The Ammonia Train

youknowwho · 19-06-2013 10:21am #1

Does anyone have photos of the IFI ammonia train. I grew up in Greystones and loved running down to a pedestrian crossing as the train travelled through at about 10 in the morning. The vibrations from the loco and the wagons scared the life out of me - for a young kid is was a great adrenaline rush.

From memory it used to head in to Connolly along under Croke Park, under the Pheonix Park and down to Cork. I think it also derailed once going throught Dublin.

I also seem to remember seeing the same or similar train in the 1980's heading towards Limerick from Adare.

Anyone have any info on this train that they wish to share?

Captain Chaos · 19-06-2013 10:57am

It ran up until 2002 until there was a media report raising concerns about the safety of the train. I think the plant at sheldon closed soon after and the train was cancelled. There was talks of moving the ammonia by road after the media report.

It used to be hauled by an A class loco up till 1995, then the 201s took over. On shorter Ammonia trains sometimes a single 141 would haul it. They had a barrier wagon filled with water at each end of the train as protecting incase of a crash, the ammonia tankers would not get hit first.

goingnowhere · 19-06-2013 10:59am

IFI went bust, train stopped as a result

Indeed most freight on Irish Rail was lost when the company involved ceased trading

Captain Chaos · 19-06-2013 11:04am

Here is 146 hauling a train. General formation was 6 tankers and 2 barriers but longer train were tired out when the 201s came along.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FY9LFxUg6RY

rainbowdash · 19-06-2013 1:12pm

youknowwho wrote: »

I also seem to remember seeing the same or similar train in the 1980's heading towards Limerick from Adare.

They could have been cement trains, as were common in the Limerick area until recently.

As regards the ending of the ammonia traffic, did the ILDA strikes not drive some customers away?

Losty Dublin · 19-06-2013 2:52pm

rainbowdash wrote: »

They could have been cement trains, as were common in the Limerick area until recently.

More likely it was oil or molasses traffic; they were both carried through Foynes in tankers.

Rocky Bay · 19-06-2013 5:18pm

What happened to the ammonia tankers, were they scrapped?

Captain Chaos · 19-06-2013 5:56pm

Rocky Bay wrote: »

What happened to the ammonia tankers, were they scrapped?

Yep. Only place they could be is in Limerick yard along with the retired shale, bulk cement wagons and half the unused pocket wagons. And they aint there. They had no other purpose and scrapped.

Rocky Bay · 19-06-2013 8:13pm

Captain Chaos wrote: »

Yep. Only place they could be is in Limerick yard along with the retired shale, bulk cement wagons and half the unused pocket wagons. And they aint there. They had no other purpose and scrapped.

I hope they regret scrapping the container cars. Seems to me they have demand for them in the future.

Losty Dublin · 19-06-2013 9:56pm

Rocky Bay wrote: »

I hope they regret scrapping the container cars. Seems to me they have demand for them in the future.

CIE apparently only owned the bogies on which the tanks sat. The tanks and wagon were owned by a French company and leased to IFI. I'd presume that they were returned when IFI was wound up.

cbl593h · 20-06-2013 10:36am

A great picture http://www.flickr.com/photos/be216cd1/7840962932/

And is this a water wagon ?? http://www.flickr.com/photos/be216cd1/7054906925/in/photostream/

davidlacey · 20-06-2013 10:53am

cbl593h wrote: »

A great picture http://www.flickr.com/photos/be216cd1/7840962932/

And is this a water wagon ?? http://www.flickr.com/photos/be216cd1/7054906925/in/photostream/

It certainly is, obviously playing hide and seek with the scrap machine!

I for one miss this classic freight train having lived in bray which it passed on a regular basis using the middle line which is more than often used now for dart storage now and in glounthaune only a few minutes drive to the factory just past fota... if only they had camera phones back!

dowlingm · 20-06-2013 2:11pm

To be honest it was pretty bonkers hauling that ammonia round the country through urban areas - the production should have moved to a nearby site where the ammonia could have been sent through a pipeline. No loss that it's gone. Same with the acrylonitrile.

end of the road · 20-06-2013 5:53pm

dowlingm wrote: »

To be honest it was pretty bonkers hauling that ammonia round the country through urban areas - the production should have moved to a nearby site where the ammonia could have been sent through a pipeline.

it could have been worse, it could have been brought by road

roundymac · 20-06-2013 8:55pm

rainbowdash wrote: »

They could have been cement trains, as were common in the Limerick area until recently.

