Irish Railway Record Society

Journal 172 Operations

PASSENGER OPERATIONS

Sunday 7 March 2-car Ballina branch railcar 2719/22 ran a relief service from Ballina to Athlone ahead of the 17:45 Westport-Dublin ICR due to large numbers of GAA fans returning to Dublin from Castlebar. The 2700-class ran empty back to Manulla Junction from Athlone ahead of the 18:30 Dublin-Westport.

Saturday 6 March The ITG operated a Dublin-Sligo and return special using RPSI heritage carriages. Motive power was 078.

Saturday 13 March The Limerick based 2700-class 2-car railcars that operate Ballina branch services are generally swapped for maintenance purposes each Saturday morning. On Saturday 13 March, set 2715/24 ran empty Galway-Athlone-Ballina to take up passenger duties. It replaced set 2719/22, which ran empty Manulla Junction- Athlone- Portarlington- Limerick the same morning.

Monday 29 March Six-car ICR set 22044 worked the 07:45 Maynooth-Dublin Connolly instead of the usual booked four-car 29000-class, while 29005 worked the 07:00 Sligo Dublin, instead of the usual booked six-car ICR set.

Tuesday 6 April The 09:35 Limerick- Galway necessitated a four-car set 2715/24 + 2704/03. The 09:45 Galway-Limerick was 2719/22 and the 11:00 Limerick-Galway was 2701/02.

Wednesday 7 April Six-car ICR 22041 worked the 07:54 Clonsilla-Dublin Docklands, the 08:25 Docklands-Clonsilla and the 09:05 Clonsilla-Connolly services, instead of the usual booked four-car 29000-class. This was the first time a six-car ICR set operated a regular passenger train to/from Docklands.

Saturday 24 April The “final” Mk III special operated Dublin Connolly- Limerick- Athenry- Connolly via the Western Rail Corridor. It was organised by IÉ with the IRRS acting as ticket agents. The fare revenue from the excursion was donated to Railway Children charity. Locomotive 072 hauled 7615 + 7411 + 7113 + 7121 + 7146 to Limerick, where 083 took over. Trial runs operated in advance of the excursion as the Mk IIIs had been in storage. On Thursday 1 April, 074 + EGV + 7 Mk III departed Inchicore at 08:15 to Thurles and back. On Tuesday 20 April, 219 was used on another Inchicore-Thurles trial.

Volcano dust With all aircraft grounded, IÉ deferred the 17:55 Rosslare Europort-Dublin Connolly to 18:40 (or 18:45) to accommodate passengers who wanted to use the train after crossing from Wales. Four-car 29000-class replaced 3-car ICRs on some services as they have more luggage space. The 18:40 did not load any significant passenger numbers. On Friday 16 April, less than ten ferry passengers walked from the terminal past the waiting buses to the remote station. However, there were 62 passengers on the 17:20 Waterford-Rosslare for the ferry in addition to the normal south Wexford passengers.

On Sunday 18 April the 17:40 Rosslare Europort-Dublin was deferred to 18:40. An empty train ran Dublin-Rosslare at 16:15 to form an overload but was not required.

From Monday 19 April, the 12:55 Rosslare-Dublin was deferred until 14:30 and 17.55 deferred until 18:45. Bus substitution was advertised for the 12:55 Rosslare-Dublin and 19.30 Wexford-Dublin.

On Wednesday 21 April, there were 52 passengers for the ferry on the 17:20 Waterford-Rosslare and on this day instructions were issued not to sell tickets from Wellingtonbridge to Dublin to make space for ferry passengers on the 18:40 Rosslare-Dublin. There were ten departing Rosslare. During the period no extra services were offered to/from Rosslare to its traditional markets of Cork and Limerick. Thursday 22 April was the last day of the altered service.

Bus substitution The 15:30 from Dublin is normally 2 x 3-car ICR sets which split in Athlone, one 3-car set going to Galway and the other to Westport. However, on Fridays from April the 15:30 Dublin-Galway portion has been substituted by bus between Athlone and Galway as the full 6-car train is needed on the Westport leg. In February, Westport passengers on the 15:30 had to stand from Heuston on Fridays. Until their withdrawal, 8-piece Mk IIIs with 460 seats were used on a Fridays-Only service to Ballina.

DART On 23 April, a survey was made of fleet usage. Sixteen sets are required for peak services. There were:

RAIL FREIGHT DEVELOPMENTS

Cement The out-of-use cement silo in Athenry was removed in January. A 60 space car park has been constructed in the area.

IWT Traffic On Wednesday 27 January, 144 worked a trial of 2 Container Pocket Wagons (CPWs) from North Wall yard along tramway to the IWT loading point, which is on Alexandra Rd. After the trial, 144 hauled 3 empty Tara wagons from Alexandra Rd to North Wall yard.

