[Heritage] The Day the Pope Visited Phoenix Park in 1979 and the Railway Logistics

Run_to_da_hills

Dose anyone remember travelling by train on this day?

I can distinctly remember getting a souvenir vintage style cardboard return ticket in papal colours from Glenageary to the Phoenix park. I can also remember trains having visible capital letters on the cabs of each loco / DVT (AEC Railcar) describing its origin and destination. (like the New York metro system). I never saw so many trains present in and around Connolly at one time in my whole life.

Dose anyone have any archive photos of this occasion? It was probably one of the only days in History where every operational train in the country was directed to the capital to cater for the crowds that attended this event.

I would guess if there was to be a repeat this event Iarnrod Eireann would have to lay on special trains for protesters.

dowlingm

I suspect that the numbers would be way down simply because of tighter safety regs - so because of no SDO you could not for instance put a 9 car 22K train out of Westport and open doors at different points of the train and so on and so forth.

dmcronin

The State Coach was prepared and on standby for JP2, in the event it wasn't needed.

Unusually, the Working TT was also printed with Papal colours and crest on the cover.

dowlingm

dowlingm wrote: »

I suspect that the numbers would be way down simply because of tighter safety regs - so because of no SDO you could not for instance put a 9 car 22K train out of Westport and open doors at different points of the train and so on and so forth.

Gone are the days of the train guard announcing: "please move forward towards the front of the train in order to alight on the platform safely."

Run_to_da_hills

dowlingm wrote: »

I suspect that the numbers would be way down simply because of tighter safety regs - so because of no SDO you could not for instance put a 9 car 22K train out of Westport and open doors at different points of the train and so on and so forth.

I don't actually remember the trains being physically longer than normal trains at the time also I don't think there would have had the power to pull them. The only times that I would have seen double heading would have been with the 121's which was quite common for them at that time.

flyingsnail

I had a quick look through the circular for that week. The highest numbered special I could see was special number 259. I must have a closer look at it later. There was to be a 5 minute interval shuttle service from Ashtown to Pearse.

They also installed a temporary signal box at Ashtown to deal with the number of trains that weekend. It was commissioned at 11:30 on Friday and decommissioned on Monday.

dowlingm

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

I don't actually remember the trains being physically longer than normal trains at the time also I don't think there would have had the power to pull them. The only times that I would have seen double heading would have been with the 121's which was quite common for them at that time.

I'm thinking though in those times the normal consists would be longer than 3/6 cars, with as Karsini said announcements as to which doors would face a platform.

Run_to_da_hills

flyingsnail wrote: »

There was to be a 5 minute interval shuttle service from Ashtown to Pearse.

That would have been a record in itself.

foggy_lad

dowlingm wrote: »

I'm thinking though in those times the normal consists would be longer than 3/6 cars, with as Karsini said announcements as to which doors would face a platform.

Not normally but many platforms were too short for 6 carriages and could only accomodate 3/4 so those in the last two or three had to move forward at the stations with short platforms

Our man in Havana

flyingsnail wrote: »

I had a quick look through the circular for that week. The highest numbered special I could see was special number 259. I must have a closer look at it later. There was to be a 5 minute interval shuttle service from Ashtown to Pearse.

They also installed a temporary signal box at Ashtown to deal with the number of trains that weekend. It was commissioned at 11:30 on Friday and decommissioned on Monday.

Are there any pictures of this signal box or its associated signals?

Losty Dublin

I have a copy of the WTT for the weekend. When I get a few minutes later on today, I'll post up a shortened version of it along with any relevant notes for the few days.