Miniature Train - Salthill Leisureland

peterbrynt · 22-05-2009 9:09pm

Steyr wrote: »

There is indeed a tunnel its across from the Galway Bay Hotel, it's where they parked/keep the train at night and when not in use, locked from both sides and has swing doors. I remember the green train too with the red grate at the front, i also remember removing little stones from the line if i noticed them, just in case the train de-railed:pac::D

Thanks - saved a few derailments then, depends how the track was laid.

Keep the memories and photos coming please folks, all been really useful so far!

Thanks
Peter

peterbrynt · 23-01-2010 6:35pm

Hello All,

Since I posted this, we have purchased the 15" gauge locomotive and coaches that used to run at Salthill, from the Perks, and are in the process of restoring them - see photo:

Does anyone remember this locomotive and its train? Any photos or further memories of it, please post them. I hope the photo rejogs a few peoples memories.

I've also attached a photo of it in 1983 - anyone know why it's numbered 382? Is it something to do with Galway? And yes, it is the same locomotive, it was rebuilt in 1994!

We hardly know anything about its past in Ireland, and would really like to see some photos of it.

Thanks in Advance
Peter

Dunjohn · 23-01-2010 10:17pm

Glad to see you've bought it, but I'm just wondering, what are you going to do with it? And why are you so interested in this particular train?

I worked for a few summers at Perks and manned the train a lot. I drove it occasionally, but mainly I sat at the back, collecting fares and keeping an eye on people while this Russian guy Igor drove it. I don't remember exactly which years these were, I think 97-00ish. I'm trying to see if that's Igor in the photo gary82 posted, but the resolution's too low. We both had to wear those caps to keep the sun off.

The locomotive was parked in the tunnel at night but the carriages wouldn't fit, so they were locked in a cage around the back of the park. I remember one time I yelled to Igor to stop the train because some passengers weren't staying inside the carriage. He did and I got off and asked them to, but Igor thought I was still onboard and pulled off again. I couldn't jump on because they'd were inside the cage so I had to run along behind them with everybody laughing at me.

That's pretty much the only memorable event I have, other than trying to explain to Igor what the lyrics "she's gonna look like she's a chimney on her" meant.

TheCosmicFrog · 23-01-2010 10:59pm

That's brilliant, Peter. Where are you/your company based?

peterbrynt · 24-01-2010 12:49pm

Thanks for the replies.

DunJohn - Good to hear from someone who worked on the train - has the loco changed at all since you worked on it? You don't happen to have any photos of the train at all please?

We're going to run the locomotive at a public railway in Lancashire in England, for the time being. Interested in its history, as want to see how it has changed over the years, and know very little about it (only seen 4 photos prior to buying it).

TheCosmicFrog - The locomotive is in Lancashire, and the coaches are in store in Yorkshire at the present time.

Here is the only other photos I have of our train at Galway, taken in 1991 by Peter Scott - as you can see from the photos above in comparison, at the time it was black, and had the front two wheels (underneath the cowcatcher) are missing.

Does anyone else have any photos or memories of this?

Thanks
Peter

delboy1986 · 26-01-2010 11:13pm

i dont know any more info on the train. have you tried contacting the perks. i do know where the old tunnel is left tho.

Arnold Layne · 27-01-2010 12:31am

I remember that train well. As a ten year old, my mates & I used to wait until the train went by the old house and then jump on the back of it and jump back off when "civilisation" was visible again. We thought we were sh1t hot.

JohnCleary · 27-01-2010 1:09am

That brings back some memories!

I remember when it used to be 20p a go, and it did 3 laps.

Original Steyr · 27-01-2010 1:25am

Hi peterbrynt,

Will you be keeping her in her original Irish colours and the Galway crest on her?

Well done on the purchase, good to see she has a new home.:)

Dunjohn · 27-01-2010 12:55pm

I'm sorry, I don't have any pictures of my own. I'm pretty sure it looks the same as when I was there.

Personally, I vastly prefer the green to the red. The red has a nice funfair feel to it, but the green was so much more elegant.

Are those black pictures definitely 1991? I didn't think the fences were that old (I moved here in 1990).

peterbrynt · 28-01-2010 5:23pm

Hello All,

Thanks for your replies, it's good to hear about the train.

DelBoy1986 - Thanks for suggestion, we've been in touch with the Perks as bought it from them - surely it's old tunnel is used for the larger train?

JohnClearly - Shame railways don't charge those sort of prices these days!

Original Steyr - Thanks, the loco will be repainted into Light Brunswick Green, which is pretty close to what it is now. - however we've removed the Galway crests (do they actually have some history? We thought they were just a funfair thing) but we do still have them. It's irish roots won't be forgotten though! The coaches which are a mix of yellow and red will be repainted and reroofed.

DunJohn - Thanks for getting back, if you know of any other people who may have photos, then I'd be very interested to hear from them. I prefer the Green as well, though the Red suits the new loco, it wouldn't had suited ours! The photos were taken on 23rd June 1991, pretty sure! The locomotive is slightly different before its rebuild at Severn Lamb in 1994.

Keep the posts coming, all very interesting so far, there must be some photos out there!

Thanks
Peter

PS. I'll post some photos once our locos been painted in the next few weeks.

peterbrynt · 11-04-2010 10:10pm

Hello All,

We now have the ex-Galway Rio back running again, it was in traffic at its new home at the Windmill Farm Railway in Lancashire, England.

Here are two photos from today:

It has been repainted in Light Brunswick Green, and is 95% complete, just a few jobs here and there.

We are still very keen to see any photos, or find out anymore information about its life in Ireland, so if anyone has anything, please post here.

Thanks
Peter

peterbrynt · 20-04-2014 3:13pm

Hi All,

Just another plea to see if anyone here has any photos of the old train that ran at Perks Funfair, Galway? Still not seen anymore since this thread started in 2009!

We had it running in Scotland for two years (and she performed well overall) and she is now back in store receiving some attention on the hydraulic motor and electrics in the tender.

The coaches on the other hand are back in use at a private railway, we built new curved roofs replacing the slightly battered plastic ones, and they've been repainted in brown/black instead of the old red/yellow.

Will try and post some photos if anyone is interested.

BeardySi · 22-04-2014 8:00pm

I'm afraid I've no photos, but you've certainly put a smile on my face!

A2LUE42 · 22-04-2014 8:28pm

Had a lot of trips on this in the late 70's and early 80's. Great to see it up and running again. Don't have any photos though.

_Whimsical_ · 22-04-2014 10:15pm

No photos either but I loved this train as a kid. When I was first on it I was young enough not to realize that the back of leisureland might look different to the front. I remember thinking "wow where are we now,are we going some place exciting???" when the train turned into the green tree lined area at the back and then being quite disappointed when we arrived up back in Leisureland a few minutes later.
Still though it was fantastic.

Miniature Train - Salthill Leisureland

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