January 2023

Happy New Year and I'll kick it off with an unexpected scene that given the conditions I may as well record anyway! Having originated from a worksite at Morley, tamper DR74002 makes its way back to Wakefield Kirkgate S&T Siding as a very early running 6J60 1630 from Thornhill LNW Junction (02/01/2023)

On a gorgeous Bank Holiday Monday, TPE's 802219 approaches Storrs Hill Road at Horbury Bridge with the diverted 1P25 1154 Liverpool - Newcastle (02/01/2023)

In some spectacular Winter sunlight, GBRF's 66715 'Valour' passes the remains of Healey Mills marshalling yard with 6G88 1047 Mirfield East Junction - Belmont Down Yard. The lengthy rake of autoballasters was in transit back to Doncaster from the same worksite at Morley as the tamper I photographed half an hour earlier (02/01/2023)

With the bank of cloud in the background moving ominously closer, 60096 approaches Storrs Hill Road with 6E09 0713 Liverpool Bulk Terminal - Drax Power Station, which today was cut short at Sudforth Lane. On this occasion the loaded Biomass was running an hour late and didn't trundle through the loop in the foreground - which offered a considerably better photographic angle than might othrwise have been the case (02/01/2023)

Iarnrod Eirann '201' Class no. 227 'River Laune' calls at Dundalk with the 2005 'Enterprise' service from Belfast Lanyon Place to Dublin Connolly (06/01/2023)

Former Irish Rail 'A' Class no. 039 poses for the cameras whilst shunting the yard at Downpatrick ahead of the railway's /Winter Diesel Gala (07/01/2023)

'B' Class no. 146 catches the morning sunshine at Downpatrick at the head of a short ballast train. As a warm-up to the day's proceedings, brake van rides were being offered to participants within the limits of the station yard area in the vehicle at the rear of the consist (07/01/2023)

Unlike the majority of UK Diesel Galas, the Downpatrick event was aimed at a mixed audience of photographers and haulage enthusiasts, and after participants had checked in, we were walked though the yard and up a lane alongside the 'north' line for a series of run pasts. First up was GM no. 146 on the ballast train (07/01/2023)

A slightly better view after the sun dipped behind a cloud as no. 146 propels the vehicles back towards Downpatrick station (07/01/2023)

'A' Class no. 039 then did a couple of runs with the passenger coaches, the first of which is seen here passing the one of several galleries on its way back towards Downpatrick (07/01/2023)

Another view of 039 posed for the cameras near the junction with the 'south' line (07/01/2023)

146 stabled between duties at the entrance to the station complex at Downpatrick (07/01/2023)

'G' Class no. 617 stabled by the yard gates alongside an assortment of track machines and former Northern Ireland Railways DEMU power car no. 90 (07/01/2023)

039 runs round at Inch Abbey after arriving with the 1230 from Dowpatrick. I'd only ever had one run behind an 'A' Class before and that was on my first ever visit to Ireland more than thirty years ago (07/01/2023)

039 waits to depart from Inch Abbey with the 1305 back to Downpatrick. A pleasing feature of the event was the ability to be escorted trackside for photographs once the run-round manoeuvres had been completed (07/01/2023)

Another view of 039 prior to departure from Inch Abbey with the return leg of the first of the day's four passenger-carrying trains (07/01/2023)

611 catches a burst of sunshine at Downpatrick. There are three of the 'G' Class shunters on site but only one of them is currently in traffic (07/01/2023)

039 back on shed at Downpatrick seen from the departing 1330 passenger service to Inch Abbey. Behind is a DBSO originally converted for use on push-pull services in Scotland and subsequently modified to work in Northern Ireland with a rake of former Gatwick Express coaches (07/01/2023)

Photo of the day by a mile: having run round at Inch Abbey, no. 146 catches the Winter sunlight whilst waiting to depart with the 1350 back to Downpatrick. Unfortunately the loco was declared a failure on arrival, which prompted a change to the timetable (07/01/2023)

An ultra wide-angle view of 'E' Class no. 421, which is now on dispplay in the museum at Downpatrick (07/01/2023)

Another resident is GSWR 0-6-0 tank engine no. 90, which was built at Inchicore in 1875 (07/01/2023)

'G' Class no. 617 catches the last of the sinlight at Downpatrick after arriving back on the 1450 from Inch Abbey and shunting the stock out of the platform. This and sister loco no. 611 visible on the right of the picture were manufactured in the for CIE in the 1960s by German firm Deutz (07/01/2023)

With daylight fading, 'Castle' class DEMU no. 458 is pictured on arrival back into Downpatrick with the 1600 from Inch Abbey. 'Antrim Castle' had been scheduled to work the penultimate passenger service but the running order was altered to allow G617 to remove the stock after the earlier failure of no. 146 (07/01/2023)

Later that evening 227 'River Laune' is pictured on arrival into Belfast lanyon Place with the 1900 'Enterprise' from Dublin Connolly (07/01/2023)