thewanderer

The January gallery closes off with: Tuesday 28th & Wednesday 29th January 2025: Pictures from Connolly, Heuston & Drogheda. Friday 31st January 2025: Pictures from Mallow, Cork and the East Cork Commuter Stations of Glouthaune and Rushbrooke. Click https://thewandererphotos.smugmug.com/2025-Photos/January-2025/i-BKZ3zFJ

Two gallery updates for this week. First up is the January gallery which has been updated with: Monday 20th January 2025: Pictures from Thurles and Heuston and an evening at the Irish Railway Record Society Annual Dinner. Tuesday 21st & Wednesday 22nd January 2025: Pictures from around Dublin including Connolly, Tara Street, Pearse, Grand Canal Dock and Clontarf Road. Saturday 25th January 2025: A day trip from Thurles to Limerick. Click https://thewandererphotos.smugmug.com/2025-Photos/January-2025/i-gpzzJt4 to view. Second up is a Foynes Line rebuilding update with a survey of the route between Limerick Check and Patrickswell. Track is now laid from Foynes all the way up as far as Rathbane Level Crossing in the suburbs of Limerick. Click https://thewandererphotos.smugmug.com/Officialevents/2025/Foynes-Line-Reconstruction/i-8q6VG7D to view all the images.

The January gallery has been brought right up to date with over 130 photos uploaded today. Friday 10th January 2025: A day trip to Belfast to see the recent developments in the City with the opening of Grand Central Station, the renamed York Street Station (was Yorkgate) and new facilities there plus the new platform on the Down Line at Derriaghy. Wednesday 15th January 2025: A single photo from late evening at Heuston showing stabled MKIV sets. Thursday 16th January 2025: An evening ramble by tram, bus and trains around Dublin. LUAS Green Line to Dundrum. S6 bus to Blackrock. DART to Clontarf Road. N2 bus to Heuston. Sunday 19th January 2025: The All Ireland Club Hurling & Football Finals took place at Croke Park on Sunday 19th January. Cork GAA Club Sarsfield in Glanmire chartered two specials off Iarnrod Eireann, both of which were formed of 6ICR sets. The specials departed Cork at 0815 & 0930 both bound for Drumcondra, then operating to Grand Canal Dock to reverse before heading back each to Tralee and Heuston. I ventured out for the return empty workings, a Heuston to Cork to form the 1425 Cork - Heuston and a very unusual Grand Canal Dock - Tralee Ety. to form the 1750 Tralee - Heuston. Click https://thewandererphotos.smugmug.com/2025-Photos/January-2025/i-BNCZsHK to view all the images.

Last weekend a friend and I did a quick 25 hour visit to England and Wales. Travelling from Belfast on the Friday night 2230 Stena Line sailing to Liverpool arriving at 0745 on Saturday morning. We then headed to Manchester to travel on the 1030 TfW service to Cardiff Central which was formed of 67014 and MK4 set HD07. After a very enjoyable trip to Cardiff we continued to West Wales finishing in Fishguard and Goodwick for the night. On Sunday we returned to Ireland on the temporary Stena Line route to Dublin Port aboard the Stena Adventurer due to the closure of Holyhead Port. See https://thewandererphotos.smugmug.com/International/2025-International-Trips/UK-Trip-25-hours-in-England-and-Wales to view all the images.

Sunday 5th January 2025: Significant snowfall occurred in the midlands and southern parts of Ireland on Saturday evening, continuing overnight and all day Sunday. Road conditions were extremely difficult with reports of Motorways being impassable in places. The railway operated more or less to schedule with some delays reported on Sunday afternoon due to level crossing equipment faults between Charleville and Mallow being the major issue of the day. I ventured out to Brittas north of Thurles to get some photos and then popped into the station to get some more photos. Click https://thewandererphotos.smugmug.com/2025-Photos/January-2025/i-k6K6M37 to view all the images.

Just one from today. 22022 is pictured at Maddams Hill, Killarney with a Tralee to Mallow service. Click https://thewandererphotos.smugmug.com/2024-Photos/December-2024/i-qnGgswK for the high rez image.

Evening all, A few photos from last weekend and tonight to bring December up to date. Click https://thewandererphotos.smugmug.com/2024-Photos/December-2024/i-fvBpgHB to view. Merry Christmas to one and all.

