MERLIN’S WIZARDRY ON THE ‘ENTERPRISE’
Details have reached me of another excellent performance by Glover Compound 4-4-0 No. 85 Merlin, which worked a return trip from Whitehead and Belfast to Dublin on September 24. The recorder was Dr John Rule, with additional information provided by Joe Cassells, and I am grateful to them both. The train crew consisted of Driver Gary Moore, the vastly experienced Noel Playfair as fireman with Inspector M. Hamill officiating. The load was a comfortable one for the 4-4-0 – six coaches weighing 205 tons gross. The line is uphill, mostly at around 1-in-200 to Lisburn with a slight dip at Lambeg, then it undulates to Moira. From here there is a brief climb at 1-in-175/145 to Milepost 96. Unfortunately, a temporary speed restriction caused brakes to come on before the summit was reached, but there was a speedy recovery downhill to Milepost 91 and Portadown was reached inside schedule. With the locomotive limited by both NIR and Iarnród Éireann to 60mph (whereas on Network Rail such a machine, with 6ft 7in driving wheels, would be permitted to run at 75mph) the principal interest lies in the uphill work. From Portadown the line is mostly level to Poyntzpass where the curve is restricted to 45mph for all trains. Then, after a further 3 miles, we come to the foot of a 9-mile climb around the flank of Slieve Gullion to a summit at Milepost 65½. The gradient is mostly around 1-in-115/120 as far as the site of the former Customs station at Goraghwood near Milepost 72.
EXCELLENT – AND NOISY
An ensuing stretch of 1-in-113 leads to Newry, on the site of the former Bessbrook station. No. 85 was doing well to maintain 59½mph at Milepost 72 and 56mph through Newry. The final 3¾ miles to the summit are at successive grades of 1-in-103/112/100/111/140. The Compound fell only to 48mph at the top, an excellent and noisy effort according to John Rule. The descent through Mount Pleasant to Dundalk is largely at 1-in-100/125. The principal climb on the next section to Drogheda starts between Dromin Junction and Dunleer, and continues at 1-in-197 for 5½ miles to Kellystown summit. No. 85 recorded a minimum of 53mph on the climb. The descent from Kellystown to Drogheda is largely at 1-in-177. Although the train was not booked to stop at Drogheda, it did so to fit in with other train movements. The gentle 1-in-300 down to Laytown allowed speed to rise rapidly to the limit and it was held between 55 and 60mph all the way to Rush & Lusk, beyond which the engine was eased. The usual signal checks intervened in order to fit in with the intensive DART local services, and despite 5 mins of ‘padding’ in the schedule after Howth Junction, 2½ mins were dropped on schedule to Dublin Connolly. It will be interesting to see how newly restored ‘Q’ class inside-cylinder 4-4-0 No. 131 performs in 2018.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I am grateful to the following correspondents who have commented on or contacted me about recent trips – Dr John Rule, Sandy Smeaton, David Sprackland and Dave Bradbury. I am always pleased to receive such details so they can be considered for inclusion in future ‘Top Link’ columns. They can be e-mailed to me direct at