Irish Railway Record Society

TRACK

Limerick-Rosslare Europort   Renewal of crossover 73 and points 74B in Limerick station took place during Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 December. Limerick Junction and Ennis line trains were substituted by bus on Saturday and on Sunday morning.
In 2005, the following sections were re-laid with second-hand materials: MP38⁵/₈-43³/₄, MP46³/₄-47³/₄, MP53¹/₄-55¹/₂, MP56-57¹/₄, MP79⁷/₈-80¹/₂ and MP86³/₄-87¹/₂.

Ballybrophy-Killonan Junction   The line was closed completely from Thursday 29 September until 18:30 on Monday 3 October and from Sunday 6 November until Sunday 27 November for track re-laying in the Killonan-Birdhill section. All passenger and Kilmastulla (Birdhill) - Limerick cement factory shale trains were cancelled completely. The line was also closed for track repairs between Ballybrophy and Roscrea from 08:55 on Tuesday 13 until 18:00 on Thursday 15 December. In 2005 the following sections were re-laid with second-hand materials: MP31¹/₂-32.5¹/₂, MP42¹/₂-44¹/₂ and MP46⁷/₈-48³/₄.

Dublin-Cork   The manganese steel level crossing that takes the single track Limerick-Waterford line across the double track Dublin-Cork line at Limerick Junction was renewed on Sunday 11 December. To keep Dublin-Cork line trains operating an interesting arrangement was employed. Early morning trains were formed by push-pulls or railcars in both directions. Up trains ran via Platform 1, departed towards Limerick, reversed and ran via the Loop (Direct Curve) towards Dublin. Down trains ran via the Loop (Direct Curve) where they reversed and resumed their journey via platform 1.

Athlone-Westport   At Castlerea, the up siding was removed on 5 October. It was used in recent years for loading ballast. The track layout is now just a main and loop track. A new turnout was installed in December.

Cork-Cobh   The Cork-Cobh line was closed from 20:00 on Saturday 12 until 11:00 on Sunday 13 November to allow renewal of the middle turnout from the up line to the depot at North Esk. Trailing crossover No. 14 at the Cobh end of North Esk was removed in December.

Glounthaune-Midleton   Extensive scrub and undergrowth clearance work has taken place on the line using tracked and road-rail excavators. Midleton was reached on 13 December and the machines spent a week clearing the station and former goods yard area.

Athenry-Tuam   In November a contractor was used to clear the line of overgrowth between Athenry and Tuam.

North Strand Junction-Church Road   Both tracks on this line to the North Wall, generally known as ‘the dip’, have been excavated and re-laid using second hand bull-head track. Two tracks in North Wall from under the former West Road cabin to Church Road have also been re-laid.

Drogheda-Navan   In 2005, 5 miles of track was re-laid with second-hand materials, including MP8³/₄-12.

Datum Plates   IÉ has advertised for the supply of 9,000 datum plates over 3 years to cover the network. These plates are placed on structures such as poles, platform faces, tunnel walls, etc., adjacent to the track and provide data about the track. Each plate incorporates an adjustable slider to show the level of the nearest rail and is approximately 150 mm x 200 mm with 25 mm digits and shows:

EM50   IÉ has advertised for the ‘supply, installation, commissioning and operator training of an attended contactless track geometry recording system … and an attended contactless rail head profile measuring system providing the profile of each gauge face and rail head as a minimum; coupled to a user interface & analysis system which can provide graphical display of information, quality audit function and assist in planning track maintenance’. The primary option under consideration is to fit the system onto the existing Plasser & Theurer EM50 track-recording vehicle (No. 700), constructed in 1974.

Weedspray   IÉ has advertised for a new weedspray train, specifically new mixing and spraying equipment to be fitted to an existing BR-type heating van (GSV). It is proposed to run with the existing train of five 15,000-litre tankers.

Procurement   In December, IÉ advertised for ‘Professional and technical advice regarding the design and construction of developments in close proximity to the railway line e.g. Lansdowne Road stadium development’.

BRIDGES AND TUNNELS

Construction of a new underbridge for the Carlow Inner Relief Road UB70C at 57 miles 880 yards in the Carlow-Muine Bheag section resulted in complete closure of the line from Monday 17 October until 15:30 on Friday 21 October. Passenger trains ran between Dublin and Carlow only with onwards bus transfers. Freight trains were cancelled.

With an increasing number of bridges being struck by high lorries, IÉ has increased the installation of Bash Beams at bridges. Typically, these consist of a goal post steel girder erected in front of the bridge. New beams were installed at UB146 at 51 miles 384 yards (Portlaoise) and UB218 at 80 miles 1,56 yards on the Dublin-Cork line in December and October respectively. The increasing nature of this problem was highlighted by the fact that the Portlaoise Beam was struck by lorries four times on the day following installation despite many road warning signs.

Sidings have been temporarily shortened to allow OB21 Bond Bridge at 15 miles 330 yards just west of Maynooth station to be re-built and an adjacent culvert to be renewed.

The remainder of this article appears in IRRS Journal number 159, published February 2006.

Copyright © 2006 by Irish Railway Record Society Ltd.
Revised: May 22, 2006 .