Railcars 167

Irish Railway Record Society

DIESEL RAILCARS

22000-Class (Rotem) Six-car sets 22037 and 22038 were delivered to Belview, Waterford , on Tuesday 10 June and 22035 and 22036 were delivered on Monday 7 July. On 8 July, 141 worked the 10:45 Belview-Portlaoise delivery run with 6-car set 22036 via Limerick Junction. The same day, 144 + 6-car set 22035 was stabled at Limerick Junction, having worked from Waterford the previous day. Sets 22039 and 22040 were delivered to Waterford Port from South Korea on Monday 22 September.

Testing of new railcars used 3 regular paths between Mallow and Portlaoise, departing Limerick at 07:05, 14:30 and 15:35. Trials of 6-car sets were observed from August. Five sets were in mileage accumulation trials. They also performed timing trials on the Dublin-Cork and Dublin-Westport lines.

Sets 22010 and 22011 have been returned to Rotem in Korea after sustaining corrosion damage from a chemical in the hold of ship during delivery. Copper compressed air piping and wiring were damaged. Both sets were never accepted by IÉ since delivery on 13 July 2007 and were latterly stored in Inchicore. On Monday 19 May, they were moved from Waterford to Belview Port for shipping. They will be returned to Ireland in early 2009.

The following 3-car sets entered service: 22026 on 09 May, 22028 on 23 May, 22030 on 13 June, 22013 on 09 July, 22025 on 28 July and 22018 on 30 July. This left just 22008, which was based in Limerick for commissioning trials for multiple working with 6 piece railcars and the damaged 22010 and 22011, as the only 3-car sets to enter service.

The class have been cleared to operate in passenger service, as opposed to trial runs or empty, between Heuston-Cork, Limerick Junction-Limerick, Mallow-Tralee, Heuston-Athlone-Galway/Westport, Heuston-Cherryville Junction-Waterford, Connolly-Sligo and Connolly-Gorey, but only as 3-car trains south of Greystones. They are not cleared to use platform 5 in Heuston. Empty and trial trains are additionally cleared to operate Limerick-Ennis, Killonan Junction-Ballybrophy, Limerick Junction-Waterford-Rosslare Strand, Gorey-Rosslare Europort, Connolly/North Wall-Dundalk and Manulla Junction-Ballina.

On Wednesday 18 June, 3-car sets 22018 + 22025 were used for a Fire Brigade training exercise at Nenagh station.

IÉ have begun designating the class as InterCity Railcars, abbreviated to ICRs.

2700-class Major overhauls continue at Inchicore Works. Nos. 2705/06 were released from Inchicore at the end of July having received refurbished engines, transmission and bogies. The class are entirely based in Cork and Limerick depots.

29000-class With current high fuel prices a modification has been made to shut down generators after a period of inactivity when the drivers cab key is turned off.

The remainder of this article appears in IRRS Journal number 167, published October 2008.