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Bord na Mona

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  • 06-08-2020 12:10am
    #1
    IE 222
    Registered Users Posts: 1,670 ✭✭✭


    With the dwindling down of peat harvesting is there any potential for creating some sort of tourism industry by using the narrow gauge as a means of exploring the various bog areas.

    There is a vast fleet (obviously passenger stock would need to be sought) and network of rail lines located throughout the Midlands. Surely there must be some sort of viable opportunity to create a narrow gauge tourist line through the bogs. There are many great examples of narrow gauge railways thriving in the tourism industry such as those in Wales ect.

    Now I'm not talking about a 5 mile loop of some bog but something substantial that stretched a good 50 miles or so.

    The whole area and industry is stepped in history and interesting facts ect and has so much to offer. Many of the bogs are been restored or turned into /wind farms/nature parks/wildlife reserves/wet lands ect. A line that could show people the old and new ways of producing energy and the various nature areas and running through forests ect.

    With the green buzz and all the green ways ect. I think there is a whole eco/ environmental/ educational/ adventure tourism industry to be tapped into here.

    The other purpose of this is to save jobs been lost from the peat harvesting.


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    #2
    punisher5112
    Registered Users Posts: 24,647 ✭✭✭✭punisher5112


    Was thinking the same as my sat nav brought me through Kildare and through the bog and to s bridge/tunnel where it's 2.5meter high..... The van I was in was 3.4.....

    Let's say I was lucky I stopped and said fcuk me that ain't going to fit and no warnings on the road only at the bridge itself....

    1st time I seen the actual little train for real other then on TV.... Biggest issues I'd say would be track condition and safety as they don't look the best and surprised the trains stay on....


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    #3
    IE 222
    Registered Users Posts: 1,670 ✭✭✭IE 222


    punisher5112 wrote: »
    Was thinking the same as my sat nav brought me through Kildare and through the bog and to s bridge/tunnel where it's 2.5meter high..... The van I was in was 3.4.....

    Let's say I was lucky I stopped and said fcuk me that ain't going to fit and no warnings on the road only at the bridge itself....

    1st time I seen the actual little train for real other then on TV.... Biggest issues I'd say would be track condition and safety as they don't look the best and surprised the trains stay on....

    It's a huge network. Obviously investment would be required for the safe passage of passengers but the main permanent ways of these line tend to be in good shape. It's the lines they build to reach the "piles" which are just thrown down as they are taking back up once the "pile" has been shifted.

    There is many old permanent way still in place so expanding the routes should be easy enough in terms of routing and building new sections wouldn't cost anywhere near the amount as main line intercity rail. There should be plenty of current and old permanent ways between Ballinasloe and near enough Newbridge to work up something decent and support jobs in "rural Midland towns".

    To me it would to be a missed opportunity to let it all fold up and waste away.


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    #4
    dzsfah2xoynme9
    Closed Accounts Posts: 326 ✭✭dzsfah2xoynme9


    IE 222 wrote: »
    To me it would to be a missed opportunity to let it all fold up and waste away.

    Don't let Irish Rail near it....


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    #5
    Pete_Cavan
    Registered Users Posts: 6,741 ✭✭✭Pete_Cavan


    It would be great to see some section(s) of the bog railways reused as an attraction. It would likely have to be subsidised by BNM which could be part of their Corporate Social Responsibility thing, giving back to the communities, replacement for jobs lost, etc. I'm sure there would be plenty of grants which could be applied for Failte Ireland, Regional Development, etc. It might not operate over the winter months.

    Maybe starting at Lough Boora Discovery Park where there is existing eco tourism and visitor facilities and run to Shannonbridge, where you could attract people cruising on the Shannon off for a day trip. A greenway is planned between Shannonbridge and Athlone, which may also form part of the Dublin - Galway Euro Velo 2 route which could be another source of passengers. That would also cross the Grand Canal where a greenway is intended so there could be a stop there to pick up greenway users. If the train also accommodated bikes, it could become a great link between greenways.


