Reading General

i think what I would do is imagine a scenario where Grouping didn't happen and some Railways ,in dire straits financially, were taken over by Hudson "Railway King" type figure to create a large Company transcending boundaries. It would take a lot of research to do it properly but something like the idea of the GCR which started "up North" with a view to running to France, taking in the MSLR, Met and SER iirc.

nyger seeds will bring them if you aren't already putting them out, they love them..i had 45 at one time once

Top of my list by a long long way ...Angela Rippon . awful

but they eat them three or four times quicker, which makes it very expensive. I get a big sack of peanuts for €50 and that lasts a long time.

I have 6 peanut feeders in use , all of them swamped with birds. I can't afford Nyger or Sunflower hearts any more, but if I put them out, I'd double the number of birds present. Goldfinch and Siskin most common at present, lots of Tits (great to see the Long Tailed photos above, they are so pretty and I see them infrequently)

I don't think extending to Ashburton would solve the "caged in" situation you perceive. Personally I think it's a very nice ride to Riverside and long enough for the kids not to get bored. Possibly it needs more to see and do at the Totnes end of the line. Don't forget they did have access to Totnes mainline station but presumably found it wasn't worth the expense and time involved The limitations of the line have been apparent for decades, the DVR bailed out from that site when a better opportunity arose but they are a commercial company, it's not likely a voluntary Society would do that.

reviving an interesting thread, I just realised today that 100A1 was actually withdrawn before the last Castle was built.

you can safely assume that Peter Scott who looks after the boiler work for the main line locos of the RPSI knows what he's at.

well nothing will be happening until 2019 at least as the Council have put it on ice until then. By then all the sleepers will need replacing (some were redeemable when we inspected it) 5T 's boiler however is not the basket case you imagine. It was inspected by Peter Scott of the RPSI who quoted €28000 ()it might have been sterling, can't recall) to cut out the affected area and weld in new material on the throat plate. He reported the inner copper firebox and the barrel to be in good condition. I imagine it would need a full overhaul including probably re-tubing . I'm not involved any more but I don't think anything more has happened. The group aren't hard t get hold of . Contact Eddie Barrett at Rea North Estate Agent Tralee (tell him I sent you) or check out facebook https://www.facebook.com/traleeanddinglerailway/ For what it's worth I don't think it will run again in any meaningful form whilst the Council want to run the show.

as you seem to have liked the Irish pic here's another Wexford Quay in passenger use everyday

Not Uk, but may be admissable and still currently in use

Hard to say how much truth there is in it given that so much of the info in the post is inaccurate

yes, you are right there isn't a large (or even modest) body of Enthusiasts to rely on and there isn't the same Volunteering tradition either. Developing Tourism is the reason for the interest in the locality , something that will benefit all the local population. It's no co-incidence that the small nucleus of Railway minded persons involved includes a few UK ex-pats.

The managing group have achieved a great deal in winning the hearts and minds of the Owners of the line. You may not see much on the surface, but due-diligence is currently taking place and we expect to move forward shortly. Funding is 99% in place and motive power and materials have been sourced. Loco 5T has been inspected and a quote for boiler repairs received which is about a tenth of previous guesstimates. We are currently in the hands of bureaucrats , so it's anyone's guess how long this process will take. It's a game of diplomacy and many obstacles have been overcome. Yes, there is a great deal to do but if we don't do this no one will. Rather than joining the ranks of the negative, why not join us to save this line? It has huge potential, with Tralee Town at one end and a restored windmill at the other, and a wetlands park in the middle. Not to mention the parallel ship canal and backdrop of spectacular mountains. The current plan is to rebuild the line next summer and open at Christmas 2016. The Town of Tralee and it's various organisations are fully behind the scheme, which seen as the No1 priority for tourist development so vital to the local economy. Steaming 5T again is seen as of paramount importance. Yes we've a mountain to climb and we need help from the enthusiast community. We've had a rocky ride getting where we are at times, but we aren't dwelling in the past. The original operators made mistakes which we aim to rectify. A train operating from one bare platform to another is not a preserved line and we intend to improve on the railway ambience side and create more than just a train ride. All we need is Kerry Co Council to give us the go ahead. That's from the horses mouth so to speak, you won't get real info elsewhere.

That's right although I'm sure a Corkman will agree with me that Cork is actually the real Capital (where in Cork are you Colin?