Irish Railway Record Society

TRACK

Mallow-Tralee   The main platform track in Killarney station was re-laid with CWR in May.

Portarlington-Galway The loop in Clonnydonnin was re-laid with CWR on concrete sleepers in May.

Athlone-Westport/Ballina   The remaining plain track sections between Athlone and Westport have been re-laid with CWR on concrete sleepers. Track re-laying on the Athlone-Westport line finished on 14 July, with ‘stressing’, ballasting, regulating and tamping work continuing throughout the summer. During the re-laying of the section between MP107³/₄-109⁷/₈, the 08.05 Dublin-Westport and 13.25 Westport-Dublin were substituted by bus between Roscommon and Castlerea.

For re-laying between MP139-140³/₄ and MP144⁷/₈-145³/₄, the 08.05 down and 13.20 up were substituted by bus between Claremorris and Westport. The Monday-Friday 11.18 Manulla Junction-Ballina and 13.09 Ballina-Manulla Junction were also substituted by bus throughout the summer and into September to allow CWR to be ‘stressed’. During this period, the main and loop platform tracks in Claremorris were excavated and re-laid, with this work continuing into September.

Dublin Heuston-Cork   Facing crossover No. 699 connecting the up and down lines at the west end of Inchicore was renewed over the weekend of 14/15 June (See JOURNAL 151 for drawing). The loop tracks in Hazelhatch and Sallins have been re-laid with CWR on concrete sleepers.

Renewal of the Lisduff north-end trailing crossover No. 751 resulted in the 19.15 Dublin-Cork and 19.15 Cork-Dublin being substituted by bus between Portlaoise and Thurles on Saturday 6 September. The 21.00 Dublin-Cork was substituted by bus between Portlaoise and Cork. On Sunday 7 September, all trains up to the 12.05 Dublin-Cork and 10.50 Cork-Dublin were substituted by bus between Portlaoise and Thurles. New Westinghouse Type 63 point machines have replaced the Clamp-Lock type used previously. The north and south turnouts to the ballast sidings had previously been renewed on 15 June.

Dublin Connolly-Rosslare Strand   Re-laying with CWR on concrete sleepers between Gorey and Enniscorthy re-commenced in May and resulted in the 07.20 Maynooth-Rosslare Europort and 14.45 Rosslare Europort-Connolly being substituted by bus south of Gorey. On several Sundays, the 08.45 and 14.43 Rosslare-Dublin and 10.00 Dublin-Rosslare did not operate south of Gorey. Substitute buses were provided. A large stockpile of concrete sleepers was built up in Wexford station. However, many of these were transported from Portlaoise by lorry rather than by rail. Permanent Way trains often used 071-class locomotives, with 083 observed in Enniscorthy and 079 observed in Wexford on 24 May. However, since June they have generally been replaced by pairs of 141/181-class locomotives.

Due to road traffic congestion in Gorey, which badly delayed substitute buses in previous summers, re-laying was suspended south of Gorey during the peak summer period. Delays to substitute buses had often been more than an hour, for a service that had only a half-hour turn-round in Dublin. Instead, re-laying moved to completing the Wicklow-Rathdrum sections during July and August. On Monday to Thursday, the 13.25 Dublin-Rosslare Europort ran to Wicklow, where passengers transferred to buses that took them to Arklow. There, a second train formed a continuation to Rosslare at 14.50. The second train was formed by the stock of the 07.03 Longford-Dublin Pearse that ran empty at 09.18 from Pearse to Arklow before the possession started. It was usually an 071-class + GSV + 6 Cravens. All other trains ran normally.

After the peak holiday season was over, re-laying re-commenced south of Gorey. From 7 September, the 07.10 Maynooth-Rosslare Europort and 14.45 Rosslare Europort-Dublin Connolly were operated by bus south of Gorey.

By mid-September, track re-laid was from MP29¹/₂-35³/₄ and MP65¹/₄-70⁷/₈ with long welded rail laid out to close the gap to MP72⁷/₈.

Excavation and re-laying with CWR on concrete sleepers of the south part of the up platform in Bray saw DART services terminate in Dún Laoghaire from 21.00 on Saturday 6 September, with minor alterations the following morning. The remainder was completed two weeks later in a similar manner.

Dublin-Sligo   Major track rationalisation took place in Mullingar during a complete line closure between 10.00 on Wednesday 17 September and 18.30 on Wednesday 24 September. It saw the removal of the last traditional MGWR double-track junction (between Sligo and Galway lines), removal of the double-slip crossover providing access to the up sidings, removal of the single-slip crossover allowing movements between the up sidings and the down Sligo line and the slewing of the down Galway line into the up Galway line between existing platforms. The former down Galway platform line is now a siding.

New semaphore signals were erected pending completion of the Mini-CTC project. They were a new up starting signal from the down main, new up advance starter and new fixed at danger down starter from the Galway platform line. The latter line is now known as the ‘up and down main’. Effectively, the rationalisation incorporates much of the final Mini-CTC track layout of a single passing loop on the Sligo line and a single line on the Galway line, but with semaphore signalling (limited) in advance of re-signalling. Other work included installing drains, excavating and re-laying with CWR on concrete sleepers the Sligo line platforms and approaches. Substitute buses ran from Edgeworthstown to Enfield.

