vale railtour - Eddie Murphy, Fergus McDonnell and Sean Timmins. Top class barmen (according to Sean!). (C.P. Friel)

12/5/2013: Golden Vale railtour - At Portadown with Dave Orr, Gary Moore, Micky Hamill, Stephen Faulkner, Anto Dargan and Mark Walsh. (C.P. Friel)

13/5/2013: Golden Vale railtour - Nathan Lightowler, James Friel and Bill White on the footplate of No.85. (C.P. Friel)

15/5/2014: Saint Canice railtour - Pearse McKeown and Noel Playfair at Drogheda.

17/5/2014: Saint Canice railtour - Joe McKeown and David Seymour at Connolly.

17/5/2014: Saint Canice railtour - Robbie Jolley on No.461 at Howth. (M. Olver)

18/5/2014: Saint Canice railtour - Ken Fox on No.461 at Kildare. (M. Olver)

19/5/2014: Saint Canice railtour - Peter Scott at Dundalk, with Gary Moore on No.461's footplate. (M. Olver)

19/5/2014: Saint Canice railtour - Cask ale and Guinness served by Sean Timmins. (M. Olver)

19/5/2014: Saint Canice railtour - No.461 at Lisburn. Footplate: Dave Orr, Bill White, James Friel, Gary Moore (Driver). Platform: John Rooney (Guard Assessor), Mark Buchanan (Inspector), Noel Playfair (Driver). (C.P. Friel)

19/5/2014: Saint Canice railtour - Dave Orr giving No.461 attention at Belfast Central. (M. Olver)

4/7/2014: Steam & Jazz - Member George Moore who likes to get into the swing of things on the Jazz trains.

26/10/2014: Whitehead - Gordon Buick painting some of the innards of No.131.

29/11/2014: Whitehead - Society Vice President Nora Owen and her husband join Nelson Poots and Matthew Crockett on the footplate of No.85.

13/12/2014: Santa Special (Dublin) - Paul McCann, Joe McKeown and Fergus McDonnell.

26/1/2015: Foundry - Some of the Heritage Engineering Ireland team casting brake blocks for No.85. (C.P. Friel)

9/5/2015: South Munster railtour - Ken Fox, Mark Walsh, Kevin Murphy and Tony Cooke on No.461 at Midleton.

11/5/2015: South Munster railtour - Seán Clancy and Seán Timmins man the bar.

16/5/2016: Croagh Patrick railtour - At a stop in Tullamore, barmen Sean Clancy and John 'The Scouser' Nabb exhibit some of the local product. (M. Olver)

28/6/2016: Royal Train - RPSI President Lord O'Neill and Chairman Denis Grimshaw meet Queen Elizabeth at Coleraine.

28/6/2016: Noel Playfair at Derry Waterside, having just worked the royal train. Sadly, Noel died much too early on 16th January 2023. (P. McCann)

October 2016: Derry Waterside - Derek Young (1946-2021) on a day trip. (J. McKegney)

7/5/2017: Shannon & Suir railtour - Michael McCann and Bill White tend to No.4 at Tipperary.

9/7/2017: Sea Breeze - Guard Noel Enright is always happy to get rostered for a steam trip. (A. Dooner)

27/11/2017: Whitehead Victorian Street Fair - Michael McCann and Nelson Poots were the footplate crew for No.131's first public trains.

16/12/2017: Santa Special - At Whitehead, Michael McCann, Micky Hamill (NIR Inspector), Adam Lohoff, Jim Adams (HEI) and Peter Scott await the departure of the train to Belfast. (R. Morton)

17/12/2017: Santa Special - Father Christmas is a great supporter of the Society, and is pictured at Connolly with his elves and various helpers. (M. Hoey)

4/1/2018: Whitehead Signalbox - Ian Sinclair and Ian Stewart (second and third from right) explain signal workings to (from left) Neves Vas, Willie Hollinger, Roy Thompson, Richard Armstrong, Tony Ragg, Brian Griffith and Dermot Mackie. (R. Morton)

11/5/2018: Cork & Kerry railtour - Richard Armstrong in the kitchen of 547. (P. Walker)

14/5/2018: Cork & Kerry railtour - Chris Ragg of our locomotive team, and Heritage Engineering Ireland, attending to No.85, possibly at Charleville. (B. Gibbs)

22/7/2018: Board Meeting - Sean Clancy was welcomed as Treasurer by John McKegney and Paul McCann.

28/7/2018: Whitehead - Joe Cassells on carriage cleaning duties.

