[Heritage] My local station

corktina

A couple of pics of Kanturk Station gleaned from the net....the footbridge one includes G601, the diesel loco bought for the line when it re-opened for freight only in the early 60s (maybe late 50s)

Judgement Day

G601 arrived in Ireland from the manufacturers (Deutz) in West Germany in October 1955. In May 1956 trials were carried out with the loco on the Newmarket branch and the line reopened for goods traffic on the 1st June 1956. The experiment was shortlived and the branch closed permanently on the 4th February 1963 - good old CIE!

Bring on the dribblers heritage forum.

-Corkie-

Where was the footbridge. I suppose it was near the bakery. Pity to see both gone.

corktina

right opposite the bakery....Suttons Fuels building is still there, now a tyre depot.

-Corkie-

corktina wrote: »

right opposite the bakery....Suttons Fuels building is still there, now a tyre depot.

Ah yes him.;)

Some nice pics of that line etc on that website with all the pictures. I cant recall the name now.

steamengine

What is the basic history of that branch line - why was it built originally ???

corktina

a branch to kanturk and Newmarket..... built to carry rail traffic I guess:D

steamengine

corktina wrote: »

a branch to kanturk and Newmarket..... built to carry rail traffic I guess:D

That's what I was trying to get at ? Was it agricultural produce, industrial goods, and/or built at the request of the local gentry ???

Judgement Day

The Kanturk & Newmarket Railway was officially opened in March 1889 as an independent railway using its own locomotive and stock. Built with private equity and a Baronial Guarantee. As usual the driving force behind the railways development were the local land owners, in this case the Aldworth family of Newmarket Court. The line was sometimes referred to as Lady Mary's Railway as Lady Mary Aldworth took even more interest in the railway than her husband. Following the usual squabbles with its adjoining neighbour the K&N was absorbed into the Great Southern & Western Railway by Feb.1892. Prior to the construction of the branch Banteer Station was known as Kanturk as the village of Banteer was insignificant compared to its larger neighbour. Passenger services were discontinued on the branch on the 27th January 1947 due to fuel shortages and never reintroduced. Passenger specials operated on the line until final closure in 1963.

steamengine

JD - you're a mine of useful information - thanks !!!

corktina

. Specials were occasionally run after reopening, one destination I have heard of (and seen pictures in a book) was to Banteer sporrts, hauled by a J15 I beleive.

You are the biggest dribbler going JD!


(can I suggest us dribblers keep posting topics like this until everyone gets fed up with us and gives us a seperate forum...

corktina

Lots of info hre from IRRS

http://www.irrs.ie/Journal%20157/157%20Mallow%20-%20Banteer%20-%20Kanturk.htm

steamengine

Howth Junction is my local station -



View of the station from the Donaghmede side -



View of the junction in the city direction -



Platforms 1,2 towards Howth



Platforms 3,4 towards Malahide etc

duffmckegean

Interesting thread Corktina.

According to the IRRS article, the last locomotive down the line was a C201 class..

unusual seing as there must have been severe weight restrictions on the line if they only used a G class, as in your pic.

Do you have any info/pics on Newmarket station?

First time poster/noob btw!

corktina

very little at all. There are pictures in the book on lost cork lines but not great. The station building is still there as is the one in Kanturk. Also the branch paltfiorm at Banteer and turntable pit are easily recognised

Niles

duffmckegean wrote: »

Interesting thread Corktina.
unusual seing as there must have been severe weight restrictions on the line if they only used a G class, as in your pic.

I'd say it was more to do with economics (G class relatively cheap to run, a glorified tractor really!) than it was to do with weight restrictions.

-Corkie-

corktina wrote: »

very little at all. There are pictures in the book on lost cork lines but not great. The station building is still there as is the one in Kanturk. Also the branch paltfiorm at Banteer and turntable pit are easily recognised

Is that the line directly behind your house?. It looks like a Farmers passage now..

corktina

theres a little bit of field then the line...its in good nick, just needs track put down :-)

foggy_lad

Not my local station(Carlow) which is nice enough, but I have some pictures of the crumbling footbridge in Kildare station which I must upload later. They show the bridge and steps and it's supports in an awful condition with large lumps of the granite falling away, it won't be long till parts of the bridge fall on someone IMHO. I also have some pics of the plasterwork on the station building falling away from dampness and some nasty looking structural cracks which run through the entire organization;)

dmcronin

Walked the Newmarket branch a while back, plus re-did Kanturk-Newmarket recently with a mate. Bumped into a farmer on the trackbed, a nice sort, who had a potted history for us. Walkable most of the way (with a few diversions) until just approaching NM when we got into a boggy spot and had a sinking feeling.

