Saturday 7 November 2009

25 years of wind and rain...

Yesterday I went out to visit my aunt. I needed to get an earlier train, which had bad connections and left me with ten minutes in Bray station. I didn't mind too much - the last time I went through the station without having to change, I noticed that they were replacing the original murals from 1984 with mosaics. About time too, they've been getting more and more shabby as time has gone by.
1984 was the year they electrified the line and introduced the DART service. Before that it was diesel trains. We lived 5 miles beyond Bray, on a stretch which wasn't electrified till well after I had left home. So for us, Bray station was the one we used most. In fact it's still a pretty minimal service out to Greystones...
It was so dark and dismal and wet that I just had my pocket camera with me, not expecting any photo opportunities at all...
The first picture shows the diesel trains that I remember so well:


This is one of the DARTs - presumably the original 1980s version. They are now on the third or fourth upgrade - but the old ones are still the most comfortable, I think.



1870s - well, obviously I don't remember that! Where we are now, we occasionally hear steam trains run past, though, for special events.

Somewhere, but I didn't take time to unearth it, is a picture of a gang of us at the far terminus to Bray, in 1984. Me, C before we were even going out, and several others. Not quite sure I want to find it and see what 25 years has done to us.

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