A wide-screen wide view of a blue steam loco pulling a rake of blue and cream carriages past a canal harbour. The loco is running ‘backwards’ with its coal tender leading, and frames the left edge of the view. The right side of an old canal barge frames the right edge. The sky above is grey and overcast, but the clean steam from the chimney still stands out nicely.

My last shot of former #GNRi 4-4-0 steam loco No. 171 Slieve Gullion working the last of the steam-hauled #RPSI Santa Specials of 2025. She performed wonderfully, and sped past the Duke's Harbour on the #RoyalCanal at #CartonHouse near #Maynooth. Merry Christmas to all who celebrate it! 🎄

A telephoto view looking through the arch of a stone bridge over a canal at a blue steam train approaching in the distance. The edges of canal barges moored in front of the bridge frame the right of the scene.

A peek at former #GNRi 4-4-0 #steamLoco No. 171 Slieve Gullion through Pike Bridge at the Duke's Harbour on the #RoyalCanal at the entrance to #CartonHouse pulling the last steam-hauled #RPSI Santa Special of the 2025 season out of #Maynooth.

A wide landscape shot looking out over a canal as it cuts through a rural scene from an elevated point-of-view. On the left side of the canal it widens into a quay with three barges tied up, and a two-track railway line runs along the right bank. A blue steam locomotive approaches on the track furthest from the water pulling a burgundy brake van and a rake of blue and cream carriages. The sky above is overcast with light grey clouds.

Former #GNRi 4-4-0 #steamLoco No. 171 Slieve Gullion passing the Duke's Harbour on the #RoyalCanal at the gates to #CartonHouse as seen from Pike Bridge with the last steam-hauled pulling an #RPSI Santa Special of the 2025 seanson. No steam as she's coasting towards the #Maynooth approach signal.

A wide landscape view looking down a long straight section of a rural canal with a paved towpath on the near bank and a railway line on the far bank. The canal appears from a vanishing point in the right background and exits the frame in the bottom left corner. A blue steam loco is approaching with a rake of cream and blue carriages. The loco is running ‘backwards’ with its coal tender leading and chimney trailing. A cloud of clean white steam trails behind over the carriages. Bare tree branches frame both and the edges of the top of the scene, and the sky overhead is light grey and overcast.

Former #GNRi 4-4-0 #steamLoco No. 171 Slieve Gullion working an #RPSI Santa Special tender-first along a beautiful rural stretch of the #RoyalCanal east of #Maynooth.

A telephoto view of a blue steam loco pulling a rake of cream and blue carriages along the banks of a rural canal lined with big bare trees. The line runs parallel to the canal along the far bank, and there is a paved greenway also running parallel in the near bank, all three have their vanishing point in the right background and cross diagonally to the left foreground. There is a cloud of clean white steam swirling from the chimney and blowing across the canal onto the towpath. The sky above is light grey and overcast.

As the wind picks up the steam from former #GNRi 4-4-0 #steamLoco No. 171 Slieve Gullion swirls down and onto the #RoyalCanal towpath east of #Maynooth as she pulls an #RPSI Santa Special back towards Dublin tender-fist. Thankfully she was running clean, smelled like an open fire when it hit me 🙂

A square view of a back-lit blue steam locomotive with red running boards reflected in the water of a canal as a big head of steam issues from the chimney and stands out against a clouded sky.

Former #GNRi 4-4-0 #steamLoco No. 171 Slieve Gullion with it's clean white steam contrasting against the December clouds as she works hard accelerating an #RPSI Santa Special away from the sharp turn in the line and #RoyalCanal at #Leixlip Louisa Bridge.

A black and white square telephoto view of a steak locomotive with a nice head of steam pulling vintage carriages around a sharp turn curving from the left mid-ground to the right foreground. The line is on the fade bank of a canal, with the left foreground dominated by a paved towpath. The sky above is overcast with parallel lines of clouds.

Former #GNRi 4-4-0 #steamLoco No. 171 Slieve Gullion pulling an #RPSI Santa Special around the sharp turn in the line and the #RoyalCanal at #Leixlip Louisa Bridge station. #blackAndWhite #momochrome

A side-view of a blue steam locomotive with red running boards. The loco has a pair of small leading wheels and two big driving wheels as well as a separate tender laden with coal. The boiler is long and cylindrical, and you can see ‘through’ the loco between the running boards and boiler between the black smokebox at the front of the loco and the boiler just in front of the cab. The driving wheels are half enclosed in big fenders. A small cloud of clean steam is trialing behind the chimney.

