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reviving an interesting thread, I just realised today that 100A1 was actually withdrawn before the last Castle was built.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

http://www.traleeanddinglerailway.com/ ​ New website, still a little raw (but the donation button works :-) )

It's his plans for an exhibition centre that really grab your attention. He showed me around the proposed site and it is a pretty impressive project!

I'd hope that No5 would be sooner than that (ie whilst I'm still alive :-) ) ..it is rumoured to cost €100 to 250 k to rebuild the damaged boiler. A loco is in the pipeline we hope for commencement of services, the track is the immediate biggi to be tackled

Exactly

Belfast is not in Ireland. It is ON Ireland (an Island) but not IN Ireland (a Country) . I don't think Belfast would take too kindly to being subordinate to Dublin somehow.

Unfortunately there are no major conurbations anywhere near Tralee to provide an amount of volunteers and not a lot of enthusiasts to get involved anyway. There's nowhere for them to come from. The Welsh Highland is easily accessible from the major cities of middle England, and smack in the middle of a very busy tourist area. Tralee is very small and quiet in comparison.. The only city of any size in Ireland is Dublin, a couple of hundred miles away. The second City, at least 2 hours away, (Cork) is smaller the my namesake which is a mere Town in the UK. We will get volunteers, they will largely be non-enthusiasts, volunteering for the benefit of Kerry and Tralee tourism rather than out of a Railway hobby. Social Media is providing good support that we need to convert to bodies on the ground, over 1100 "likes" in about a month.. You are correct about "foreigners"....English Accents nearly eclipsing Kerry ones at present (locally resident though) We inspected the line today to determine how many sleepers need replacing (about 20%) and mustered around 8 of us which is very encouraging. we are not yet in possession so are limited in what we can do, champing at the bit you might say I have to acknowledge the help and advice we are getting from the West Clare Railway and other sources.

The one thing the Welsh Highland has that we don't is people, in terms of potential passengers and more so in terms of Volunteers. Ireland does not have the same tradition of volunteerism either which re-doubles the problem. We'll be hard put to restore and run the existing section to be honest.

That's a very valid point and the new regime have that firmly taken on board. The ride will be much more interesting now as the Municipal Dump is no more and a Wetland Centre has been opened which has it's own (so far unused) platform. The stations will need upgrading so that they are no longer mere platforms and facilities and cosmetic items added. Extending further west is unlikely, but there are plans to maximise the remaining features on the rest of the line, of which there are quite a few.

Update: Things are moving fast now. The Society hopes to get permission to take over the line very shortly and re-open next spring. There is plenty to do and volunteers of any skill level are welcome I'm told. latest news here: https://www.facebook.com/traleeanddinglerailway?ref=ts&fref=ts