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Most Crazy Example of Irish Railway Walter Mittyism?

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  • 30-09-2014 7:52pm
    #1
    ClovenHoof
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,121 ✭✭✭


    Mine has to be the guy who was going to purchase NIR back in the 1990's and convert the entire network to the 'same gauge as the mainland' to run container trains.

    He was given a sizeable media platform and I even recall the British railway magazines posting the idea making comments such as 'The GWR changed gauge in a weekend..." Even the IRRS Newsletter gave him a fair hearing and report. Big money was forthcoming, all the plans and customers in place, etc

    Turned out he was just some guy with a photo-copied letter head and a pound in his bank account and nothing else.


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    #2
    L1011
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 67,854 Mod ✭✭✭✭L1011


    "Local lines" or whatever the crayon and PowerPoint proposal to reopen virtually every closed line as a luas. Media covered what was basically someone drawing over the viceregal commission map as a real possibility.


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    #3
    Judgement Day
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,549 ✭✭✭✭Judgement Day


    This crowd would qualify for a Walter Mitty award. http://blog.tralee.org/?s=tralee+dingle+railway

    yard3.jpg


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    #4
    corktina
    Closed Accounts Posts: 17,733 ✭✭✭✭corktina


    the only advantage having the same gauge as Mainland Europe (see what I did there?) is being able to ship in stock secondhand or off the shelf when the need arises. Until the bridge or tunnel is built there is no point in changing the gauge.


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    #5
    Judgement Day
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,549 ✭✭✭✭Judgement Day


    And not forgetting Mr.Trebus..:D

    _57528857_000491199-2.jpg


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    #6
    whisky_galore
    Registered Users Posts: 15,847 ✭✭✭✭whisky_galore


    Judgement Day wrote: »
    This crowd would qualify for a Walter Mitty award. http://blog.tralee.org/?s=tralee+dingle+railway


    yard3.jpg

    Call it a hunch, but think that site didn't have an update with quite some time.

    Recall hearing another madcap scheme to relay the Valentia branch to metre gauge and re-open it. Not surprisingly nothing came of it.


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    #7
    Cookie_Monster
    Registered Users Posts: 24,475 ✭✭✭✭Cookie_Monster


    Judgement Day wrote: »
    This crowd would qualify for a Walter Mitty award. http://blog.tralee.org/?s=tralee+dingle+railway

    to be fair they DO have a loco on actual tracks... or some of it at least

    :D


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    #8
    KCAccidental
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,492 ✭✭✭KCAccidental


    MYOB wrote: »
    "Local lines" or whatever the crayon and PowerPoint proposal to reopen virtually every closed line as a luas. Media covered what was basically someone drawing over the viceregal commission map as a real possibility.

    http://www.invectis.co.uk/cork/Local%20Lines%20WEST%20CORK%20RAIL.pdf

    utterly feasible :D


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    #9
    ClovenHoof
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,121 ✭✭✭ClovenHoof


    KCAccidental wrote: »
    http://www.invectis.co.uk/cork/Local%20Lines%20WEST%20CORK%20RAIL.pdf

    utterly feasible :D


    We have a winner!


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    #10
    Judgement Day
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,549 ✭✭✭✭Judgement Day


    I like the West Cork 'plan' but it will never happen. Light rail on the Cork, Blackrock & Passage formation would be nice though.


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    #11
    roundymac
    Registered Users Posts: 2,712 ✭✭✭roundymac


    Judgement Day wrote: »
    I like the West Cork 'plan' but it will never happen. Light rail on the Cork, Blackrock & Passage formation would be nice though.
    Not a hope:(, pedestrians now have possesion of that line. You won't shift them too easily.


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    #12
    roundymac
    Registered Users Posts: 2,712 ✭✭✭roundymac


    I remember a piece on one of the local papers, examiner/echo can't remember which reported on "the proposed tunnell" between Rosslare and Fishguard costing slightly more than what the channel tunnell was just after costing, despite the Rosslare-Fishguard one being 30-40 miles longer. Must have been a very quite news day.


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    #13
    whisky_galore
    Registered Users Posts: 15,847 ✭✭✭✭whisky_galore


    What about our 'friends' in the New Ross branch group? Shouldn't they be relaying track right about now?
    Oh right....


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    #14
    run_Forrest_run
    Registered Users Posts: 6,398 ✭✭✭run_Forrest_run


    roundymac wrote: »
    Not a hope:(, pedestrians now have possesion of that line. You won't shift them too easily.

    I think they would happily shift if it meant less traffic chaos along there in the mornings!


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    #15
    Stovepipe
    Registered Users Posts: 2,979 ✭✭✭Stovepipe


    Doesn't need to be Walter Mitty stuff, either. What about the Luas shunting engine that didn't match the Luas guage. It had about ten feet of rail to itself and could go nowhere.

    regards
    Stovepipe


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    #16
    whisky_galore
    Registered Users Posts: 15,847 ✭✭✭✭whisky_galore


    run_Forrest_run wrote: »
    I think they would happily shift if it meant less traffic chaos along there in the mornings!

    No, used mainly for 'leisure'. Think you'll get a lot of cyclists, joggers/runners, dog walkers, moms and pops with strollers objecting.


