Operations 163

Irish Railway Record Society

Freight Operations

Limerick-Waterford cement trains commenced operating to a revised schedule on 19 March. Departure from Limerick Check is at 10:15 with a crossing in Dromkeen 10:40/10:46, a lie over in Limerick Junction from 11:13 to 14:18 during which it crosses the Waterford-Limerick empty cement train and arrival in Waterford at 16:23. The empty train departs Waterford at 11:50, with a crossing in Clonmel 12:35/12:44, lie over in Limerick Junction 13:46 to 14:48, crossing in Dromkeen 15:10/15:17 and arrival in Limerick Check at 15:42. Two sets of wagons are now required as a result. These trains did not run at all in February and early March.

Drogheda - North Wall - Cork is also still served by a cement train, usually one in each direction daily. During the spring, locomotives 175+141 were based in Drogheda and worked cement trains between Drogheda and North Wall. On Thursday 20 February they passed Raheny at 11:20 with 10 bogie wagons en route from Drogheda to North Wall. Next day they passed Raheny at 13:00 with 20 laden four-wheel wagons, returning light and passing Raheny at 13:45. On 8 March, they passed Raheny at 11:20 with 9 laden bogie wagons and at 12:20 with 20 empty wagons. Next day, they passed Raheny at 11:20 with 9 laden bogie wagons, returning light and passing Raheny at 12:00. On Thursday 22 March, they passed Skerries at 12:45 with 10 laden bogie wagons, returning with 34 empty four-wheel wagons.

Locomotives 152+190 took over this duty in April. On Wednesday 11 April, they passed Raheny at 11:20 with 20 laden wagons, returning light to Drogheda and passing Raheny at 12:20. On Wednesday 18 April, they passed Raheny light engine at 12:40 en route to Drogheda. They were back light engine from Drogheda at 17:00 and passed Raheny at 20:15 with six empty bogie cement wagons. Next day they passed Raheny at 17:20 with six laden bogie cement wagons.

Timber trains (cut logs) have provided a swansong for the remaining 141/181-class locomotives. Sligo-Dublin-Waterford trains of 12 bogies have been worked by 149+152 on 14 January, 173+170 on 16 January, 171+169 on 21 January, 169+149 on 28 January, 169+189 on 4 February, 173+177 on 18 and 25 February, 152+190 and 166+167 on 9 March, 142+144 on 11 March, 146+189 on 1 April, 141+175 on 7 and 12 April. Other locomotives were 080 on 11 February, 134+124 on 19 February, 087 on 20 March, 073 on 25 March, 15 and 18 April, 074 on 22 April and 080 on 28 April.

Tara Mines trains normally operate with an 071-class locomotive and 12 bogie wagons. A typical day was Tuesday 20 February when 078 + 12 worked the 09:20 Navan-Alexandra Rd (Raheny 11:25) and 14:00 return (Raheny 13:55), with 077 working the 12:20 Navan-Alexandra Rd (Raheny 14:05).

Saturday 27 January Extra Norfolk container trains operated when 074 + 18 laden containers worked the 07:50 Waterford-Ballina and 072 + 18 bogies worked the 08:15 Ballina-Waterford. The same day, 177+184 worked an 08:30 Waterford-Westport empty timber.

Friday 9 February 076 + 18 laden bogies passed Geashill at 13:05 with 08:15 Ballina-Waterford Norfolk. At 17:25, 088 + 19 empty bulk cement departed Portlaoise loop on the 12:40 Cork-North Wall-Drogheda.

Saturday 17 February 072 + 20 laden bulk cement wagons passed Skerries at 12:45. The same locomotive passed again at 14:10 with 21 empty wagons. At 16:00, 078 + 12 bogies passed Clonsilla with the laden Sligo timber.

St Patrick’s Day 17 March The Waterford-Westport empty timber arrived in Kildare with 152+190 + 12 bogies at 11:15, where 177+170 took over and departed at 11:35.

Friday 23 March 072 + 18 laden bogies worked the 07:50 Waterford-Ballina Norfolk. 123+134 + 24 empty bulk cement departed Waterford at 12:05 for Limerick, crossing the 11:47 Limerick Junction-Waterford railcar in Carrick-on-Suir. Locomotive 168 + 20 laden bulk cement crossed the 16:35 Waterford-Limerick Junction railcar in Carrick-on-Suir.

Good Friday 6 April The 08:15 Ballina-Waterford Norfolk was 080 + 18 laden bogies, while the 07:50 ex Waterford was 074 + 18 laden bogies. The last Mayo line timber train before the line was closed for re-signalling operated that evening when 072 + 12 bogies operated Ballina-Waterford, passing Claremorris at 18:30.

Wednesday 11 April 177+170 + 2 empty bogie timber wagons + 10 empty bulk cement wagons worked the 12:40 Cork-North Wall from Limerick Junction.

Friday 13 April 141+175 + 18 bogies departed Carlow at 09:25 with the Waterford-Ballina Norfolk.

Saturday 14 April 149+171 + 24 laden wagons worked the Limerick-Waterford cement. The 11:50 Waterford-Limerick empty was only 4 wagons due to a problem with the silo in Waterford. Locomotives were 124+134.

Saturday 21 April The 11:50 Waterford-Limerick empty cement was 149 + 29 4-wheel wagons. The laden 10:15 Limerick-Waterford was 134+124 + 24 wagons.

Tuesday 24 April There were two Dublin-Cork cement trains. The first had locomotive 081 on is first outing after overhaul, while 076 + 20 wagons arrived in Cork at 12.30.

Thursday 26 April 088 + 12 bogies operated one of several extra timber trains from Sligo when the Mayo line was closed for re-signalling.

Saturday 28 April Dublin-Cork cement trains are now rare on Saturdays, but 072 + 10 bogies ran on this Saturday.

The remainder of this article appears in IRRS Journal number 163, published June 2007.