Markle Associates

Irish Rail Archive Volume 5 - GM Powered

Markle customers have requested a feature on Irish locomotives powered by General Motors engines. Concentrating on the sight and sound of the trains, with little dialogue, this video covers the following classes during the period 1975 to 2003:

The 001 class - a 1950s design which, after being re-engined with GM powerplants, became the mainstay of the Irish loco fleet until the early 1990s.

The 071 class - Arriving new from GM in 1975, these workhorses powered express passenger trains until their downgrading to secondary passenger and freight duties around the turn of the century.

The 121 class - the locos that set the trend. When these elegant engines arrived from GM in 1961 they were to set new standards for reliability and flexibility, and they stayed in front line duties for more than 40 years.

The 141 and 181 classes - more convenient to operate than the 121s, these all round multi-purpose engines hauled freight and passenger trains all over the Irish network.

The 201 class - After a  brief glimpse of the original Metropolitan Vickers 201 class, with their new GM engines, we see the powerful GM 201 class locomotives which have dominated passenger working since their arrival in the mid-1990s.

Trains featured include Inter City, cross country and suburban passenger workings, and  pick-up goods, gypsum, ammonia, cement, liner, beer, and sugar beet traffic.

Running time 67 minutes

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Irish Rail Archive Volume 6 - Sugar Beet Updated

This DVD is a completely revised and updated version of “Sugar Beet Archive”, made in 2000. It contains new scenes and brings the story up to date in 2005. This latest version includes the bonus track "The Last Campaign".

Until 2005, Irish Rail moved about 150,000 tonnes of sugar beet each year from Wellington Bridge in County Wexford to the sugar factory at Mallow in County Cork. This video follows the rail activities over 20 years, with General Motors engines hauling the vacuum braked wagons to and from the factory. After seeing the action at Wellington Bridge, we follow the trains west across the country. We see successively, the Irish Rail 001, small GM, 071 and 201 classes of locomotives, and the loose coupled wagons followed by the unique vacuum braked wagons. We follow the current route to Mallow, as well the line to the former factory at Thurles. Also covered is activity via Cherryville Junction during the 2003 year. Making a guest appearance is Northern Ireland Railways loco 112. Thanks to the kind co-operation of Greencore Ireland we can see the loading and unloading operations in detail. Also included in this DVD is the extra feature “The Last Campaign”, covering the last year of Sugar Beet rail operations.

Producer of the video, Jim Edgar, enthuses “I wish I could go back and photograph it all again just as it was. Although there has been a lot of change, the trains continued to run  until 2005. This video allows you to see it at its best.” 

Running time 56 minutes approx

To order the DVD-R online for £16.95 using a Credit Card  click here to send a blank email and we will send you a PayPal invoice which explains what to do next.

To order by post or to find stockists, click on "Order Form and Shops" link below

Irish Rail Archive Volume 7 - Loco Hauled Farewell

In the years 2002 to 2004 rail enthusiasts thought that the haulage of trains by locomotives in Ireland had already fallen to chronically low levels. Little did we know what was to follow - within a couple more years a combination of freight closures and new rolling stock orders would see most Irish locomotives about to become unemployed.

However, during this period two photographers, Mark Kelly and Paul Davis, made video recordings of locomotives at work. This included searching out liner trains running at night, and braving atrocious weather conditions to film trains on disused lines.

This DVD features the 071, 121, 141, 181, and 201 classes giving of their best before the rot finally set in. The coverage of this video is pretty well the entire Irish Rail system. The trains featured include - passenger workings using Cravens, Mark 2 and Mark 3 coaches, while freight coverage includes the Sligo oil traffic, bagged and bulk cement, timber, sugar beet, container and beer traffic. The annual weedspraying operation is seen on the Kingscourt branch and between Mullingar and Athlone, and a rail train is seen between Ennis and Athenry - places not visited by trains nowadays.

This video also features new locations for Markle, from along the banks of the Royal Canal and Longford yard to Limerick Junction North.

Other locations featured include Enfield, Edgeworthstown, freight activity in Longford Yard, Woodlawn, Athenry, Killonan, Limerick Junction and Athy.

Running time 80 minutes approximately

To order the DVD-R online for £18.95 using a Credit Card  click here to send a blank email and we will send you a PayPal invoice which explains what to do next.

To order by post or to find stockists, click on "Order Form and Shops" link below

Click the page you wish to see from the table below.