Thurles-Clonmel

Grab All Association

I see from Google Earth an old iron bridge over the Suir near Ballycurrane Thurles still survives. Anyone on here ever get up close to it and take any pics of it?

Victor

Context:

https://www.google.ie/maps/@52.6562221,-7.8377913,44m/data=!3m1!1e3

http://maps.osi.ie/publicviewer/#V1,610986,656130,7,0

http://maps.osi.ie/publicviewer/#V1,610986,656130,7,9

http://binged.it/1w51eMK

ClovenHoof

Why did a line which connected the largest town in the country with the capital city close?

end of the road

ClovenHoof wrote: »

Why did a line which connected the largest town in the country with the capital city close?

c i e.

TINA1984

ClovenHoof wrote: »

Why did a line which connected the largest town in the country with the capital city close?

Clonmel was never the largest town in the country.

Grab All Association

TINA1984 wrote: »

Clonmel was never the largest town in the country.

It once was the largest inland town.


The Clonmel trains never served Dublin. They would pull into platform 3 Thurles and you changed train there. Clonmel mostly used steam locomotives right up until the end. Locomotives were stored in Thurles.

Google Ernies railway archive Thurles, Laffansbridge, Fethard he has some original colour photos from 1964

whisky_galore

end of the road wrote: »

c i e.

Need to check sources but iirc it was a backwater way before CIE with no hope of besting road competition. It was the last private company to be absorbed into the GSR, the delay on account of no-one admitting to ownership of any shares in the company.

Losty Dublin

whisky_galore wrote: »

Need to check sources but iirc it was a backwater way before CIE with no hope of besting road competition. It was the last private company to be absorbed into the GSR, the delay on account of no-one admitting to ownership of any shares in the company.

But for the sugar beer traffic to Thurles, the line would have closed years before it did.

whisky_galore

Losty Dublin wrote: »

But for the sugar beer traffic to Thurles, the line would have closed years before it did.

True, the Beet was an Indian Summer for lines that staggering towards oblivion anyhow.

101sean

You can see that bridge from the Cabra Road (still known as the Sugar Factory road to a lot of locals), I'll see if I can get a photo when I'm back home at Christmas as you can't see it on streetview.

The road overbridge close by has been bypassed and is now part of a permanent traveller set up. The bridges were unusual in that they are all twin arch although the line was only single. https://goo.gl/maps/qfhHU

The level crossing sign for the sugar factory branch was only removed this year, the remains of the posts for the warning lights are still there though.
https://goo.gl/maps/J1B43
https://goo.gl/maps/ZavQo
https://goo.gl/maps/DKr4h
https://goo.gl/maps/5fKTx

cml387

In it's dying days a railbus was used (i.e a bus converted for rail use) for services between Clonmel and Thurles. The line also served Powerstown Park racecourse and the platform for that service still exists in undergrowth..

end of the road

cml387 wrote: »

In it's dying days a railbus was used (i.e a bus converted for rail use) for services between Clonmel and Thurles.

i've been trying to find info on that railbus recently, but so far nothing. i'd imagine its long scrapped?

cml387

end of the road wrote: »

i've been trying to find info on that railbus recently, but so far nothing. i'd imagine its long scrapped?

I have a picture of it somewhere, I'll see if I can retrieve it.
I seem to have an idea at the back of my mind that it was stored in Inchicore for some years after withdrawal.

whisky_galore

Long scrapped I would imagine, even a bog standard road-going CIE bus of that era is a rarity.