Nationwide RTE One - on Irish Railways "Now on"

DominoDub

A week long feature on Irish Railway History on now ! 7:00 - 7:30

if missed watch for it on RTE's iPlayer

http://www.rte.ie/player/#s=search&q=Nationwide

lord lucan

I enjoyed that,very good and some great footage too. It's on again Wednesday and Friday about the railways too. Wednesdays edition includes a look at the Farranfore-Valentia harbour line.

Run_to_da_hills

Excellent documentary, hopefully it will arouse more interest in railway preservation in the country.

FlameoftheWest

Very interesting the historic footage of the track repair was so interesting. I actually felt secure in the future of the railway in Ireland listening to that woman engineer at Limerick Jct. So refreshing from the usual CIE union trash we get on RTE news on strike. She was like the antidote to Brendan Ogle types.

The West Clare people said there were going to move the engines down from Dublin. Does this mean they will have multigauge?

Judgement Day

FlameoftheWest wrote: »

Very interesting the historic footage of the track repair was so interesting. I actually felt secure in the future of the railway in Ireland listening to that woman engineer at Limerick Jct. So refreshing from the usual CIE union trash we get on RTE news on strike. She was like the antidote to Brendan Ogle types.

The West Clare people said there were going to move the engines down from Dublin. Does this mean they will have multigauge?

I think the plan is to have some dual gauge track from Moyasta towards Kilkee but to me it will just turn the narrow railway into a circus. The broad gauge locomotives are already in situ at Moyasta.

FlameoftheWest

Judgement Day wrote: »

I think the plan is to have some dual gauge track from Moyasta towards Kilkee but to me it will just turn the narrow railway into a circus. The broad gauge locomotives are already in situ at Moyasta.

How to you mean circus? Just all the wrong engines in the wrong place?

Run_to_da_hills

FlameoftheWest wrote: »

How to you mean circus? Just all the wrong engines in the wrong place?

It will just mean a third rail to accommodate both gauges. This was common in Greece where narrow and broad gauges shared the same platforms.

lord lucan

It looks to me like the current West Care Narrow Guage Railway will be the operating line and they'll have some standard guage rail laid beside Moyasta station to display the diesel locos as static exhibits.

Run_to_da_hills

They should keep the standard gauge locos near standard gauge usable line like the WRC instead of letting them rot at some disused siding in the middle of nowhere.

Pineapple stu

The book is a good read as well.

Oliver1985

Very good show!!

FlameoftheWest

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

They should keep the standard gauge locos near standard gauge usable line like the WRC instead of letting them rot at some disused siding in the middle of nowhere.

It is common knowledge that WestTrack will under no circumstances will tolerate any part of the Western Rail Line being reopened as a preservation route. They have already stopped restoration of stations by local community groups on the nothern section IRRC. They only want the line from Sligo to Athenry reopened as a Class 1 modern mainline and nothing else. They believe that any restoration group on the line will damage their cause.

Run_to_da_hills

FlameoftheWest wrote: »

It is common knowledge that WestTrack will under no circumstances will tolerate any part of the Western Rail Line being reopened as a preservation route. They have already stopped restoration of stations by local community groups on the nothern section IRRC. They only want the line from Sligo to Athenry reopened as a Class 1 modern mainline and nothing else. They believe that any restoration group on the line will damage their cause.

I wouldn't call a pair of 2700's railcars that operate on a single line between two cities that gets regularly flooded as a class 1 modern mainline. :rolleyes:

They would do better to let FAS at it and restore those disused stations to make the line a bit more attractive. I was on the Ennis to Limerick leg of this journey last week and noticed several stations that could be reopened including Clarecastle and Sixmile.

If this was in Northern Ireland or the UK you could be damn sure that they would have regular steam or classic diesel trains running on this line in the summer months, particularly when there will be so much competition from the faster bus transport that will run from the motorways parallel to it.

Judgement Day

Finally got a chance to watch the programme on the RTE iPlayer.

Always nice to see twains on TV - thought the bit at Limerick Junction summed up the problem with Irish railways perfectly - a company run by engineers. When did you last hear anybody from the traffic end of things interviewed - that is if there is still anyone working in that area anymore. Ultra modern PW and computer designed trains with ergonomic streamline designs and no effort to develop business whatsoever - as I've said before CIE/IE is one gigantic social employment scheme.....:rolleyes:

The interview with Michael Barry the author of 'Tales of the Permanent Way' was ironically conducted in the former Cork station buffet now a little used Travel Centre cosy office for clerical staff...

