Which Loco is your favourite?

Cookie_Monster

From all the comments on the Orange Loco Thread decided to put up a poll.

So which and why?

141 for me, it just looks compact, rounded and smart. I even have a model of one:D

I realise 141/184 are practically the same but for those pedants out there...

EDIT: if other pleasse elaborate

weehamster

err....
How about the one which get me to my destination on time.
How about the one which departs on time.
Or how about the one that doesn't break down.
Oh yea, what about the one that is maintained to the highest standards.

Or maybe this is my favourite loco

:cool:

L1011

Locosexuals anonymous is thatta way...

but I'll sneak in a vote for the 071 either way

Stark

James is my favourite.

Victor

Extra option added to poll.

I like different locos for different jobs. When the Mark 3 push-pull sets were bought, they gave a few 071s a refresh and they looked quite nice. It would be reassuring it the locos got a bit more TLC.

Cookie_Monster

Victor wrote: »

Extra option added to poll.

Don't be so cynical:P

lord lucan

121's FTW. Always loved them,probably from seeing them pass through leixlip on the sligo all the time as a nipper.

Run_to_da_hills

A Class had by far the best sound of all CIE locos. I use to deliberatly be late for school some mornings so that I could get the express train pulled by one of these, would get carriage directly behind loco and have the window open.

Also loved the 121's use to see them on the Rosslare route. Called them Tigers as a kid.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGxziX3TQek

Typewriter

121's for me.

They will always remind me of my Dad bringing us out to greystones when we were kids.

Cookie_Monster

I've never had the pleasure of seeing a 121 in the flesh, pity.

Been on the old 141 hauled trains in fota years ago, what an experience. You could almost see the rails through the floor on those carriages:D

corktina

well well, arent there a lot of closet trainspotters on here....:D

Cookie_Monster

corktina wrote: »

well well, arent there a lot of closet trainspotters on here....:D

guilty

newmug

BALLS! I clicked the wrong one, I meant to vote for 071!

Eiretrains

121s for me, particularly in grey & yellow, mainly because they looked so modern and out of place for Ireland when they first arrived.:cool:

newmug

Being a newbie locosexual, I dont see the difference between 121, 141, 181 etc. They all have the same "face", or do they?

Transportuser09

newmug wrote: »

Being a newbie locosexual, I dont see the difference between 121, 141, 181 etc. They all have the same "face", or do they?

121s have only one cab, which is slightly taller than that found on 141/181/071s. (the 121 was actually a standard export loco, apart from the gauge, made by GM at the time, locos after it where specially designed for CIÉ). Under the hood they are practically the same as 141s.

More information can be found here http://www.irishtractiongroup.com/ITG_locos/locofleet.htm

Cookie_Monster

newmug wrote: »

Being a newbie locosexual, I dont see the difference between 121, 141, 181 etc. They all have the same "face", or do they?

as said already 121 are quite different. 141 and 181 are basically the same, 181 had a more powerful engine and 7 vents under the front window on each end.

Eiretrains

Here's an example of a GM 121 style export loco in Argentina, very similar to how the Irish ones once looked.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0zh0xAhANo&feature=related

More Irish locos here also:o
http://eiretrains.com/Photo_Gallery/Irish%20Locos/A&Bindex.html

flyingsnail

I do like 121's but my favourite has to be steam.

newmug

My bad, I meant whats the difference between the 071, 141, and 181's? Is it just engine stuff? They look identical. @ Cookie Monster, I cant see any vents in these pics (Eiretrains, you da MAN!). My favs are still the 071's in IR livery:D

Eiretrains

Some vents got plated over in later years when the locos were overhauled. Here's some that didn't though.
http://eiretrains.com/Photo_Gallery/Irish%20Locos/181%20Class/slides/183%20(1).html

http://eiretrains.com/Photo_Gallery/Irish%20Locos/181%20Class/slides/187%20(1).html

tombliboo83

My fav is the 201 for its sheer power but the 071 are the best to work with in terms of reliability (if they were looked after). The 121 looks the most unique but as my Dad said they were great to look at and a horror to drive esp in the cold brrrr

newmug

tombliboo83 wrote: »

