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Iran on track with 'help' of Irish Rail

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  • 10-06-2009 2:32pm
    #1
    godtabh
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 23,204 Mod ✭✭✭✭


    Emaield to me earlier
    IT'S a ringing endorsement of Iarnrod Eireann from the most unlikely quarter.

    Controversial Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is campaigning to be re-elected on the plank that his country is advancing as rapidly as a train, only the train in question is Irish, almost as old as he is and until 2007 was delivering freight around the country.

    An Irish tourist visiting Iran couldn't believe his eyes when he spotted the locomotive fronting an election poster in the centre of Tehran, and forwarded the photo to a friend working for Iarnrod Eireann.

    The General Motors 181 was scrapped two years ago, although two of its number are still working. That said, it did have a 43-year career, entering service in 1966.

    Yesterday, Iarnrod Eireann said while it didn't support any candidate in the presidential elections, it would have preferred to see one of its new trains on display.

    "We fully expected Irish public transport, and our plans to develop the rail service, to feature in our own election campaign last week, but to feature in Iran was a bit of a surprise," spokesman Barry Kenny said.

    The Farsi script on the poster says: "The country is advancing as rapidly as a train."

    The Iranian Embassy said it could not comment on where the image of the locomotive came from, and the office of the president could not be contacted last night. The embassy reminded Iranians living here to vote on Friday in the presidential election between 9am and 7pm in the Iranian Embassy at 72 Mount Merrion Avenue, Blackrock, Co Dublin.


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    #2
    IIMII
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,366 ✭✭✭IIMII


    And here's the original picture..!


    6034073

    I can tell 'em where it came from!


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    #3
    Winters
    Registered Users Posts: 14,761 ✭✭✭✭Winters


    Does Iran not have any trains of its own?


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    #4
    godtabh
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 23,204 Mod ✭✭✭✭godtabh


    Winters wrote: »
    Does Iran not have any trains of its own?

    Read the question wrong!

    As in why dont they use a photo of their own RS?


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    #5
    murphaph
    Registered Users Posts: 19,018 ✭✭✭✭murphaph


    How strange. Reminds me of the Simpsons episode where Homer sees his face on a japanese detergent box.


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    #6
    IIMII
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,366 ✭✭✭IIMII


    I'm more interested in why Roy Keane is standing for election in Iran..


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    #7
    Winters
    Registered Users Posts: 14,761 ✭✭✭✭Winters


    kearnsr wrote: »
    Read the question wrong!

    As in why dont they use a photo of their own RS?

    Yeah, I mean their own trains cant be any older looking that the one pictured I would have thought.


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    #8
    IIMII
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,366 ✭✭✭IIMII


    I just can't stop laughing at this. The picture was from the old Navan railway campaign

    I love the translation that the country is advancing as fast as a train - it was doing less than 40mph because of the speed restrictions on the line. Something to aspire to in Iran, I hope not!


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    #9
    KC61
    Registered Users Posts: 4,316 ✭✭✭KC61


    IIMII wrote: »
    And here's the original picture..!


    6034073

    I can tell 'em where it came from!

    And can you tell us where it came from?

    EDITED - AH! Meath on Track!!!


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    #10
    IIMII
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,366 ✭✭✭IIMII


    The very one!


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    #11
    Sponge Bob
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 25,234 ✭✭✭✭Sponge Bob


    Meath on Track LIVES but only in Tehran . Dempsey killed them off in Meath though :p


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    #12
    IIMII
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,366 ✭✭✭IIMII


    :)

    There's still a record of the promises though!


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    #13
    Stroke Politics
    Registered Users Posts: 570 ✭✭✭Stroke Politics


    Sponge Bob wrote: »
    Meath on Track LIVES but only in Tehran . Dempsey killed them off in Meath though :p

    Is it true that Dempsey bought the domain name for the original Meath On Track website?