As for Jackie Whelan down in Moyasta - and his plans for the biggest transport museum in the Northern Hemisphere....LoL ..what a nice old man.

admiralofthefleet

its about the farranfore to valentia harbour railway tomorrow

FlameoftheWest

Judgement Day wrote: »

Finally got a chance to watch the programme on the RTE iPlayer.

Always nice to see twains on TV - thought the bit at Limerick Junction summed up the problem with Irish railways perfectly - a company run by engineers. When did you last hear anybody from the traffic end of things interviewed - that is if there is still anyone working in that area anymore. Ultra modern PW and computer designed trains with ergonomic streamline designs and no effort to develop business whatsoever - as I've said before CIE/IE is one gigantic social employment scheme.....:rolleyes:

The interview with Michael Barry the author of 'Tales of the Permanent Way' was ironically conducted in the former Cork station buffet now a little used Travel Centre cosy office for clerical staff...

As for Jackie Whelan down in Moyasta - and his plans for the biggest transport museum in the Northern Hemisphere....LoL ..what a nice old man.

I think you are being OTT here. The programme was harmless, interesting, with some super historic footage and a nice change from the usual Nationwide stories of a famers wife down in Kerry who makes a nice cup of tea.

Judgement Day

FlameoftheWest - of course I am being a bit OTT but I have been around the railway and preservation scene for more than 30 years so I'm entitled to be fairly cynical at this stage. As an aside - Nationwide have been producing this sort of item for years - I have featured in at least three previous productions.

Cookie_Monster

Judgement Day wrote: »

As for Jackie Whelan down in Moyasta - and his plans for the biggest transport museum in the Northern Hemisphere....LoL ..what a nice old man.

HAHA, massive museum with only 5 or 6 lococ in it
What'll he do with all the empty space :pac:

Run_to_da_hills

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

What'll he do with all the empty space :pac:

Keep that for all the 201's and 8200 Dart units :pac:

Cookie_Monster

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

Keep that for all the 201's and 8200 Dart units :pac:

201 maybe, i reckon IE will keep the 8200 forever. They seem to be the only ones they are interested in refurbishing and running

Run_to_da_hills

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

201 maybe, i reckon IE will keep the 8200 forever. They seem to be the only ones they are interested in refurbishing and running

You are thinking of the 8100's

The 8200's are the spanish built units that spent most of their lives at the inchicore works.

Cookie_Monster

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

You are thinking of the 8100's

The 8200's are the spanish built units that spent most of their lives at the inchicore works.

ops, my bad. though that said aren't they now returning to service (slowly) as permanent repairs and rebuilds are completed?

They're not really something we should be displaying in a museum, imagine the plaque

"Only here as we can't get them to work and can't find anything better to do with them"

:pac:

lord lucan

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

They're not really something we should be displaying in a museum, imagine the plaque

They're horrible looking units too. The LHB units were always the best looking ones imo.

Ham'nd'egger

Judgement Day wrote: »

FlameoftheWest - of course I am being a bit OTT but I have been around the railway and preservation scene for more than 30 years so I'm entitled to be fairly cynical at this stage. As an aside - Nationwide have been producing this sort of item for years - I have featured in at least three previous productions.

Are you not involved in preservation anymore? And if not, why not?

Run_to_da_hills

lord lucan wrote: »

I enjoyed that,very good and some great footage too. It's on again Wednesday and Friday about the railways too. Wednesdays edition includes a look at the Farranfore-Valentia harbour line.

What time is it on tonight, channel, tried looking it up on Teletext and couldn't find anything.

dowlingm

From Irish Railway News Bulletin Board:

Speaking of sets lying idle………………the last time the Alstoms were noted in traffic was on 13/02/2009, formed by sets 8203/8403 + 8202/8402 + 8201/8401.


As for the remaining two Alstom sets…………..set 8205/8405 was last noted in traffic on 19/08/2008 operating the 1510 Howth - Bray service. (Formation: 8405/8205 + 8401/8201 + 8403/8203).


The most shocking observation of all is that 8204/8404 was last in passenger traffic on……………………………………………….wait for it…………………………13/03/2006!!!

One thought I've had about the 6 x 2 car Alstom sets is that if Cork-Cobh/Midleton got electrified they could be sent there as a fleet. Electrification might seem like a stretch but if it were tacked on to the end of the Hazelhatch/Maynooth electrifications while the project management bits were still fresh with IE and the contractors it might be done relatively inexpensively.