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    #6
    TheBoyConor
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,292 ✭✭✭TheBoyConor


    The costs for maintaining that distance of permanent way in a safe enough condition for passenger use would be prohbitive. You'd pretty much have to relay the whole thing for it to be suitable for pedestrians. You might get a decent crowd on a bank holiday, but that is only a few weeks of the year.

    On the more remote places you would also have no vehicular access for an ambulance, say, if someone got a heart attack or if a child had to go to the hospital.

    You'd never get enough passesngers to justify anything beyond a 5 or 6 mile loop. People won't have the patience to go on a 20 or 30 mile trip in rickety bog trains on bumpy track. People with babies and small children will only want a quick spin.

    I'm all for another WSVR or Lullymore type operation with a compact scale, but as for maintaining endless miles of PW throughout the bogs, I don't think any operation other than peat extraction could justufy that.

    I think we can add it to the Walter Mitty thread.


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    #7
    IE 222
    Registered Users Posts: 1,670 ✭✭✭IE 222


    TheBoyConor wrote: »
    The costs for maintaining that distance of permanent way in a safe enough condition for passenger use would be prohbitive. You'd pretty much have to relay the whole thing for it to be suitable for pedestrians. You might get a decent crowd on a bank holiday, but that is only a few weeks of the year.

    On the more remote places you would also have no vehicular access for an ambulance, say, if someone got a heart attack or if a child had to go to the hospital.

    You'd never get enough passesngers to justify anything beyond a 5 or 6 mile loop. People won't have the patience to go on a 20 or 30 mile trip in rickety bog trains on bumpy track. People with babies and small children will only want a quick spin.

    I'm all for another WSVR or Lullymore type operation with a compact scale, but as for maintaining endless miles of PW throughout the bogs, I don't think any operation other than peat extraction could justufy that.

    I think we can add it to the Walter Mitty thread.

    I think your taking the idea out of concept. It would be a added part of some overall tourism sector in the area maybe linking up various eco, wildlife, adventure and visitor parks not wholly relying on selling train trips in some bog in the middle of nowhere.

    In terms of infrastructure where not taking about running 100mph things here. It wouldn't take much upgrade work to build a reasonable system to cater for passengers. BnM will need to continue maintaining the bogs either way and make money from land.

    People falling I'll or needing assistance isn't exactly going to be some new problem, don't see how this is a reason against the idea. Its happens regularly enough in remote and rural areas. Air ambulance or cost guard if needed is always available.


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    #8
    whisky_galore
    Registered Users Posts: 15,830 ✭✭✭✭whisky_galore


    TheBoyConor wrote: »
    On the more remote places you would also have no vehicular access for an ambulance, say, if someone got a heart attack or if a child had to go to the hospital.

    Sort of like large swathes of the IR network, our mountains, offshore islands and national parks too.
    Maybe we should close these down in case a child needs to go to hospital.


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    #9
    TheBoyConor
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,292 ✭✭✭TheBoyConor


    In terms of infrastructure where not taking about running 100mph things here. It wouldn't take much upgrade work to build a reasonable system to cater for passengers. BnM will need to continue maintaining the bogs either way and make money from land.
    Yeah but you need to be certain that what is there is safe for passengers to use. The PW needs to be in good safe condition. In a bog there are going be humps and hollows and soft spots and drainage problems and that is grand if you are just moving wagons of peat. You can't have the carriages threshing about. All it takes is for someone to fall off their seat and you have a claim.
    People falling I'll or needing assistance isn't exactly going to be some new problem, don't see how this is a reason against the idea. Its happens regularly enough in remote and rural areas. Air ambulance or cost guard if needed is always available.

