Athlone - Mullingar line

Losty Dublin · 22-04-2014 11:58am

dregin wrote: »

Has anyone looked into using it as a heritage line?

It has been looked at some years ago by both the Goverment as part of the proposed Transport Museum, the RPSI and others, yes.

To bring it up to reasonable operational standards it requires a complete relay of all track material along with a probable renewal of ballast, a total renewal of the lines signaling, construction of new stations as required, refurbishment of bridges and culverts and level crossings and so on. Even if you engaged voluntary labour the costs involved will run into eight figure sums for what would be, at best, about 1 train a week in the summer season.

You can see why it was knocked on the head fairly quickly.

anishboi · 22-04-2014 12:07pm

They say they will reopen the line if they go ahead with the Midlands Gateway plan - which will make Athlone/Mullingar/Tullamore into one city.

Banjoxed · 22-04-2014 12:36pm

anishboi wrote: »

They say they will reopen the line if they go ahead with the Midlands Gateway plan - which will make Athlone/Mullingar/Tullamore into one city.

A great plan scuppered by parish pumpers.

corktina · 22-04-2014 1:07pm

Losty Dublin wrote: »

It has been looked at some years ago by both the Goverment as part of the proposed Transport Museum, the RPSI and others, yes.

To bring it up to reasonable operational standards it requires a complete relay of all track material along with a probable renewal of ballast, a total renewal of the lines signaling, construction of new stations as required, refurbishment of bridges and culverts and level crossings and so on. Even if you engaged voluntary labour the costs involved will run into eight figure sums for what would be, at best, about 1 train a week in the summer season.

You can see why it was knocked on the head fairly quickly.

One train a week ? Are you serious? You could run several a day to connect with IE at both ends....start off weekends only on a short length from one end and expand as it gets more popular. You don't need to do all you list or spend anything like that money before you start...even a depot only with a demonstration line to start off with would be good.

However, you'd have to have RPSI and/or ITG onside really, as they have all the stock worth having

TINA1984 · 22-04-2014 1:36pm

Banjoxed wrote: »

A great plan scuppered by parish pumpers.

Quite the opposite, the NSS was a plan created by the parish pumpers.

3 small towns spread out over a large rural area having parity status with Dublin & Cork? truly lolworthy.

Losty Dublin · 22-04-2014 3:00pm

corktina wrote: »

One train a week ? Are you serious? You could run several a day to connect with IE at both ends....start off weekends only on a short length from one end and expand as it gets more popular. You don't need to do all you list or spend anything like that money before you start...even a depot only with a demonstration line to start off with would be good.

Yes I am serious. The plan was for a State museum with access to a working line for longer range heritage trips; it was not going to run service trains. By all means yard trains would have run as well but this was for something a little more expansive for the passenger to take in. Even to run at moderate speeds, the PW needed massive work and infrequent as the trains would be, it still needed to have be done. Given that Irish Rail had fun getting cash off for basic PW work they were hardly going to get for for a non core line, let alone a non core project.

As it happened, the museum plan fell through and is no more.

corktina · 22-04-2014 4:41pm

Well no wonder...what sort of business plan was that! A Light Railway in the UK would be limited to 25 mph and would not need huge expenditure on he trackwork and would be a much more sensible approach. Where you get the volunteers from is another matter

Banjoxed · 22-04-2014 5:36pm

corktina wrote: »

Well no wonder...what sort of business plan was that! A Light Railway in the UK would be limited to 25 mph and would not need huge expenditure on he trackwork and would be a much more sensible approach. Where you get the volunteers from is another matter

You must have got involved then at some point. Were volunteers got by word of mouth or by some other means? Be interesting to see what the Irish bodies would do.

corktina · 22-04-2014 6:03pm

I was indeed involved and still am to the extent that I'm a Life Member of one UK Railway and a shareholder in another.

I don't know how Volunteers are got tbh, they just show up I think...that's what I did.

I think there's a different mindset in the UK. Any scheme I hear of here seems to think IE will sort out the line for them and hand it over free of charge. All the lines in the UK grafted for what they have.

