Fantastic video. Made the same journey in the cab of a general motors 201 class locomotive a few years ago. One Sunday my parents were going to Galway. I drove them to hueston and as this was in the days before the ticket barriers in hueston station I went right up to the train to see them off. I also had a look in the side window of the cab of the locomotive . The guard on the train saw me do so and told me to go talk to the driver. I did so and the guard came up as well. They both said I could have a cab ride on the train . I told them I would need to get money off my. Parents to come home. The guard told me he was changing his shift in athlone and would be going back on the next Dublin bound train from athlone and would bring me back in the guards van which he did. It was fantastic to see how a train was driven. This was in the day before camera phones. I cursed the air blue to myself that I rushed out of the house that morning without my digital camera although I doubt I. Could have taken many photos without getting the driver into trouble. Something I would never do. 🚂
The staff on Irish Rail up to a few years ago were like relatives and friends you'd get along with (Up to the point when all the MK2 and MK3 coaches were taken out of service). They were much more friendlier and just like the trains at the time, had more character, from the ticket office staff to the drivers. Nowadays, they are such cold, miserable and bullying people. Ever since the last time I went on Irish Rail, I will never, ever go on the train. The way the man at the ticket office made a laugh at me and way they speak to me when I would ask a simple question is unbelievable. I'd ask for a ticket to Dublin in most polite way, and the woman at the ticket office would stare at you as if you've done something wrong. Even two lads on a loco train (071 loco) pulling logs blew the horn right up near me while I was standing at the platform (I was no more than 2 to 3 metres away) and nearly burst my eardrums. I don't mind the driver blowing the horn from about 50m away, because I like the horn being blown, but to blow it right at me, and the two lads sneering at me, its just upsetting. I remember the station master at the local station brought myself and my father in for a cup of tae and watching the Sunday Game while having a great chat and looking out the window at the trains going by. That warmth that used to be in Irish Rail is there no more, just like the trains. 2009 was the end of the great Irish Rail.
Very enjoyable film. Made the same journey myself a few years ago on a general motors 201 class locomotive. Brilliant run and great to see a train driver at work.
Does anyone know what the A Class hauled bagged fertiliser train would have been doing in the long siding there at Inchicore? Just waiting for a path or a crew change or something? It appears to be an up train but it also appears laden (the tops of the white sacks seem visible?) which makes no sense normally as the fertiliser trains originated in Shelton Abbey and would be empty heading up to Dublin from anything but the Rosslare Line. Possibly engineering works between Shelton Abbey and Dublin Connolly forcing this train to take a huge detour via the South Wexford line, Waterford, Kildare to reach maybe Belfast? Cracking video as always Gerry. Fantastic reference material for us modellers.
Ray sull Mulling to Athlone was a lovely line to travel on but when I travelled that line there were no video cameras then. I missed out on a great run. Thanks for watching and happy easter.
Go to athlone often for holidays stay in the raddison right on the river beautiful view and a beautiful city, funny thing is that my wife and I didn’t find out until after our first break there that her grandfather went to school in athlone and I did a few contracts at hodson bay hotel, plus lucky me I got to stay for free but alas working too many hours to take advantage of the leisure perks after 12 hours hard graft not much energy left took me all my strength to lift my knife and fork to eat
I just reprocessed this video to remove all the shaking using ffmpeg the reuploaded video is here ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Pk6jJHUPZwU.html
