A few random questions...

thewexman93

1. Has there ever been a plan to stop the ridiculous need for every train visiting Killarney to reverse? A platform on the mainline perhaps?

2. Cathair na Mart - why do trains display an ainm seo? Surely it causes confusion at stations, particularly amongst travellers not familiar with an teanga naisiunta? All timetables say Westport yet, tagann an traein le Cathair na Mart written on the front. As someone reasonably ok 'as Gaeilge' I even had to Google the name.

3. Are there any 141's or 181's still in freight or shunting use?

4. Is platform 3 in Bray ever used for passengers?

5. Are the same trains used on the same services every day? And if not why not? And is there anyway of finding out which stock is allocated to which services?

Del.Monte

thewexman93 wrote: »

1. Has there ever been a plan to stop the ridiculous need for every train visiting Killarney to reverse? A platform on the mainline perhaps? NO and why is it ridiculous?

2. Cathair na Mart - why do trains display an ainm seo? Surely it causes confusion at stations, particularly amongst travellers not familiar with an teanga naisiunta? All timetables say Westport yet, tagann an traein le Cathair na Mart written on the front. As someone reasonably ok 'as Gaeilge' I even had to Google the name. Irish place names regular appear without rhyme or reason on trains and is unlikely to change.

3. Are there any 141's or 181's still in freight or shunting use? No.

4. Is platform 3 in Bray ever used for passengers? It may be but I haven't seen it used anytime that I pass through.

5. Are the same trains used on the same services every day? And if not why not? And is there anyway of finding out which stock is allocated to which services?

As for number 5 - who knows - as sets are rostered but may be taken for elsewhere for any number of reasons. It's a railway not a model.

Joker2019

4. Yes I was on a Northbound Dart from Greystones a couple of years back where passengers were transferred onto another train waiting on Platform 1

Ce he sin

thewexman93 wrote: »

1. Has there ever been a plan to stop the ridiculous need for every train visiting Killarney to reverse? A platform on the mainline perhaps?

...

It might seem ridiculous, but Killarney was originally the terminus and when the line was extended to Tralee there was no easy route from the station, the town rather being in the way so it is as it is. Kilkenny's the same although not for the same reason.
Where would you site a station instead? Sure you could do it with the liberal application of money but you'd need to find a suitable site and it would now be some distance from town.

thewexman93

Del.Monte wrote: »

As for number 5 - who knows - as sets are rostered but may be taken for elsewhere for any number of reasons. It's a railway not a model.

Ever so helpful as usual...thanks

Jamie2k9

1. Has there ever been a plan to stop the ridiculous need for every train visiting Killarney to reverse? A platform on the mainline perhaps?

Isn't Killarney by far the bussiest point on the route so I could never see them skipping it.

3. Are there any 141's or 181's still in freight or shunting use?

No but I think RPSI are restoring a 141 so assuming we will see back on track in future.

5. Are the same trains used on the same services every day? And if not why not? And is there anyway of finding out which stock is allocated to which services?

Most routes see the same type daily with a few exceptions on Fridays/Saturdays/Sundays on Cork, WRC and possibly Tralee.

thewexman93

Ce he sin wrote: »

It might seem ridiculous, but Killarney was originally the terminus and when the line was extended to Tralee there was no easy route from the station, the town rather being in the way so it is as it is. Kilkenny's the same although not for the same reason.
Where would you site a station instead? Sure you could do it with the liberal application of money but you'd need to find a suitable site and it would now be some distance from town.

Yes I knew Killarney was originally the terminal, but it seems that rationalisation of the station layout is overdue,. Similar to the ridiculous shunt that Limerick to waterford trains had to perform behind the station building at Limerick junction has been done away with in recent years.

At Killarney just siting the station at the start of the curve where the current to the platform is and have the platform curve around along beside the mainline.

No such obvious solution at Kilkenny, it's just a pity the Victorian engineers didn't operate in straight lines. In an ideal system the cork line would run through Carlow, Kilkenny, clonmel and cork, wiith the other southern mainline line running through Newbridge, Portlaoise, Nenagh, Limerick and Tralee. But nonetheless in many ways, the victorian's made a far better job of running railways for the convenience of passengers than Irish Rail seem to do at times.

GerardKeating

thewexman93 wrote: »

No such obvious solution at Kilkenny, it's just a pity the Victorian engineers didn't operate in straight lines.

It was origionally straight, the current Dublin-Waterford line is two seperate lines stitched together.

The Waterford-Kilkenny section is the remains of a Waterford to Portoise line, and the CherryVille Junction to Bagneltown section is part of a route from CherryVille Junction to Wexford/Waterford line, with a bit of a link track between Bagneltown and Kilkenny.

whisky_galore

1. So IE needs to spend millions on something that offends only a handful of cranks?

2. Now you know what it means in Irish so problem solved. Yay Google.

dowlingm

Given that Killarney is starting to sprawl a bit, having the station exactly where it is may not necessarily be critical. That said, Heritage issues would surely limit the degree to which the existing station land could be sold/reused, which would be a significant part of the cost benefit.

