Athlone - Mullingar line

LXFlyer

dregin wrote: »

Eurgh, just looking at Downpatrick's location for the first time >_< Any recommendations on getting there via public transport from Dublin?

Use the National Journey Planner at www.a-b.ie - it covers the entire island.


At a guess - train/bus to Belfast and bus to Downpatrick.

Losty Dublin

dregin wrote: »

Eurgh, just looking at Downpatrick's location for the first time >_< Any recommendations on getting there via public transport from Dublin?

Fear not. Their web masters have thought of people just like you

http://www.downrail.co.uk/transport.htm

I usually go to Newry and get a bus across to Downpatrick from there. It's a rough road though.

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

Losty Dublin

Fred Swanson wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Report it to their webmaster

GBOA

Dublin to Belfast by bus or train then a 515 from Belfast to Downpatrick. The 515 is every 30 minutes weekdays but only hourly on a Saturday.

Cyberbeagle

Fred Swanson wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Blame Translink for continually changing their pages!

However the route numbers remain the same

dregin wrote: »

Was just the first thing that sprang to mind if you were dealing with somewhere as remote as Barnesmore Gap. Anyway, volunteers, I've at least 7 people interested. We may land into Downpatrick and demand a full run down at 5 minutes notice

Suggest booking an appointment with the people you'd like to meet, rather than just landing on a day the DCDR may not be open or the right people there. Nor demanding all and every commercial business plan... just a hint...

Also, suggest Santa gets you "Back in Steam" by Gerry Cochrane, published from Colourpoint for Christmas or sooner. Although you can buy a copy from the DCDR's shop, and so helping the society!!

(Boards won't let me post link to book).

dregin

Losty Dublin wrote: »

Fear not. Their web masters have thought of people just like you

http://www.downrail.co.uk/transport.htm

Aye, we all work for a company fairly heavily involved with web development. First thing we decided to do was to redesign the RPSI's website for them. Looks like Downpatrick got the same person to do theirs. No harm, but they're both very unusable

Mearings

corktina wrote: »

so what would be the problem with a preserved line using the Midland station and IE make extra stops there to connect? I can't see a need for the Mullingar preserved trains to reverse to the main station.(if ever it happened that the line was re-opened as a Heritage line. Maybe there would be no need for a physical connection with all the complications that brings, just IE using one platform and the heritage line the other

It would be cheaper to build a halt at White Gates, Ballymahon Road rather than reopen the Midland station. White Gates is 10 minutes from the Southern station & Athlone Town Centre, also 10 minutes from 3 sports stadia.
However it's all pie in the sky, a walkway & cycle track is the most we can expect.

corktina

I don't know about pie in the sky....have a look at some of the dozens of UK Heritage railways that started out with a lot less to work with. This is an in-situ line with a main line at each end, it has loads of potential, what it needs is a Leader capable of creating project of considerable benefit to the area surrounding. I doubt it will happen, but that doesn't mean it can't

Cyberbeagle

dregin wrote: »

Aye, we all work for a company fairly heavily involved with web development. First thing we decided to do was to redesign the RPSI's website for them. Looks like Downpatrick got the same person to do theirs. No harm, but they're both very unusable

Ahem but no harm to you but I designed the DCDR's page from scratch in 2004 using only basic Dreamweaver skills and tried to make it as easy to navigate as possible.

Whilst we are currently engaging an outside agency to refresh the site (after all it is a ten-year old design and web technology has moved on beyond recognition since then) I still think it holds up pretty well. It's also the reason why some pages have not been updated as what's the point if it's going to be replaced in a few weeks/months?

And no I didn't do the RPSI's page.

However if you have any constructive feedback in terms of how you would alter the layout and improve navigability, from a visitor's point of view (i.e. mum and dad and not a railway enthusiast), please do email me your thoughts.

whisky_galore

corktina wrote: »

I don't know about pie in the sky....have a look at some of the dozens of UK Heritage railways that started out with a lot less to work with. This is an in-situ line with a main line at each end, it has loads of potential, what it needs is a Leader capable of creating project of considerable benefit to the area surrounding. I doubt it will happen, but that doesn't mean it can't

I don't believe people in this country have sufficient interest to see through a standard gauge line, unless it's a one man band with very deep pockets and connections. There was a small window of opportunity to do something a few years back as you well know but it got fudged.
You won't find too many Pete Watermans here, all we have is the naive 'Oh wouldn't it be nice to have a choo-choo train?':pac:

dregin

Cyberbeagle wrote: »

Ahem but no harm to you but I designed the DCDR's page from scratch in 2004 using only basic Dreamweaver skills and tried to make it as easy to navigate as possible.

Whilst we are currently engaging an outside agency to refresh the site (after all it is a ten-year old design and web technology has moved on beyond recognition since then) I still think it holds up pretty well. It's also the reason why some pages have not been updated as what's the point if it's going to be replaced in a few weeks/months?

And no I didn't do the RPSI's page.

However if you have any constructive feedback in terms of how you would alter the layout and improve navigability, from a visitor's point of view (i.e. mum and dad and not a railway enthusiast), please do email me your thoughts.

Sorry for the completely off the cuff remark about your work on a public forum. It was completely unnecessary.

We'd like to help anyone in any way we can. I can host the site for free and if you haven't already put pen to paper with the outside agency, we'd be happy to look into doing it for free.

Again, I'm sorry for the utterly headless comment above.

dennis124wwr

Got any pictures of trains passing the line?

