Cork (Kent) Station - as it used to be

Victor

This shows that there used to be 6 numbered platforms in Cork.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Railway_station_in_Cork_NLI.jpg

topnotch

Interesting photo of elephants at Kent Station near very bottom of page.

http://corkheritage.ie/?page_id=388

The True Puka

Itssoeasy wrote: »

It's amazing they built a tunnel that long and at that gradient in 1855. And I know I'm probably biased but Kent station is the nicest one Ive seen. I love the curved train shed and just the lay out of the station and how there are still semaphores at the east end of the station. And the old signal still on the platform and a subway instead of a footbridge and how the station still has the black and white tiles on the platform. It still has character is what I'm trying to say.

Indeed you are quite right. However, that is soon to change for the worst. Kent redevelopment is just the latest in IE's determination to erase anything of historical note from the network. The wrought iron railings have already succumbed to the cutters torch and now lie in the builders compound.
I doubt they will be replaced, no doubt for "Health and Safety" reasons and cheapo stainless steel tubes are already in their place.
Where they are left at the moment, they are prime beef for metal thieves.
I'd imagine they will remove the tiles as well as part of the platform stabilisation plan. Proably be replaced by concrete flags or else plastered over with that god awful red grippy coating.

I'd advise anyone to go down and do a good photographic survey of the place while it still has some of it's originality.

I would be fearful that it will meet the same fate as Connolly after the job they did on that. Ruined really now and there's nothing of interest left in the main concourse.

gobnaitolunacy

They put up replica railings maybe 10 years ago that were in character with originals, now it looks very like the first day ones around the subway are being replaced with something more suited to the interior of a cattle mart, mores the pity.

The True Puka

Do you think there's any chance some of the preservation groups could get their hands on the railings and maybe sell them to enthusiasts or other groups to raise funds.
It would be an ideal opportunity for the ITG. €100 a panel would make a nice little contribution towards 226.

gobnaitolunacy

Chances are, if they survive the attentions of metal fanatics, they'll be whisked away up to some Inchicore warehouse with all the ETS instruments, staffs and the Lost Ark of the Covenant.

The True Puka

Christ that's depressing.

Do the IRRS have any plans for another visit to Inchicore works. I remembered the last one in 2008 or 9 (which turned out to be a bit of a circus) I explored the outside some warehouses alone. Looking in the windows you could see a lot of random stuff.

Perhaps on the next visit there could be some arrangement to inspect the contents of some of the storage locations and photograph the contents.
Unfortunately on the last visit some of the older guard tool liberites and rambled off where they were told not to go. This caused a lot of bad blood. I personally witnessed one particular individual scrambling over a pile of scrap to get at a pair of Mk3s lined up on the scrapping line. This caused a lot of bad blood.
Anyway, what I think should be done with all this gear is to perhaps donate it to a preservation group who could make use of it. Perhaps directly or selling it to enthusiasts to raise funds.
One thing that's for certain is that it will slowly disappear from the yard for good.
I know that in certain depots in the past, large scale pilfering from stores was absolutely endemic. I remember back in the 90's in my home town where local railwaymen drinking in the pubs every night would always be doing deals involving various pieces material- from PW pieces to brand new halogen yard lights, fencing, ducting and drainage materials. It was standard form back in them days - there was something wrong with you if you weren't in on some sort of fiddle.
I know this because my father once bought good few lengths of galvanised channel iron from a railway worker that he used to build a trailer body.
Heritage equipment would be big bucks and would probably go unnoticed from the stores.
Perhaps we should approach IE with a view to inspecting and aquireing some defunct equipment?

Losty Dublin

gobnaitolunacy wrote: »

Chances are, if they survive the attentions of metal fanatics, they'll be whisked away up to some Inchicore warehouse with all the ETS instruments, staffs and the Lost Ark of the Covenant.

ETS signal equipment actually belongs to Eircom, they being the successors to P+T and the days of Telegraph. It's up to them where it ends up, or at least it is their call.

Temp101

ETS Machines are the property of IE and eircom are just paid for maintenance.

Losty Dublin

Temp101 wrote: »

ETS Machines are the property of IE and eircom are just paid for maintenance.

The ETS aren't Irish Rail property; they are derived from the old days of telegrams and are the property of P+T and hence Eircom. The signals and lever frames themselves are railway articles and the railway maintains same.

Or maybe the Irish Rail signal executive who told me this is wrong and you right

The True Puka

Losty Dublin wrote: »

The ETS aren't Irish Rail property; they are derived from the old days of telegrams and are the property of P+T and hence Eircom. The signals and lever frames themselves are railway articles and the railway maintains same.

Or maybe the Irish Rail signal executive who told me this is wrong and you right

Either way, there should be some move made to obtain some of them for the enthusiast scene . I'd be confident that they would be made available as they are of no use whatsoever to either company at this stage.
Perhaps someone should approach Gregg Ryan in IE as I believe he is responsible for this sort of thing. What would be the best approach to take I wonder? It's an awful waste in the current situation.

gobnaitolunacy

A number of ex IE instruments have already been sent to the Welsh Highland.

Temp101

Losty Dublin wrote: »

Or maybe the Irish Rail signal executive who told me this is wrong and you right

Remind your IE contact that the IE Heritage Officer collects the old equipment when cabins are closed, and he then has them stored. The Welsh Highland, in recent years, has been the recipient of former IE ETS machines for their proposed replacement of staff and ticket, provided through the IE Heritage Officer.

Losty Dublin

Temp101 wrote: »

Remind your IE contact that the IE Heritage Officer collects the old equipment when cabins are closed, and he then has them stored. The Welsh Highland, in recent years, has been the recipient of former IE ETS machines for their proposed replacement of staff and ticket, provided through the IE Heritage Officer.

The CIE heritage officer obtains them from Eircom simply because they as a company have no use for them otherwise they end up being dumped ands scavenged (Which has happened a lot in the past). There are a couple of firms in England that still work with ETS and token/tablet systems; they strip them down before they are stored and/or passed on to the likes of the Welsh Highland. Where the heritage officer comes in to it is that he know's the if's and what's of it all for

And I'll be honest here; like you I thought it was Irish Rail's to use and dispose of as they wished till I found out otherwise from my friend.