CPWs returned to service on the IWT Dublin-Ballina liner on Friday 12 February after being out of service for 5 years. CPWs 36022 and 36023 were added to the liner in North Wall to allow IWT to carry 9’ 6” containers by rail from Dublin Port. The size of the IWT liner was reduced and operated typically as 2 CPWs + 15 bogie wagons.

On Friday 21 May, 085 + 11 CPWs operated empty 12:10 Limerick-North Wall. This provided an additional set of wagons to allow the frequency of the Dublin-Ballina IWT train to increase to three per week in each direction from Tuesday 25 May. Trains now operate Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays in each direction. Departures from Dublin are at 09:30, Ballina arrive 15:20. Ballina departures are 10:55 on Tuesdays and Fridays (North Wall 18:50) and 10:10 on Thursdays North Wall 14:48).

Wagons In January, IÉ advertised for [sic] “Supply of 40 leased or purchased rail freight wagons (new or 2nd hand) ... There may be an option for a further 20 wagons”. It is understood that these are for carrying 9’ 6” containers.

On Friday 19 March, scrapping of the 4-wheel cement wagons (bubbles) stored in North Wall commenced. Wagon No. 25160 was the first to be scraped.

In April, IÉ advertised for sale 36 surplus 20’ and 40’ containers, 10 surplus tank trailers and surplus keg racking located in Dundalk.

Yards Access to Sligo Quay freight yard was “permanently” closed from Friday 5 March. Buffers have been erected on the steep curved line from Sligo station, leaving only a 200m spur. This is to facilitate storage of storage of an 8-car 29000-class railcar on the curve that was previously stored in the Quay yard involving additional security costs.

FREIGHT AND DEPARTMENTAL OPERATIONS

IWT Workings The IWT liner operated from Ballina to Dublin North Wall on Mondays and Thursdays and from Dublin to Ballina on Tuesdays and Fridays until May. The train consisted of 18 bogie wagons until the first of the CPWs returned to service when it was reduced to 2 CPWs + 15 wagons (see above).

The following locomotives have been observed with the train size as above unless noted: Thursday 7 January 082, Thursday 14 January 078, Monday 18 January 076, Tuesday 19 January 076 + 16 laden bogies, Friday 22 January 079, Monday 25 January 219, Tuesday 26 January 219, Friday 29 January 072, Tuesday 2 February 219, Friday 5 February 080 + 17 laden bogies, Thursday 11 February 079 + 16 laden bogies, Friday 12 February 079 + 17 laden wagons including 2 CPWs (first time), Monday 15 February 080 + 13 laden bogies including 2 CPWs, Tuesday 16 February 076, Thursday 18 February 082, Tuesday 23 February 075, Monday 1 March 072, Tuesday 2 March 072, Friday 5 March 220, Monday 8 March 082, Tuesday 9 March 076, Thursday 11 March 076, Monday 15 March 076, Tuesday 16 March 081, Monday 22 March 071, Tuesday 23 March, Thursday 25 March 071, Thursday 1 April 084, Wednesday 7 April 074 (The IWT does not operate on Public Holiday Mondays), Friday 2 April 074, Thursday 8 April 075, Friday 9 April 085, Tuesday 13 April 071, Thursday 15 April 071, Friday 23 April 075.

Portarlington Portarlington sees a flurry of freight trains on a Friday. Friday 29 January was typical. The Waterford-Ballina DFDS liner, 082 + 18 wagons, passed at 11:31. 081 + 15 ballast + 2 plough vans, which had loaded in the down ballast sidings, departed for Portlaoise and dropped ballast in the Portarlington-Portlaoise section. It returned at 12:22 and was shunted into the siding for re-loading, with 081 departing light engine to Inchicore at 12:40. The North Wall-Ballina IWT, 072 + 18, served the down loop 12:30/13:01. The Ballina-Waterford DFDS, 079 + 18 laden wagons, served the up loop from 12:50 to 13:15. An empty Waterford-Ballina timber (cut logs) train, 078 + 12 wagons, was in the up loop from 14:52 to 14:55 to cross the 11:05 Galway-Dublin, 3-car ICR 22039.

Monday 4 January 076 + 1 bogie with track panel + 17 empty barytes wagons worked Portlaoise-North Wall.

Thursday 14 January 144 worked a DART transfer to Inchicore, departing from platform 4 in Connolly with 2-car set 8105; it returned to Connolly with set 8106.

Friday 22 January 175+177 + 15 hoppers + 2 plough vans worked a laden ballast Portarlington-Navan, which stabled in North Wall. 081 worked the train forward on Monday.

