Plains Of Mayo Railtour (2003) - Whitehead Railway Museum

Saturday 10th May: (4) Dublin Heuston - Athlone - Westport - Claremorris. Tour participants could overnight in Westport or Claremorris. Those in Westport connected to Claremorris by the early Sunday service train. Sunday 11th May: (4) Claremorris - Ballina - Claremorris - Athlone - Portarlington - Dublin Connolly; (85) Dublin Connolly - Belfast GVS; (85 LE) Belfast GVS - Whitehead. Monday 12th May: (85) Whitehead - Larne Harbour - Belfast Central - Ballymena; (Diesel) Ballymena - Lisburn; (GM ECS) Lisburn - Belfast Central; (85 LE) Ballymena - Belfast Central; (85) Belfast Central - Whitehead. Passengers by service train from Lisburn to Belfast Central.

10/5/2003: Early on Saturday morning No.4 and No.85 are sitting in the yard at Dublin Connolly. (M. Birchenough)

10/5/2003: No.4 seemed reluctant to boil, so she had some assistance from 152 to move up and down the yard to get a bit of draught up the chimney!! (M. Birchenough)

10/5/2003: The first stop of the day was at Portarlington. (M. Birchenough)

10/5/2003: Water was taken from a road hydrant via a long length of hose. (M. Birchenough)

10/5/2003: Another water stop was made at Athlone, where an Up service train was crossed. (M. Birchenough)

10/5/2003: No.4 at the Roscommon photo stop. (M. Birchenough)

10/5/2003: Famed bar and museum owner, Sean Browne, is interviewed in his home town of Castlerea. (A. Williamson)

10/5/2003: Castlerea station. (M. Birchenough)

10/5/2003: No.4, champing at the bit, awaits a crossing at Ballyhaunis. (A. Williamson)

10/5/2003: Crossing an Up train at Ballyhaunis. (M. Birchenough)

10/5/2003: No.4 and the Ballina branch train at Claremorris. (M. Birchenough)

10/5/2003: A rare stop at Castlebar. (M. Birchenough)

10/5/2003: The train has reached Westport and the bus is waiting to take passengers to their hotels in the town. Can you spot Mervyn Darragh and Norman Foster? (M. Birchenough)

10/5/2003: No.4 running round at Westport, with the run back to Claremorris still ahead of it. (M. Birchenough)

10/5/2003: The train, seriously depleted of passengers, running back from Westport to Claremorris. (M. Birchenough)

10/5/2003: No.4 running back from Westport to Claremorris. (M. Birchenough)

11/5/2003: Sunday morning in Ballina and No.4 is running around its train. (A. Williamson)

11/5/2003: The train is back in Claremorris for the run home. (A. Williamson)

11/5/2003: At Castlerea there was an excursion to Sean Browne's Hell's Kitchen museum. (A. Williamson)

11/5/2003: A55 in Hell's Kitchen museum. (A. Williamson)

11/5/2003: No.85 "Merlin" took over in Dublin for the run north, and is seen at Drogheda in the fading light. (A. Williamson)

Ticket for the railtour round-up on Monday 12th May 2003.

12/5/2003: Because of loop restrictions at Larne Harbour the first leg, from Whitehead via Belfast Central, was worked by diesel. The train has arrived at the Harbour. (S. Rafferty)

12/5/2003: NIR 113 at the head of the train at Larne Harbour. (S. Rafferty)

12/5/2003: 113 and train at Larne Harbour. (S. Rafferty)

12/5/2003: Diner 87 gets a top-up at Larne Harbour. (S. Rafferty)

12/5/2003: No.85 arrives light from Whitehead to take over. (S. Rafferty)

12/5/2003: Fireman Stephen Glass couples up at Larne Harbour. (S. Rafferty)

12/5/2003: The next leg was to Ballymena, and No.85 swaps ends at Belfast Central. (S. Rafferty)

12/5/2003: A lengthy stop was made at Antrim. (S. Rafferty)

12/5/2003: No.85 arrives at Ballymena, only to find a problem with the column. (S. Rafferty)

12/5/2003: The return leg was diesel-hauled as far as Lisburn, via Crumlin. The train has just left Ballymena. (S. Rafferty)

12/5/2019: As the day progressed the bar in NCC Diner 87 was in full swing. Among those pictured are two members no longer with us. (A. Williamson)