Dismantled railway line to Clifden

civis_liberalis

Galway Boards Tunnel Expedition anyone?

JohnCleary

Probably a good thing that there's water there or else it'd probably be home to Galway Junkies.

That place looks wicked.

Wet-Paint: TBH i'd buy some waiders for that instead of boots, can be gotten cheap enough (also great when washing the car etc.) - If you delve in deeper make sure to take pics, would love to have a look at this myself but won't get the time

civis_liberalis

I'd be careful in there either way. If anything happened to ya, there probably wouldn't be anyone to find ya until the revolution comes and the rail line is re-opened.

PopeBuckfastXVI

how deep is the water?

luckat

I've walked the Recess part and it's a lovely peaceful walk.

JohnCleary

civis_liberalis wrote: »

I'd be careful in there either way. If anything happen to ya, there probably wouldn't be anyone to find ya until the revolution comes and the rail line is re-opened.

Prob be best not to go in alone alright.

Not taking the p1ss or anything, but if for example a business/council/whatever were working in a place like that, for Health & Safety reason's they'd have to wear a life-jacket. TBH in a situation like that it'd make sense, god knows you could step on soft muck and get your foot stuck or something.

If anyone wants to go in PM me and i'll give you a lend of 2 for an afternoon (wish I was taking the p1ss but i'm not!)

JohnCleary

Oh just to add, there's many bridges now dismantled, making walking the direct line from Galway to Clifden pretty much impossible. You could start at Dangan and plough on through Glenlo Abby and out towards Moycullen. Think the first missing bridge is at Woodstock behind where Madden's Garden Centre used to be. (There's a small river it crosses over there

civis_liberalis

galwayfeen wrote: »

Is that building there the big white-roofed rectangular building in the cetnre of the map?

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=53.277009,-9.046227&spn=0.002277,0.004828&t=h&z=18

wet-paint

John, I've a drysuit and a few BAs so that's what I'll wear if it gets deeper than wellies territory. Cheers for the advice, **** the last thing I'd want happening is getting a foot entrapment or somethign in an old tunnel under the town and be all alone. Scary ****.

wet-paint

civis_liberalis wrote: »

Is that building there the big white-roofed rectangular building in the cetnre of the map?

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=53.277009,-9.046227&spn=0.002277,0.004828&t=h&z=18

Looks like it alright, Shannon Dry Cleaners.

Robbo

civis_liberalis wrote: »

I'd be careful in there either way. If anything happened to ya, there probably wouldn't be anyone to find ya until the revolution comes and the rail line is re-opened.

Don't even joke about reopening it. It'll tempt some UK based trainspotters to start lobbying the clergy to get behind it Western Rail Corridor Style.

It would make more sense for the Gluas work of fantasy.

I'd be game for a Boards spelunking expedition down there. It would make an excellent underground base for JohnCleary to finish one of his doomsday devices...

pointofnoreturn

Robbo wrote: »

Don't even joke about reopening it. It'll tempt some UK based trainspotters to start lobbying the clergy to get behind it Western Rail Corridor Style.

It would make more sense for the Gluas work of fantasy.

It was in the original plans of the Galway Luas to be used, along with the bridge on the corrib, but there was an objection some silly reason, about young lads throwing stones down at boats! a joke of a excuses. it should be utilized in some way to best benefit Galway! be tram go through it or something, built back in the 1800's its amazing peace of architecture

We should document this in wikipedia

JohnCleary

Robbo wrote: »

I'd be game for a Boards spelunking expedition down there. It would make an excellent underground base for JohnCleary to finish one of his doomsday devices...

Who told you there's more than one?! Last time I go telling secrets :pac:

pointofnoreturn wrote: »

It was in the original plans of the Galway Luas to be used, along with the bridge on the corrib, but there was an objection some silly reason, about young lads throwing stones down at boats! a joke of a excuses. it should be utilized in some way to best benefit Galway! be tram go through it or something, built back in the 1800's its amazing peace of architecture

How is that a joke of an excuse? Do you realise how much damage you could do to anything fibreglass (ie. boat) by throwing an object from that height at it? Do you have any idea how expensive fibreglass repair can be?

Rock etc. throwing at boats is an unfortunate reality - Ask any rower. While i'm not a rower and never intend to be, I can't help but feel sorry for them when I see little sh1ts throwing stuff at them from the shore. I've often seen people throwing stuff at boats from the Quincentenial bridge too. Forgetting about the boat's for a second, you would kill someone if you hit them with a stone on the head from that height

PopeBuckfastXVI

JohnCleary wrote: »

Who told you there's more than one?! Last time I go telling secrets :pac:



How is that a joke of an excuse? Do you realise how much damage you could do to anything fibreglass (ie. boat) by throwing an object from that height at it? Do you have any idea how expensive fibreglass repair can be?

