thewanderer

Thursday 5th June 2025: A lunchtime visit to Loughmore to photograph retro liveried 220 passing the ruined castle. This shot has been on my bucket list for a number of weeks. Also captured passing was the 1325 Cork - Heuston with 6ICRPC set 22040. Click https://thewandererphotos.smugmug.com/2025-Photos/June-2025/i-nr9jFNT to view all the images.

The June gallery has been updated with some images from today. A quick trip down to Limerick Jct. to view the Railtours Ireland "Emerald Isle Pullman" operated by the RPSI, which was heading from Killarney to Galway today. After dropping the guests off at Galway the set operated empty to Westport where it will remain until Friday to operate to Dundalk via Dublin Connolly. An additional highlight was capturing 220 in its IE retro livery from 1994 at Thurles. Click https://thewandererphotos.smugmug.com/2025-Photos/June-2025/i-k52CnHs to view all the images. More about the Emerald Pullman can be found at https://railtoursireland.com/emerald-pullman/private-train-tour/7-nights-from-dublin/all-islands-of-ireland-bucket-list-attractions

Two updates to the website tonight. First up is images from the Irish Railway Records Society outing to Belfast Grand Central and Adelaide Training School and Maintenance Depot on 28th May, where the group got a briefing of the facilities at Belfast Grand Central transport hub. After been shown the station facilities by Station Manager Louise Doyle we headed to Adelaide to visit the training school facilities and the maintenance depot on the site. At the training school we had presentations from Louise Sterritt, Senior Programmer Manger with Translink about the development and construction of Belfast Grand Central transport hub and Hilton Parr, Customer Services Manager Translink about recent developments in the company. After the presentations, we were shown the signalling simulator and driving simulator which are used to train and assess current and trainee signalling and driving grades. The final part of the tour of Adelaide was to the maintenance depot where the C4K 4000 Class DMU's are maintained. Click https://thewandererphotos.smugmug.com/RailtoursPreservedRailways/2025/IRRS-outing-to-Belfast-Grand-Central-Adelaide-Depot to view all the images from this very interesting day out and thanks to NIR for facilitating the visit and being such wonderful hosts on the day. The 2nd update is from Sunday 1st June, Pictures from Lavistown Jct. (Kilkenny) and Waterford of the Railtours Ireland "Emerald Isle Pullman" which this year is being operated by the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland using their RPSI Cravens rate instead of an Iarnrod Eireann Class 22000 3ICR set. Click https://thewandererphotos.smugmug.com/2025-Photos/June-2025/i-fJGnH57 to view all the images from the day.

Photos from this week include: Sunday 20th May 2025: One final look at set 2722 + 2719 at Inchicore before it is scrapped. Wednesday 21st May 2015: The 0615 Cork - Heuston passes Thurles. Thursday 22nd May 2025: Pictures from Thurles and Heuston including loco 220 in its retro 1994 livery. Saturday 24th May 2025: Pictures from the Templemore and Thurles area on Saturday evening, including loco 220 in its retro livery working the 1800 Heuston - Cork. Click https://thewandererphotos.smugmug.com/2025-Photos/May-2025/i-kWfxL6H to view all the images. https://photos.smugmug.com/2025-Photos/May-2025/i-NJxh6kV/0/Nc4ktLrDCvjLkcfSLjcRdhNh8PqbPshV2xWKmDvRr/S/DSC_5672-S.jpg

Photos from the Irish Railway Record Society "The Har-stone Explorer" railtour in conjunction with Transdev Ireland from last Sunday 18th May. The route the tour took was: Broombridge Depot – Broombridge Depot West Gate - Broombridge outbound platform (Rev) – Beechwood – Beechwood Emergency Crossover (Rev) – St. Stephens Green – St. Stephens Green emergency refuge siding (Rev) (photo stop) – Brennanstown (unopened station) (photo stop) – Brides Glen inbound platform (Rev) – Broombridge Depot East Gate – Broombridge Depot. The tour was narrated by Dave Rooney (Director of Operations, Transdev) and driven by Kevin Kavanagh, with key contributions from Luas Trainer and first-ever Luas driver Eddie Byrne, Lorraine Anderson (Communications), Deirdre Miller (TII), and many others who brought the rich history of Dublin's tram and rail network to life. As tour manager on behalf of the IRRS, our thanks go to Transdev for providing a first class experience on the tour. Pictures from the day can view viewed at: https://thewandererphotos.smugmug.com/RailtoursPreservedRailways/2025/IRRS-The-Har-stone-Explorer

This weeks updates include: Wednesday 14th May 2025: Photos from Nenagh, Limerick and Ennis. Thursday 15th May 2025: A late afternoon trip around on the South Western Commuter line between Park West and Hazelhatch observing the start of the evening peak. Also earlier in the day the 1005 Ballina - North Wall was captured at the Phoenix Park Tunnel. Friday 16th May 2025: The 2nd movement of 2700's for scrapping, which included the hybrid set 2609 + 2716 from Cork to Inchicore operated today running as a 1240 Cork to Inchicore. 082 had been sent down from Inchicore on Thursday evening to work the movement back up. Loco 234 which was failed in Cork was also added to the consist at late notice to trip it back to Inchicore. With a senior FTS person onboard to jockey the unusual movement the opportunity was also taken to multi 234 and 082 to conduct some fault finding on 234 for the trip to Dublin. With 5650hp between the 2 locos I imagine getting up to the 60mph limit for the movement was effortless! Click https://thewandererphotos.smugmug.com/2025-Photos/May-2025/i-FDRz8GX to view all the 50+ images.

