"Meanwhile in Ireland!!!" thread moved to where?
- Thread starter phimat
- Start date
Meanwhile, my favourite Northern Ireland Railways MPD's of all time, the Class 70's - in particular, the two units named "River Lagan" and "River Bann" which transported me on the most wonderful holiday of a lifetime across the countryside between Belfast and Londonderry at the age of 14 years old, at the height of the "troubles" in the early 1970's! As I recall, four ex-BR Mk1 coaches (including a mini-buffet and a "CK") were sandwiched between "River Lagan" and "River Bann", but painted in the smart Northern Ireland Railways livery.
Besides the army's presence everywhere and road blocks a-plenty, a bit of bomb damage at Belfast's York Road station and black notices in the railway carriages (where adverts should be) asking you to report any suspicious behaviour, we saw little evidence of the violence being reported daily by the newspapers at home.
Besides the army's presence everywhere and road blocks a-plenty, a bit of bomb damage at Belfast's York Road station and black notices in the railway carriages (where adverts should be) asking you to report any suspicious behaviour, we saw little evidence of the violence being reported daily by the newspapers at home.
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The MPD was seperate class from the 70 though parts of MPDs were used to make up the 70 class. You may be interested to know that you can now take a trip on a 70 class standard brake (formerly MPD driving trailer 534) carriage 728, at Downpatrick & County Down Railway, where it makes up part of their running set. It has recently been returned to traffic for the first time in almost 30 years, after extensive restoration. It wears a splendid dark green and gold lined UTA livery.
In Belfast late seventies for a confab at Queens, found myself apparently alone in the local station (Victoria closed) awaiting the train back to Dublin. When the train arrived, several dozen people appeared as tho' from nowhere. Back at Trinity I remarked this fact and was given the reason: snipers...
An apology would have been the more decent response. (Location of pic is - I'm told - Oz!)
An urban myth. The border counties were the places for that sort of thing.
If it was a big ugly place, I'd imagine you were in Central Station.
The urban myth perpetuated by English newspapers. At the age of 14, I remarked that I was ashamed to be half Irish after seeing all the horror stories in the papers! My mother's response was to book my six week summer holiday and travel the length and breadth of Ulster, criss-crossing the border on many occasions.
We enjoyed tea and scones with the locals in both the Falls and the Ardoyne. We saw the Orange Parade pass by without hostility or tension on the 12th July in Ballymena. I had my picture taken by "Roaring Meg" in Londonderry, walked and talked among the locals in the Bogside then had a picnic by Lough Foyle at Culmore. We strolled along the Giants' Causeway and along the beautiful beach at Ballycastle. We visited the museum of the Royal Irish Rangers at Carrickfergus Castle, strolled by the lake at Enniskillen, changed the "Ulsterbus" many times at Dungannon and, in that bus station, my mother helped a diabetic man who was slipping into unconsciousness by slipping two Polo mints under his tongue to get the sugar into him quickly.
However, the crowning glory was the last few nights staying at the Europa Hotel in Belfast - the most bombed hotel in Europe or so it was said. As the "Duke of Rosslare" slipped from the quay at Belfast and headed away from the huge Harland and Wolff cranes on our way home, my mother asked the following questions:
1. How many gunmen burst into the Europa Hotel and sprayed us with bullets? "Err, none!"
2. How many bombs have we heard going off? "Err, none." (Well, maybe one big bang when a suspiciously parked car was treated to a controlled explosion by an army robot!)
3. You, with your English accent! How many people have treated you with hostility because they see you as British? "Err, none. The people have all been really friendly and kind!"
4. ....and what do you think of Ulster now? Are you still ashamed of the Irish part of your heritage? "Err, no. The country is beautiful, the people are truly friendly. In fact, very similar to our home in Devon!"
The proof of the pudding is that the memory of that holiday, and the incredible warmth of the people we met, has stayed with me for life!
Thank you for the photograph. Although I remember the maroon and blue NIR livery on the trains, the "Ulster Transport" logo, complete with Red Hand of Ulster, was displayed on the lorries and some of the buses around Belfast. All of the buses we used, though, were in the Blue "Ulsterbus" livery.
