Meetings

IRRS London Area 2012 Meetings

Date	Meeting Description
Thursday 16th February 2012 :	“Last of the Irish loose-coupled goods and more”
	by Richard Wall
	Rail photographer, Richard Wall, has captured a long vanished part of the Irish railway scene of the 1970’s and 1980’s which was once so familiar – country goods depots, local goods traffic, and loco-hauled passenger trains with long-vanished motive power. His photos will take us from Dublin to Rosslare, Waterford, Cork, Youghal, Belfast and Derry – and many places in between. Relive this historic era through Richard’s highly acclaimed photos.
Thursday 15th March 2012 :	“Remaining Irish Signal Cabins”
	by Angus McDougall
	Over the past 30 years, Angus McDougall has made a study of remaining signal cabins throughout Ireland – over 20 still in operational use and over 120 more still in existence. Angus will illustrate a wide selection of cabins covering their type, history and provenance with comment about track layout, unusual features and oddities. Signal cabins were a vital and characteristic part of Irish railway infrastructure and it will be enlightening to learn more.
Thursday 19th April 2012 :	“Achill Branch”
	by Jon Beaumont
	Jon Beaumont, railway preservationist and author of “Rails to Achill”, provides an insight into the history of this fascinating branch, covering its operational period from 1895 to 1937 and then up to its present day reincarnation as the Great Western Greenway. The carriage of dead bodies on the first and last trains was eerily prophesied long before the line was built. The line exhibited unique locos and stock, including the “Achill Bogie” and an early internal combustion passenger vehicle. Many remaining railway buildings are still extant and give a flavour of times gone by.