Athlone - Mullingar line

flyingsnail

dennis124wwr wrote: »

Is the Athlone Mullingar line to do with the Streamstown to Clara line because on the map you can see Streamstown near Moate and it is on the line.

Yes, the line diverged from the Athlone to Mullingar line at Streamstown Junction which is between Moate and Mullingar. It then went south through Horseleap to Clara.

dennis124wwr

And whats the story with castletown. Did it have a railway station.

flyingsnail

dennis124wwr wrote: »

And whats the story with castletown. Did it have a railway station.

There was a station between Moate and Mullingar called Castletown but it was about a one and a half miles from the town of castletown.

cml387

flyingsnail wrote: »

There was a station between Moate and Mullingar called Castletown but it was about a one and a half miles from the town of castletown.

Full name (pedantic hat on) is Castletown Geoghegan

LoonyLovegood

cml387 wrote: »

Full name (pedantic hat on) is Castletown Geoghegan

Even more pedantic, it's a townland.

Is it possible to see the old stations, or have they been demolished? I'm regularly down near Streamstown, keep meaning to see if I can find the station.

Losty Dublin

CTYIgirl wrote: »

Even more pedantic, it's a townland.

Is it possible to see the old stations, or have they been demolished? I'm regularly down near Streamstown, keep meaning to see if I can find the station.

Castletown Geoghann station is still there but very overgrown. It's accessed on a road off the R 391 and R 390. Parking may be a bit awkward but you should find somewhere to pull up for a few minutes.

Streamstown station is little more than a shelter and a water tower. Stay on the R 391 and it's up a side road close to a school and a GAA pitch; I think the town land/village is called Cloughan. There is a disused trail down to the station that you can park in.

Moate is in the town itself; look for Station Road and there you are.

Eiretrains

CTYIgirl wrote: »

Even more pedantic, it's a townland.

Is it possible to see the old stations, or have they been demolished? I'm regularly down near Streamstown, keep meaning to see if I can find the station.

Yes Castletown Station still exists, but disused. Only traces of Streamstown left nowadays.

demanufactured

I think the growth around the level crossing in athlone was only cleared due to complaints from the council.. It did look terrible in fairness.

Temp101

As Eiretrain's links show, the old stations at Castletown and Streamstown still have remains, Castletown being the more accessible and interesting, still retaining the signal cabin on one side of the level crossing. The concrete blocks base of the signal cabin is still there in the undergrowth at Streamstown - the wooden upper portions have long since disappeared.

The intermediate station on the Streamstown - Clara line is also readily visible from the old N4 at Horseleap.

dennis124wwr

demanufactured wrote: »

I think the growth around the level crossing in athlone was only cleared due to complaints from the council.. It did look terrible in fairness.

So they cleared it.

dennis124wwr

Did they clear it in some places more ?

demanufactured

Nope, just at the level crossing in athlone.

dennis124wwr

demanufactured wrote: »

Nope, just at the level crossing in athlone.

Can you send me a picture of the crossing

demanufactured

http://www.flickr.com/photos/be216cd1/8865817394/in/set-72157633759839850

flazio

ISTR that level crossing used to be a lot narrower so that it just took one gate either side to close the road and open the line, then late 90s perhaps they widened the road and footpath and put in a hump pedestrian crossing. But as I remember it, the line was already closed, so I don't think those gates that are there now have ever been used to close the road. I'm not even sure they are long enough.

demanufactured

flazio wrote: »

ISTR that level crossing used to be a lot narrower so that it just took one gate either side to close the road and open the line, then late 90s perhaps they widened the road and footpath and put in a hump pedestrian crossing. But as I remember it, the line was already closed, so I don't think those gates that are there now have ever been used to close the road. I'm not even sure they are long enough.

You're probably right
Though the weedspray train did run the line in 2003.

demanufactured

http://www.advertiser.ie/athlone/article/62712/cycleway-approved-amid-confusion-over-railway

Seaneh

dowlingm wrote: »

The would also be a possible problem if Athlone West was painted by some as a "win" for Roscommon and a "loss" for Westmeath.

But Athlone West is in Westmeath, so that wouldn't be the case .

dowlingm

demanufactured wrote: »

http://www.advertiser.ie/athlone/article/62712/cycleway-approved-amid-confusion-over-railway

So what is possible in the UK is completely impossible for Irish Rail :rolleyes:

dennis124wwr

In the news it said that the cycleway will be beside the railway tracks.
mullingar.ie

demanufactured

I took a spin out some of the backroads this morning between athlone and moate.
The bridges look perfectly intact.... The Level crossings are a terrible state though

Banjoxed

dowlingm wrote: »

So what is possible in the UK is completely impossible for Irish Rail :rolleyes:

Examples?

dregin

This looks like what the poster's talking about: http://www.bbc.co.uk/bristol/content/image_galleries/cycle_paths_gallery.shtml?8

dregin

and this: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Avon_Valley_Railway_and_cyclepath_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1287738.jpg

Banjoxed

dregin wrote: »

and this: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Avon_Valley_Railway_and_cyclepath_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1287738.jpg

Any examples with a National Rail line? I can't see how a short enthusiast line with very limited speeds and occasional workings is a viable parallel with Athlone - Mullingar.

dregin

Ah I just goolged "railway bike lane UK" and those images came back. I see the difference you talk about!