As regards the ending of the ammonia traffic, did the ILDA strikes not drive some customers away?

Ammonia was sent to Asahi in Ballina as well, this could be the trains you saw in Limerick, went up the WRC.

csd · 21-06-2013 2:44pm

roundymac wrote: »

Ammonia was sent to Asahi in Ballina as well, this could be the trains you saw in Limerick, went up the WRC.

I think it was acrylonitrile rather than ammonia that went to Asahi.

/csd

Itssoeasy · 21-06-2013 6:48pm

Speaking of this train when I was young I vividly remember something "exploding" and coating the roofs of the houses that back onto Kent station with a white powder and the boundary wall of the station aswell. Was that ammonia ?

goingnowhere · 21-06-2013 7:14pm

Never was a release of anhydrous ammonia

White powder sounds more like the foam generating gear on the barrier wagon gone wrong

Ammonia stinks, open a bottle with the stuff in a large room and in seconds everyone will notice

If released likely to see strange cloud forming. Serious breathing and eye problems will follow pretty quickly as it will try to suck all the water out of you.

Really nasty stuff

seagoebox · 21-06-2013 9:23pm

There was an "explosion" in one of the cement silos in the yard just behind the loco shed., that is probably what you are referring to.

21-06-2013 11:03pm

seagoebox wrote: »

There was an "explosion" in one of the cement silos in the yard just behind the loco shed., that is probably what you are referring to.

I'd say so. If it were an ammonia explosion it probably would have taken out half of Cork city!

rainbowdash · 21-06-2013 11:26pm

dowlingm wrote: »

To be honest it was pretty bonkers hauling that ammonia round the country through urban areas - the production should have moved to a nearby site where the ammonia could have been sent through a pipeline. No loss that it's gone. Same with the acrylonitrile.

I don't think its as dangerous as hauling diesel or petrol tanks around the country, which happens 24 / 7.

Sligo Quay · 21-06-2013 11:52pm

I read somewhere the ammonia tanks went to Cork on a liner to be scrapped but Iv never seen pictures, it was more expensive to return them to the owners STS so they scrapped them instead.

vickers209 · 22-06-2013 12:05am

They use to go down to Arklow to the ifi plant twice a day too if i remember rightly. the line runs in front of my grandads house
as a kid use to love watching the trains passing by there..

dowlingm · 22-06-2013 2:51am

rainbowdash wrote: »

I don't think its as dangerous as hauling diesel or petrol tanks around the country, which happens 24 / 7.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1979_Mississauga_train_derailment
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minot_train_derailment

gobnaitolunacy · 24-06-2013 4:55pm

CaptainFreedom · 24-06-2013 7:07pm

Thats 1 thing I remember with loco changes at Connolly on the Ammonia trains (usually on Platform 5), the dayglo orange flight cases with the safety equipment being placed in the loco cabs, at least when an A class was in charge there was loads of room in the cab

rainbowdash · 24-06-2013 8:12pm

Why are some of the contents of the emergency kit rubber out?

gobnaitolunacy · 24-06-2013 8:16pm

rainbowdash wrote: »

Why are some of the contents of the emergency kit rubber out?

I could tell you, but then I would have to kill you :mad:

Itssoeasy · 24-06-2013 9:00pm

seagoebox wrote: »

There was an "explosion" in one of the cement silos in the yard just behind the loco shed., that is probably what you are referring to.

Well if it was in the early to mid nineties then ya. And was it in the same place as the one right in the corner is now ? Seems a long way away for it to get near those houses all the way across the yard.

gobnaitolunacy · 25-06-2013 7:55am

Itssoeasy wrote: »

Well if it was in the early to mid nineties then ya. And was it in the same place as the one right in the corner is now ? Seems a long way away for it to get near those houses all the way across the yard.

You'd be surprised how far fine dust will travel...
http://metofficenews.wordpress.com/2012/06/28/dust-storm-brings-saharan-sand-to-the-uk/

The Ammonia Train

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