Decies Railtour (1991) - Whitehead Railway Museum

Due to the Barrow Bridge having been struck by a ship, No.461 (on its first railtour) was to haul the train via Rosslare to Wellingtonbridge where tour passengers were to be transferred to Waterford by bus. No.4 was to take up the train at Waterford, with a trip to Carrick-on-Suir and then back to Dublin via Kilkenny. However, No.461 disgraced itself by failing at Gorey and the trip was hauled by GM 176 from there to Wellingtonbridge, and the set transferred by diesel via Dublin to Waterford overnight. Also, No.4 had been prohibited from entering Waterford due to a weight restriction on a bridge, so the Sunday train started by diesel to Thomastown, to where No.4 had run light. A run back to Kildare, then Tullamore and back to Dublin and Belfast completed the weekend. Saturday 11th May: (461) Dublin Connolly - Gorey; (GM 176) Gorey - Rosslare - Wellingtonbridge; (461 LE) Gorey - Dublin Connolly. Sunday 12th May : (4 LE) Dublin Connolly - Kildare - Kilkenny - Thomastown; (071) Waterford - Thomastown; (4) Thomastown - Kilkenny - Kildare - Tullamore - Dublin Connolly - Belfast Central. Monday 13th May: (4) Belfast Central - Bangor - Lisburn - Antrim - Belfast YR - Larne Harbour - Whitehead.

4/5/1991: No.4 at Lisburn with the empty stock for the tour. (W. Adams)

11/5/1991: No.461 rounding Bray Head. (J. Hunt)

11/5/1991: No.461 on a runpast at Kilcoole, between Greystones and Wicklow. (M. Birchenough)

11/51991: More of the Kilcoole runpast. (M. Birchenough)

11/5/1991: Kilcoole, another view.

11/5/1991: No problem accessing the track at Rathdrum. (M. Birchenough)

11/5/1991: Crossing the River Avonmore, south of Rathdrum. (J. Hunt)

11/5/1991: A lineside bus took photographers to the golf course at Woodenbridge. No.461 approaches along the River Avoca.

11/5/1991: Photographers line up as No.461 passes the site of Woodenbridge station.

11/5/1991: The failed No.461 at Gorey. (M. Birchenough)

11/5/1991: 176 hauls the train over the Crescent at Wexford. (M. Birchenough)

11/5/1991: 134 at Wickow on a Down Rosslare meets No.461 running light from Gorey to Connolly. 134 eventually came into RPSI ownership. (C.P. Friel)

12/5/1991: On Sunday morning, while waiting for the tour train to come from Waterford, a Down service crosses the River Nore bridge just south of Thomastown.

12/5/1991: No.4 has come light from Dublin and has been coupled to the tour train at Thomastown.

12/5/1991: No.4 running around at Kilkenny. (M. Birchenough)

12/5/1991: No.4 has run round and is ready to depart from Kilkenny. (M. Birchenough)

12/5/1991: No.4 at Lavistown Junction, coming out of Kilkenny. (J. Hunt)

12/5/1991: No.4 at an unknown location north of Kilkenny.

12/5/1991: A photo stop at Carlow. (M. Birchenough)

12/5/1991: Another view of No.4 at Carlow. (M. Birchenough)

12/5/1991: The train has come off the Waterford line and is at Kildare. No.4 runs around to take the train back down the main line to Portarlington and Tullamore. (M. Birchenough)

12/5/1991: At Tullamore No.4 has run around and is waiting to return. (M. Birchenough)

12/5/1991: No.4 taking water at Drogheda. (M. Birchenough)

12/5/1991: No.4 getting checked out at Drogheda. (M. Birchenough)

14/5/1991: The Tuesday bus trip visited Shane's Castle Railway. The diesel-hauled train is at the Castle end of the line.

14/5/1991: The bus trip also visited Peatlands Park, between Portadown and Dungannon. Two of their locomotives hauled tour participants around the Park.