2019

Iarnrod Eirann '071' Class locos nos 075 + 082 await departure from Dublin Connolly with the RPSI's 'West Awake' tour to Ballina and Westport (13/04/2019)

The pair are pictured again a couple of hours later during a photo stop at Athlone. This was only the second occasion on which two of these veteran locos have worked in multiple on a passenger train (13/04/2019)

075 + 082 are pictured again at Castlerea with H800, the 0750 Dublin Connolly to Ballina charter (13/04/2019)

Another view of the 'West Awake' tour at Castlerea with the livery of both the locos and the station furniture complementing one another nicely (13/04/2019)

075 + 082 are pictured again a little further up the line at Ballyhaunis (13/04/2019)

075 + 082 were booked to work the tour as far as Claremorris, where they're seen shortly after arrival (13/04/2019)

Pioneer '071' Class member no 071 was booked to work the train forward and is pictured here at Claremorris before the loco swap (13/04/2019)

A close up-view of the connecting pipes between 082 + 075 after the locos had been stabled in the sidings to the rear of the station at Claremorris (13/04/2019)

Retro-liveried no 071 at Claremorris before taking H800 forward on the last leg of its journey to Ballina (13/04/2019)

071 is pictured again on arrival into Ballina with the 'West Awake' tour from Dublin. My only previous visits to the town by train had been in the mid-1990s when '071' Class locos hadn't yet been cleared to work over the branch from Manulla Junction (13/04/2019)

Waiting to greet us on arrival back into Claermorris was the unusual sight of NIR 'Enterprise' loco no 209 on a Ballina-bound intermodal service, which had been recessed in the sidings behind the station. Alongside are 075 + 082 which would work the tour back to Dublin later that evening (13/04/2019)

071 stands at Claremorris after working the next leg of the tour, which ran as H801 the 1425 ex-Balina (13/04/2019)

Having run round its train, 071 then headed back west as H802 1545 Claremorris - Westport. The loco is pictured here on arrival at its destination (13/04/2019)

071 runs round its train at Westport, where I'd only ever arrived by train on one previous occasion way back in the mid-1990s. Just visible in the distance is the DMU for the next Dublin-bound service, which had been shunted into the sidings to facilitate the arrival of the tour (13/04/2019)

No 071 is pictured again on arrival back into Claremorris with H803 1640 Westport - Dublin. The 'West Awake' then continued its journey back to the Capital behind 082 + 075 (13/04/2019)

'071' Class loco no 074 pauses at Roscommon with the RPSI's 1030 Dublin - Sligo 'Knocknarea' railtour (10/05/2019)

A break at Dromod offered the opportunity to visit the headquarters of the Cavan & Leitrim Railway, which is home to the cab of former Iarnrod Eirann '121' Class loco no 133 (10/05/2019)

Also present at the site are a number of narrow gauge diesel locomotives previously used by Bord na Mona on peat traffic. Three such machines are pictured in this view (10/05/2019)

The railway's only operational steam locomotive was actually built in England and spent most of its working life in industrial use in Leicestershire. 'Nancy' recently been returned to steam after a 20-year restoration project (10/05/2019)

Another view of 'Nancy' in light steam at Dromod. The railway isn't yet able to make use of the locomotive for passenger trains however due to the condition of the running line (10/05/2019)

074 at Dromod before continuing its journey north to Sligo (10/05/2019)

The ex-works machine sparkles in the Spring sunshine just before departing Dromod (10/05/2019)

Probably the best of the intermediate photo stops in terms of the weather was this short pause at Boyle, where 074 is pictured again just half an hour short of its destination (10/05/2019)

074 is pictured on arrival at Sligo with the 'Knocknarea' tour from Dublin (10/05/2019)