Tuesday 19 January The first visit of a 141-class to Westport in 2010 occurred when 152 hauled a ballast train Ballyhaunis-Westport, following the 07:30 Dublin-Westport ICR. It discharged ballast between Claremorris and Manulla Junction and ran to Westport to run around as the 11:05 Ballina-Waterford DFDS liner would have prevented it from going to Ballina. It departed Westport at 12:20 back to Ballyhaunis to re-load. 152 also worked a ballast train out of Westport the following day.

Sunday 31 January 177+175 where noted working in the Boston Sidings at Pearse with a laden loaded spoil train of 4-wheel Barytes wagons. The train worked to North Wall later that afternoon via East Wall Junction.

Friday 12 February 077 + 2 rail wagons + 17 empty barytes passed Hazelhatch at 14:30 in the up direction.

Tuesday 16 February 171 hauled 088 and 1 CPW (No. 36024) Limerick-Inchicore, passing Adamstown at 10:30.

Friday 19 February 077 + 2 rail wagons + 17 Barytes worked North Wall-Portlaoise.

Monday 1 March 081 passed Hazelhatch in the up direction at 14:00 with 1 rail wagon + 17 empty barytes.

Tuesday 2 March 162 + 1 wheel-carrier + 2 Tara wagons operated 10:25 Inchicore- Limerick. The Waterford-Ballina DFDS liner, 075 + 18 wagons, departed Kildare at 14:35. The Ballina-Waterford DFDS departed Kildare at 16:35. 085 was on an empty ballast train in Portarlington at 15:00.

Wednesday 3 March The 09:20 Navan-Alexandra Rd Tara Mines train, 076 + 12 wagons, passed Raheny at 11:11. The 14:00 Alexandra Rd-Navan, 076 + 11 wagons, passed Raheny at 13:56 and the 12:20 Navan-Alexandra Rd, 086 + 11 wagons, passed Raheny at 14:07. 

Tuesday 9 March 081 hauled 3 laden rail wagons North Wall-Portlaoise.

Tuesday 16 March 076 + 7 laden Barytes of spoil followed the 10:55 North Wall-Ballina.

Thursday 18 March 071 hauled 8403/8203 Inchicore-Fairview on a DART transfer. Four-car set 29028 passed Raheny at 14:04, hauling four-piece DART set 8532/8531 from Drogheda to Fairview, following wheel-turning.

Monday 22 March 085 + 15 laden ballast + 2 plough vans passed Drumcondra at 10:07 en route from Tullamore to North Wall. Next day, it passed Maynooth at 12:10 heading for the Sligo line.

Friday 26 March An unidentified 4-car 29000-class passed Raheny at 14:04, hauling two two-piece LHB DART sets 8124 + 8126, which had been in Drogheda since Monday for wheel-turning.

Wednesday 31 March 2-car DART set 8123 arrived into Platform 4 in Connolly under its own power. 072 then coupled up to it and departed shortly afterwards on a transfer to Inchicore.

Monday 12 April A ballast train hauled by 081 was discharging between Portarlington and Portlaoise. 074 + 18 bogies worked the Waterford-Ballina DFDS. 075 + 18 bogies worked the Ballina-Waterford DFDS.

Wednesday 14 April 084 worked a DART transfer, hauling 2-car set 8139 to Inchicore and returning with set 8117 for Fairview, passing Drumcondra at 13:25.

Thursday 15 April 074 worked a transfer of 1 Tara + 1 LX wagon Inchicore-Limerick.

Friday 16 April 076 unusually worked a laden rail wagon + 11 Barytes wagons North Wall-Portlaoise, passing Adamstown at 12:30. Five of the wagons were laden with ballast.

Saturday 17 April 079 + 9 bogies (carrying 3 “strings” of rails) worked a laden Waterford-Portlaoise steel train.

Monday 19 April 081 worked a laden ballast Portarlington-Enniscorthy.

Tuesday 20 April 220 + 18 laden bogies worked the Waterford-Ballina DFDS. 075 + 17 laden worked the Ballina-Waterford DFDS.

Thursday 22 April The 12:05 Connolly-Arklow, 29005, crossed 081 on a ballast train in Wicklow. It is unusual to see a locomotive hauled train on the former D&SE line.

Friday 23 April 29005 passed Raheny at 19:04, hauling LHB DART sets 8128 + 8129 from Drogheda to Fairview. 075 + 18 wagons worked the Waterford-Ballina DFDS. 086 worked an empty steel Portlaoise Waterford crossing the 13:00 Waterford-Dublin in Athy.

Monday 10 May The annual weed-spraying programme commenced when 071 hauled the train from Portlaoise to Heuston. Next day it sprayed Dublin-Enniscorthy.

Copyright © 2010 by Irish Railway Record Society Limited
Revised: August 28, 2010 .