We've seen in the past that regional maintenance seem to get more serviceability out of fleets previously deemed to be trouble (Limerick Depot and the 2700s for instance). And while the kinks were knocked out... it's not like Cobh passengers aren't used to bustitution anyway

lord lucan

I see RTE threw health and safety out the window,2 lads practically standing on the tracks at Farranfore.:D

I think they were taking the piss at Waterford,lovely rake of mk3's standing in the siding awaiting scrapping.:(

That episode was worth it just for the footage from the Farranfore-Valentia line,amazing shots.:)

Run_to_da_hills

dowlingm wrote: »

One thought I've had about the 6 x 2 car Alstom sets is that if Cork-Cobh/Midleton got electrified they could be sent there as a fleet. Electrification might seem like a stretch but if it were tacked on to the end of the Hazelhatch/Maynooth electrifications while the project management bits were still fresh with IE and the contractors it might be done relatively inexpensively.

No need for electrificaion, just remove the motors and use them as push pulls.

FlameoftheWest

dowlingm wrote: »

From Irish Railway News Bulletin Board:


One thought I've had about the 6 x 2 car Alstom sets is that if Cork-Cobh/Midleton got electrified they could be sent there as a fleet. Electrification might seem like a stretch but if it were tacked on to the end of the Hazelhatch/Maynooth electrifications while the project management bits were still fresh with IE and the contractors it might be done relatively inexpensively.

We've seen in the past that regional maintenance seem to get more serviceability out of fleets previously deemed to be trouble (Limerick Depot and the 2700s for instance). And while the kinks were knocked out... it's not like Cobh passengers aren't used to bustitution anyway

Could it be they have too many DMUs now and they are just being held in storage until the Maynooth electricfaction?

dowlingm

Flameofthewest: Given the overcrowding seen on the Northern Line lately it's hard to believe those sets wouldn't be in traffic if IE wasn't scared that they would quit at the wrong time, if only to give some of the other sets a break.

Run to da hills - a loco hauling 2 and 4 car rakes over short distances? On a railway which just binned coaches actually designed to be PPed? I don't think so.

Not as unlikely, mind, as the suggestion just made on IRN that 2600s be sent up to Kildare for commuters to jam into so 22Ks could be used on a 50mph line between Ardrahan and Craughwell.

parsi

Judgement Day wrote: »

The interview with Michael Barry the author of 'Tales of the Permanent Way' was ironically conducted in the former Cork station buffet now a little used Travel Centre cosy office for clerical staff...

Fairly sure that it's a travel centre again.

Still it was all a fairly twee programme full of the usual codology but then again it was Nationwide - "oh lets bring back the train - so that we can ignore it".

If one more auld wan on these programmes person mentions "Train of tears" I'll wallop them...

Judgement Day

Talk about codology - just forced myself to watch tonights' Nationwide episode of 'Trains Dribble'. It was all there, the Downpatrick & Co.Down Rly, the RPSI, a cheesemaker who lives in the restored station house at Virginia Road on the former Oldcastle branch, and in keeping with the surreal theme of the series it finished with a piece on the South Wexford line. A lady was interviewed commuting to Waterford... said she was one of quite a lot of regulars who use the once daily service... (30/40) the last time I travelled - it would be cheaper to buy them all mercs! The ticket checker regaled the RTE reporter with stories of people walking alsatians on the train and people standing on tables to get away from them and mentioned that Stuart Grainger and Chris de Burgh were regular travellers on the train. Then a funny old man with a beard, apparently, CIE's Heritage Officer ....LoL.... mumbled something incoherent which was lost on me...truly a vintage RTE production and not a Craven in sight!!

Eiretrains

I didn't know Virginia Rd has been restored, certainly makes a change from a 2003 visit.
http://eiretrains.com/Photo_Gallery/V/Virginia%20Road/A&Bindex.html

Judgement Day

Nice pics reminds me of when I used to be a railway enthusiast - there weren't many stations I didn't get into to.

dowlingm

It's amazing being over here in North America and looking at rosters of trains and equipment. If you look at Amtrak or VIA Rail they are still using loads of 1950s coaching stock (most of it stainless steel so stripped to the frame and rebuilt a few times). If Irish Rail had that to cope with they wouldn't know what to do!

In Ireland if your coaches have steam heating you scrap them, here you strip them to their shells, rip out the steam and put in Head End Power driven heating. The predominant DMU in North America remains the Budd Rail Diesel Cars built in the 1950s and early 1960s - which are virtually all cab at each end like the 2750s. Push-pull for long haul is ruled out unless all the seats in the coaches can be rotated to face forward, so instead they toodle off for sometimes miles to find a wye or a loop to turn around and back up to the terminal platform again!

