South Clare Railtour (2012) - Whitehead Railway Museum

Thursday 10th May: (186) Whitehead - Dublin Connolly. Friday 11th May: (GM 230) Dublin Connolly - Belfast GVS; (GM 111) Belfast GVS - Portrush - Crumlin - Lisburn; (GM 230) Lisburn - Dublin Connolly. Saturday 12th May: (GM 230) Dublin Connolly - Athlone; (186) Athlone - Athenry - Ennis. Diesel haulage element due to non-availability of No.461. Sunday 13th May: (186) Ennis - Limerick - Nenagh - Ballybrophy; (GM 230) Ballybrophy - Dublin Connolly; (186 LE) Ballybrophy - Dublin Connolly. Monday 14th May: (461) Dublin Connolly - Dundalk. Hot big end at Dundalk so passengers transferred to service trains.

10/5/2012: No.186 at Whitehead, ready for the trip south. (J.A. Cassells)

10/5/2012: No.186 storming the bank to Trooperslane. (J.A. Cassells)

10/5/2012: The locomotive has drawn up short at Lisburn to take water. (J.A. Cassells)

10/5/2012: The tour train leaving Dundalk. (J.A. Cassells)

11/5/2012: On Friday the 'North Atlantic' diesel trip started with a run from Dublin behind 230. Here, NIR's 111 has coupled to the Mk2 set at Belfast Great Victoria Street. (M. Olver)

11/5/2012: A view of 111 with the Mk2 set of coaches at Coleraine.

11/5/2012: The delights of a seaside town on a bright, but windy, spring day. Barry's Amusement Park has not yet opened for the Portrush summer season.

11/5/2012: 111 in the locomotive release at Portrush. (B. Gibbs)

11/5/2012: The points are checked for the run round as they seldom encounter a locomotive of this weight.

11/5/2012: Easy does it across the crossover.

11/5/2012: At Lisburn, 230 was waiting to couple on for the return to Dublin. (B. Gibbs)

11/5/2012: Back in Dublin and No.461 is outside Connolly Shed. Uncertainty over its reliability meant that it wouldn't be sent south with the tour. (D. Knapman)

12/5/2012: On the Saturday morning, GM 230 (which featured a lot this weekend) delivers the train to Athlone, (J.A. Cassells)

12/5/2012: A signal display in Athlone station building. (D. Knapman)

12/5/2012: At Athlone, 230 has come off and No.186 is backing on to its train. (J.A. Cassells)

12/5/2012: Athlone, where No.186 has coupled up. (B. Gibbs)

12/5/2012: No.186 at Athlone. (D. Knapman)

12/5/2012: No.186 is dwarfed by its train at Athlone. (J.A. Cassells)

12/5/2012: Inspector Tony Cooke making sure everything is well before departing Athlone. (B. Gibbs)

12/5/2012: The train is seen here stopped for a water break at Athenry.

12/5/2012: The tour train at Athenry. (J.A. Cassells)

12/5/2012: A view of No.186 and the tour train. (D. Knapman)

12/5/2012: Over the duration of the Athenry stop a heavy downpour had changed the scene to a very wet one!

12/5/2012: The first steam train to grace the re-opened West Coast line calls for a quick photo stop at Craughwell.

12/5/2012: Craughwell's modern facilities. (R. Joanes)

12/5/2012: Next stop is Ardrahan, which looks as if it is in the middle of a field!

12/5/2012: There was a lengthy stop at the crossing point at Gort to give passengers a good look around.

12/5/2012: The old and new infrastructure at Gort. (J.A. Cassells)

12/5/2012: The modern facilities do look a bit out of place in this out of the way location, definitely compared to what used to be here!

12/5/2012: Building steam for the last leg of the journey from Gort to Ennis.

12/5/2012: No.186 has arrived at Ennis. (J.A. Cassells)

12/5/2012: The evening sun at Ennis. (J.A. Cassells)

13/5/2012: The tour overnighted in Ennis, which was a first, the norm for railtours being to stay over at terminal destinations. No.186 is moving its train out of Ennis yard on Sunday morning. (D. Knapman)

13/5/2012: The train exiting the yard at Ennis prior to shunting to the platform. (J.A. Cassells)

13/5/2012: No.186 shunts the train past Ennis signal cabin and on to the platform. (D. Knapman)

13/5/2012: The early morning sun lights the locomotive in Ennis. (J.A. Cassells)

13/5/2012: No.186 was on the train bright and early on Sunday in anticipation of the run to Limerick.