3/8/2018: Whitehead - The Society's first Treasurer, Graham Nevin. (J. McKegney)

20/8/2018: Portrush Flyer - Nuala Green, Rita Henderson, Eileen Armstrong and Jim O'Neill at Portrush. (J.A. Cassells)

20/8/2018: Portrush Flyer - Gary Moore (driver) and Anto Dargan (fireman) at Coleraine. (J.A. Cassells)

1/9/2018: Whitehead - Volunteer Adam Lohoff and Heritage Engineering Ireland Foreman Jim Adams. (J.A. Cassells)

24/11/2018: Whitehead - Education Officer Rebecca Laverty and volunteer Mary Glendinning in the Edwardian Tea Room.

2019: Whitehead - General Manager Lisa Adair.

2019: Connolly Shed - David Carse attending to No.4. (T. Cunningham)

2019: Duck and Dublin volunteer Peter Emmett. One of these two is quackers!

2019: The RPSI's Steam Dreams customer care team.

2019: Denis McCabe and Charles McDonnell, two of the Genny Van gang.

6/4/2019: Guinness 100 - First Chairman, John Harcourt, and present Chairman, John McKegney.

22/4/2019: Easter - David Carse (RPSI), Connie O’Gara (fireman), Nicky Cox (RPSI), Ken Fox (driver) and Tony Cooke (inspector).

11/5/2019: Waterford & Limerick railtour - A photograph was taken at Kilkenny to mark the 50th weekend railtour. Those in the photo are passengers who were on the inaugural weekend tour to Athlone in September 1968. (R. White)

9/10/2019: Belfast Meeting - Charles Friel addressing a meeting at Orangefield Hall, Belfast. (E. Connolly)

30/11/2019: Whitehead - John Friel selling tickets for the Victorian Street Fair train rides. (J. McKegney)

1/2/2020: Volunteers Dinner - RPSI President Dr Joan Smyth.

1/2/2020: Volunteers Dinner - RPSI Engineering Consultant Ivan McAteer.

1/2/2020: Volunteers Dinner - John Richardson with the fundraising team award.

1/2/2020: Volunteers Dinner - The Management team, Rebecca Laverty (Education), Lisa Adair (General Manager), Joan Smyth (President).

8/3/2020: Whitehead - Catering Manager Eileen Armstrong in Mk2 diner 547.

12/3/2020: Glasgow - Peter Scott checks the drawing of cylinder blocks for the Mogul build. (B. Skingle)

14/3/2020: Whitehead - Joe Mahon and Dermot Mackie discuss items for the UTV 'Ulster Giants' programme to feature the RPSI. (C.P. Friel)

25/9/2021: Whitehead - Board members attending the launch of Grain Van 504: Peter Scott, Peter Rigney, Mark Bailey, Sue Harpur, Mervyn Darragh. Front: Joe McKeown, John McKegney, Paul McCann.

25/9/2021: Whitehead - Some staff and volunteers who worked on GNR(I) grain van 504: Jim Adams (Heritage Engineering Ireland), Peter Scott, Mervyn Fleming, Bob Skingle, Bob Edwards, Brian Griffith, Richard Kenny, Mark Kennedy, Tony Ragg. (M. Devlin)

30/10/2021: Wizard's Express - Volunteers Ian Wilson, Joe Cassells, John Richardson and John Friel at the platform shop at Whitehead.

6/12/2021: The Site Squad enjoy their Christmas lunch in the Platform 3 cafe at Whitehead. (R. Morton)

16/4/2022: Easter Eggspress - Volunteers north & south gathered at Whitehead: Norman Foster (ex-Chairman); Paul McCann (RPSI Secretary); Mervyn Darragh (Operations Officer); David Houston (ex-Chairman); Ian Wilson (Carriage Department). (J.A. Cassells)

23/6/2022: Launch of "Steam's Last Challenge" by Joe Cassells - Alderman Noel Williams (Mayor, Mid and East Antrim), Noel Playfair (Translink), Paul McCann (RPSI) and (front) Barney McCrory (retired driver/inspector). (C.P. Friel)

24/9/2022: A busy AGM in Carrickfergus. (C.P. Friel)

8/4/2023: Easter Bunny - Trevor Taylor greeting visitors to the Easter train rides at Whitehead.

11/5/2023: Steam Dreams - Rory McNamee visits Dublin Connolly to see No.131 return from a week-long charter.

18/11/2023: Sam Hall, Matthew Wilson, Tyler Playfair and George Surgenor have being busy painting the inside of B142. (J. Clinton)