Rolling Stock 150

Irish Railway Record Society

Rolling Stock

LOCOMOTIVES

071-class Despite being 25-years old and with several million miles ‘on the clock’, availability of this class continues to be excellent. All eighteen members of the class were in service on 20 December.

However, they continue to slip badly in poor rail conditions, with consequential affect on train punctuality. This is particularly problematic in autumn. On Sunday 17 November, the 08.40 Dublin-Sligo, 075 + EGV + 7 Mk IId, failed to climb the short gradient out of Mullingar station towards Multyfarnham. It eventually departed at 10.57, some 72 minutes late.

ROLLING STOCK

New InterCity Carriages On 25 November IÉ signed a contract with CAF (Construcciones Y Auxiliar De Ferrocarriles) of Spain for 67 new InterCity carriages. Excluding the joint order with NIR for Enterprise carriages, this is IÉs first order for InterCity carriages in almost twenty years. It represents an investment of €117 million and is co-funded by the Government under the National Development Plan 2000-2006. The new carriages will operate all regular Dublin-Cork trains on an enhanced service, as well as key Dublin-Limerick and Dublin-Galway services. Mk III carriages currently operating on these lines will be cascaded to other routes, including Dublin-Galway and Dublin-Sligo. They will begin entering service in autumn 2005.

The carriages will be formed into 9-carriage trains, comprising 6 standard class vehicles, a café-style dining carriage, a first-class carriage and a control vehicle (for push-pull driving, conductor and parcels). There will be seating for 499 passengers, including 49 in first-class, and the trains will be fully accessible to mobility-impaired passengers. Features include:

	Push-pull operation to reduce turnaround time and allow more efficient operation, and improved punctuality
	Streamlined new design, featuring curved front and new livery
	Audio and text display passenger information systems on-board
	Electronic route maps
	Fully compliant with international standards for mobility-impaired customers
	Enterprise standards of comfort and customer facilities
	Additional features in 1st class, including adjustable seating, in-seat radio and music, reading light, table lamps
	Air conditioning

The control car will be equipped with two diesel generators for ‘hotel power’, as opposed to the unreliable locomotive head-end power system used on the Enterprise De Dietrich’s.

Future Orders The announcement of the CAF order also detailed IÉs plans for future vehicle purchases. With half of the InterCity fleet over 30 years old, IÉs priority is to replace them with carriages designed to meet the needs and expectations today's rail customers. ‘Regional railcars for all other routes nation-wide are the next priority, with Iarnród Éireann aiming to proceed with this investment as soon as possible. This would result in high-specification railcars operating routes such as Dublin-Waterford, Dublin-Sligo, Dublin-Rosslare, and lines such as Tralee-Cork and Ballina-Manulla Junction’.

De Dietrich The first carriage to receive a major overhaul in Inchicore Works was full first 9103. It was finished in November. Work on overhauling buffet 9403 was in hand in December.

Mk III The Executive train entered Inchicore Works for a general overhaul in November. It is understood that the ‘half-saloon’ no. 7162 will be extensively re-modelled and will receive more seats. ‘Bar-saloon’ no. 7161 will be refurbished, but not significantly altered. Both maroon coaches will be re-painted in the standard orange and black livery and the service will be re-branded.

The programme of installing new Cummins engines in existing Mk III generator vans has commenced. Existing vans 7601-7607 require some modification as they were originally fitted with Detroit Diesel engines.

Mk IIIa The former BR ‘International’ set used on the Cú na Mara service between Dublin and Galway is about to be refurbished. With approximately a million miles ‘on the clock’, new seats and parts for bogie overhauls are on order.

Mk III Push-Pull There are currently four sets in service. Two six-piece sets are used on the Drogheda and Dundalk suburban services, based in Dublin Connolly. A further six-piece set, including Café car, is the Dublin Heuston based set on the Dublin-Waterford service, while a three-piece is used on the Limerick Junction-Limerick shuttle and is based in Limerick. The fifth driving trailer is normally held spare.

When the 2900-class CAF railcars enter service, it is expected that the two suburban six-piece sets will be transferred to Heuston. With this in mind, individual carriages have been receiving tables and InterCity decals in Inchicore Works as part of the normal refurbishment programme. Driving Trailer (Control Car) 6102 was observed ex-works on 10 December, having received these modifications. It was observed on the Limerick-Limerick Junction shuttle on 24 December. Driving trailers 6104 and 6105 have already been modified, as have many standards.

Mk IId IÉs Mk IId fleet is thirty years old and, being constructed of mild steel, many are now suffering from corrosion in the bodywork and at the gangway ends. Several have lain out of service in Inchicore for some time and IÉ has now applied for funding to repair them and extend their life. In January, one was sent to Bombardier in England for repair.

On 11 November, 128+133 arrived in Dublin Connolly from Sligo at 12.40 with 5605 + 5165 + 5228. They were en route to Inchicore Works following a minor derailment in Sligo yard the previous week.

GSV Generating Steam-heating Vans (GSVs) are used to provide steam for heating

and electricity for lighting on Cravens carriages. New boilers are being fitted to vans in order to improve reliability. ‘Dutch’ vans, made in Dundalk Engineering Works to a Werkspoor design, have two boilers, while ex-BR vans have one.

DIESEL RAILCARS

2600-class The programme of engine exchanges continues.

2800-class These railcars have now been cleared to operate between Dublin Heuston and Portlaoise, with the exception of platform 5 at Heuston and the bay platform at Portlaoise.

2900-class (CAF, Spain) The 2900-class will be delivered this spring. There are differences between the IÉ and NIR railcars, including length, top speed, braking systems and couplers.

Delivery of the first batch of railcars from CAF in Spain commenced on 21 January, with the off-loading of a 4-car set from the MV HARNS in Dublin Port.

(Photos: N. J. McAdams)

DART

8510-Class IÉ has extended its order with Mitsui for new DART carriages from four 4-car sets to ten 4-car sets (see JOURNAL 149). This includes a 4-car set as a replacement for the two 2-car 8100-class sets destroyed by fire in July 2001. The new vehicles will be the first DART carriages to be fully air-conditioned and are expected to enter service in 2005. The order represents an investment of €80 million. When delivered, the total DART fleet will be 154 carriages. This is almost double the original fleet and is the figure envisaged by the National Development Plan. The new vehicles will also facilitate mid-life refurbishment of the 8100-class DART vehicles, which are in service since 1984.