This is the best side-view of former #GNRi 4-4-0 steam loco No. 171 Slieve Gullion working the 2025 #RPSI Santa Specials. This shows the engine’s defining features nicely …

A landscape view looking down the paved towpath of rural canal with a blue steam train approaching along the far bank. The path, canal, railway, and a pair of bare hedge lines framing both ends of the scene run perfectly parallel from the right foreground towards a vanishing point in the left background. There is a small cloud of clean white steam from the steam locomotive which is pilling a burgundy brake van and a rake of cream and blue vintage carriages. The sky above is overcast and greyb

Former #GNRi 4-4-0 steam loco No. 171 Slieve Gullion gently steams into #Maynooth along the banks of the #RoyalCanal with an #RPSI Santa Special on a particularly dull December afternoon.

A telephoto front and side view of a blue steam locomotive with a black front and red running boards pulling a Burgundy brake van and a rake of cream and blue vintage carriages. There is no steam coming from the, but there is a hint of a heat haze as the engine coats. A red name board on the front of the locomotive reads “Santa Special”. The line is on the far bank of a canal which is visible in the foreground. There is a line of bare trees behind.

Former #GNRi 4-4-0 steam loco No. 171 Slieve Gullion coasting towards #Maynooth station along the banks of the #RoyalCanal with an RPSI Santa Special.

A telephoto view of the front of a steam locomotive appearing from behind a line of bare trees as it rounds a distant bend. The foreground shows a strip of water, and the sky is overcast and grey.

Former #GNRi 4-4-0 #steamLoco No. 171 Slieve Gullion appears around the last corner as it approaches #Maynooth with an #RPSI Santa Special along the banks of the #RoyalCanal.

A landscape view of a blue steam locomotive running ‘backwards’ with it’s tender leading and smoke stack behind pulling a rake of vintage cream and blue carriages around a turn in the railway line and the canal running right next to it between the camera and the rails. The right of the frame is dominated by the paved towpath following the near-bank of the canal. A dull grey sky hangs overhead with a cloud of clean white steam from the chimney contrasting nicely against it. Both edges are framed by bare trees.

Having run around its train in Maynooth, former #GNRi 4-4-0 steam loco No. 171 Slieve Gullion steams around the sharp bend in the line and the #RoyalCanal at Intel in #Leixlip as it pulls an #RPSI Santa Special back to Dublin.

A telephoto view of a blue steam loco with tender pulling a burgundy brake van and a rake of blue and cream vintage coaches, only the first half of the first of which is visible. There is a clean white cloud of steam streaming back from the front of the loco. The edge of a field with round hay bales is visible in the foreground, and a line of big bare trees dominates the background.

A closer look at former #GNRi 4-4-0 #steamLoco No. 171 Slieve Gullion as it steams past Intel in #Leixlip with an #RPSI Santa Special.

A landscape shot looking out across a field with round hay bales with a bright blue steam loco pulling a burgundy brake van and a rake of cream and blue vintage coaches behind the bales in front of a line of large bare trees under a blue sky. The loco is trailing a cloud of clean white steam over the carriages.

It turns out just one of the twelve 2025 #RPSI Santa Specials would be blessed with some winter sun, but former #GNRi 4-4-0 #steamLoco No. 171 Slieve Gullion sure looked great rounding the corner at Intel in #Leixlip yesterday morning!

A diagonal side view from a high point of view of a powder blue steam locomotive with red running boards, two small leading wheels, two big driving wheels and a tender well filled with coal.

Former #GNRi 4-4-0 #steamLoco No. 171 Slieve Gullion in #Maynooth having disconnected from an #RPSI Santa Special to run around it for the return leg while Santa entertains the kids on the platform.

A landscape view of a blue steam train with a big head of clean white steam pulling a burgundy brake van and a rake of blue and cream vintage carriages along the far bank of a rural canal. A few bare trees with plenty of ivy on their trunks separate the railway and the canal. Both are gently curving into view from left to right. The sky overhead is a dull grey and there are rain drops visible on the water.

Former #GNRi 4-4-0 #steamLoco No. 171 Slieve Gullion steaming through the Irish December rain approaching #Maynooth with an RPSI Santa Special along the banks of the #RoyalCanal

A portrait-oriented telephoto front-on view of a steam train with a big head of steam and a red name board framed between bare trees covered in green ivy leaves with a sliver of water in the foreground speckled with big raindrops. The line runs straight at the camera and then turns right in front of the train.

