Who is the biggest rail anorak in this forum.

Sponge Bob

I have come into possession of some materiél that ( only) a rail anorak would love.

In order to effect the orderly disposal of same I need to find out who considers themselves to be the biggest rail anorak in this forum.

The only precondition is that you must have signed up to boards before March 2010, this is one for the existing contributors. To actively participate in this double blind free auction you must (try to) answer the following 3 questions.

1. What railway extensions were proposed in County Galway during the period 1900-1914 ( bonuses if you flesh the answer out a bit)
2. How did one ship a cow and two calves to Listowel in 1919 and why was this not as complicated a problem in Limerick?
3. What railway bridge is next due to collapse from neglect and incompetence.

I will shortlist 2 and then I will tell you all the prizes before the last round of 3 questions :cool:

DWCommuter

Very tempting. But I'll decline.:D

Cookie_Monster

1. out to achill (i've no idea really)
2. you shipped a cow by by ship, easier to limerick as its by the sea
3. a "convenient" collapse on the South Wexford line, so it can be the final nail

lord lucan

1) Shantalla(sp?) extension for mining?
2) I've no idea
3)I'll go with the bridge over the Slaney at the southern end of Enniscorthy station.

Transportuser09

In the wake fo the Malahide collapse IÉ did a survey of all the other bridges, so there probably won't be any more collapses. Lessons have proably been learned.

FlameoftheWest

1 is easy. The 1888 WestonTrack Steering Commitee (3 of this committee still active) demanded an electrified railway to be built from Athenry to Our Lady of the Balloon and Airship Encampment at Knock.

Sponge Bob

There was a version of West on Track back in them days, yes What it was getting up to would be relevant if you gave a very good answer to question 1.

Answer all 3 questions or I won't shortlist any of ye , paragraphs are allowed , not just 1 liners !!!!!

Judgement Day

What's the prize - a copy of IE's (staff-only) 2010 'Public' timetable?

Sponge Bob

Prizes. Books not timetables.

I see you are mortally afraid of getting all three answers wrong JD

lord lucan

Judgement Day wrote: »

What's the prize - a copy of IE's (staff-only) 2010 'Public' timetable?

A Craven coach for your back garden. Hook it up to a little generator and you'll have your own little sauna!:pac:

corktina

1 Achill Island Id guess too
2 Listowel and Ballybunion monorail....you put two calves in one pannier to balance a cow in the other and then put one calf in each on the return journey to get them back home...in Limerick it wasnt complicated because it wasnt anywhere except on the L&B...
3 Could be any of them , who knows!

L1011

3: The Dublin bound platform at Leixlip Confey is built on a canal, does it count as a "bridge"?

Hungerford

I'll bite on the first question because there's one mad scheme I know of that nobody else has come up with:

In 1910, a priest in the Mount Bellew area of Galway called Rev Colgan proposed opening a railway line running from Tuam to Athlone, passing through Clonbern, Mount Bellew and Ballygar.

It would have connected to both the GSWR and the MGWR lines at Athlone. They had some political support but nothing came of it. The GSWR apparently had their scheme for connecting the two points but again nothing came of that.

Hungerford

Does the transporting of cattle question have anything to do with the need to reverse at Newcastle West?

soden12

I imagine the Lartique is involved in this cattle shipping question...

DWCommuter

As sponge is wringing himself out;), I'll help it along.

Question 1. is still up for grabs. (in my opinion)

Question 2. has been answered already.

Question 3. is just opinion as we all know anyway.

Note to Sponge: Entertain your competition entrants.:D

Sponge Bob

Keep speculating willye. I am not happy with question 1 so far and therefore the first good answer will be automatically shortlisted.

Hungerford

Sponge Bob wrote: »

Keep speculating willye. I am not happy with question 1 so far and therefore the first good answer will be automatically shortlisted.

What about the Galway Transatlantic Port scheme, which was banded about from about 1901 onwards? The plan was to connect the MGWR line at Galway to a new harbour at Barna.