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TV news guilty too, all the way through the 80s. Most people wouldn't believe how green much of Belfast is.
Not the Ardoyne, just Ardoyne however, plenty of people who should know better get that one wrong : )
To be honest, there isn't going to be much hostility to an Orange march in Ballymena given the rather small minority of nationalists living there. Most of the strife around parading is in Belfast itself and as I'm sure you must have seen on the news in recent years, is still very much part of the 'glorious' 12th.
728 never carried that livery in service but is was still in maroon and blue, albeit very faded, prior to its refurb. Red buses in Belfast, blue everywhere else. The only change now is that the Belfast buses are pink. Not quite as rancid a colour scheme as First Group but getting there certainly.
I'll try and get a better picture of 728 next time I'm at the railway.
I always loved the Maroon and Blue with the White Diamond - sheer class!
Also I loved the "Enterprise" livery of the 1980's for through trains between Londonderry and Dublin. Before new trains were purchased, Northern Ireland "inherited" some MkIIB's from British Rail and converted them to 5 foot gauge. The "Enterprise" trains were a sort of political breakthrough, the thinking being that if strong business links could be established between North and South, the peace process would gather momentum. Were they right? I like to think so!
Also I loved the "Enterprise" livery of the 1980's for through trains between Londonderry and Dublin. Before new trains were purchased, Northern Ireland "inherited" some MkIIB's from British Rail and converted them to 5 foot gauge. The "Enterprise" trains were a sort of political breakthrough, the thinking being that if strong business links could be established between North and South, the peace process would gather momentum. Were they right? I like to think so!
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Does that locomotive have anything to do with this one, by any chance?
Manufactured by a consortium of
English Electric,
Associated Electrical Industries (A.E.I.), and
Metro-Cammell in
Saltley, Birmingham, England, United Kingdom. 1971-1972
Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad / Malayan Railways Limited
Manufactured by a consortium of
English Electric,
Associated Electrical Industries (A.E.I.), and
Metro-Cammell in
Saltley, Birmingham, England, United Kingdom. 1971-1972
Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad / Malayan Railways Limited
They wouldn't stay on the rails very long at 5' gauge. It's 5'3" here. : )
Off the top of my head, the Mk2bs were purchased from BR, in 1970 and underwent a number of interior modifications during their period of operation. 8 Mk2fs were purchased in 2001. These 8 are known locally as the Gatwick set, having come from a BR class 488 rake. The Gatwicks were the last Mk2s in service and were withdrawn in 2009. Curiously enough, a DBSO which was purchased in 2006, arrived in 2009, never turning a wheel in service and is the subject of some question. It's still sitting at York Road depot.
I'm not sure I'd share your optimism regarding the Enterprise having anything to with the peace process. The service has operated since 1947, and briefly ran all the way to Cork.
I've got a load of info on the NIR Mk2s if you want me to provide some more detail?
Off the top of my head, the Mk2bs were purchased from BR, in 1970 and underwent a number of interior modifications during their period of operation. 8 Mk2fs were purchased in 2001. These 8 are known locally as the Gatwick set, having come from a BR class 488 rake. The Gatwicks were the last Mk2s in service and were withdrawn in 2009. Curiously enough, a DBSO which was purchased in 2006, arrived in 2009, never turning a wheel in service and is the subject of some question. It's still sitting at York Road depot.
I'm not sure I'd share your optimism regarding the Enterprise having anything to with the peace process. The service has operated since 1947, and briefly ran all the way to Cork.
I've got a load of info on the NIR Mk2s if you want me to provide some more detail?
The NIR 101 Class was designed by Hunslett with the majority of work being subcontracted to British Rail Engineering Ltd, and English Electric providing the traction motors and engine. If you search for 101 Class loco, you should find some info online. I lifted this directly.
"They were visually, mechanically & electrically very similar to the metre-gauge KTMB class 22 (Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad - Malaysian Railways) locomotives built by English Electric at around the same time, however these had had a Co-Co arrangement and an uprated power unit."
