Page 97 - Rail Express - September 2019

IRISH ANGLE

IARNROD EIREANN /IRISH RAIL

■ TRAFFIC &TRACTION: Retro-liveried had been unreliable (see last issue) Wexfordand RosslareStrand. This approximatelyhalfwaybetween the
No. 071 wasfailed at Ballina on June 24 wasrepaired and backworking Mk.4 wasbookedfor,and worked by,ex- access turnout at thethroat of the
and transferred to Dublin North Wall on push-pulltrainsonDublin Heuston to GreatNorthern 4-4-0 No. 85 –but passengerstation and thedisused
the 29th in the consist of the 08.15 IWT CorkservicesinlateJune. this loco provedtroublesome, and the freight yard.The yard wasused as
container train, which washeaded by No. 226 continued to be rostered southbound run wasterminated at abase forthe work andrequired
classmate No. 081. on BGHduties, andwas notedat Gorey. Replacement traction to return vegetationremoval andother
The inclusion of No. 071 ‘inside’ Westport on June28thenatBelfast thetrain to Connollycameinthe shape clearance work.
No. 081 required the removaloftwo and Dundalkthe following day. On of diesel No. 074, which ranlight from The trackpanelsweredelivered,
wagons from the normal 18-wagon June30, No. 226was replacedat Connolly. After removing No. 85 and stored in theyardand subsequently
consist because of train weight and Connolly by No. 080 forthe journey placing it in asiding at Gorey,the GM transferredtothe work site. This
length issues. The train wasrecessed at to Waterford. hauled the train to Connolly. entailed each panelbeing moved
Tullamoreand Portarlington en route. No. 216 wasrestoredtoBGH On July 12, ‘Enterprise’-liveried by road/railmachines ‘topping and
No 071 wasthen stabled at North dutieswhenthe tour programme GM No.207 ranlight from Connolly tailing’ from theyardonarising
Wall,and ranlight engine from thereto recommenced after aplanned break to Goreytocollectand return No. 85. gradientof1-in-70.
InchicoreonJuly3.The locomotivewas formaintenance purposes,and worked The steamlocowas repaired and then The Quaybranch wasreducedin
repairedand wasactiveonballast duties from KillarneytoGalway on July 11. worked arailtour on July 21. status to asiding whenthe Sligoline
in the Mallow area on July16, followedby This tour visited the Dublin to Rosslare resignalling project wascompleted
Limerick Junction on the 20th. Europort line on July13with No. 080 in ■ DMUFIRE: An underfloor fireona in 2005 –the buffer stop was
The other retro-liveried 071 Class charge.The loco ranround at Rosslare car of ICR DMUNo. 22048 at Heuston installedfollowingthe withdrawal
locomotive, No. 073, wasalso proving Strand and hauled thetrain from Gorey stationonJuly8,was quickly brought of freight handling at theyardin
problematic on July4when workinga to Waterfordvia Connollythe next day. under control by railway staff.The unit December2008.
Westport to Waterfordloaded timber No. 080 wasreplacedbyNo. 078 hadworkedthe 17.25 ex-Portlaoise.
train. The locomotivewas failed at Clara at Waterford, and this loco worked the ■ LONGFORD WORK: Relayingof
andassistance arrived in the shape of subsequent legstoBagenalstownand ■ FINALJOURNEY: Plasser &Theurer the sidings at theformerfreight
classmate No. 078, which hauled Heuston. No. 216 headedthe Heuston 1974-built ontrack machine No. 728 yard at this intermediate station
No. 073 and its train to Kildare, where to Cork leg of the next tour on July16, wastransportedbyroad from Limerick on the Dublin to Sligo line has been
No. 073 wasremovedand stabledin andfromKillarney to Galway on Junction yard forscrapping on July4. completed. Thesesidingsare used to
the yard.No. 078 then continued with the 18th. stable DMUs.
the train to Waterford. ■ SLIGO WORK: Asiding thatwas
Otherlocomotives noted on Mayo ■ RAILTOURS: On Sunday, July7,GM formerlya section of the singletrack ■ WATERFORDAREA: The trackbeds
freight trafficduring the period under No. 074 wasused to transfer atrain SligoQuayfreight-onlybranch, and of twoformer railwaylinesare to be
review included Nos. 074, 078, 080, 081, of sevenRailway Preservation Society is used on aregularbasis to stable redeveloped as Greenway paths. The
215, 220, 229 and 234. of Ireland (RPSI) Cravens coaches and DMUs,has beenrelaid with newtrack Government hasapprovedgrantsof
‘BR’ vanNo. 3173 as empty stock from panels.Toenablethe work to be €2.65 million and €8million forpaths
■ BELMOND GRAND HIBERNIAN: InchicoretoConnollyfor asteam- carried out,the buffer stop on the at Bilberryand to New
Dedicated BGH loco No. 216, which hauled daytrip, ‘The Sea Breeze’, to sidingwas removed. This is located Ross respectively.

September 2019 RAIL EXPRESS 97