The plan was to bring Transatlantic goods and passengers to London by rail from this new port. The extention required was only three miles though.

Sponge Bob

Part of the prize is Railway History of Ireland ( Vol 2 ), Alan McCutcheon 1969 but there be more goodies too. I will feck them all into one parcel and post it off during the week.

This book costs min £9 + delivery on Amazon in Good nick but Sponge Bob is sending it gratis to the anorak who FIRST makes the shortlist and THEN answers the stage 2 questions to the satisfaction of the Sponge!!

Answer all three questions by 7pm tomorrow, Sunday. You may choose to repost to flesh out an answer you already gave for bonus goodness.

I am closing stage one and shortlisting by then. Those of you who answered one question so far do answer all three by then. M'Kays !!!

Hungerford

My final answers:

1. Galway extensions:
Tuam to Athlone: Proposed by residents of the Mount Bellew area, 1910. Would have connected to both the GSWR and the MGWR lines at Athlone. GSWR had considered a similar scheme but rejected it.

MGWR Port extension: Short branch sought so that it could receive deliveries of coal in Galway rather than have to transport them from Dublin, 1911

Galway Transatlantic Port scheme: Three-mile extension from Galway to Barna. MGWR backed the scheme and a bill was passed in 1914 but nothing came of it. The plan was to take goods off Transatlantic ships at Barna and bring them by rail to London Euston. Presumably there would have been a ship involved somewhere.

Clifden extention happened about five years outside time period specified in the first post.

2. Listowel:
The Lartigue monorail required you to balance your loads - so you would have needed two calves on one side and the cow on the other. Of course, the weight of the calves would have to be roughly equal to that of the cows.

Transporting cattle from Limerick with easy - no Lartigue monorail, just standard railway wagons and loading procedures.

3. Next bridge to collapse:
Robertstown viaduct on the Limerick - Foynes line. Trains were barred from crossing it in 2005 due to the condition of the bridge. How they would have gotten through the dumped track panels at Limerick Check is beyond me! Anyway, given that the line is under a care and maintanence regime, it should collapse at some point in the next few years.

foggy_lad

Sponge Bob wrote: »

1. What railway extensions were proposed in County Galway during the period 1900-1914 ( bonuses if you flesh the answer out a bit)

an extension from tuam to athenry and from galway to clifden and on to sligo

2. How did one ship a cow and two calves to Listowel in 1919 and why was this not as complicated a problem in Limerick?

the cow and two calves travelled in the carriage with you and you only had to pay half fare for the calves, it was easier in limerick as the doors had all been robbed off the carriages

3. What railway bridge is next due to collapse from neglect and incompetence.

the barrow bridge, thomastown viaduct, the interconnector thing in dublin, take your pick really as irish rail only notice the rot that appears on the surface and ignore festering pestilince within!

Sponge Bob

Grand. Hungerford came up with the best answer so far to q1 and is hereby shortlisted.

One more slot left.

foggy_lad

i lot the monorail answer, even springfield had a monorail;-)

Sinkyou

No1 The Ulster and connaught light Railway, From Dromod Co Leitrim to Cliften Co Galway and on to the Clother Valley to the Bessbroke And Newry Tramway, a 3ft Gauge Railway, proposed From Co Down to Co Galway.To bring cattle from the west of Ireland out throught the Port Of Newry.
No2 The Lartigue in Kerry If you put a Cow on 1 side you had to Balance it with 2 Calves on the other Side, Because it was monorail The Rail split the wagon in 2. in Limerick they all fitted in the 1 Wagon.
No3 Shannon Bridge near Drunnsa was the Next to fall down , but Since Last November the put a new bridge in Place.

Sponge Bob

Closing Round 1. Owing to a mistake in the formulation of the conditions I let sinkyou in despite that answer being their first post on Boards ...but they had registered in time

Shortlist is Corktina Hungerford and Sinkyou.

Serious anorakage shall ensue.