    But most irish rail routes are only a few minutes from a station and even if stopped in the country you are only a short distance from a road, LC or other place where there is reasonable easy access for an ambulance. A bog railway that is 10 or 15 miles out into the real wilderness with no road access is a mark against the idea on the basis that it'll be difficult to get emergency services to the potential casualty.
    Mountains and so on is a differnt thing, they are there and that's it. Putting a remote railway in is a concious decision to introduce something that could put a person in danger.


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    #10
    Pete_Cavan
    Registered Users Posts: 6,741 ✭✭✭Pete_Cavan


    TheBoyConor wrote: »
    But most irish rail routes are only a few minutes from a station and even if stopped in the country you are only a short distance from a road, LC or other place where there is reasonable easy access for an ambulance. A bog railway that is 10 or 15 miles out into the real wilderness with no road access is a mark against the idea on the basis that it'll be difficult to get emergency services to the potential casualty.
    Mountains and so on is a differnt thing, they are there and that's it. Putting a remote railway in is a concious decision to introduce something that could put a person in danger.

    Honest to ****, do you hear yourself! A remote railway is a conscious decision to introduce something that could put a person in danger, good think we only build roads, no danger whatsoever associated with roads.

    For all your talk about Walter Mitty, you sound like a Piglet from Winnie-the-Pooh or C3PO, "oh dear, I don't know about that"!


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    #11
    TheBoyConor
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,292 ✭✭✭TheBoyConor


    Lay off on the personal attacks.


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    #12
    IE 222
    Registered Users Posts: 1,670 ✭✭✭IE 222


    TheBoyConor wrote: »
    Yeah but you need to be certain that what is there is safe for passengers to use. The PW needs to be in good safe condition. In a bog there are going be humps and hollows and soft spots and drainage problems and that is grand if you are just moving wagons of peat. You can't have the carriages threshing about. All it takes is for someone to fall off their seat and you have a claim.



    But most irish rail routes are only a few minutes from a station and even if stopped in the country you are only a short distance from a road, LC or other place where there is reasonable easy access for an ambulance. A bog railway that is 10 or 15 miles out into the real wilderness with no road access is a mark against the idea on the basis that it'll be difficult to get emergency services to the potential casualty.
    Mountains and so on is a differnt thing, they are there and that's it. Putting a remote railway in is a concious decision to introduce something that could put a person in danger.

    There is various parts of the BnM network. There is the permanent way which is built on a very solid foundation and then there is the "humpty, bumpy" parts which laid down directly on the bog to reach the piles and pulled back up once said pile is removed.

    Wasn't aware we had are very own outback here in the midlands, 10-15 miles from the nearest road in Ireland, youd be doing well. Should we shut the Wexford line in case someone falls I'll on the way round Bray Head.


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    #13
    IE 222
    Registered Users Posts: 1,670 ✭✭✭IE 222


    TheBoyConor wrote: »
    Yeah but you need to be certain that what is there is safe for passengers to use. The PW needs to be in good safe condition. In a bog there are going be humps and hollows and soft spots and drainage problems and that is grand if you are just moving wagons of peat. You can't have the carriages threshing about. All it takes is for someone to fall off their seat and you have a claim.



    But most irish rail routes are only a few minutes from a station and even if stopped in the country you are only a short distance from a road, LC or other place where there is reasonable easy access for an ambulance. A bog railway that is 10 or 15 miles out into the real wilderness with no road access is a mark against the idea on the basis that it'll be difficult to get emergency services to the potential casualty.
    Mountains and so on is a differnt thing, they are there and that's it. Putting a remote railway in is a concious decision to introduce something that could put a person in danger.

    There is various parts of the BnM network. There is the permanent way which is built on a very solid foundation and then there is the "humpty, bumpy" parts which laid down directly on the bog to reach the piles and pulled back up once said pile is removed.

    Wasn't aware we had are very own outback here in the midlands, 10-15 miles from the nearest road in Ireland, youd be doing well. Should we shut the Wexford line in case someone falls I'll on the way round Bray Head.


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