Innishannon Steam and Vintage Rally – 31/05/15

Innishannon Kevin Day-26

On Sunday last, members of the Group gathered at the Inishannon Steam and Vintage Rally, held in aid of The Irish Cancer Society.

We were very lucky with the weather, and some of us even got  a bit sun burnt!

Steam Rally Jim Curtin-8There was a huge array of steam engines, vintage cars, trucks, fire engines and many of the steam engines were powering other machines, stone crushing, wood cutting saws, grinding barley and milling wheat etc.

The site covers  40 acres and it was well able to cater for  the  1,000 plus  number of exhibits.

One novel event was ploughing  a field using a steam engine parked at the top of the field, pulling  a plough the length of the field by a steel cable, attached to a horizontal  drum under the steam engine. Hard work ploughing in those days!

We found the engine operators very accommodating for us photographers and were only too willing to show off their well-polished machines.

More members intended to travel on bank holiday Monday, but the extremely bad weather put paid to that idea unfortunately.

Click here to access the gallery from this shoot. Enjoy!

- Kevin Day

 

 

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Trains and Reptiles 15/6/14

Following on from our very successful trip to Kilkenny and Carlow on 18/5/14 for the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland's St. Canice Railtour, we decided to head in that direction again for the RPSI's 'Marble City' run featuring the same steam locomotive No. 461. On arrival at McDonagh station in Kilkenny, the bad news was that there had been a problem up the line and the RPSI train would arrive late and would be hauled by a diesel locomotive. The fate of locomotive 461 was unknown but the word was that it would arrive in Kilkenny some time later.

bagenalstown train 1

12.40pm Waterford - Dublin at Bagenalstown - Denis Barry

That being the case, we decided to head for Muine Bheag (Bagenalstown), Co. Carlow in the hope of catching a glimpse there. On arrival, the news was that the RPSI train had already arrived in Kilkenny and the scheduled, 12.40pm Waterford to Dublin train had left. We reckoned that the Waterford to Dublin should be with us very soon and sure enough, within minutes it rounded the bend just south of the Bagenalstown viaduct and sped past us just feet from our position on the public road.

As is the case with train photography, you wait, it passes, it's all over before you know it and you hope you have something in the can. And here we were, two Cork men in Carlow photographing a run-of-the-mill, diesel, inter-city train that we could just as easily have done at home! Having digested the anticlimax and irony of it all we decided to move on. Then, while packing the gear, a faint rumble was heard and, low and behold, there was locomotive 461 steaming hurriedly towards us on a solo run to Kilkenny to rejoin the RPSI train. In the mad scramble that ensued, only a few frames were got off but the scene was captured successfully by Matt Dornan. Shoot successful, day saved! Phew!

Matthew Dornan-3

Locomotive 461 Kilkenny bound at Bagenalstown - Matt Dornan

Happy to have captured the photo we came for, we left Bagenalstown somewhat re-vitalised and visited The Reptile Zoo in Gowran, Co. Kilkenny where, though basking lazily in the high humidity, some of the animals were happy to pose for our cameras. Slow moving and predictable, there would be no more surprises today!

Mouse over the image below to see and operate the slideshow controls and photographer details. Enjoy.

 

 

 

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