Mk 3 Farewell Tour pics

[pendoboy]

Hi all

Pics from last Saturdays Irish Mark 3 Farewll Tour are here...

http://joe-bloggs-irish-railway-photos.fotopic.net/

Excellent day all round with lovely weather.

Regards

Joe Bloggs

[TheAmateurBasher]

Great pictures Joe! An end of an era on Irish soil I guess. Mind you, are they keeping at least some of them for the Belfast to Dublin services?

[ziggyshadowdust]

So I've read in the various railway magazines. They require heavy engineering first. These Irish Mk3 coaches could assist in increasing the frequency of Belfast-Dublin services to 1 service in each direction every hour.

[jtiffin]

Fantastic photos, Joe. I like the bridge ones.

[TheAmateurBasher]

So I've read in the various railway magazines. They require heavy engineering first. These Irish Mk3 coaches could assist in increasing the frequency of Belfast-Dublin services to 1 service in each direction every hour.

Thought so too. Cheers for clearing that one up.

[pendoboy]

Thanks for the comments.

Irish rail are going to keep some mark 3 coaches (I believe it`s 48) which will be overhauled. Some of these (if the stories are correct) will then be used to uncrease the Belfast service.

Regular mark 3 loco haulage is on it`s last legs. There are only a few diagrams left as the units take over more and more diagrams.

As for the bridge shot it cost me a €32 taxi fare and a single from Portarlington to Limerick. Whilst travelling on the tour someone joked that I`d missed out on the river bridge shot and I`d never get a shot of a 141 crossing it again. After a bit of a flap a plan was created. On arrival at Kildare (where the locos run round) I bailed out of the tour and rang a taxi. He drove me to River Barrow bridge waited for the train and then took me to the next station at Portarlington. Obviously the tour was long gone so it was get the plastic unit back to Limerick. A desperate move I know but the photo is in the bag.

Many thanks to the taxi driver who when I rang him was putting flooring down in his loft! Without you and your fast car the pictures would not have been possible...

Joe Bloggs

[TheAmateurBasher]

Irish rail are going to keep some mark 3 coaches (I believe it`s 48) which will be overhauled. Some of these (if the stories are correct) will then be used to uncrease the Belfast service.

Exactly what I thought. Thanks for that pendoboy.