For many years it's been a quest of mine to follow up reports of an ex PMT Leyland Leopard languishing in an Irish bus company's field. After about half a dozen previous attempts, and reports that the yard had been cleared, 'semmytrailer' and I finally located it earlier this week. The yard, of which in deference to it's owners I won't give details of here, bore a striking similarity to that of the fabled English operator Berresfords.
Im pretty sure that the bus is Willowbrook bodied Leopard 951 XVT (though it could be 952) representing PMT's first deliveries of the re-styled BET saloon when new in 1963. Traces of it's former PMT red, and NBC Poppy red are still visible.
Many years ago, this bus would have been my transport home from Primary School... hope I'm visually in a better state even though I'm three years older!
Tags: Bus Buses Scrap Buses Scrap Yard Junk Yard Stored Buses Preservation Project PMT Potteries Motor Traction Irish Buses 951 XVT Poppy Red NBC Glynns Carlow
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Taken in a brief window of opportunity as the sun made an all too rare appearence, IE Co-Co Diesel Electric No 074 waits as the first portion of it's eleven wagon train is loaded from and by an artic lorry in Sligo Harbour. The severity of the incline up to Sligo Station and the main line can be judged in this shot. In times of inclement weather the 700ton plus train will be taken up in two parts and re-assembled in the station.
Tags: IE Irish Rail Trains Railways Railroad Broad Gauge Diesel Locomotive GM EMD Electromotive Division Timber Train Log Train Sligo Sligo Harbour Harbour Branch Ireland
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An Irish Rail class 071 Diesel stands in the yard at Sligo Quay surveying the obsolete equipment which surrounds it. This once thriving location is now reduced to seeing just two log trains a week... though we as enthusiasts and the Irish populous in general should be grateful for even that. The stark outline of a reletively modern container crane waits patiently in vain hoping for a return of such traffic, whilst a former steam loco water tower has only marginally less chance of a return to it's former purpose.
Tags: Irish Rail Trains Railways Railroad IE Container Crane Sligo Sligo Quay Harbour Branch Water Column Class 071 071
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Until fairly recently, Northern Ireland was a bastion of traditional buses. Ones with engines mounted in the middle, under the floor, a few steps to get on took you to a vast area of forward facing seats with a view. They made impressive noises, rather than intensly irritating ones too, were sturdy and dependable.
The town of Bangor is a pleasent place, well kept, with the bus garage no exception. A long line up of tidy buses is backed up to the fence which runs along side the railway . Three traditional Alexander bodied Leyland Tigers are dotted amongst the more modern offerings.
Ulsterbus were able to persuade the powers that be at Leyland to provide them with Volvo powered Leyland Tigers from new.
Tags: Buses Coaches Leyland Tiger Alexander Volvo Scania Wright Ulsterbus Bangor Co. Down Northern Ireland Bus Garage
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Infact this is Tipparary station, in the Irish Republic. On one of those rare occasions when you're in the right place at the right time, I was able to capture this 071 class (Ireland's finest) on a lengthy train of sugar beet empties. The whole freight situation on Ireland's railways is now dire, this seasonal traffic to the processing plant near Mallow has now been lost with it's closure, allegedly due to a collapse in the world market for the product. One can only hope that someone from the country could have a look over here in the UK to see, if it isn't too late, what happens when too much reliance is placed on road transport.
Tags: Trains Railways Railroad Diesel Locomotive Irish Rail Irish Railways 071 071 class EMD General Motors Tipparary Ireland Irish Republic Sugar Beet Signals Semaphore signals signal box
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