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    #14
    IIMII
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,366 ✭✭✭IIMII


    No! :D The domain is still active, but Meath on Track is I suppose, either dormant or redundant depending on whether you believe the political promises. If you belive them, it's redunant. If you don't, well we won't know the actuality for a long time. All of the political promises are in the public domain, they have given a never, never date. All you can do is archive all the promises and wait for that date. Given the date of 2015 was given in 2005, we are nearly half way there already. Jeez, time flies


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    #15
    SeanW
    Registered Users Posts: 8,744 ✭✭✭SeanW


    definately one of those WTF moments :rolleyes:


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    #16
    Sponge Bob
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 25,234 ✭✭✭✭Sponge Bob


    Any chance they can get Dempsey to be their next minister of Transport what with his legendary organisational skillz and charm and bonhomie .


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    #17
    greener&leaner
    Closed Accounts Posts: 71 ✭✭greener&leaner


    Sponge Bob wrote: »
    Any chance they can get Dempsey to be their next minister of Transport what with his legendary organisational skillz and charm and bonhomie .
    Is Iran advancing as rapidly as an Irish Rail train?

    There are interesting parallels.


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    #18
    Yoda
    Registered Users Posts: 1,853 ✭✭✭Yoda


    When I was in Iran and took the overnight train from Tehran to Yazd, the train cars were Portuguese. I don't know about the engine.


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    #19
    IIMII
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,366 ✭✭✭IIMII


    greener&leaner wrote: »
    Is Iran advancing as rapidly as an Irish Rail train?

    There are interesting parallels.
    And that was before the relay! It was 30 - to 40 mph on the line


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    #20
    Metrobest
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,042 ✭✭✭Metrobest


    I've always wanted to visit Iran!
    The association with the Irish Rail 'axis of diesel' has put me right off though :D


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    #21
    IIMII
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,366 ✭✭✭IIMII


    I just rang the Iranian embassy looking for a copy, and they just left me on hold.. :D


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    #22
    Metrobest
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,042 ✭✭✭Metrobest


    IIMII wrote: »
    I just rang the Iranian embassy looking for a copy, and they just left me on hold.. :D

    Are you sure they weren't on strike? :p


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    #23
    donvito99
    Registered Users Posts: 5,818 ✭✭✭donvito99


    YO2L46722.jpg

    WTF didn;t they use this ( Iranian )


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    #24
    weehamster
    Registered Users Posts: 369 ✭✭weehamster


    WTF didn;t they use this
    I agree, it looks much better.

    However I have a theory. It may be a shot in the dark but I think they picked the IÉ loco as it closely resembles his political party (Abadgaran) colours. :rolleyes: What do ye think?


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    #25
    Davy
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 19,340 CMod ✭✭✭✭Davy


    Maybe Iranians prefer diesels rather than electrified trains


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    #26
    Chris_533976
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,082 ✭✭✭Chris_533976


    kearnsr wrote: »
    The Farsi script on the poster says: "The country is advancing as rapidly as a train."

    There is so much irony in this (both against Iran and Irish Rail) that I dont even know where to begin


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    #27
    IIMII
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,366 ✭✭✭IIMII


    6034073


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    #28
    Rawr
    Registered Users Posts: 3,748 ✭✭✭Rawr


    IIMII wrote: »
    6034073
    ..but Irish Rail don't......anymore


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    #29
    IIMII
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,366 ✭✭✭IIMII


    Ha!

    Before the 2007 election big posters with a diesel loco appeared around Navan with 'Dempsey Delivers' on it, by way of explanation..


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    #30
    IIMII
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,366 ✭✭✭IIMII


    Well, it looks like the poster worked, three cheers for Iarnród Éireann:

    http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/0612/breaking2.htm


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    #31
    Run_to_da_hills
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,009 ✭✭✭✭Run_to_da_hills


    donvito99 wrote: »
    WTF didn;t they use this ( Iranian )
    Useless, The General Motors 180 series were a real powerful loco's not like those pansy looking Iranian EMU sets that couldn't pull their way through a wet paper bag.

    Scrapping the 180 series was a grave mistake by IR, they may yet need them again for push pulls when the 22'000;s wear out. :D


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