My fav is the 201 for its sheer power but the 071 are the best to work with in terms of reliability (if they were looked after). The 121 looks the most unique but as my Dad said they were great to look at and a horror to drive esp in the cold brrrr

You ever in the cab of a loco?

steamengine

Fair dues to you Newmug for resurrecting this thread, and thanks to Ciaran for this great video - showing one of the 'others' N0 85, Merlin passing through Killester once again, just as she did many times when i was a kid !!! :):)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIMtDvVRfH4

Transportuser09

newmug wrote: »

My bad, I meant whats the difference between the 071, 141, and 181's? Is it just engine stuff? They look identical. @ Cookie Monster, I cant see any vents in these pics (Eiretrains, you da MAN!). My favs are still the 071's in IR livery:D

The 141/181 are of Bo-Bo wheel arrangement (two powered axles per bogie), 071s are Co-Co (three powered axles per bogie), so 141/181s are shorter as a result. 141/181s have different engine types to the 071 and wouldn't be near as powerful. 071s also had turbochargers fitted. Common practice was to use 2 141/181s to do the work of one 071 if the latter wasn't available.

Cookie_Monster

tombliboo83 wrote: »

My fav is the 201 for its sheer power but the 071 are the best to work with in terms of reliability (if they were looked after).

not any more for the 071. they break down constantly theses days, an engineer I know say they are totally knackered.
They also can't start them on cold mornings and need to leave them running overnight at times during the winter.

Oliver1985

071 for me

CIE

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

not any more for the 071. they break down constantly theses days, an engineer I know say they are totally knackered.
They also can't start them on cold mornings and need to leave them running overnight at times during the winter.

It's normal to keep those locomotives running, because they are literally water-cooled and do not use ethylene glycol/water mix as a coolant.

If they're "knackered", then they aren't being maintained. The 645s in the 141 class ran for over 45 years in service, the locomotives themselves 50 years in service. (The 181 class lasted 43 years.)

newmug wrote: »

My bad, I meant whats the difference between the 071, 141, and 181's? Is it just engine stuff? They look identical

To add to what Transportuser09 posted:

• The 141 class was originally built with EMD 8-567CR engines with 875 hp (567 is the cubic inch displacement of each cylinder, so that's a 74-litre V8 two-stroke diesel engine).
  
• The 181 class looks identical to the 141 class, but the standard engine is the 8-645E with 1,000 hp (85-litre V8). They were also newer than the 141 class by an average of four years.
  
• The 071 class is larger than the preceding classes (100.6 tonnes mass and 17.4 m length versus the Bo-Bo engines' 67 tonnes and 13.4 m). It has a 12-645E3C engine (a 127-litre V12) of 2,475 horsepower (some sources claim 2,250 hp). These were built in 1976 and replaced the 001 class on the Dublin-Cork expresses.

The 141 and 181 classes were both of EMD's JL8 type; the 071 class are EMD JT22CW type.

Also should be noted that the engines in the 141 and 181 class were equipped with positive-aspiration Roots blowers. The 1,500-horsepower 8-645E was turbocharged; pity they never got that engine. (You can't have a naturally-aspirated two-stroke diesel engine.)

CIE

CIE wrote: »

It has a 12-645E3C engine (a 127-litre V12) of 2,475 horsepower (some sources claim 2,250 hp).

The varying figures are due to different ways of reporting engine power. The 071s are 2,475 gross with 2,250 available for traction. The 567-based locos were 950/875 and the 8-645s were 1,100/1,000.

I have a soft spot for 201s as I've spent more time on 201-hauled trains than anything else. Long before I developed an obsession with railways I used to remember getting off an ex Cork train in Heuston with my parents and "looking to see what river name was on the engine." The interest was there but it took me a long time to follow it.

Transportuser09

steamengine wrote: »

Fair dues to you Newmug for resurrecting this thread, and thanks to Ciaran for this great video - showing one of the 'others' N0 85, Merlin passing through Killester once again, just as she did many times when i was a kid !!! :):)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIMtDvVRfH4

Very nice. Almost looks as though the steam train is going faster than the diesel following it!

tombliboo83

newmug wrote: »

You ever in the cab of a loco?

Me , my Dad and Grandfather