My parents new him as he used to compete in the over 60's singing competitions around Cork, I was obsessed with trains, still am to be honest and i got to ride in the cab with him in 1991 I think. A total gent of a man, sad to hear of his passing. RIP no.1
i used to travel to Ireland as a kid with my parents and how this video brought back so many memories of an Ireland that has changed so much indeed; men with their caps at an angle, so frequently seen in Ireland. Noise of the diesel engine and of course the Craven carriages running on the track that made that clicking noise as the wheels ran over the joints, no welded track then...hard core stuff. I was brought back to the line that ran from Rosslare to Cappoquin, and later to Waterford City as the lines were dug up forever, so sad indeed. Thank you Tom Ryan for the upload of the video very much appreciated
I had the pleasure of getting a cab ride with John that same year, I was 14 and my parents new him and he very kindly obliged in giving me a cab ride. Absolute gentleman!
One of the Best Vids out there, Love the kids in Cobh , What a send off, Detonators as well and not a flippging phone in sight. Bring me back to the 90's quick.
John was an absolute gentleman. Spoke to him many times on the Cork/Cobh service and as a 15 year old got a trip in the cab to Cobh. Utterly fantastic.
What a great heartwarming video. The little girl in the cab and the happy maskless kids were wonderful. It really touched me. And I love trains. All the health and safety nonsense of today, stops all the kid's fun. Not a mobile phone in sight, and a smoky cig, brilliant. Get me back to the 90s. Whan I was a 5yo kid in the 60s, my Dad hoisted me onto the plate of a Steam Engine in Amien St, Dublin and the fireman fried a rasher on his shovel. I'll never forget it. Platform 4.
How I loved those old carriages and that trip to Cobh! This is such a lovely elegaic video; it's like Goodbye Mr. Chips. This is how a last day at work should be.
Hello you could post that im his great grandchild my name is nathan collins and that little kid(my mom)is now 33 years old and johns kids now 60 years old he lived up at the railway station the back of cork the child (my mom)is called Jessica and my granda(John's child)is called brendan I am ten and is that convincing also I called him granda 2
Hi Nathan, Your mum was great in 1993, I hope she still is. Looking at her on the platform, I worried that she might run towards the loco and fall between the loco and the platform. Thankfully, she was very sensible.
A smashing video of an old Railwaymans last ride out and back. I hope he wrote a book. John Collins must have seen the change from coal and steam to the American Deisels. Aye, things change and things stay the same. Gúr maith dhút, Tom.
Tom, you built a model OO scale small yank for me once, I was a schoolboy looking for cab rides from Cork to Cobh and back to Little Island. One time we went over a fox on the rails by Marino Point and saw him on the way back in bits. John Collins had to put up with me in the cab too, and was such a gent. I told him I wanted to be a driver like him. He told me about the time the cement wagon blew up all over his house on the Lower Road! Happy days gone by.
Brilliant video Mr Ryan. Was locomotive 162 ever a hueston station shunter or was that 163. I love the way Mr Collins lets his grandaughter sound the horn. 🚂
@@RYNT1157 the reason I ask is that it would have been the last 141 class shunter and was withdrawn for scrap and scrapped very quickly as I recall. Was there one day gone the next. I used to photograph it now and again, when. I spent time photographing trains in hueston .
Very true sadly. You still get the odd 201 on the mark 4 Cork trains but most of them are now rotting away in a line up you can see in the distance when you go out of hueston past the inchicore rail works