Tag Archives: #The West Awake

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Four Years Ago-The West Awake!

April 13, 2019: I traveled on Railway Preservation Society of Ireland’s The West Awake rail tour that operated on Irish Rail from Dublin to Claremorris, Ballina and Westport, Co Mayo and featured rare multiple-unit operation of 071 class diesels.

I made these views using a FujiFilm XT1 mirrorless digital camera.

The Fuji’s built-in color profiles provided excellent color and contrast for the soft directional lighting characteristic of the West of Ireland. I made minor adjustments to color and contrast in post processing that effectively tweaked the images for improved appearance here.

Claremorris, Co. Mayo. XT1 with Fujinon 18-135mm lens set at 22mm; ISO 400 f9.0 at 1/250th second
Claremorris, Co. Mayo. XT1 with Fujinon 18-135mm lens set at 79mm; ISO 400 f7.1 at 1/250th second
Westport, Co. Mayo. XT1 with Fujinon 18-135mm lens set at 93mm; ISO 400 f6.4 at 1/125th second.
Claremorris, Co. Mayo. XT1 with Fujinon 18-135mm lens set at 93mm; ISO 400 f5.6 at 1/180th second

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RPSI’s The West Awake—Eight Views from the Train.

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One of the pleasures of traveling on an historic train is the ability to make photos of the line and passing scenery.

Modern cameras with rear-displays make this much easier since it isn’t necessary to have your eye to the camera to compose photos, while built-in line levels aid in composition.

Adjustable ISO ratings allow selection of more appropriate shutter speeds for action images.

This is a selection of photos I made from Railway Preservation Society of Ireland’s The West Awake excursion on 13 April 2019.

Photos were exposed using my Lumix LX7 and FujiFilm XT1. The Fuji benefits from an extendible and adjustable rear display that is especially useful on these trips.

    • Geashill
    • Athlone
    • Athlone
    • Claremorris
    • Claremorris
    Roscommon.

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    Irish Rail Class 071 on Parade.

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    • Castlerea
    • Ballyhaunis
    • Claremorris
    • Connolly Station
    • Castlerea.

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    Saturday’s (13 April 2019) The West Awakerail tour put Irish Rail’s class 071 diesels in the limelight.

    Although once regularly used in prominent passenger services, in recent years Irish Rail’s 071 class General Motors diesels have largely been assigned to freight and per-way (maintenance) trains, which makes their prominent use in excursion work of great interest to observers

    I photographed 071 locomotives that participated in Saturday’s tour. Engine 074 delivered Railway Preservation Society of Ireland’s Cravens carriages from Irish Rail’s Inchicore Works to Connolly Station in Dublin.

    Locomotives 082 and 075 had been specially prepared for the tour and set up of multiple unit working, a highly unusual arrangement for these agile six-motor diesels in Ireland.

    At Claremorris, the 071 class-leader (number 071 and dressed in retro orange and black paint) took over for the runs to Ballina and Westport.

    For 071 enthusiasts, 082 was a special treat because of its extra-loud base roar in the higher throttle positions. While 075 is a curiosity because it is painted in a slightly warmer shade of gray than most of the other members of its class.

    I made these photos of the well-maintained 1970s-era General Motors locomotive on parade during The West Awake tour.

    Special thanks to everyone at Irish Rail and the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland for making the tour a very enjoyable experience and productive photographic opportunity!

    • Westport.
    • Westport.
    • Westport.
    • Claremorris.
    • Connolly Station, Dublin.
    • Connolly Station, Dublin.
    • Claremorris.
    • Ballyhaunis.
    • Claremorris.
    • Ballina.

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    Portraits and Train Views from RPSI’s 13 April 2019 Tour.

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    During the course of yesterday’s Railway Preservation Society of Ireland The West Awakerail tour to County Mayo I exposed dozens of portraits of the crew, passengers and observers, along with views of the train from many angles.

    This selection was exposed using my FujiFilm XT1 digital camera.

    Thanks to Irish Rail and the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland for a well-planned rail excursion!

    For more about the RPSI click the link below:

    https://www.steamtrainsireland.com

    Irish Rail 074 delivers the RPSI train to Connolly Station.
    Connolly Station.

    Photographers at Athlone.


    Castlerea.


    Ballyhaunis.

    Claremorris.

    Claremorris.

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    The West Awake Rail Tour—13 April 2019—Some Lumix views.

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    Yesterday, the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland operated its The West Awake rail-tour in conjunction with Irish Rail.

    A special feature of the tour was the unusual multiple-unit operation using a pair of General Motors-built 071 diesels that hauled RPSI’s Cravens to County Mayo.

    At  Claremorris the pair of 071s were replaced with locomotive number 071 (class leader) in retro orange for further excursions to Ballina and Westport.

    For more about the RPSI click the link below:

    https://www.steamtrainsireland.com

    During the trip I made numerous digital photos using my Lumix LX7.

    Below are a dozen of my finest Lumix LX7 views. I’ll post more photos soon! The best are yet to come!

    Special thanks to everyone at RPSI and Irish Rail for an excellent excursion to the west of Ireland!

    Irish Rail 074 delivers the excursion train to Connolly Station for boarding. The early start resulted in an opportunity for making photos in rosy morning light. Lumix LX7 photo.

    Connolly Station.


    Multiple working with 071 diesel is unusual.


    Friends at Connolly Station.

    The West Awake approaches Islandbridge Junction; a different view of my usual spot!
    Photo stop at Athlone.


    Athlone.


    Double header at Roscommon!


    Enjoying the trip!


    Discussing the finer points of railways.


    Westport through the glass.

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    Westport.