There was a history article on the line in one of the local magazines, either 'Sliabh Luachra' or more likely 'Seanchas Duhallow', I think W. McGrath wrote it.

corktina

Banteer Station today. First shot is the erstwhile Kanturk and Newmarket platform, all it needs is track. The runround loop ciontinued behind the camera. Second shot is the "in use" main platform. Note signal post in distance by level crossing

steamengine

corktina wrote: »

Banteer Station today. First shot is the erstwhile Kanturk and Newmarket platform, all it needs is track. The runround loop ciontinued behind the camera. Second shot is the "in use" main platform. Note signal post in distance by level crossing

Very attractive cut stone station building along with the iron footbridge and not a weed in sight ! All we need now is a railway forum to store these photos !:D

corktina

Its a credit to the IE staff. Wouldnt it look great with no 90 or G501 stood in that platform with a couple of park royals or a few vans?

CommuterIE

steamengine wrote: »

Howth Junction is my local station -



View of the station from the Donaghmede side -



View of the junction in the city direction -



Platforms 1,2 towards Howth



Platforms 3,4 towards Malahide etc

Why have they not painted the concrete??? Horrible station anyway, always full of knackers

steamengine

corktina wrote: »

Its a credit to the IE staff. Wouldnt it look great with no 90 or G501 stood in that platform with a couple of park royals or a few vans?

+1......... credit where credit is due ok !!!

Victor

CommuterIE wrote: »

Horrible station anyway, always full of knackers

You might refrain from that type of language.

corktina

you might refrain from quoting photos too

steamengine

CommuterIE wrote: »

Why have they not painted the concrete??? Horrible station anyway, always full of knackers

It's actually quite an impressive station visually, and the grey concrete and the accompanying green blend quite well. What might set the station off a little better visually than it is would be an IE/IR logo mounted on the exterior wall near the entrances, similar to UK stations with their flying arrow logo.

HJ is quite well kept, no litter or graffiti as the photos show. There is lift access to all of the platforms and adequate platform seating - sheltered and open. All in all a credit to Irish Rail. And no I am not an employee, I just consider 'slagging off' of IE and their clientele as wearisome and unfounded, as per your post above.

-Corkie-

corktina wrote: »

Its a credit to the IE staff. Wouldnt it look great with no 90 or G501 stood in that platform with a couple of park royals or a few vans?

They are great in Banteer for cutting the grass and keeping the place nice. Nice pics too BTW.

Judgement Day

-Corkie- wrote: »

They are great in Banteer for cutting the grass and keeping the place nice. Nice pics too BTW.

Sure what else have the staff got to do - no parcels, no mail, ATVMs etc...:rolleyes:

Judgement Day

steamengine wrote: »

It's actually quite an impressive station visually, and the grey concrete and the accompanying green blend quite well. What might set the station off a little better visually than it is would be an IE/IR logo mounted on the exterior wall near the entrances, similar to UK stations with their flying arrow logo.

HJ is quite well kept, no litter or grafitti as the photos show. All in all a credit to Irish Rail. And no I am not an employee, I just consider 'slagging off' of IE and their clientele as wearisome and unfounded, as per your post above.

I haven't had a close look at Howth Junction recently but it must be fairly unique on the DART line in not being messed up by graffiti. Certainly both Howth Junction and Kilbarrack are miles better than they have been for years.

steamengine

Judgement Day wrote: »

I haven't had a close look at Howth Junction recently but it must be fairly unique on the DART line in not being messed up by graffiti. Certainly both Howth Junction and Kilbarrack are miles better than they have been for years.