Limerick-Ennis   Re-laying with CWR on concrete sleepers continues on the Limerick-Ennis line. During the summer re-laying was done by road-rail excavators, rather than using the beam re-laying machines. Work was concentrated on difficult areas, such as under bridges and in deep cuttings. As a result, progress has been slow. The line was generally closed completely from Monday morning until Friday evening, but with some periods of complete mid-week closure. Passenger train services were restored for July and August.

From late August, re-laying with the beam re-laying machines commenced, with about two miles to be completed. This consisted of 1¹/₂ miles near Ballycar and ¹/₂ mile from the down distant signal into Ennis station. The latter was re-laid by early September. Midday trains were suspended from Monday 25 August to Thursday, 28 August. The line was closed completely from 08.30 on Monday 1 September until 17.00 on Friday 5 September, with midday trains suspended in subsequent weeks.

Limerick Junction-Waterford-Rosslare Strand   The Waterford-Wellingtonbridge section was closed from 08.30 on Saturday 26 July until 18.00 on Sunday 27 July for signalling and electrical repairs to the Barrow Bridge. Substitute buses operated.

The Summer Only 07.05 Rosslare Europort-Limerick and 09.35 Limerick-Waterford were suspended between Waterford and Limerick Junction during some of the busiest weeks of the year, including the August Public Holiday weekend, to allow re-laying near Cahir. Suspension was from Monday 28 July for two weeks. The line was open each day in time for the 15.42 Limerick-Rosslare Europort. The 11.34 Waterford-Limerick empty bulk-cement ran via Lavistown Loop and Kildare. The section between MP36-37¹/₂ was re-laid using jointed bullhead rail.

Dublin-Dundalk   Single line working was used to allow tamping of track between Drogheda and Dundalk on weekdays in May. The 06.55 Arklow-Dundalk and 10.34 Dundalk-Pearse operated to and from Drogheda only. The 09.55 Dundalk-Connolly operated from Drogheda. Delays and disruption to Enterprise services were severe. On Monday 26 May, the 10.30 Belfast-Dublin, 8-piece De Dietrich (DT9002) pushed by 207 arrived in Connolly at 13.16, instead of 12.35. This train forms the 13.20 Dublin-Belfast. Smart working by station staff in Connolly saw the train depart at 13.28.

Four new sidings were commissioned in Dundalk in July. They are located on the down side and can hold 8-car trains. They are accessed off the running loop. Siding No. 1 is 262 metres long, siding No. 2 is 286 metres long, siding No. 3 is 262 metres long and No. 4 is 263 metres long. No signalling alterations were made, with hand points being used.

Howth-Howth Junction Track in Howth station was excavated and re-laid during weekend possessions in May and June. Panels of concrete sleepers were laid using road-rail excavators, with CWR subsequently replacing the jointed rail. The branch is now completely laid with CWR. On Sunday 18 May, 078 worked a spoil train at Howth. As it was unable to run-round, 083 ran light engine from Connolly in the afternoon and hauled the train into North Wall.

Weedspray   The weedspray programme continued into the summer with Drogheda-Navan sprayed on Friday 16 May. Mullingar-Athenry on Friday 23 May. Athenry-Ennis was sprayed on Tuesday 27 May. The train sprayed the Limerick cement factory sidings on Thursday 5 June. The programme concluded on Saturday 7 June when the train departed Portlaoise at 08.40 and sprayed the Dublin suburban lines. Locomotive 175 was used throughout. Lines not sprayed by the train this year included Navan-Kingscourt, Tara Mines, Glounthaune-Youghal, Bray - Rosslare Strand, Cherryville Junction - Waterford, Athenry-Galway, Athlone-Westport/Ballina, Mallow-Tralee, Howth Branch, and Limerick-Foynes.

Tamping   IÉ has advertised for contractors to carry out tamping and regulating over a portion of its network and  may also include new track.

Tenders   IÉ has sought suppliers for ‘Points and crossings layouts in new perfect quality grade 900A rail steel, on hardwood timber sleepers complete with all ancillary fastening and construction materials for a period of three years commencing mid-2003 with an option to extend for a further two years’. IÉ has also advertised for approximately 350,000 tonnes per year of ballast.

IÉ has sought tenders for the collection, removal and disposal of refuse, litter and material collection in addition to weed spraying along specified sections of railway lines and in specified locations of the Dublin Division including DART lines for a thirty-month period. The area extends to stations such as Portlaoise, Dundalk and Rosslare.

  BRIDGES AND TUNNELS

Several bridges on the Limerick-Ennis line have received attention. Two spans of the Shannon Bridge, UB16, at 3 miles 936 yards are being refurbished and repainted this year. The Canal Bridge, UB6, at 2 miles 240 yards was renewed during a full line closure at the end of September. The three steel spans were replaced by new concrete spans. New decking was added to the Oil River Bridge, UB42, at 12 miles 200 yards.

OB196 at the south end of Lisduff was renewed on 15 June. OB311 at 135 miles 520 yards between Charleville and Buttevant on the Dublin-Cork line was renewed on 6 September.

The remainder of this article appears in IRRS Journal number 152, published October 2003.

Copyright © 2004 by Irish Railway Record Society Ltd.
Revised: January 07, 2004 .