SWIFfT and the South Wexford Line - potential heritage opportunity.

The True Puka

It's been quite a while now since we've heard any news on the proposals by SWIFfT so set up a community rail partnership with a foreign operator. I remember there was much fanfare regarding three potential operators who had expressed interest in the line.
However, looking at their website and the SWIFfT facebook page there has been practically no activity for the past 12 months.
I was berated as a stereotypically negative Irish naysayer on their page when I suggested that they were on a hiding to nowhere because no operator could expect to turn a profit on a line through such a sparsely populated area.

Now given that the line is still in fairly good condition I feel that it could serve as a perfect base for a potential heritage operation. There are plenty fine structures and stations along the line. The presence of a heritage group on the line would also serve a useful security function, particularly given that a few years ago there were reports of metal theft and several hundred yards of rail disappearing over night.
The sidings in Wellington bridge would serve as an ideal operating base.

Con Logue

Of course what was excluded, deliberately or otherwise was the use of the South Wexford line for connections to Limerick and even Cork as well as Waterford. Not that IR wanted that business from the 1990s onwards despite the willingness of the UK companies to promote SailRail.

My first preference would be to flog IR for euro to either Deutsche Bahn or SNCF but failing that I do think heritage use would be the next best option. Idleness has a cost.

corktina

whereas I would love to see more heritage operations, I see the following problems.

1 Lack of volunteers
2 No available steam locos (ITG have more diesel locos than they can find uses for, so potential there)
3 No rolling stock available
4 finance
5 premises/buildings

Probably these are in order of difficulty, none of them are insoluble

The True Puka

I would disagree with your last point.
There are still plenty of Mk3 stock laid up in various locations.
If it weren't left to rot it would be more achievable.
It is one of my main gripes that the preservation groups crib about stock and then make practically no effort to aquire it when it's available. They were advertised several times.

A 121, a 181 and a few mk3s with modified brakes would be ideal. Especially since one of the 121s last passenger duties was on the boat train from

You can probably add the Barrow Bridge to that list.

The True Puka

it would be a fine spectacle to see 124 or 190 with a rake or mk 3s on the Barrow bridge.
But in reality the demise of the barrow bridge might in a way help the case of using the SWL as a heritage line. With the barrow bridge unserviceable, the line would be more or less useless to IE whose main use for it at the minute is stock transfers. Out of use would mean the heritage operation would have more freedom. Plenty of sidings and a loop at wellington bridge. I do know Wellington Bridge was subjected to some level of vandalism since closing.
Were enquiries made ata any stage? It would be great to see the ITG locos there rather than growing rusty up in Moyasta.

corktina

the Mk3s are surely pretty useless for a heritage operation , being aircon with sealed windows.

Yes, add the Barrow bridge but I was kind of assuming that any heritage operation would'nt include the whole line and the Bridge would be a bridge too far for a new line

end of the road

as much as i would love to see a heritage operation on it, once the barrow bridge is declared unsafe the lifting train and the rest will be along to make sure the line is eradicated into the history books so nobody or nothing can use it

The True Puka

Not necessarily. If the preservation and heritage groups keep the heat on it should keep the lifing train at bay.
An unsafe for use Barrow bridge is an opportunity for heritage operations. But the ITG will not go for it for one reason or another. It would be an ideal location.
Anyway there's a care and maintenance order on it so even if they don't keep it in order, they are not allowed to lift it.

Hungerford

The True Puka wrote: »

Anyway there's a care and maintenance order on it so even if they don't keep it in order, they are not allowed to lift it.

The Barrow Bridge is covered by that order so they have to keep it working too.

The True Puka

Hungerford wrote: »

The Barrow Bridge is covered by that order so they have to keep it working too.

They foynes and Yaughal have similar care and maintenance orders. :P

Whatever about the main line, if the bridge developed a serious fault or severe corrosion was damaged or the opening mechanism gave trouble it would effectively be abandoned on the grounds that it would be too expensive to repair.

It would actually suit a heritage operator for the bridge to go out of action as the argument of IE and the operator having scheduling or line use conflicts would evaporate.
Now, were'd I leave my semtex? I will blow it up!!:D (that's a joke by the way)

The True Puka

The True Puka wrote: »

But the ITG will not go for it for one reason or another. It would be an ideal location.

Tis true. Lazy shower. Bring back the True Puka he knew how to get things done.

GBOA

If as many people volunteered as were able to volunteer opinions, the possibilities would be huge.

dowlingm

The True Puka wrote: »

They foynes and Yaughal have similar care and maintenance orders.

They are not.

The order in question came from a body which didn't exist even when Foynes closed. Limerick County Council tried to get IE to preserve that line but IE ran rings around them in the High Court.

Didn't the weedsprayer go down there last week or is due to this week?