While everybody else is welcome to contribute to this thread until the final result is made known I will insist that the 3 shortlisted candidates PM me their FINAL answers FIRST.

Once all 3 have PM'd the final answers I will then post here that all three of you may post them in the thread.

Thereafter I shall declare the winner and ask for their postal address .

Stage 2. Hard Core Anorakage!!!

The Questions.

1. A great project of empire was linked with the answer to one of the questions to be answered at stage one. Name this grand project please.

2. West on Track is on record as attempting to resurrect in this era a proposed element this grand project of empire. What is that element ???

3. The people of an Irish county once thieved a railway line. Name the COUNTY please.

4. The western rail corridor was owned by whom in 1901, I shall rely on a particular source which may be wrong when judging the answers and a quick history 1870-1901 as you understand it may be in order in supporting your answer in case this answer proves tricky in the final run off.

5. Arthur Balfour was Prime Minister of Britain between 1902 and 1905. In what respect could he be deemed to be an avid supporter of the objectives of West on Track???


The three of ye have until midnight tomorrow to PM me !!!!!

Sponge Bob

4 Hours to go for the PMs

After Midnight yiz are free to post your answers in the forum and I will declare a winner shortly after midnight and get their address.

Hungerford

PM sent - hopefully!

Sponge Bob

Everybody post their answers now. Then I will adjudicate.

Hungerford

My answers:

1. A great project of empire was linked with the answer to one of the questions to be answered at stage one. Name this grand project please.

The "Through-Ireland Galway Route" of the Anglo-Canadian mails service.

2. West on Track is on record as attempting to resurrect in this era a proposed element this grand project of empire. What is that element ???

Either (a) transporting freight from the West of Ireland through the ports of the East Coast via the WRC or (b) doubling the railway line through Oranmore.

3. The people of an Irish county once thieved a railway line. Name the COUNTY please.

Galway - it was the Portumna line

4. The western rail corridor was owned by whom in 1901, I shall rely on a particular source which may be wrong when judging the answers and a quick history 1870-1901 as you understand it may be in order in supporting your answer in case this answer proves tricky in the final run off.

Sligo to Collooney: MGWR.
Collooney to Claremorris: GSWR [ex W&LR]
Claremorris to Tuam: Athenry and Tuam Extension to Claremorris Railway Co [worked by GSWR]
The rest: GSWR [ex W&LR]


5. Arthur Balfour was Prime Minister of Britain between 1902 and 1905. In what respect could he be deemed to be an avid supporter of the objectives of West on Track???

He was the driving force behind the 1889 Light Railways (Ireland) Act under which all of the WRC north of Tuam was constructed [except for Sligo to Collooney].

Sponge Bob

The Questions and Answers.

1. A great project of empire was linked with the answer to one of the questions to be answered at stage one. Name this grand project please.

A. It was properly called the All Red Route or British Imperial Lifeline and the West of Ireland to Canada Route was a key part of the proposal. Galway - Halifax was one possible route and Blacksod Halifax the other. It was a passenger and mails and freight project, primarily passengers and mails.

One would have involved a port in Barna or Furbo with a rail extension from Galway.

The other would have involved the construction of a port in Blacksod Bay and 3 separate Collooney Ballina and Belmullet Railways and Piers Acts were passed in 1907 1909 and 1912.

Blacksod Won Out by 1908 , see and see and see and also the original pamphlet (or so I suspect anyway) which launched the Blacksod Scheme in 1895

However Transatlantic ships got bigger and faster after 1900 with the Lusitania class and Olympic class ships being built in the following decade and that did for the West of ireland schemes overall as indeed did Mishter Marconi and his wireless station in Clifden.

The Collooney Ballina and Belmullet Railways and Piers Company had only raised about £100,000 of its authorised £2,500,000 share capital by 1913 under the Chairmanship of Sir Thomas HC Troubridge.

The Brits cooked up the Imperial Airships project instead after WW1 was over and then Imperial Airways in the later part of that decade.