Losty Dublin · 22-04-2014 6:22pm

corktina wrote: »

I think there's a different mindset in the UK. Any scheme I hear of here seems to think IE will sort out the line for them and hand it over free of charge. All the lines in the UK grafted for what they have.

Circumstances and the laws of the land helped the UK a lot.

In a lot of cases in the UK, the laws were such that lines in the UK were able to be handed over upon closure by British Rail, either in situ or as a preserved trackbed. This made preserving the lines a lot easier. Also, with steam ending later than it did here meant that BR and colliery, National Grid and other industrial operations had a fair amount of working steam engines to pass on. This gave societies more inspiration to preserve as there were locos to save and lines to run them on. Of course, none of this allows for both the mass of numbers and the wealth of British society in general, something we don't have here.

On the other hand, the UK hasn't got the benefit of an affordable go anywhere mainline operator such as the RPSI; pluses and minuses

corktina · 22-04-2014 6:34pm

I can't think of even one line "handed over". They were all bought and rebuilt at the expense of their volunteers and shareholders. The Barry phenomenon is really the one big catalyst that we didn't have here...over 200 locos in a scrapyard purchased one by one and most of them now back in steam.

There is a big opportunity going begging with the two 0-6-0s the RPSI have not being too suitable for the Main Line nowadays but ideal for a tourist line. There also is a glut of preserved diesels with nothing to do.

I visited Downpatrick recently and was impressed...could it happen down here? Mullingar is a gem and a separate set of platforms would be ideal. The same could be true of Athlone Midland too perhaps. The track is there and could be upgraded in stages, signalling could be done later as the line could operate "one engine in steam" to start with.

dregin · 22-04-2014 9:02pm

I can remember as a kid seeing the cuttings through Barnesmore gap in Donegal and thinking how awesome it would be to take a train ride through it. I've since joined the CDRRL and tried to get involved with any effort to rebuild the track, but any efforts that were in motion seem to have been stalled badly by the recession.

Athlone - Mullingar, on the other hand really does seem like far too good an opportunity to let go. A fully intact line with beautiful buildings allowed go to ruin on the Mullingar side (not been in Athlone or Moate stations) that would make a great museum.

I and a few others would be very interested in getting involved with any vigilante rail line reopenings you're trying to get off the ground, Corktina

corktina · 23-04-2014 7:38am

dregin wrote: »

I can remember as a kid seeing the cuttings through Barnesmore gap in Donegal and thinking how awesome it would be to take a train ride through it. I've since joined the CDRRL and tried to get involved with any effort to rebuild the track, but any efforts that were in motion seem to have been stalled badly by the recession.

Athlone - Mullingar, on the other hand really does seem like far too good an opportunity to let go. A fully intact line with beautiful buildings allowed go to ruin on the Mullingar side (not been in Athlone or Moate stations) that would make a great museum.

I and a few others would be very interested in getting involved with any vigilante rail line reopenings you're trying to get off the ground, Corktina

Not me, done my bit and heard too many horror stories

dregin · 23-04-2014 1:04pm

corktina wrote: »

Not me, done my bit and heard too many horror stories

Can you elaborate?

I don't need specific examples, but I'd like to know some of the obstacles that these projects come up against.

Thanks in advance.

relaxed · 23-04-2014 1:37pm

dregin wrote: »

Can you elaborate?

I don't need specific examples, but I'd like to know some of the obstacles that these projects come up against.

Thanks in advance.

I ain't no expert but the sheer scale of these projects is far beyond what people envisage, the amount of labour needed to clear tracks, sourcing an engine and carriages, insurance, security, rail safety, advertising, running costs etc. etc.

corktina · 23-04-2014 2:35pm

dregin wrote: »

Can you elaborate?

I don't need specific examples, but I'd like to know some of the obstacles that these projects come up against.

Thanks in advance.

I expect Judgement Day would fill you in about previous attempts.

corktina · 23-04-2014 2:37pm

relaxed wrote: »

I ain't no expert but the sheer scale of these projects is far beyond what people envisage, the amount of labour needed to clear tracks, sourcing an engine and carriages, insurance, security, rail safety, advertising, running costs etc. etc.