Good morning all, Two updates to the website today. First up is images from the excellent RPSI Diesel Railtour "Premier Branchline" to Waterford and Limerick on 10th May featuring three 071 Class locos, 077, 071 and 081 in that order. Click https://thewandererphotos.smugmug.com/RailtoursPreservedRailways/2025/RPSI-Premier-Branchline-Railtour to view. Second up is images from May so far featuring images from Cahir and Thurles areas. Highlights being a private RPSI Charter between Limerick and Heuston for Odyssey Travel and the Waterford to Portlaoise Steel train which unusually operated via Limerick Jct, both of which operated on Monday. Click https://thewandererphotos.smugmug.com/2025-Photos/May-2025 to view.

The April gallery comes to a close with images from Heuston, Kishoge and Hazelhatch on Monday 28th April to photo the 9000 Class BEMU on test on the down fast line. I played a bit of a game of cat and mouse with the test unit on this night as it was only running between Park West and to a point west of Kishoge, instead of going all the way to Hazelhatch, but I eventually got it passing Kishoge. Photos can be viewed at https://thewandererphotos.smugmug.com/2025-Photos/April-2025/i-wbNgTKn

The April gallery has been updated with: Wednesday 24th April 2025: A few images from around Dublin including Heuston, LUAS Red Line, Connolly and Harmonstown. Thursday 24th April 2025: Even though it opened at the end of August 2024, I hadn't managed a visit out to Kishoge Station yet. That was rectified on this day with a lunchtime visit to the new station on the Portlaoise Commuter route and an added bonus was also photographing 22010 which has just been reformed from a 3ICR to a 4ICR with the addition of vehicle 22402 from disbanded set 22002. 22402 has been renumbered to 22810 to reflect the new set it is formed into and is expected to remain as such until late 2025 while collision damage repairs are carried out to car 22139 at Laois Depot. Click https://thewandererphotos.smugmug.com/2025-Photos/April-2025/i-8kknmPL to view.

The April gallery has been updated with images from Thurles, Portlaoise, Portarlington, Athlone and Roscrea. Click https://thewandererphotos.smugmug.com/2025-Photos/April-2025/i-kSH3ZBc

An infrastructure update today with the official opening of the new platform 6 and extension of platform 5 at Cork Kent Station by the Taoiseach, EU Commissioner and Transport Minister. Click https://thewandererphotos.smugmug.com/Officialevents/2025/Official-opening-of-new-platform-6-at-Cork to view.

An infrastructure update today with the official opening of the new platform 6 and extension of platform 5 at Cork Kent Station by the Taoiseach, EU Commissioner and Transport Minister. Click https://thewandererphotos.smugmug.com/Officialevents/2025/Official-opening-of-new-platform-6-at-Cork to view.

The April gallery has been updated with images from: Sunday 6th April 2025: Views of the 1735 Limerick - Ballybrophy at Roscrea. Wednesday 9th April 2025: While travelling from Clonmel to Limerick, I stopped off to photo the 0945 Limerick Jct. - Waterford. Thursday 10th April 2025: While in Athlone for the day, the Ballina - Waterford XPO Liner and North Wall - Ballina IWT Liner crossed in the station. Click https://thewandererphotos.smugmug.com/2025-Photos/April-2025/i-zKJqCbz to view.

Pictures from the Tailte Tours The Eyre Lee Bird railtour from Cork to Galway via Limerick bringing a 4 car set of 2600 Class DMU's back to the City of the Tribes for the first time in several years. Click https://thewandererphotos.smugmug.com/RailtoursPreservedRailways/2025/Táilte-Tours-The-Eyre-Lee-Bird to view all the images from this excellent day out on the rails with what can now be considered classic traction with the 31 year old 2600 Class fleet. Another highlight from the day was getting to photograph the retro liveried 201 Class loco, No. 220 at Limerick Jct.

Pictures from the Tailte Tours The Eyre Lee Bird railtour from Cork to Galway via Limerick bringing a 4 car set of 2600 Class DMU's back to the City of the Tribes for the first time in several years. Click https://thewandererphotos.smugmug.com/RailtoursPreservedRailways/2025/Táilte-Tours-The-Eyre-Lee-Bird to view all the images from this excellent day out on the rails with what can now be considered classic traction with the 31 year old 2600 Class fleet. Another highlight from the day was getting to photograph the retro liveried 201 Class loco, No. 220 at Limerick Jct.