There is lots of graffiti on the gable ends of Baldoyle industrial estate close by, and most notably on the run in to Howth itself. Between the Claremont hotel and the station, again on adjacent industrial buildings, it is really of epidemic proportions. But certainly it is an unwelcome feature right along the entire length of the DART line. With the demise of the Credit Tiger there seems to less fresh stuff appearing though. HJ station appears to be generally clear of it ok.

foggy_lad

Pictures of Kildare Station as promised earlier, Warning to enthusiasts, this aint Banteer or anything like it!

http://pix.ie/foggylad/album/416075

Judgement Day

Well done Foggy. It's years since I've looked around in Kildare station but it does seem the worse for wear - maintained to the highest standards of Iarnrod Eireann. :rolleyes: That said, it is a building of significant architectural value and has even featured in "Country Life" magazine in the past and is obviously a listed building which makes its present state hard to fathom - especially since it's almost visible from the boardroom at Heuston.

foggy_lad

Judgement Day wrote: »

Well done Foggy. It's years since I've looked around in Kildare station but it does seem the worse for wear - maintained to the highest standards of Iarnrod Eireann. :rolleyes: That said, it is a building of significant architectural value and has even featured in "Country Life" magazine in the past and is obviously a listed building which makes its present state hard to fathom - especially since it's almost visible from the boardroom at Heuston.

There is a lot of work ongoing at Kildare Station at the moment but afaik this is just to make the platforms safer and may also be to provide wheelchair access to the far platform? If this is the case though it will be with a horrendous round trip up to the nearest road bridge and across the railway and down the long lane to the other side of the tracks, but this wont be too bad for wheelchair users, at least they wont have to walk!

Accessibility Irish Rail style!

n97 mini

It's an awful pity Kildare Station is such a shithole, and for once the locals aren't to blame.

foggy_lad

n97 mini wrote: »

It's an awful pity Kildare Station is such a shithole, and for once the locals aren't to blame.

I can remember being there many years ago and it has always been as bad just like Newbridge.

Jimbo1977

foggy_lad wrote: »

There is a lot of work ongoing at Kildare Station at the moment but afaik this is just to make the platforms safer and may also be to provide wheelchair access to the far platform? If this is the case though it will be with a horrendous round trip up to the nearest road bridge and across the railway and down the long lane to the other side of the tracks, but this wont be too bad for wheelchair users, at least they wont have to walk!

Accessibility Irish Rail style!

A new bridge has got planning permission granted which gives wheelchair access to the far platform. Just a case of waiting until it gets built I suppose!!!!

DWCommuter

Jimbo1977 wrote: »

A new bridge has got planning permission granted which gives wheelchair access to the far platform. Just a case of waiting until it gets built I suppose!!!!

Like Sallins.

Partizan

Judgement Day wrote: »

The Kanturk & Newmarket Railway was officially opened in March 1889 as an independent railway using its own locomotive and stock. Built with private equity and a Baronial Guarantee. As usual the driving force behind the railways development were the local land owners, in this case the Aldworth family of Newmarket Court. The line was sometimes referred to as Lady Mary's Railway as Lady Mary Aldworth took even more interest in the railway than her husband. Following the usual squabbles with its adjoining neighbour the K&N was absorbed into the Great Southern & Western Railway by Feb.1892. Prior to the construction of the branch Banteer Station was known as Kanturk as the village of Banteer was insignificant compared to its larger neighbour. Passenger services were discontinued on the branch on the 27th January 1947 due to fuel shortages and never reintroduced. Passenger specials operated on the line until final closure in 1963.

There should be a clue in what you wrote JD as to why the line closed. Being uneconomical should be your answer. It was a rinky dink line built for the Lords and Ladies for their jaunt to Cork or Killarney

corktina

i think thats miles from the truth. Before the Railways, moving goods was fraught with difficulites and most of the lines in Ireland survived on freight traffic. COme the internal combustion engine and they were rapidly surplanted just as the canals were before them. (yes , we had a canal in Duhallow...)

corktina

this loco is reputed to be at Kanturk Station. Number seems to be 70. ANy info?

Eiretrains

corktina wrote: »

this loco is reputed to be at Kanturk Station. Number seems to be 70. ANy info?

Looks to be one of the ubiquitous J15 0-6-0 locomotives of the GSWR. Actually appears to be more like the terminus at Newmarket, which is largely surrounded by trees, where as Kanturk was generally more open.

gobnaitolunacy

I'd hazard a guess that it may be '170', though its hard to make out if the last digit is an '0' or a '6'.

Newmarket is surrounded by deep banks, so more likely that is the location.

Stonewolf

For my local train station I offer you a choice of past and present, both disgraceful in their own ways:

http://tinyurl.com/bvejvkt
http://dublinobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Hansfield-Station.jpg

dregin

I wonder if you'd have to apply for planning permission to extend that house, by throwing a carriage onto the tracks out the back??

http://www.daft.ie/searchsale.daft?id=675660