But it can be done but you need a band of willing volunteers to make a start. Little acorns and all that. I suggest a visit to Downpatrick would be a good place to start.

dregin · 23-04-2014 2:51pm

Plan on getting to Downpatrick over the next couple of months.

Regarding security, is there much of a market for the rails themselves? Has it happened that thieves have actually ripped em up in the past?

corktina · 23-04-2014 3:03pm

I think there are usually smaller objects stolen. I guess it isn't unknown though.

dregin · 23-04-2014 3:06pm

Was just the first thing that sprang to mind if you were dealing with somewhere as remote as Barnesmore Gap. Anyway, volunteers, I've at least 7 people interested. We may land into Downpatrick and demand a full run down at 5 minutes notice

corktina · 23-04-2014 3:40pm

so long as they are real people and not facebook friends. One society forming up at present in the UK was moaning that they had 500 facebook members but just five of them had actually joined the Club. Another guy on the same forum is making quite a name for himself in forming facebook societies that go nowhere. Best of luck, someone needs to take an initiative

flyingsnail · 23-04-2014 3:48pm

corktina wrote: »

so long as they are real people and not facebook friends. One society forming up at present in the UK was moaning that they had 500 facebook members but just five of them had actually joined the Club. Another guy on the same forum is making quite a name for himself in forming facebook societies that go nowhere. Best of luck, someone needs to take an initiative

Indeed, 7 people interested does not equal 7 people prepared to roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty.

GBOA · 23-04-2014 3:56pm

Theft and arson are the big issues regarding security. Last theft at Downpatrick was buffers being cut off a flat wagon which has been rendered useless as a result. One of the few remaining 70 class carriages fell victim to arson around 12 years ago, leaving only 2.

101sean · 23-04-2014 9:26pm

The biggest theft issue in the UK is non ferrous metals especially on railways that do major overhauls, £50,000 worth of copper sheet was stolen from one site last year.

coylemj · 23-04-2014 10:14pm

FWIW the Mullingar line doesn't connect direct to the railway station in Athlone, any train coming from Mullingar would have to cross the Shannon bridge, wait probably in the old MGWR station and then come back across the river to the railway station.

In the days when the Mullingar line was open, all passenger trains to/from Athlone used the MGWR station on the Connaught side of the Shannon railway bridge, the original GSWR station on the Leinster side was used exclusively for freight and was known locally as the 'Southern Station' but since the 1980s it is now the only railway station in use in Athlone and the Mullingar line bypasses it.

If you want to see the layout, go to https://maps.google.com/ and search for 'Auburn Drive, Athlone' which is a cul-de-sac between the two lines close to the railway station.

dregin · 23-04-2014 11:03pm

corktina wrote: »

so long as they are real people and not facebook friends. One society forming up at present in the UK was moaning that they had 500 facebook members but just five of them had actually joined the Club. Another guy on the same forum is making quite a name for himself in forming facebook societies that go nowhere. Best of luck, someone needs to take an initiative

They are 7 real people

corktina · 23-04-2014 11:04pm

so what would be the problem with a preserved line using the Midland station and IE make extra stops there to connect? I can't see a need for the Mullingar preserved trains to reverse to the main station.(if ever it happened that the line was re-opened as a Heritage line. Maybe there would be no need for a physical connection with all the complications that brings, just IE using one platform and the heritage line the other

LoonyLovegood · 24-04-2014 12:30am

They do need the three platforms in Athlone though, particularly in the mornings and evenings, which is something that (simply from travelling through the old station) is something that they don't have.

There seems to have been some work done in the grounds of the old station, some of the old wooden sleepers were pulled up and in a pile off to one side.

demanufactured · 24-04-2014 2:40am

Loads of ballast piled up behind the old station too...I can see it from my window.

dregin · 24-04-2014 3:12pm

Eurgh, just looking at Downpatrick's location for the first time >_< Any recommendations on getting there via public transport from Dublin?

Athlone - Mullingar line

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