Rolling Stock 161

Irish Railway Record Society

Rolling Stock

CAF Mainline Carriages (Mk IV) Introduction of the new carriages into service was scheduled for Monday 15 May. However, unofficial industrial action by train drivers resulted in cancellation of all rail services in the Cork area and later to cancellation of most services originating in Heuston. Some Waterford, Westport and Galway trains operated. Thirteen out of fifty departures and fifteen out of fifty-four arrivals operated at Heuston. Trains to/from Connolly operated normally. Industrial action continued next day and there were less arrivals and departures at Heuston. Following independent arbitration, the dispute was resolved and normal services were restored on Wednesday 17 May.

The trains entered passenger service on Monday 22 May with locomotive 215 and 8-carriage set 4002 working the 09:00 Dublin-Cork and 13:30 return. This was classified as an in-service trial, with CAF personnel in attendance on standby. It remained in service on this link on weekdays until Monday 12 June when set 4003 took over. This set entered service the previous day on the 15:00 Dublin-Cork link.

The new trains were officially inaugurated on Monday 10 July when 215 + 8 Mk IV (DT4003) worked 09:45 Dublin Heuston-Cork and 15:15 return specials. Set 4002 worked the 09:00 Dublin-Cork and 13:30 return. Both sets were in commercial service from the following week, with one working the 09:00 Dublin-Cork and 13:30 Cork-Dublin and the second working the 11:00 Dublin-Cork and 15:30 Cork-Dublin. During the summer, CAF staff were working on fault rectification and modifications, including work to improve the ride quality. Day and night trials continued on the Dublin-Cork/Limerick lines.

The first set (4001) was generally in Inchicore Works during the spring, but was in service in July. The fourth set (4004) was observed in service in early September. The fifth set (4005) was in Limerick/Limerick Junction during August. The sixth set (4006) was in Inchicore Works in July receiving finishing work by CAF staff.

On Friday 21 July, the seventh set (4007) was delivered to Ocean Pier in Dublin Port. Each carriage was unloaded from the ship onto a low-loader road trailer, which then drove down the Alexandra Road to Alexandra Road Extension outside the former Coastal Container Depot where they were craned off the trailers and placed on rails. Locomotives 160+146 hauled the train to North Wall yard in two batches of four. At 20:30, the pair towed the complete eight-carriage train to Inchicore.

The final set (4008) was delivered on Thursday 7 September in the same manner as the seventh. Locomotives 172+184 were used to haul the train. However, it consisted of seven carriages only, with the eighth left in Spain for further modification work by CAF.

With sets 4001-4 available for service, they took over more Dublin-Cork links from early September. They worked the 09:00, 11:00, 19:00, 21:00 Dublin-Cork and the 05:30, 09:30, 13:30, 15:30 Cork-Dublin.

Mk IId Standard 5218 and dining car 5402 have been recommended for scrapping. Standard 5228 was cut up in Inchicore in July.

Cravens Cutting up of withdrawn carriages in Inchicore commenced in the third week of July and the following vehicles were cut up by early September: 1504, 1511, 1513, 1515, 1528, 1536, 1540, 1542, 1543, 1545, 1548, 1551 and 1556. No. 1547, minus bogies, was in use as a mess room by the scrappers. Withdrawn Cravens stored in Cork were hauled to Inchicore for scrapping on 14 September by 124+134. They were 1531, 1533, 1550, 1554 and 1555, with 1550 first to be cut up. Nos. 1522, 1530 and 1546, which are also in Inchicore, have been recommended for scrapping.

Generator-Steam-heating-Vans BR van 3187, which is undergoing conversion to a new weedspraying vehicle, was receiving new pumping and spraying equipment in Kildare Infrastructure Maintenance Depot in July. BR van 3186 has been cut up.

Mk III Push-Pull Driving trailers 6101-05 are receiving LED marker lights as they are overhauled in Inchicore.

The remainder of this article appears in IRRS Journal number 161, published October 2006.