Loughrea Branch Memories

Judgement Day

While searching Google for something completely different this evening, I fell over this wonderful blog post:





http://paddyscrossbetimes.blogspot.ie/2013/01/by-rail-and-by-tram.html

Some super photographs. As somebody who missed the Attymon/Loughrea branch by a couple of years it's always been one of my lasting regrets. It was still in situ when I used to visit WISRA at their Attymon base in the early 80's but I never even traveled a yard of it on a platelayers trolley. I believe E428 made an unauthorised trip on the line but not the full length.

Eiretrains

Will get a read of it soon! Those photos are by Jonathan Allen and Aubrey Dale. Just goes to show that 141s did work on the branch service once in a while.:cool:

Eiretrains

Eiretrains wrote: »

Will get a read of it soon! Those photos are by Jonathan Allen and Aubrey Dale. Just goes to show that 141s did work on the branch service once in a while.:cool:

I was very amused by the comment on your website about the coach heater that was left plugged in when the train pulled off!

Losty Dublin

Eiretrains wrote: »

Will get a read of it soon! Those photos are by Jonathan Allen and Aubrey Dale. Just goes to show that 141s did work on the branch service once in a while.:cool:

I understand that the 141's made an appearance on the branch about once a week, usually on a Wednesday, to relieve the branch loco for servicing and fueling. The swap generally came off at Attymon with the motive power from the Dublin-Galway slow freight, the branch loco then taking this train onwards. The up working on the Thursday allowed the return swap of the branch loco for another weeks.

The arrangement caused headaches for traffic inspectors in Dublin and Galway as not all C classes had been fitted with the GM power units required for the arduous mainline working while allocating an A Class was too precious to give up to the branch, even for one day. However, the alternative of taking a slow and by then unreliable E class to and from Galway was untenable so the swap won out.

islanderre

Evening All,
These are the updated pictures I promised of the ex Irish Rail which is at Dunsandle just of the Loughrea / Kiltullagh exit of the M6 motorway

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These photos were taken from the motorway to Loughrea link road and show what i THINK to be the old raised section of railway which went to Loughrea from Dunsandle....

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These last photos are of the old Loughrea Station now part of the Mart...... hardly any resemblance to the photos in the 1st post of this thread...

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Enjoy.....

islanderre

Anyone if E428 above would of ever traveled the Loughrea line in real life.... was this type of Loco around when the Loguhrea line was open for business?????

Losty Dublin

islanderre wrote: »

Anyone if E428 above would of ever traveled the Loughrea line in real life.... was this type of Loco around when the Loguhrea line was open for business?????

E 428 spent most of her working life in Dublin, Inchicore and Limerick. E Class locos were banned off passenger services after a derailment in Newbridge but one or two did the odd trip but these were literally the odd trip.

gobnaitolunacy

From what I recall, the locals around Loughrea were cold towards the whole Loughrea project, farmers preferring a larger mart area rather than frivolous non-cow related activity.

eejoynt

Losty Dublin wrote: »

I understand that the 141's made an appearance on the branch about once a week, usually on a Wednesday, to relieve the branch loco for servicing and fueling. The swap generally came off at Attymon with the motive power from the Dublin-Galway slow freight, the branch loco then taking this train onwards. The up working on the Thursday allowed the return swap of the branch loco for another weeks.

The arrangement caused headaches for traffic inspectors in Dublin and Galway as not all C classes had been fitted with the GM power units required for the arduous mainline working while allocating an A Class was too precious to give up to the branch, even for one day. However, the alternative of taking a slow and by then unreliable E class to and from Galway was untenable so the swap won out.

except that all b class locomotives were in practice interchangeable- the hint is in the B

pure C class would have dieappeared from all except dublin based pilot jobs by the end of the sixites

Losty Dublin

eejoynt wrote: »

except that all b class locomotives were in practice interchangeable- the hint is in the B

pure C class would have dieappeared from all except dublin based pilot jobs by the end of the sixites

You are correct in what you are saying;a 201 and a GM could double head a train after the GM transplant programme from 1969 onwards, and earlier in the case of maybach fitted 233/4. However this was a matter of engine swapping and ensuring a fit engine was allocated for the duty. It took a long time to refit all of the C class with their new GM engines and to have their generators rewound for the new engines. Until every engine was done, the local traction inspectors had to roster their C's wisely for this link; freights being hauled by a single engine at the time.