13/5/2012: The morning light shows the locomotive well, but unfortunately highlights the need for a lick of paint on the brake van.

13/5/2012: The train is passing through Meelick and the shot was taken from the bridge on the 'Pass' Road. (J. Coleman)

13/5/2012: Arrival in Limerick, a very dismal station! (D. Knapman)

13/5/2012: No.186 in Limerick station. (J.A. Cassells)

13/5/2012: The train reversed at Limerick and here No.186 is working tender-first heading for Ballybrophy. (D. Knapman)

13/5/2012: There hadn'r been much time for water at Limerick, so a stop was made at Castleconnell. (R. Joanes)

13/5/2012: No.186 is at a photo stop in Nenagh. (J.A. Cassells)

13/5/2012: Another view of Nenagh. (D. Knapman)

13/5/2012: A water stop at Cloughjordan brings out the crowds - and an artist, far left! (B. Gibbs)

13/5/2012: At Roscrea it was a scene reminiscent of early Society tours, when half the local populace would turn up on a Sunday morning to see the train.

13/5/2012: Plenty of local interest at Roscrea. (J.A. Cassells)

13/5/2012: Roscrea's fine cabin is still in use. (J.A. Cassells)

13/5/2012: Roscrea cabin. (D. Knapman)

13/5/2012: As No.186 and train entered Ballybrophy, 230 was waiting in the loop. (J. Coleman)

13/5/2012: No.186 and train in the bay at Ballybrophy. (J.A. Cassells)

13/5/2012: No.186 has uncoupled and run forward at Ballybrophy. (M. Olver)

13/5/2012: Traffic Inspector Alan Dunphy at Ballybrophy with the B pattern staff from Roscrea. (J.A. Cassells)

13/5/2012: 230 on the tour train and ready to depart Ballybrophy for Dublin. (J. Coleman)

13/5/2012: 230 approaching Dublin Connolly with the tour train. (J.A. Cassells)

13/5/2012: No.186, left behind at Ballybrophy, crosses from the bay to the main line to make a dash for Dublin. (J. Coleman)

13/5/2012: No.186, running light from Ballybrophy to Dublin, leaves the loop at Portlaoise after taking water. (J. Breen)

14/5/2012: Next day, Monday, No.461 was doing the honours from Dublin northwards. But first it had to be turned. The GNR turntable was temporarily unavailable so the little-used DSER table was brought into action.

14/5/2012: The turn required a major push! (J.A. Cassells)

14/5/2012: No.461 turns reluctantly. (R. Wall).

14/5/2012: It was a very tight fit as the buffers just fouled the adjacent advertising hoarding, and it was stiff! But steam crews are nothing if not stubborn, and the locomotive was turned.

14/5/2012: Irish Rail and Translink crews were involved. (J.A. Cassells)

14/5/2012: It had been hoped that the Irish Presidential Saloon would be delivered north on this train, but it was not passed by Translink and had to be taken off. (J.A. Cassells)

14/5/2012: No.461 returning from the turntable. (D. Knapman)

14/5/2012: On the train and ready to go. (D. Knapman)

15/5/2012: Driver Noel Playfair readies No.461 for the start out of Dublin while Peter Scott has a moment to himself. (M. Olver)

15/5/2012: No.461 rounds the curve into Drogheda. (M. Olver)

14/5/2012: No.461 taking water at Drogheda. (J.A. Cassells)

14/5/2012: Watered and getting the fire up for the climb ahead. (D. Knapman)

14/5/2012: Unfortunately, No.461 suffered a hot big end and had to be held at Dundalk. So the decision not to send it on the main tour had proved to be sound. (D. Knapman)

14/5/2012: A major discussion on the footplate as to what to do next. (D. Knapman)

14/5/2012: The train has been shunted to the loop in Dundalk so as not to block the northbound Enterprise. (J.A. Cassells)

14/5/2012: A final decision is made that the train is going no further so as the weather worsens it is being shunted back to the yard. (D. Knapman)

14/5/2012: Not a train arriving at Dundalk from the Irish North! No.461 had reversed the out of the loop to gain access to the carriage sidings. (J.A. Cassells)

14/5/2012: As No.461 came out of the yard at Dundalk the heavens opened. (J.A. Cassells)

14/5/2012: No.461 in a downpour has been shunted to the carriage sidings. Passengers were transferred northwards by service train.

15/5/2012: The Tuesday bus tour visited the Ulster Folk & Transport Museum where the train rides were laid on. Passengers seem to be enjoying a final steam trip to end their weekend!