Run_to_da_hills

dowlingm wrote: »

It's amazing being over here in North America and looking at rosters of trains and equipment. If you look at Amtrak or VIA Rail they are still using loads of 1950s coaching stock (most of it stainless steel so stripped to the frame and rebuilt a few times). If Irish Rail had that to cope with they wouldn't know what to do!

In Ireland if your coaches have steam heating you scrap them, here you strip them to their shells, rip out the steam and put in Head End Power driven heating. The predominant DMU in North America remains the Budd Rail Diesel Cars built in the 1950s and early 1960s - which are virtually all cab at each end like the 2750s. Push-pull for long haul is ruled out unless all the seats in the coaches can be rotated to face forward, so instead they toodle off for sometimes miles to find a wye or a loop to turn around and back up to the terminal platform again!

It is also good to see old locomotives and rolling stock restored and put back into service again. Its not just in the US, the amount of EX British Rail Class 37 locos that are still in service, restored or sold off to private collectors rather than be scrapped would put this country's railway heritage to shame.

Transportuser09

Judgement Day wrote: »

The ticket checker regaled the RTE reporter with stories of people walking alsatians on the train and people standing on tables to get away from them and mentioned that Stuart Grainger and Chris de Burgh were regular travellers on the train.:D

Actually he said he said they were on the train once, not that they were regular travellers.

Aside from that what harm is it to give a bit of publicity to people doing up old station hourse, running presered railways like Downpatrick, Kilmeaden, Moyasta. Maybe their golas will happen, maybe they won't, but they're not harming anyone.

Judgement Day

Transportuser09 wrote: »

Actually he said he said they were on the train once, not that they were regular travellers.

Aside from that what harm is it to give a bit of publicity to people doing up old station hourse, running presered railways like Downpatrick, Kilmeaden, Moyasta. Maybe their golas will happen, maybe they won't, but they're not harming anyone.

The Alsatians or Stuart Grainger and Chris de Burgh?

Ham'nd'egger

Judgement Day wrote: »

Nice pics reminds me of when I used to be a railway enthusiast - there weren't many stations I didn't get into to.

Perhaps you can tell us about your enthusiast past and about whic preservation groups and projects that you were involved in; you don't ever mention too much about what ones you worked with.

Judgement Day

Ham'nd'egger - how long have you got? Anyway there are far too many people waiting to ambush me in the long grass to go down that road so no can do. You'll just have to put up with a drip, drip of information here and there until the famous memoirs are ready to go. I suspect DW's book will be out first as I have to concentrate on money making rather than on cinderella projects - due to my involvement in railways!

Ham'nd'egger

Judgement Day wrote: »

Ham'nd'egger - how long have you got? Anyway there are far too many people waiting to ambush me in the long grass to go down that road so no can do. You'll just have to put up with a drip, drip of information here and there until the famous memoirs are ready to go. I suspect DW's book will be out first as I have to concentrate on money making rather than on cinderella projects - due to my involvement in railways!

A simple "I was involved in X Y and Z" will suffice.

Judgement Day

Museum’s benefits ‘outweigh visual impact’

By Gordon Deegan
Tuesday, February 16, 2010

THE promoters of Ireland’s planned largest road and rail museum in west Clare have stated that the very small level of visual disruption to the scenic area would be tiny compared to the project’s great benefits.

That’s according to consultants employed by West Clare Railway to advance its plan for the Moyasta museum.

The museum is to form part of the restored West Clare Railway attraction where visitors have trebled since the return of the 117-year old Slieve Callan steam engine last August.

However, last December, Clare County Council put the project on hold, stating that it had "serious concerns in relation to the height and scale of the development as proposed and consider that it would seriously impact on the visual amenities of this coastal site".

Now, in its response, the West Clare Railway state: "The site is reasonably well hidden from most areas around the bay by token of the trees, hedges and businesses nearby.

"Its height will be kept as low as possible and, even then, will be below the height of the chimneys of all other buildings in the vicinity."

The council state that it would be more appropriate to locate the development on alternative lands as it had concerns over the chosen site.

But the promoters insisted: "Numerous efforts have been made over the last 10 years to encourage the current owner of the three fields adjacent to the station — now forming the HQ of the WCR Co — to sell."

"The land’s owner has consistently refused any offer, all of which have been made for sums well in excess of the land’s contemporaneous values. Such development, is therefore, out of the question."

This story appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Read more: http://irishexaminer.ie/ireland/museums-benefits-outweigh-visual-impact-112253.html#ixzz0fgatD6HT