GBOA

dregin wrote: »

Sorry for the completely off the cuff remark about your work on a public forum. It was completely unnecessary.

We'd like to help anyone in any way we can. I can host the site for free and if you haven't already put pen to paper with the outside agency, we'd be happy to look into doing it for free.

Again, I'm sorry for the utterly headless comment above.

I wish you'd known that before I did the ITG site. My effort is, I'm sure, hugely amateur in the eyes of someone who knows what they're doing in that field.

Sorry for going OT mods....

Any truth to this:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057307516

csd

Karsini wrote: »

Any truth to this:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057307516

Mullingar - Athlone was opened as a double track line. The greenway between Athlone and Mullingar is being developed using one half of the double-track alignment. It will be developed under licence, with a provision to allow IE to reopen the line to traffic in future using the remaining space.

/csd

BeardySi

That sounds suspiciously like common sense... I smell a rat!

end of the road

csd wrote: »

Mullingar - Athlone was opened as a double track line. The greenway between Athlone and Mullingar is being developed using one half of the double-track alignment. It will be developed under licence, with a provision to allow IE to reopen the line to traffic in future using the remaining space.

/csd

the provision to reopen it as a double track line is what should be the case. doesn't have to be all at once obviously

ClovenHoof

Sounds too good to be true allowing the option for possible rail use. The Midland Line is well made quality piece of rail engineering.

h.gricer

http://briansolomon.com/trackingthelight/2014/10/23/moate-cabin-may-23-2003/



Rgds
hg

whyulittle

Some pics of the Greenway works.

https://www.facebook.com/TheHeritageCouncil/posts/970641999616091

Judgement Day

Got to love the Heritage Council's Facebook page - you would swear they were the most active conservation organisation on the planet.

Pete_Cavan

csd wrote: »

Mullingar - Athlone was opened as a double track line. The greenway between Athlone and Mullingar is being developed using one half of the double-track alignment. It will be developed under licence, with a provision to allow IE to reopen the line to traffic in future using the remaining space.

/csd

Surely it would be too dangerous to have recreational walkers and cyclists along side a live train line? Looking at the photos linked above, there isnt a huge amount of space available for any kind of meaningful barrier. Would they be better of just going all greenway keep it as a railway line (even if it is not currently in use)?

Mearings

Pete_Cavan wrote: »

Surely it would be too dangerous to have recreational walkers and cyclists along side a live train line? Looking at the photos linked above, there isnt a huge amount of space available for any kind of meaningful barrier. Would they be better of just going all greenway keep it as a railway line (even if it is not currently in use)?

The next train is due in 2034.

csd

Pete_Cavan wrote: »

Surely it would be too dangerous to have recreational walkers and cyclists along side a live train line? Looking at the photos linked above, there isnt a huge amount of space available for any kind of meaningful barrier. Would they be better of just going all greenway keep it as a railway line (even if it is not currently in use)?

See the diagram of the structure and loading gauge on page 59 of the Network Statement here:

http://www.irishrail.ie/media/ie_2015_network_statement_m.pdf

There should be enough space for a fence and still have 2.8 metres for a foot/cycle path.

/csd

Judgement Day

csd wrote: »

See the diagram of the structure and loading gauge on page 59 of the Network Statement here:

http://www.irishrail.ie/media/ie_2015_network_statement_m.pdf

There should be enough space for a fence and still have 2.8 metres for a foot/cycle path.

/csd

What's the point - the way things are going on Irish Rail it will soon be possible to extend the greenway all the way to Galway.

GM228

Pete_Cavan wrote: »

Surely it would be too dangerous to have recreational walkers and cyclists along side a live train line? Looking at the photos linked above, there isnt a huge amount of space available for any kind of meaningful barrier. Would they be better of just going all greenway keep it as a railway line (even if it is not currently in use)?

It ain't a live train line anymore and no chance of any trains any time soon! The connection at the Athlone end was severed several months ago and the Mullingar end will be severed during 2015, also the LC gates at Castletown were changed last year to a type which is impossible to open preventing even the odd inspection car operating!

GM228

whisky_galore

Pete_Cavan wrote: »

Surely it would be too dangerous to have recreational walkers and cyclists along side a live train line? Looking at the photos linked above, there isnt a huge amount of space available for any kind of meaningful barrier. Would they be better of just going all greenway keep it as a railway line (even if it is not currently in use)?

How on earth did the H&S mandarins allow something as unsafe as the LUAS to be built, imagine that; trams, pedestrians, buses and cars all sharing the same space with no fences!:pac: How their heads didn't explode is beyond me.

Pete_Cavan

GM228 wrote: »

It ain't a live train line anymore and no chance of any trains any time soon! The connection at the Athlone end was severed several months ago and the Mullingar end will be severed during 2015, also the LC gates at Castletown were changed last year to a type which is impossible to open preventing even the odd inspection car operating!

Thats my point, why use half the trackbed for the greenway when trains wont be using the other half for the foreseeable future (or possibly ever)? Thats why I asked is there space for both to operate safely - if there isnt then it should all be greenway.

whisky_galore wrote: »

How on earth did the H&S mandarins allow something as unsafe as the LUAS to be built, imagine that; trams, pedestrians, buses and cars all sharing the same space with no fences!:pac: How their heads didn't explode is beyond me.

There are a number of slight differences between an electrified Luas tram moving a couple of hundred metres between stations and the speed and type of engine which would operate on the Athlone Mullingar line, if you look closely you might spot them. I can be obnoxious and childish too you know.