[Thomas J Stamp]

Was seriously thinking of creating a new thread called "My numb bum". If Phillip wants to do so after reading this please do.

This follows on from my LUAS tale elsewhere and it is the sort of thing that happens to me all the time cos i'm a wierdo.

Anyway, up to Dublin for work on Friday..... got the 657 from Templemore but on going onto the platform I thought krakatoa had erupted or someone had flung a bomb at me. Nope, just a 171 flying though the station w/o carriges frightening the s***e out of me. Saw another on the way up going south solo again made me wondered what had failed somewhere.

On the way home the fun began, Derek dosnt need to predict where the bumps are anymore between Dublin and Templemore: IE have a special Mrk3 carraige, 7170, to do it for him. On pulling out of Platform 2, on the 1705 to Ennis, sitting as i was right over one of the wheels, (Rear outside set) it felt just like when you're riding a bike with a flat. Even as we started getting speed up as we pulled away i knew it was going to be a bad ride.

Anyway, to take my mind off of it IE kindly provided some entertainment, as they let some Craven set out of i think platform 8 at the exact same time as us. I was wondering what was going on, as i use this train all the time and havent seen this before.

So, said Cravens dissapered behind yonder big blue building, but reappeared, more than slightly ahead of us, as i was in the top carraige and looking right over, a few feet away, at the rear carriage of the Cravens. The passangers over there were not looking too relaxed about it, I can tell you. So we raced each other under the first arch of the St. Johns road roundabout where the other train halted a bit sharpish. As we passed it out I saw two buffoons in the cab of the 171 hauling it grinning their faces off. Great fun lads!!!

Now, with that distraction out of the way we went off. Bang!!! Clondalkin. Bang Bang Bang!!! Why that was Hazlehatch. Everytime we came across one little bump the carriage seems the almost bounce off the tracks. Sallins was FUN, coffee cups flying, some lad grabing onto his laptop. Out between Kildare station and Cherryville Junction another great bit of bouncing around, then things started to relax a little. By the way, as well as this we still had the flat tyre on a bike sensation omnipresent throughout. Over one of the bangs it was so bad the waiter for the curtain classes nearly went flying with the tray of goodies for the over-privilaged.

From Portlaoise onwards there seems to be some sort of either dips or something wrong with the track because every two seconds, right on beat the carriaige reacted with more bum numbing activity. And it took bleeding forever for it to stop in Templemore.

I am not kidding, it was awful, the worst ride I've ever had. (Shouldnt have said that, god) Anyway, I know some of the Sligo lads are going to say "We have to out up with the 29ks" but as the mrk 3's are usually so good there must have been something seriously wrong with this one.

Going back to Dublin on Wednesday. What'll happen this time, will I end up on an island with Barry Kenny and thomasS where the numbers 7170 have to be typed into a bloody keypad every 29000 seconds?