Former #GNRi 4-4-0 #steamLoco No. 171 Slieve Gullion approaching #Maynooth with an #RPSI Santa Special as the Irish December rain buckets down!

A square view of a black steam engine pulling a rake of blue and cream vintage carriages towards the camera, heading towards the left of the scene from a vanishing point in the right background. The train is running on the far bank of a canal, and both the canal and the track are contained by a stone structure with metal railings. A large white sign wrapped top and bottom with dark blue bands and with dark blue text labels the brick structure as the ‘Ryewater Viaduct’. There is a little grass in the foreground in front of the sign, and some lily pads add a little colour to the canal in the left foreground. A brooding grey sky hangs overhead.

My last view of the former #GNRi 4-4-0 steam loco No. 131 on the 15th of June as she works the home leg of the second of two 'Midlander' steam specials for the #RPSI. Here she is, running tender-first, exiting the Ryewater viaduct in #Lexlip which carries the railway and the #RoyalCanal.

A square view along a curving paved path which leads the eye to a black steam locomotive with a red bumper rounding a corner pulling a burgundy guards van and cream and blue vintage carriages. There is smoke puffing from the chimney and a cloudy sky behind. The left edge is framed by a nearby tree branch, and the right by the edge of a modern platform with grey steel railings.

A glimpse of #RPSI preserved former #GNRi 4-4-0 steam loco No. 131 exiting the Ryewater viaduct and approaching #Leixlip Confey station as she pulled 'The Midlander' towards #Maynooth. This was the second of two specials last Sunday, and she caught me by surprise being a little early!

A contrasty monochrome view of vintage carriages with a stream of steam passing back over them from a black loco in the distance. The train is running away from us from the right of the frame with a strong perspective effect. The sky overhead is full of textured clouds, mirroring the feel of the steam. The train is running on the far bank of a still canal speckled with lily-pads and reflecting the train and the sky. The canal and train shrink towards a vanishing point in the left mid-ground.

The Midlander steaming out of #Maynooth along the banks of the #Royal Canal with the return leg of a pair of specials run by the #RPSI last weekend. The cloud of steam is issuing from the former #GNRi loco No. 131.

A wide aspect ratio view of a black steam engine running with her coal tender in front and the engine facing backwards at the front of a rake of cream and blue vintage carriages. The train is crossing the scene from right to left and a trail of steam is issuing from the chimney at the front of the loco and trailing back over the carriages. The foreground is a canal almost completely covered in lily-pads and there is a cloudy sky above.

The best side-view I got of the former #GNRi 4-4-0 steam loco No. 131 as she worked the return leg of 'the Midlander' run by the #RPSI last Sunday. Here we see her working hard to accelerate out of #Maynooth along the banks of the #RoyalCanal.

A square view of a black steam engine with its coal tender in front and the locomotive facing backwards pulling a rake of cream and blue vintage carriages along the far bank of a still mirror-smooth canal. There is greenery on both banks and a clouded grey sky above as the loco crosses the scene from a vanishing point in the mid-right of the frame towards the left middle of the frame.

The #RPSI preserved former #GNRi 4-4-0 steam loco No. 131 pulling the return leg of the first of two ‘Midlander’ steam specials tender-first along the #RoyalCanal as she accelerates out of #Maynooth back towards Dublin on Sunday.

A wide cropped monochrome view of a black steam locomotive with a dark guards van and mostly white vintage carriages steaming through the frame left to right. The track is on the far bank of a rural canal l lined with wild flowers, which dominate the foreground. The sky overhead is grey.

A closer look at #RPSI preserved 4–4-0 former #GNRi steam loco No. 131 as she approached #Maynooth along the #RoyalCanal working ‘the Midlander’ on Sunday morning.

A black steam locomotive pulling a burgundy guards van and a rake of blue and cream vintage coaches along a rural canal. The train is crossing from left to right on the far bank, and there are wild flowers in bloom along the near bank which forms the foreground. The majority of the flowers are red poppies, with some white meadowsweet. Near by branches frame the top-left of the shot, there are a line of trees behind the train, and there is a cloudy grey sky above.

The #RPSI preserved former #GNRi 4-4-0 steam loco No. 131 working 'the Midlander' to Maynooth yesterday. Here she's running along the #RoyalCanal as she slower for her arrival into #Maynooth.