Are ye right there, Michael? Are ye right?

Do ye think that you can get the fire to light?
Oh, an hour you'll require,
For the turf it might be drier,
Well it might now, Michael,
So it might!

Monkey Boy was less than impressed with today's non-stop steam trip to Kilkenny!

Stop 1 - Adamstown. Poke at the fire and see can they raise enough steam to get over 20mph - 30 min.
Stop 2 - Sallins (well, a siding there). Assemble the words "sod", "game", "this", "soldiers" into a well known phrase. Dump fire, start again - 45 min.
Stop 3 - Kildare. No idea why. Stopped wondering...
Stop 4 - Somewhere between Bagnalstown and Kilkenny. Waiting for a level crossing to be closed - 20 min.

The two and a half hour trip left at 10am and we arrived around 3.50! Grab a quick bite to eat which turned into take-out, and back for a diesel assisted trip back to Dublin - they had enough steam, but weren't confident enough to go without help. Which lead to...

Stop 5 - Newbridge. Big end bearing burnt out and seized. Usually caused by running the loco too fast. Detach loco, and deposit in siding - 30 min.

The official explanation from the boys on the train - the wrong sort of coal! Which might be more believable if (a) the second fire hadn't burned pretty well; (b) I hadn't blundered into the end of a committee discussion going "Yeah I know. But look; we'll blame the coal anyway!"

First - and almost certainly last - time we go on an excursion organised by the southern branch of the RPSI. Percy French would have been proud, or at least inspired!
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Update;
At least he wasn't the only one losing interest...