Our diesel gala day on Saturday 23rd August run in conjunction with the Irish Traction Group was a huge success, featuring cab rides up and down the station to start with, followed by lineside photography run-pasts and then train trips back and forth to Inch Abbey for the rest of the afternoon.
The first run-past was something very different, our recently restored Wickham Railcar 713 Rosie making its public debut, with restorer Dave Smith on board to enjoy the experience. 450 class railcar 458 was next, making a spirited run up the North Line, but the real treat was still to come. Everyone was expecting 146 to do a ballast train run-past, but with weeks of secret work completed it was actually new arrival 124, which until very recently had been in long-term storage at Moyasta, County Clare. It’s fair to say that there was more than a ripple of excitement in the lineside crowd when they realised what was coming!
124 ditched the hoppers and brake van and did a light engine run-past, giving the very unfamiliar sight of a 121 class running bonnet first. This had been the subject of much debate, with final agreement with the RSA in Northern Ireland with all our risk mitigations in place, but it’s still an odd experience for our loco crews.
458, A49R and 146 did their return trips to Inch Abbey, but the mystery of the 4pm ‘mystery train’ was already guessed by most attendees, as 124 hauled the first passenger trains of a 121 class in preservation.
The day ended with 124 and 146 in the platform for a good while for cab access, which proved very popular.
Thanks to all who attended, and also to Táilte Tours for the connecting coach service from Dublin, and Ards Bus Preservation and Irish Transport Heritage for the line up of classic Ulsterbus and Citybus vehicles outside.