101sean

Feature on the One Show on BBC1 right now on the Bristol - Bath cycle way partly alongside the Avon line. Also interviewed John Grimshaw of Sustrans who started the whole thing.

dennis124wwr

Nobody has something to say about the line. I,m out of ideas of what to write

Sligo Quay

dennis124wwr wrote: »

Nobody has something to say about the line. I,m out of ideas of what to write

Thread has run to 12pages, so its probably run out of steam ''excuse the pun'';)

corktina

Not much else to say really....WoT take note

Banjoxed

corktina wrote: »

Not much else to say really....WoT take note

Yes if the whole alignment of any route was built to double track. Otherwise where would the additional land not in CIE ownership be coming from?

corktina

yes that was a double track line originally and I believe so was the MGWR line. Most single line railways were built with a generous amount of land to allow for double tracking if required. I believe it would be possible to include a cycle and foot path in most instances.

I also believe it is foolhardy to think you would be protecting a Railway by denying a Greenway on the route. If there is room for both, and a simple survey would shown if this is so, then allowing a Greenway now would guarantee the alignment being available for ever. It would be a simple matter to insist in the planning that room for the Railway is left, either now or by an undertaking to move over the path at some future time.

gobnaitolunacy

corktina wrote: »

yes that was a double track line originally and I believe so was the MGWR line. Most single line railways were built with a generous amount of land to allow for double tracking if required. I believe it would be possible to include a cycle and foot path in most instances.

I also believe it is foolhardy to think you would be protecting a Railway by denying a Greenway on the route. If there is room for both, and a simple survey would shown if this is so, then allowing a Greenway now would guarantee the alignment being available for ever. It would be a simple matter to insist in the planning that room for the Railway is left, either now or by an undertaking to move over the path at some future time.

May be a way of safeguarding the route, if IE decided to lift the rails, and prevent a North Kerry greenway style farce.

flazio

I find it hard to believe the track between Athlone and Portarlington ever had ambitions to be double track the whole way. The rock gap at Tullamore would suggest it was always a single track operation.

LXFlyer

The GS & WR line from Portarlington to Athlone was always single track.

The loop at Clonnydonnin was installed in 1974.

The MGWR route was the primary route until 1973. It had multiple double track sections when originally built.

Clonsilla to Mullingar, Mullingar to Athlone, Athlone to Ballinasloe, Attymon to Athenry and Oranmore to Galway were all double track until the late 1920s.

Only Clonsilla to Maynooth has been redoubled (in 2001).

dowlingm

corktina wrote: »

Not much else to say really....WoT take note

What's the status of the particular line in the photo? I think WoT contend that the possible uses of the line could be restricted in the event of a trail as pictured.

dennis124wwr

corktina wrote: »

Not much else to say really....WoT take note

Where is the picture from?
I mean what railway line

corktina

according to the link, I think it's the Midland Rly Bath to Bristol line, now partly the Avon Valley line.

Mearings

corktina wrote: »

according to the link, I think it's the Midland Rly Bath to Bristol line, now partly the Avon Valley line.

If we had similar I think we would have a problem with eegits & easy access to the railway.

corktina

we have easy access to railways now, there are no fences on platforms and there are on this route (although in my view these shouldn't be needed anyway)
...most Railways in the US aren't fenced and Main Line freights and passenger trains happily run along City streets

Mearings

CIE seems to be more serious about securing the railway lines than heretofore.

dennis124wwr

Any news about the Athlone Mullingar Line?

demanufactured

dennis124wwr wrote: »

Any news about the Athlone Mullingar Line?

Its still there anyway.

end of the road

dennis124wwr wrote: »

Any news about the Athlone Mullingar Line?

yeah, it will never be reopened sadly

dennis124wwr

end of the road wrote: »

yeah, it will never be reopened sadly

How do you know?

demanufactured

dennis124wwr wrote: »

How do you know?

Well, Give some reasons why it would/could open?

corktina

yep, if you've any new arguments , lets hear them. Many times it has been explained on here why the service was re-routed to Heuston

Banjoxed

A bit of Roma locuta est, causa finita est going on.

Having a direct line into the city centre for western trains has been the best argument for restoring Mullingar to Athlone but due to the GSR's cheese paring vandalism of the Midland line in the twenties by singling it, there are capacity issues between Mullingar and Maynooth.

LXFlyer

Not to mention that even if that section were redoubled, going via Portarlington will be quicker due to the much higher line speed, and the fact that trains would have to cross and recross the Shannon in order to serve Athlone station.

Either way I don't expect any news about this line for some considerable time other than the odd bit of weed clearing.

corktina

not to mention the opportunities to change for the South of the Country, we don't all want to go to Dublin