There are two pieces of land which jump out from an aerial view but given the one nearest the N22 bypass/Fitzgerald Park is part of Dr Croke’s GAA, acquisition might be a bit tricky especially when you look at the sort of politicians that come out of there.

Operating push pull trains has obviously caused a significant reduction in the hassle factor but you’d have spend quite a bit of cash to get the same time saving from track upgrades that eliminating the in-out would save on every Tralee-Killarney movement. But there are other options; spending that cash on widening the Mallow southern approach embankment to three tracks might create as much or more overall timetable flexibility for more IE passengers if the Kerry service customer is primarily heading to Cork/Dublin rather than local within the county.

Captain Chaos

thewexman93 wrote: »

3. Are there any 141's or 181's still in freight or shunting use?

No 181s survive, they were all cut up for scrap.

141,142 and 175 are preserved by the RPSI. 141 and 175 are stored in the Connolly shed while 142 when it's in working order shunts at their base at Whitehead.

146 is preserved by the DCDR and still active and in good health.

flyingsnail

Captain Chaos wrote: »

No 181s survive, they were all cut up for scrap.
.

The ITG have 190 stored in Moyasta

Captain Chaos

flyingsnail wrote: »

The ITG have 190 stored in Moyasta

May aswell be scrap at this stage, all that sea air exposure will ensure it never works again.

tabbey

Captain Chaos wrote: »

146 is preserved by the DCDR and still active and in good health.

146 is preserved by the ITG on the DCDR system.

Isambard

the problem about resiting the platform at Killarney is that the Tralee line climbs quite steeply and a platform on such a gradient isn't an option. Any other location would be a lot further from the Town

Ce he sin

Isambard wrote: »

the problem about resiting the platform at Killarney is that the Tralee line climbs quite steeply and a platform on such a gradient isn't an option. Any other location would be a lot further from the Town

Yes, I was there over the weekend and I was surprised just how high the Tralee line was over the station once the train had drawn level with it.

thewexman93

Another question:

What stock is lying unused in Inchicore?

From studying Google Maps I can see what I think is the following:

On the most south Westerly sidings there appears to be 8 dart carriages and 2 commuter liveried 2700

Next sidings appear to have 2 mark 3 coaches, attached to 3 engines (anyone know what these are?)

Then there appears to be 2 seperated dart carriages in the siding next to the shed.

In the shorter sidings closer to the mainline it looks like the 2700s. It's looks like there are 12 carriages there.

Next there are 10 carriages in a long siding, anyone know what they are? Are they mark 4s? Further down that siding across the road there appears to be a 201 class loco under repair.

In the next group of sidings I think we have first the Craven Coaches used by the RPSI. Directly beside that, there appears to be an assortment of stock, unknown, followed by a mark 3 coach, an Engine?, Then another 4 of the 2700 class, a 201 loco and another possibly 071 loco almost hidden under trees.

Then we have the line of 6 unused 201 locos

Above that there is the 8th Mark 4 set, a loco and 8 coaches.

With 2 more 201 locos in the next short siding

A 071 loco beside a 201 at the entrance to the sheds, with above that, another 201 loco with a mark 4 getting some maintainance or something perhaps. With 2 more 071s alongside in separate short sidings.


lying idle in inchicore There appears to be a total of:

18 - 2700 carriages
10 - Dart carriages
1 mark 4 set and I think 10 mark 4 coaches.
10/11 - 201 locos
5 - 071 locos.

What a waste

I'm sure commuters would much prefer to be in a slightly older carriage, than crammed together in an unsafe environment on over packed trains.

Getting this stock moving should be number 1 priority.

L1011

The 2700s and 8200s are so unreliable they would cause a net reduction in capacity by breaking down and blocking the working stock.

end of the road

parmanent residents of inchicore as to my knowledge.
10 201s, not pushpull capable, unlikely to return, probably in aweful condition at this stage.
the 201 that was damaged a few years ago, i believe it was a fire, think the number is 230, i am unsure of it's status, it might return but i have know definite knowledge.
some 2700 diesel multiple unitss , would be expensive to return to service.
8200 electric multiple units, absolute junk, no hope of a return to service.
a couple of mk3 carrages, some i believe are for a maintenence train, 1 i believe is a spare carrage for belmond.
RPSI cravens, in use throughout the year.
no mk4s or 071s are withdrawn to my knowledge.
i believe but cannot confirm, the RPSI herritage set may have been stored there as well, but has now been moved.

DoctorPan

RPSI Heritage set now stored in Inchicore after being moved from the VP plant at Heuston.