IARNRÓD ÉIREANN / IRISH RAIL
■ TRAFFIC AND TRACTION: On July 22 GM No. 215 worked an empty rail train to Waterford from Portlaoise PW yard, to where it returned the next day with a consignment of new imported rail. The annual Bray Air Show was held this year on July 24. Additional DART EMUs were operated from Dublin, as demand for travel by spectators was anticipated to be high. With an intense service being operated, congestion on the line occurred with trains being held at signals. As the day was hot and sunny, some passengers chose to abandon their trains and walk along the tracks to Bray. This in turn delayed following services which compounded the problem. Irish Rail CEO Jim Meade later apologised for the congestion and overheating in the trains. It is reported that the sphere of operation of ballast cleaner No. 781 on the mothballed Waterford (Belview) to Rosslare Strand line included running to Kilcavin No. 1 road level crossing, two miles from Wellingtonbridge, in the section to Rosslare Strand as part of staff training.
MPV No. 790 treated the Rosslare Strand to Wellingtonbridge section with weedkiller on July 26. On July 31, GM No. 086 ran light engine to Greystones from Dublin, to where it returned hauling RPSI steam loco
No. 85 and its train of seven Cravens coaches and BR van No. 3173. No. 85 had been failed at Greystones on the Rosslare to Connolly leg of a ‘Rockin Food Festival’ special and passengers transferred to a Dublin-bound service train. XPO container traffic between Belview and Ballina continued to run twice-weekly during the period under review, with some trains being lightly loaded. Noted were: No. 076 with a Ballina-bound train on July 25, which conveyed nine tanks, while this loco headed another Ballina-bound train on the 29th which had eight boxes and eight tanks.
No. 085 worked a Belview-bound train on August 9, which conveyed two tanks, while the return working with the same loco the next day had five boxes and three tanks. No. 088 was in charge of an XPO train on the 17th which was recessed at Waterford Sallypark yard. It had conveyed six boxes from Ballina, but the return working from Belview ran empty.
IWT container traffic between Dublin Port and Ballina continues to be buoyant. Locos noted on the flow included Nos. 071, 074, 085, 086,
088, 218 and 219, while those on the Ballina/Westport to Waterford timber traffic included: Nos. 071, 079 and 088. Nos. 075 and 081 were regular power on Tara Mines trains between Navan and Alexandra Road, North Wall.
A private charter from Killarney to Heuston on August 15 was worked by a nine-car ICR DMU formation, Nos. 22x32+22x17. Belmond-liveried
No. 216 worked an empty Portlaoise PW yard to Waterford rail train on the 19th. No 218 failed on the Alexandra Road Tramway later the same day while hauling an IWT container train, however, the complete train was able to be moved after a delay of around 60 minutes.
■ NEWS IN BRIEF: Belmond Mk.3 ex-IR No. 7129 Waterford has been transferred from Inchicore to Hamilton, Scotland. The RPSI’s ex-IR Mk.3 ‘Executive’ coach No. 7161 has been moved by road from Inchicore to Newcastle West, County Limerick, where it is to be used for non-railway purposes. The vehicle was reliveried at Inchicore into a retro 1950s CIE green colour scheme with ‘flying snail’ logo.
■ PRESERVATION: August 6-18 was a busy period for preservationists, with vehicles being transferred by road to new owners/locations. The Downpatrick and County Down Railway (D&CDR) took delivery of IR ballast plough van No. 24852 and three two-axle hoppers from North Wall, Dublin. The next deliveries to the D&CDR were a NIR Plasser & Theurer tamper and a Geismar VMT machine.
The Connemara Railway Project at Maam Cross received IR ballast plough van No. 24853 and three two-axle hoppers, plus two IR two-axle tank cars. The 1978-built ballast plough vans and the 1972-built hoppers had been stored since 2013 when new high output ballast hoppers were introduced. The former engine shed at Mullingar which has been the RPSI’s southern base for many years, has been condemned and may be demolished. Stored carriages Nos. 813 and 837 have been removed to Maam Cross and Whitehead respectively.
The RPSI has taken delivery of ex-BR Mk.2 TSO No. 5188 from the Caledonian Railway.