Life has gotten in the way of late so there hasn't been too much activity in updating the website for the past month but I've finally cleared the backlog of photos from November to mid-December. November gallery: https://thewandererphotos.smugmug.com/2024-Photos/November-2024/i-sRgxNwJ A handful of photos from the latter part of November featuring Killarney, Thurles and Heuston. December gallery: https://thewandererphotos.smugmug.com/2024-Photos/December-2024 Sunday 1st December 2024: Pictures from the Mallow - Tralee line with images from Killarney, Banteer (to see the new footbridge) and between Mallow and Banteer. Saturday 7th & Sunday 8th December: Images from around the Dublin area while on a visit to the Capital to sample the RPSI Santa Steam Train Specials. Friday 13th Decemeber: A short hop from Thurles to Limerick Jct. to meet family travelling up on the 1425 Cork - Heuston service and later in the evening a visit to Clonmel to view the 1625 Waterford - Limerick Jct. Tuesday 17th & Wednesday 18th December 2024: Images of LUAS trams in Dublin City. London trip: 20th to 23rd November 2024: https://thewandererphotos.smugmug.com/International/2024/UK-Trip-20th-23rd-November-2024 Four days in London where I managed to cram a lot in. Highlights being a visit to Strawberry Hill to visit the good folks in SETG looking after the 4VEP 3417 and travelling around on Class 455's as they enter their final months of service.

You were spotted at Ballybrophy.....and we were wondering who on earth was in Bally for it! A very enjoyable Irish railtour today and the first passenger run of a MK4 set to Limerick City. No fuss (having managed railtours before it can be a chore dealing with last minute issues), a relaxing day out and good company. Photos from the day at https://thewandererphotos.smugmug.com/RailtoursPreservedRailways/2024/Tailte-Tours-The-Great-Southern-Railway-Centennial-Railtour

A very enjoyable Irish railtour today and the first passenger run of a MK4 set to Limerick City. No fuss (having managed railtours before it can be a chore dealing with last minute issues), a relaxing day out and good company. Photos from the day at https://thewandererphotos.smugmug.com/RailtoursPreservedRailways/2024/Tailte-Tours-The-Great-Southern-Railway-Centennial-Railtour

The November gallery kicks off with images from Dublin, Thurles and Cork. Click https://thewandererphotos.smugmug.com/2024-Photos/November-2024 to view.

Rail services commenced at the new Belfast Grand Central Station on Sunday 13th October. Unfortunately I haven't had an opportunity to get up to Belfast yet due to a large number of personal and professional commitments lately. So with thanks to Belfast based enthusiast, Matthew Wilson, he has kindly allowed use of a selection of his photos to record this historic event. Belfast Grand Central replaced the adjacent Great Victoria Street Station which closed last May. Click https://thewandererphotos.smugmug.com/Officialevents/2024/Belfast-Grand-Central-opening-13th-October-2024 to view the images.

The October gallery has been updated with: Tuesday 22nd October 2024: Photos from a day trip starting in Nenagh to Dublin and then down to Limerick and a very much a sneak peek of new rolling stock fresh off the boat from Poland. Wednesday 23rd October: Just one photo today from Limerick Jct. Thursday 24th October 2024: Photos from around Limerick Station. Friday 25th October 2024: While on a road trip from Tipperary to Donegal, passing Knockcroghery at the right time to photo the 1445 Heuston - Westport passing the level crossing and former station. Click https://thewandererphotos.smugmug.com/2024-Photos/October-2024/i-x9Kxb26 to view all the images

The October gallery is updated with: Wednesday 16th October 2024: In Dublin for an Irish Railway Record Society talk with a few pictures from Heuston and Abbey Street. Thursday 17th October 2024: A quick sortie to Cork today with a trip to Midleton to see the initial progress on the project to redouble the track on the single line branch. Click https://thewandererphotos.smugmug.com/2024-Photos/October-2024/i-GLNnXnP to view.

Afternoon folks, Two updates to the website today with images of the RPSI Croagh Patrick Railtour on Saturday 12th October. The tour travelled from Dublin Heuston to Westport and Ballina. Loco 079 worked the first leg of the tour from Heuston to Westport and Claremorris where 084 took over for part 2 of the day into Ballina and back to Dublin Heuston. Click https://thewandererphotos.smugmug.com/RailtoursPreservedRailways/2024/RPSI-Croagh-Patrick-Railtour to view all the images from the day. The 2nd update is to the October gallery and mainly features other images from yesterday of travelling from Mallow to Portarlington to meet the tour and then he journey back to Mallow late on Saturday night onboard a Rugby Spl. Click https://thewandererphotos.smugmug.com/2024-Photos/October-2024/i-K5jhCcL to view all the other images.