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    #17
    ClovenHoof
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,121 ✭✭✭ClovenHoof


    Stovepipe wrote: »
    Doesn't need to be Walter Mitty stuff, either. What about the Luas shunting engine that didn't match the Luas guage. It had about ten feet of rail to itself and could go nowhere.

    regards
    Stovepipe

    Any more info on this?


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    #18
    Grandeeod
    Registered Users Posts: 12,105 ✭✭✭✭Grandeeod


    Stovepipe wrote: »
    Doesn't need to be Walter Mitty stuff, either. What about the Luas shunting engine that didn't match the Luas guage. It had about ten feet of rail to itself and could go nowhere.

    regards
    Stovepipe

    I think you are talking about the two diesel units that luas contractors used during construction. They were always of the 4ft 8 1/2 gauge.


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    #19
    ClovenHoof
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,121 ✭✭✭ClovenHoof


    Stovepipe must be an Irish newspaper journalist. 'Luas is the wrong gauge...' etc.

    I recall two German diesel locomotives on the LUAS Green Line.


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    #20
    seagoebox
    Registered Users Posts: 26 ✭seagoebox


    What about the driving trailer purchased by NIR that never turned a wheel in service?, and surely the Gatwicks barely earned the cost of repainting !
    The proposed driving trailer project from the International Mark 3 set must also have soaked up quite a bit of money.


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    #21
    Grandeeod
    Registered Users Posts: 12,105 ✭✭✭✭Grandeeod


    ClovenHoof wrote: »
    Stovepipe must be an Irish newspaper journalist. 'Luas is the wrong gauge...' etc.

    I recall two German diesel locomotives on the LUAS Green Line.

    Nearly.:D

    France. Apparently one of them is at the Red Cow depot to this day.


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    #22
    end of the road
    Registered Users Posts: 28,997 ✭✭✭✭end of the road


    whisky_galore wrote: »
    No, used mainly for 'leisure'. Think you'll get a lot of cyclists, joggers/runners, dog walkers, moms and pops with strollers objecting.
    fcuk them. they can object away if they want, but if a light rail system is ever to be put along the route then along the route it will go and they will have to get over it and walk somewhere else.

    ticking a box on a form does not make you of a religion.



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    #23
    end of the road
    Registered Users Posts: 28,997 ✭✭✭✭end of the road


    Grandeeod wrote: »
    Nearly.

    France. Apparently one of them is at the Red Cow depot to this day.

    any idea what happened the other one?

    ticking a box on a form does not make you of a religion.



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    #24
    Stovepipe
    Registered Users Posts: 2,979 ✭✭✭Stovepipe


    It's true.Unbelievers! Friend of mine was working there and showed me pics of them. Luas was full of stuff like that, such as Spanish and french carriages being wired differently so that they could not be hooked up so a tram had to be all-French or all-Spanish but not both.


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    #25
    ClovenHoof
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,121 ✭✭✭ClovenHoof


    Stovepipe wrote: »
    It's true.Unbelievers! Friend of mine was working there and showed me pics of them. Luas was full of stuff like that, such as Spanish and french carriages being wired differently so that they could not be hooked up so a tram had to be all-French or all-Spanish but not both.


    LOL!


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    #26
    Grandeeod
    Registered Users Posts: 12,105 ✭✭✭✭Grandeeod


    Stovepipe wrote: »
    It's true.Unbelievers! Friend of mine was working there and showed me pics of them. Luas was full of stuff like that, such as Spanish and french carriages being wired differently so that they could not be hooked up so a tram had to be all-French or all-Spanish but not both.

    I'm not sure LOL is good enough for that, as it sounds like absolute BS.


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    #27
    Grandeeod
    Registered Users Posts: 12,105 ✭✭✭✭Grandeeod


    end of the road wrote: »
    any idea what happened the other one?

    Vandalised.


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    #28
    whisky_galore
    Registered Users Posts: 15,847 ✭✭✭✭whisky_galore


    end of the road wrote: »
    fcuk them. they can object away if they want, but if a light rail system is ever to be put along the route then along the route it will go and they will have to get over it and walk somewhere else.


    Very good. What will you be financing this project with? Shirtbuttons perhaps?


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    #29
    KCAccidental
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,492 ✭✭✭KCAccidental


    end of the road wrote: »
    fcuk them. they can object away if they want, but if a light rail system is ever to be put along the route then along the route it will go and they will have to get over it and walk somewhere else.

    It's a moot point anyways. I'm fairly sure Sewage pipes were installed under the path when the new system was built in the late 90's. Can't build over them!


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    #30
    end of the road
    Registered Users Posts: 28,997 ✭✭✭✭end of the road


    whisky_galore wrote: »
    Very good. What will you be financing this project with? Shirtbuttons perhaps?

    em, nothing? did you read the post? i said "if a light rail system is ever to be put along the route" not "a light rail system is going to be put along the route" . but thats not going to happen so it doesn't matter

    ticking a box on a form does not make you of a religion.



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    #31
    whisky_galore
    Registered Users Posts: 15,847 ✭✭✭✭whisky_galore


    end of the road wrote: »
    em, nothing?

    Nothing will come of nothing. That's your first stumbling block before you even consider pipes or walkers. You seem to have the notion that walkers and cyclists have no lobbying power and can be brushed aside, you've probably never heard of a bunch called Sustrans....


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