2. West on Track is on record as attempting to resurrect in this era a proposed element this grand project of empire. What is that element ???

A. West on Track wish to resurrect the freight element of the All Red Route project. They want a container port in Blacksod and a railway to Blacksod in emulation of the Collooney Ballina and Belmullet proposal.

A modern Atlantic Grade container ship is an 8000 to 10000 TEU ship which means it carries between 4000 and 5000 40 foot containers. If you put all that lot on one train it would be about 40 miles long. :eek:

3. The people of an Irish county once thieved a railway line. Name the COUNTY please.

A. The line terminated on the east bank of the Shannon and never ACTUALLY entered Galway. The answer is Offaly. (Not Wicklow!!!)

4. The western rail corridor was owned by whom in 1901, I shall rely on a particular source which may be wrong when judging the answers and a quick history 1870-1901 as you understand it may be in order in supporting your answer in case this answer proves tricky in the final run off.

A. Lines were often OWNED by one company and WORKED (leased,sometimes exclusively) by another. The GSWR took over the Waterford and Limerick on the 1st of Jan 1901 but they never owned the "Athenry and Tuam Extension to Claremorris Railway" line and nor did the W&L. It was finally nationalised in the Railway Act 1924 along with the GSWR. Hungerfords answer is perfect. 100% marks. Quality Anorakage that, avoided all the traps.

5. Arthur Balfour was Prime Minister of Britain between 1902 and 1905. In what respect could he be deemed to be an avid supporter of the objectives of West on Track???

A. Balfour enacted the Light Railways Act ( Ireland ) 1889 while then Irish Secretary. He became PM in 1902. Arthur Balfour was essentially the first politician to publicly fund the construction of a railway line between Athenry and Colooney. Mind you it was built 10 years after the Act and Balfour was PM by 1902.

Noel Dempsey will never be Taoiseach by that logic

Under that 1889 act direct state support was granted to companies that constructed lines in the west such as Galway - Clifden and importantly the Claremorris and Collooney railway and probably all of The Athenry - Claremorris railway as well. Over half the cost of Galway - Clifden came from the state. The two lines that became Limerick - Athenry were built near enough 20 years before that and were privately funded.

Bar his gratuitous smear on the integrity of the entire population of Galway Hungerford scored 3.5 out of 5 and would have scored 4 out of 5 had he mentioned that the All Red Route was supposed to go on to Australia and New Zealand from the west coast of Canada and is the winner. PM me your address for that parcel H.

Corktina could have done better. Sinkyou came second. Thank you both for your PMs.

FlameoftheWest

I seem to recall an article in the Galway Advertiser years back which talked about a proposed branch to a Whaling Station somehere on the coast. The idea was to ship the whale oil out by train.

Sponge Bob

There were 2 whaling stations near Belmullet around that time, one on Iniskea , the only ones in Ireland I think. But they were side issues.

Hungerford

Thanks for that! The parcel is now winging its way to my cousin, who is thinking about writing a book on Irish railways. Poor sod.

corktina

ah well...at least being the third biggest anorak on here isnt as bad as being first or second.... I claim Victory...send me prizes...(like a new Anorak (small)

lord lucan

corktina wrote: »

ah well...at least being the third biggest anorak on here isnt as bad as being first or second.... I claim Victory...send me prizes...(like a new Anorak (small)

Runner up prize is a Thermos flask and Thomas the Tank Engine lunch box!:D:D

corktina

third prize is a Pocket Protector and 4 different colour biros.

Poster King

There was a proposal to have a branch line to the fishing village of Roundstone, off the very scenic Galway to Clifden line, at Ballynahinch. I've seen a map of it, think it is printed in one of Tim Robinson's books, but not sure what year it was proposed, but I'd say there is a good chance that it was between the dates above.

My Dad tells that story about ferrying freight/people on the Monorail to Listowel. If you had a particularly large man or woman on one side, you had to balance him/her with two slim people on the other.