Rock etc. throwing at boats is an unfortunate reality - Ask any rower. While i'm not a rower and never intend to be, I can't help but feel sorry for them when I see little sh1ts throwing stuff at them from the shore. I've often seen people throwing stuff at boats from the Quincentenial bridge too. Forgetting about the boat's for a second, you would kill someone if you hit them with a stone on the head from that height

Yeah, but John, it's not really a good reason to not build a bridge.

JohnCleary

PopeBuckfastXVI wrote: »

Yeah, but John, it's not really a good reason to not build a bridge.

Life > Bridge

IMHO. Many may disagree, that's their right, i'm sticking by my guns

PopeBuckfastXVI

JohnCleary wrote: »

Life > Bridge

IMHO. Many may disagree, that's their right, i'm sticking by my guns

But that being your attitude you shouldn't do anything?

Why not just ban boats?

Life > Rowing after all.

I'm just saying because something is open to abuse, it doesn't mean it shouldn't be done. You'd never have a bridge over a river or road if you worried about the possibility of stone throwers.

Ah nice walking/cycling bridge over the river would be imo a welcome addition to the city, and I'd like to think society isn't so far gone that we couldn't have one, on the off chance that some kids might throw stones.

JohnCleary

That's fair enough, everyone entitled to their opinion.

Either way, I don't see it happening tbh

PopeBuckfastXVI

JohnCleary wrote: »

Either way, I don't see it happening tbh

Oh yeah fully agree... the next 5 decades worth of budget for public improvements was poured into eyre square...

pseudonym1

I was once told the railway line went down around the county buidings .
Ah - hate to put a downer on it folks but what about all the rats etc...!?!

fuzzsc00ta

pseudonym1 wrote: »

Ah - hate to put a downer on it folks but what about all the rats etc...!?!

And the zombie railsman of doooooooom!!!!

pointofnoreturn

Robbo wrote: »

Don't even joke about reopening it. It'll tempt some UK based trainspotters to start lobbying the clergy to get behind it Western Rail Corridor Style.

It would make more sense for the Gluas work of fantasy.

I'd be game for a Boards spelunking expedition down there. It would make an excellent underground base for JohnCleary to finish one of his doomsday devices...

JohnCleary wrote: »

Who told you there's more than one?! Last time I go telling secrets :pac:

How is that a joke of an excuse? Do you realise how much damage you could do to anything fibreglass (ie. boat) by throwing an object from that height at it? Do you have any idea how expensive fibreglass repair can be?

Rock etc. throwing at boats is an unfortunate reality - Ask any rower. While i'm not a rower and never intend to be, I can't help but feel sorry for them when I see little sh1ts throwing stuff at them from the shore. I've often seen people throwing stuff at boats from the Quincentenial bridge too. Forgetting about the boat's for a second, you would kill someone if you hit them with a stone on the head from that height

Small problem, can happen at any bridge in the world over wather, people just learn to deal with it, either sort out the little ****s or but glass wall along the walk way, maybe just the tram,
Either way, I can't see why something simple not be built,

I hate seeing us not use and destroy what was one great infrastructure back years ago, dare I say the English really did built a proper infrastructure for us and we just almost destroyed it!
Lets get back to this rail discussion.
A nice map here of the old rail lines
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_rail_transport_in_Ireland

Worst case scenario; what can be done before the city council or who ever cage this tunnel up, as it would be great to see it cleaned out and looked after in away anyone get access to see it.

galwayfeen

MaxFlower wrote: »

Can you give directions. I tried yesterday with no luck. I went down a little alley that opens into a carpark (SIPTU have an office there). Don't know if I'm on the right 'track'

Robbo

pointofnoreturn wrote: »

I hate seeing us not use and destroy what was one great infrastructure back years ago, dare I say the English really did built a proper infrastructure for us and we just almost destroyed it!
Lets get back to this rail discussion.
A nice map here of the old rail lines
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_rail_transport_in_Ireland

Yes it was a shame that all the rail was lifted back in the 50s but there's **** all point trying to revive most of it. These were built as poverty relief works to the standard of Victorian tramways. If they were to be revived, they would have to be built along new modern alignments. As it stands, when the WRC is reinstated to Limerick, it's already on a hiding to nothing from the non-stop buses which have started up again.

