Waterford/Rosslare Strand Railway reaches the buffer stops (again)!

Jehuty42

With all due respect, I'm not sure why people put any credence whatsoever in a second hand story from a low level employee, especially when it just conveniently aligns with all the conspiracy theories about how IE prepare for line closures.

Judgement Day

Jehuty42 wrote: »

With all due respect, I'm not sure why people put any credence whatsoever in a second hand story from a low level employee, especially when it just conveniently aligns with all the conspiracy theories about how IE prepare for line closures.

Is that you Barry?

save the rail

Niles wrote: »

Well that's something I suppose, fair play. I understand this group developed from the Save the South Wexford lobby. Out of interest (in terms of the Rosslare-Dublin aspect), does it include representation from non-South Wexford areas (ie Enniscorthy northwards)?

We have people from Wexford, Waterford, Kilkenny, Cavan and Dublin on board SWIFFT

save the rail

DWCommuter wrote: »

I can't say anything positive about your campaign or some of those that got involved in it, and I'll refrain from saying anything negative. However accept that there are negative opinions and I'm quite sure that they will be expressed by others.

Im referring in particular to comments made agaist people personally. SRG/SWIFFT are trying which is more that what a lot here are doing .......

Our man in Havana

Dick must be very proud.

L1011

Apparently the South Wexford has been used for stock movements now that the line's closed at Lansdowne Road.

trellheim

Apparently the South Wexford has been used for stock movements now that the line's closed at Lansdowne Road.

/wins bet with myself.

highlydebased

MYOB wrote: »

Apparently the South Wexford has been used for stock movements now that the line's closed at Lansdowne Road.

Courtesy Finbarr O'Neill on flickr...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/finnyus/

trellheim

with the signal not being dropped are they working the line on a single staff or what ?

Our man in Havana

Yes, It would be under engineers possession and operated under a manual staff.

Judgement Day

Amazing that IE didn't hire a fleet of trucks and cranes for this operation.

loguer

DWCommuter wrote: »

I can't say anything positive about your campaign or some of those that got involved in it, and I'll refrain from saying anything negative. However accept that there are negative opinions and I'm quite sure that they will be expressed by others.

Negative opinions by a half dozen or so board warriors who mostly do not reveal their real names does not necessarily reflect an informed opinion or indeed the general opinion of the rail travelling public.

My opinion is that CIE and IE effectively mismanaged the South Wexford line for decades. Deliberately scheduling trains to miss ferries and other rail connections is a tactic that they have used for a long time. They will then claim there is no demand for a given service.

Let's say an operator is found for the South Wexford line. This would well be a trojan horse for the hopeful eventual break up of IE - IE like many other semi-states I could mention is a closed shop operated by people, many of whom are related to each other. As a relative outsider working for 25 years in the UK rail industry apart from a year at the BBC I have the view that IE is primarily run as an outdoor relief scheme for its staff, and like RTE, it is necessary to know or be related to someone there to get a job or even get a CV read by someone in HR.

corktina

bizarre to accuse DW of hiding his ID!

whats your ID then seeing as youve ventured your opinion!

Cookie_Monster

save the rail wrote: »

The campaigners are focused towards important transport bodies whose interests lie with the passengers using the route. they have met with Minister Cuffe and are meeting with Minister Connick next week, they have also met with a company who is interested in taking over the line and are in talks with 2 others whilst also arranging to meet with another crowd to look into certain other angles to save the line and the peoples jobs !!

any body remember this?

So what's the story, the facebook page reads like a fansite of the network these days, has this ridiculous pie in the sky plan been left in the oven too long?

corktina

theres a lot of people around who would defend IE to the end (as recent posts on this forum have proved). I wonder how many of them have their feet in the trough.

trellheim

On a not unrelated note. Is there any chance of a sugarbeet revival ? yes I know we need a sugar factory.

Judgement Day

No chance. Just like railway preservation in the Republic - lots of talk and no action.

corktina

trellheim wrote: »

On a not unrelated note. Is there any chance of a sugarbeet revival ? yes I know we need a sugar factory.

lack of stock, not enough drivers, passing loops removed, sidings removed, sugar factories removed, connections to sugar factories removed :- not much chance then...add to that IE doesnt seem to want freight traffic and I'd say IF there was a sugar Industry revival, it'll all be going by road.

dowlingm

If I was looking to rebuild sugar traffic in Ireland I'd put the beet factory in south Wexford and ship product, not raw material. Shipping raw beet around the country never made sense to me any more than shipping ammonia from Marino Point to Arklow or Ballina did.

Cookie_Monster

dowlingm wrote: »

Shipping raw beet around the country never made sense to me .

well how do you expect to get it from farm to factory then? No sense in having dozens of small factories when you can just transship everything to one or two larger ones.

