A Princess arrives at Heuston

The_Wanderer

Morning folks,

A varied day today. From a preserved RA bus in Portlaoise to the arrival of the Ffestiniog Railway's Princess at Dublin's Heuston Station.
http://smu.gs/11CS7NS

The Wanderer.

Cookie_Monster

arrival of the Ffestiniog Railway's Princess at Dublin's Heuston Station

as you mention, going on display for six weeks. What the reason or relevance though? Seems an odd choice to display a welsh narrow gauge loco at an Irish mainline station.

corktina

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

as you mention, going on display for six weeks. What the reason or relevance though? Seems an odd choice to display a welsh narrow gauge loco at an Irish mainline station.

publicity i imagine , draw in the tourists to Wales...something we should do more frequently!

gobnaitolunacy

corktina wrote: »

publicity i imagine , draw in the tourists to Wales...something we should do more frequently!

Beat them at their own game. Maybe spruce up an RPSI loco that's just hanging around and send it to over the water? Lough Erne would be a handy size.

Losty Dublin

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

as you mention, going on display for six weeks. What the reason or relevance though? Seems an odd choice to display a welsh narrow gauge loco at an Irish mainline station.

Most of the finance for the Ffestiniog came from Ireland so there is a link between the line and Ireland.

dregin

Losty Dublin wrote: »

Most of the finance for the Ffestiniog came from Ireland so there is a link between the line and Ireland.

How was it financed from Ireland?

Losty Dublin

dregin wrote: »

How was it financed from Ireland?

The first managing director of the company was an Irish born barrister by the name of Henry Archer. He set up the railway partly his own funds and money raised on the Dublin Stock Exchange in the 1830's.

corktina

gobnaitolunacy wrote: »

Beat them at their own game. Maybe spruce up an RPSI loco that's just hanging around and send it to over the water? Lough Erne would be a handy size.

with what aim in mind? The Festiniog is a year round operating railway, running through a National Park with authentic locos and coaches and a fine history behind it, plus the South African Railway branch line to the North past the back end of Mt Snowdon...or in other words a major tourist attraction in another league to the RPSI (No insult intended RPSI...) which operates a few trains a year and has no real tourist centre to visit.

Hilly Bill

The_Wanderer wrote: »

Morning folks,

A varied day today. From a preserved RA bus in Portlaoise to the arrival of the Ffestiniog Railway's Princess at Dublin's Heuston Station.
http://smu.gs/11CS7NS

The Wanderer.

I know that train well but Prince was my favourite. I'll have to pop down and have a look at it.

gobnaitolunacy

Hilly Bill wrote: »

I know that train well but Prince was my favourite. I'll have to pop down and have a look at it.

It's the Loco Formerly Known As Prince now:D

gobnaitolunacy

From breakingnews.ie...'Tourism chiefs are hoping it will help attract visitors from Britain to a heritage railway tour in Ireland'...thought it was intended to work the other way round, attracting visitors to Wales????

The world’s oldest steam locomotive of its kind has rolled into Ireland to celebrate its 150th birthday.

The historic Princess took a ferry from Wales, where it used to haul slate trucks from quarries, to go on display in Dublin’s Heuston station.

Tourism chiefs are hoping it will help attract visitors from Britain to a heritage railway tour in Ireland, as part of this year’s Gathering festival.

Built in London in 1863 to service the Snowdonian mountain quarries of Blaenau Ffestiniog, it was one the first steam locos ever built for a narrow-gauge line.

Since going out of service in the 1940s, Princess has been part of a Ffestiniog Railway museum in Gwynedd, in north Wales, where it was painstakingly restored by craftsmen.

Public Transport Minister Alan Kelly said the steam engine was an important part of railway heritage on these islands.

“The Princess represents a piece of our transport history that we will rarely see,” he said.

“For rail and history enthusiasts and indeed for the general public, it is great that this locomotive has come to Dublin.

“It is important we recognise our history of rail travel and this being the year of the Gathering, the Princess locomotive is the perfect way to do so.”

The locomotive will be on display at Heuston until July 24.

steamengine

Can't wait for JD's response to that lot !!!

flyingsnail

gobnaitolunacy wrote: »

From breakingnews.ie...'

Tourism chiefs are hoping it will help attract visitors from Britain to a heritage railway tour in Ireland, as part of this year’s Gathering festival.

Sure people are going to come over to Ireland to see a loco from Wales? And tour what while they are here?

Public Transport Minister Alan Kelly said the steam engine was an important part of railway heritage on these islands.

“The Princess represents a piece of our transport history that we will rarely see,” he said.

More important than the stuff we have here?

“For rail and history enthusiasts and indeed for the general public, it is great that this locomotive has come to Dublin.

“It is important we recognise our history of rail travel and this being the year of the Gathering, the Princess locomotive is the perfect way to do so.”

I could think of a much better way with something that would be in steam and actually moving.

End Rant:P

corktina

there is virtually nothing to see in the Republic except when a society based in the north runs trains here. What there is to see is totally unrepresentative of Irish Railways (with the exception of the ITG....which is largely UK or Northern based)

I agree with JD in advance

Sligo Quay

corktina wrote: »

there is virtually nothing to see in the Republic except when a society based in the north runs trains here. What there is to see is totally unrepresentative of Irish Railways (with the exception of the ITG....which is largely UK or Northern based)

Took words straight out of my mouth, its a load of rubbish and makes no sense, if I want to see a Welsh locomotive I'II go to Wales where I'II have a better choice, main reason its here its to make certain people feel good that the are doing things in the name of heritage, when really its all about ego and self-importance.

The_Wanderer

Evening folks,

Earlier today the Ffestiniog Railway's "Princess" was unveiled at Dublin Heuston by Junior Transport Minster Alan Kelly T.D.

Public Transport Minister, Alan Kelly T.D. was at Heuston Station today to officially unveil the oldest narrow gauge steam locomotive in the world. Princess, which has recently been on display at Paddington Station, London is coming to Ireland as part of The Gathering, to highlight a railway heritage tour aimed at the UK market for The Gathering.

The Locomotive, which is on loan from Ffestiniog Railway in north Wales will be on display at Heuston from today until 24th July and is open to all those who love trains, whatever their age. The Minister was joined at Heuston by the Dublin Welsh Male Voice Choir and guests in Victorian dress to mark the occasion. The original Ffestiniog Railway was built with capital funds from Dublin, and Irish labour was heavily involved in construction in the 1830s.

Photos from the delivery to Heuston on Tuesday evening and the launch event on Thursday are now online at http://smu.gs/13J8U5l

Plus a few other odds and sods from this morning: http://smu.gs/11HSoPJ

Enjoy!
The Wanderer.

Cookie_Monster

Tourism chiefs are hoping it will help attract visitors from Britain to a heritage railway tour in Ireland, as part of this year’s Gathering festival.

Is it pie in the sky type hope or have they actually got any figures or fact at all behind it I wonder.

I can't understand why anyone woudl come from the UK to see it rather than simply heading to Wales to see (and experience) the entire active railway.

dregin

This seems to be the aforementioned tour:

http://www.thegatheringireland.com/View-Gatherings/individual-gathering.aspx?eid=3847&name=Railway%20Heritage%20Tour#.UbGKSkCcepI

The "buy tickets online" option brings you to http://www.ffestiniogtravel.com/ !