At best the West on Track loons can magic up 600 passengers a day at some astronomical subsidy and that was based on the figures they plucked from the ether when it was thought that downtown Ardrahan or Gort would form some kind of commuter utopia for the feeble minded.

But then when your chief advocate is a priest you can base your entire system of beliefs on the flimsiest of premises...

As a member of the CR&YC (and staunchly against relocation), I would actually like to see a pedestrian bridge built across the existing pillars. As long as there's some protective measures in place, I don't think the stone throwing would be a problem. The problem I see here is that there would be a large amount of horrible negotiations to secure title to the necessary land between municipal lands and NUI,G.

pointofnoreturn

Robbo wrote: »

.... As it stands, when the WRC is reinstated to Limerick, it's already on a hiding to nothing from the non-stop buses which have started up again....
At best the West on Track loons can magic up 600 passengers a day at some astronomical subsidy and that was based on the figures they plucked from the ether when it was thought that downtown Ardrahan or Gort would form some kind of commuter utopia for the feeble minded.

But then when your chief advocate is a priest you can base your entire system of beliefs on the flimsiest of premises...
....The problem I see here is that there would be a large amount of horrible negotiations to secure title to the necessary land between municipal lands and NUI,G.

True, to negotiate such a land agreement alone would take time, however other side also is in a bad state and should be cleaned up, it's close to this forest park which has had goods support in been cleaned up.
Regards the WRC it's possible it will catch on, but it would have to provide speedy first class service, and should justifies ones reason to leave the car at home and commute. something we don't like doing here due to weather and lake of faith on public services.

A walk way across the river would work as long as we had a few people positive on both sides, and same said if the tunnel was to be cleaned up and reopened.

?Cee?view

Robbo wrote: »

As a member of the CR&YC (and staunchly against relocation), I would actually like to see a pedestrian bridge built across the existing pillars. As long as there's some protective measures in place, I don't think the stone throwing would be a problem. The problem I see here is that there would be a large amount of horrible negotiations to secure title to the necessary land between municipal lands and NUI,G.

There was a proposal a few years ago to build a pedestrian footbridge across it. I think it was being championed by Angela Lupton at the time and I think she or her family were members of the CR&YC. She was definitely a member in her youth when there were rowing crews in the Club.

I don't know if it would be as difficult as you'd imagine to secure title. Many old railway companies had their title secured by specific acts of parliament, which gave the companies very broad powers to acquire land. Today's CIE tends to be the successor in title to many of those companies so this might not be as hard as you might think to sort out. Would the CR&YC be likely to support the reconstruction of the bridge (as it borders their land)? Is the CR&YC still likely to move up river - surely they've seen sense at this stage and are staying put?

JohnCleary - I understand your concerns about stone throwing. Simple way around it would be the knid of heavy gauge chicken type wire you see on some pedestrian bridges over motorways.

JohnCleary

churchview wrote: »

Would the CR&YC be likely to support the reconstruction of the bridge (as it borders their land)? Is the CR&YC still likely to move up river - surely they've seen sense at this stage and are staying put?

In simple terms: No and No

JohnCleary - I understand your concerns about stone throwing. Simple way around it would be the knid of heavy gauge chicken type wire you see on some pedestrian bridges over motorways.

Yeah that's a valid point alright and I guess they (the council?) could lock it at night


More importantly, wonder if NUIG would support it, as it'd be trailing off onto their land

?Cee?view

JC,

Disappointed about your first no, but not surprised! As to the second no, great that the move of the CR&YC is not still on. I never coudl understand why it was being pushed so much. It seemed that there was a core group that just wanted it to go ahead and wouldn't let it drop.

Re. College - You'd think that they should be able to take the view that much shorter pedestrian access to town would be a positive, but I'm probably applying logic where it doesn't generally apply

JohnCleary

While the bridge would be a great short-cut into town for students, I see NUIG forseeing it as a liability overall... NUIG, while they don't stop people walking through the college/along the shores of the river, don't exactly want strangers/non-students just strolling through the campus i'd imagine.

So not a clue whether NUIG would support it or not as there's positives and negatives

Zzippy

I know we're getting off topic, but what was the story with CR&YC moving/not moving? Are the college still trying to get them to move?

MaxFlower

galwayfeen wrote: »

Thanks a million for that. That was where I went but I just wasn't in duds suitable for pushing past the undergrowth when I wasn't certain if I was in the right place. I will try again soon.