Question/Answers

davidlacey

Just have few questions to throw out there and pick your brain's a little:

http://eiretrains.com/Photo_Gallery/Railway%20Stations%20R/Rathdrum/slides/Rathdrum_20050325_009_CC_JA.html

The siding on the right has a nickname the long siding or something like that but what was its use( was it a Parnell personal siding or something of that nature) and why it remains partially in situ.

http://eiretrains.com/Photo_Gallery/Railway%20Stations%20W/Waterford%20West/slides/WaterfordWest_20090325_007_CC_JA.html

Not exactly disused but almost there, in its heyday how much freight traffic did Waterford West freight yard actually deal with and would had it been considered one of the main freight yards along with Barrack Street, Cork, North Wall, Adeliade Etc... And after recent rationalization of Waterford Is further rationalization imminent for this once busy yard.

And on Adeliade Yard is freight dead and buried in the North?

I know completely random but just to get the ball rolling...

goingnowhere

davidlacey wrote: »

Just have few questions to throw out there and pick your brain's a little:

http://eiretrains.com/Photo_Gallery/Railway%20Stations%20R/Rathdrum/slides/Rathdrum_20050325_009_CC_JA.html

The siding on the right has a nickname the long siding or something like that but what was its use( was it a Parnell personal siding or something of that nature) and why it remains partially in situ.

Its a safety feature to ensure a train arriving from Dublin doesn't enter the steep downgrade towards Avoca without permission, if a train runs the red signal it will end up in the siding. Its called the Wood siding

Eiretrains

davidlacey wrote: »

The siding on the right has a nickname the long siding or something like that but what was its use( was it a Parnell personal siding or something of that nature) and why it remains partially in situ.

Not exactly disused but almost there, in its heyday how much freight traffic did Waterford West freight yard actually deal with and would had it been considered one of the main freight yards along with Barrack Street, Cork, North Wall, Adeliade Etc... And after recent rationalization of Waterford Is further rationalization imminent for this once busy yard.

And on Adeliade Yard is freight dead and buried in the North?

That siding in Rathdrum is known as the 'Wood Siding', not sure the origin of that name or if the siding had a specific use. In Shepherd/Beesley's book the siding is described as been frequently used as a refuge for goods trains, which could also take water from the nearby tower; the gradients on that section of the line being particularly steep. Edit: and also described as above.

Wateford West was a huge goods handling area, particularly considering it dealt with goods traffic from five different lines which converged on Waterford City. Towards the end Belview Port took most of the container traffic.

Adelaide yard has now been converted to NIR's new railcar depot, still partially under construction.

davidlacey

I understand and have seen pictures of the railcar depot but did 2003/Translink takeover signal the end for Northern Railfreight

Eiretrains

davidlacey wrote: »

I understand and have seen pictures of the railcar depot but did 2003/Translink takeover signal the end for Northern Railfreight

The only freight in Northern Ireland were operated by Irish Rail, with the exception of fertilizer specials to Derry, still operated on behalf of IR. Goods traffic within Northern Ireland had ceased as long ago as 1965. The last freight to NI was withdrawn by IR, this been the Guinness traffic, and at the same time the fertilizer industry of IFI also ceased.

dowlingm

No wagons and only three 111s - even if freight was to be had there's not much to move it with.

Losty Dublin

dowlingm wrote: »

No wagons and only three 111s - even if freight was to be had there's not much to move it with.

The Ulster Transport Authority actually used specially set up railcars called the Multi Purpose Diesels to haul freight trains in the 60's

corktina

Losty Dublin wrote: »

The Ulster Transport Authority actually used specially set up railcars called the Multi Purpose Diesels to haul freight trains in the 60's

no more than you'd expect from a crowd of gurriers like UTA

davidlacey

corktina wrote: »

Losty Dublin wrote: »

The Ulster Transport Authority actually used specially set up railcars called the Multi Purpose Diesels to haul freight trains in the 60's

no more than you'd expect from a crowd of gurriers like UTA

Whats the issue with UTA?

Judgement Day

Yeah, what's wrong with the UTA? They did a mean line in crockery and I still use their cutlery every day.

davidlacey

Judgement Day wrote: »

Yeah, what's wrong with the UTA? They did a mean line in crockery and I still use their cutlery every day.

No im just saying can someone fill me in on the joke that us the UTA

dowlingm

Losty Dublin wrote: »

The Ulster Transport Authority actually used specially set up railcars called the Multi Purpose Diesels to haul freight trains in the 60's

I think Dick F mused about freight DMUs some time back. Hmm... how about... lop the tops off the 2700s, add some timber enclosures top and tail them with 2750s :D:D

Losty Dublin

davidlacey wrote: »

Whats the issue with UTA?

The Ulster Transport Authority took on the management of public transport and freight in the North from the end of the 40's, with the exception of the operations of the Greant Northern Railway. They proceeded to run buses and trucks to directly compete with the rail services they also ran and began a drastic plan of closing down almost every line in the province, including many which were making profits at the time; once stations and lines were closed they were promptly built on in no time atall to ensure rails demise.

Any lines that were left open were run into the ground with no modernisation or improvement of services, stations building in most locations were also razed, wholescale sacking of staff, locomotives and carriages were rarely serviced and were left largely inoperable and unreliable, so much so that they resorted to buying used and run down stock and engines from CIE to run specials and what little freight the carried. They reluctantly took on the GNR with CIE after pressure from Stormont in 1952, they wanted to downgrade the Dublin line to single track, even resignaling the line in readiness for same while they closed sections of track on GNR lines that ran in the six counties without agreement with CIE!!! They also cut off the suburban Bangor line from the main network, almost rendering what was the busiest line under their care bankrupt.

In 1966, Stormont had enough of their slash and burn policy and abolished them to set up NIR, Ulsterbus and a road transport arm to handle what little freight that was left by then; by then the damage was done on almost 600 miles of railway, not all of which they even owned!

Losty Dublin

I should add that the only positive step taken by the UTA was the largescale introduction of railcars on many line (Bangor was the first main line in the UK or Ireland to be entirely dieselised). That said, there are those who would argue that this was due to happen under the NCC and the BCDR in any case; the GNR had by then bought BUT and Leyland/AEC railcars for their own lines.

Sligo Quay

davidlacey wrote: »

No im just saying can someone fill me in on the joke that us the UTA

Don't mention the war, can't fill you in on a few words, Sligo Leitrim and Northern Counties etc etc etc etc............ where do you start with the UTA, they make IR look like saints, I don't think I want to go there, bad for my blood pressure, Im going for a pint.

end of the road

and i thought CIE were bad.

Our man in Havana

I have seen the wood siding in Rathdrum in use on a few occasions. It was often used to accommodate a long train whilst waiting for a up train to arrive from Arklow. Often a down train might be too long to be able to sit in the loop with out fouling the points at the up end of the station near the viaduct.

Does anyone know if it is still in use under CTC?

flyingsnail

Our man in Havana wrote: »

I have seen the wood siding in Rathdrum in use on a few occasions. It was often used to accommodate a long train whilst waiting for a up train to arrive from Arklow. Often a down train might be too long to be able to sit in the loop with out fouling the points at the up end of the station near the viaduct.

Does anyone know if it is still in use under CTC?

Under CTC the wood siding was removed and a short portion of track was retained as a run off. AFAIK it is not possible to store a train in the retained section as it forms part of the overlap.