CIE

corktina wrote: »

lack of stock, not enough drivers, passing loops removed, sidings removed, sugar factories removed, connections to sugar factories removed :- not much chance then...add to that IE doesnt seem to want freight traffic and I'd say IF there was a sugar Industry revival, it'll all be going by road.

Never mind the EU dictating "common" agricultural policy, which is what wrecked the sugar industry in particular.

Cookie_Monster

CIE wrote: »

Never mind the EU dictating "common" agricultural policy, which is what wrecked the sugar industry in particular.

Indeed, why grow your own when you can ship it from half way around the world...

dowlingm

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

well how do you expect to get it from farm to factory then? No sense in having dozens of small factories when you can just transship everything to one or two larger ones.

It just seemed odd to me that a sugar plant didn't exist in recent times right in the area where a lot of beet was grown (the closest was Carlow I think?) Probably make more sense to ship beet from Mallow to Wexford than the otherway round since the factory would have had a large mix of local vs transshipped product.

corktina

trains ran to Mallow from all over west Cork making it central IN THOSE days. No rails in west cork now though

Losty Dublin

dowlingm wrote: »

It just seemed odd to me that a sugar plant didn't exist in recent times right in the area where a lot of beet was grown (the closest was Carlow I think?) Probably make more sense to ship beet from Mallow to Wexford than the otherway round since the factory would have had a large mix of local vs transshipped product.

There was 4 plants opened by the Irish Sugar Company back in the day; Carlow, Mallow, Thurles and Tuam. Thurles and Tuam closed in the mid 80s, Carlow in 2005 and Mallow in 2006. Beet was grown in most parts of Ireland and moved towards the plants by rail for years; I can only assume that the south was more disposed for beet growing than the east, midlands and north of the country.

Judgement Day

Losty Dublin wrote: »

There was 4 plants opened by the Irish Sugar Company back in the day; Carlow, Mallow, Thurles and Tuam. Thurles and Tuam closed in the mid 80s, Carlow in 2005 and Mallow in 2006. Beet was grown in most parts of Ireland and moved towards the plants by rail for years; I can only assume that the south was more disposed for beet growing than the east, midlands and north of the country.

Quite right Losty but the day the Sugar Company was privatised was the day the writing was on the wall for the sugar factories - I said at the time, why grow the stuff here and process it here when they can make as much, if not more, importing it. I was proved right yet again - it's difficult always being right but I should be used to it by now.

trail man

THE FINAL YEARS OF THE NORTH KERRY LINE ESPECIALLY THE ARDFERT SECTION WERE KEPT BUSY WITH BEET..
BUT ALL BEING SAID AND DONE THE WHOLE LENGHT OF THE LINE FROM LIMERICK TO TRALEE GOT A FACELIFT ALL THE STATIONS WERE DONE UP ON THE LAST YEAR OF OPERATION SO TO JUSTIFY THE CLOSURE OF THE LINE DUE TO UNSUSTAINABLE LOSSES...
IT WAS A DISGRACE..
C.I.E.BOARD HAD ONLY ONE AGENDA THEN ...C..CLOSE..I..IT...E....EVENTUALLY...
A DISGRACE...:eek:...

L1011

Judgement Day wrote: »

Quite right Losty but the day the Sugar Company was privatised was the day the writing was on the wall for the sugar factories - I said at the time, why grow the stuff here and process it here when they can make as much, if not more, importing it. I was proved right yet again - it's difficult always being right but I should be used to it by now.

Irish Sugar ran until the EU stopped it despite private ownership...

Judgement Day

MYOB wrote: »

Irish Sugar ran until the EU stopped it despite private ownership...

By the time EU measures came into effect only the plant at Mallow remained. It suited the crooks in Greencore to blame the EU but they were well compensated and it was a fitting end to the forgotten fiasco that was the privatisation of CSE.

Here's another snippet about the farce: http://www.irisheconomy.ie/index.php/2010/11/11/could-the-irish-sugar-industry-have-been-saved/

Interestingly, after a bit of a run round, it appears that even the sale of sugar branded as Siucra, and McKinneys, is now actually owned by a German company http://www.nordzuckerireland.ie/ - talk about asset stripping.

DWCommuter

Judgement Day wrote: »

By the time EU measures came into effect only the plant at Mallow remained. It suited the crooks in Greencore to blame the EU but they were well compensated and it was a fitting end to the forgotten fiasco that was the privatisation of CSE.

Here's another snippet about the farce: http://www.irisheconomy.ie/index.php/2010/11/11/could-the-irish-sugar-industry-have-been-saved/

Interestingly, after a bit of a run round, it appears that even the sale of sugar branded as Siucra, and McKinneys, is now actually owned by a German company http://www.nordzuckerireland.ie/ - talk about asset stripping.

The Germans again.:D I'm with ya JD.