thewanderer

The August gallery has been updated with images from: * Bray * Borris featuring the disused viaduct on the Bagnalstown to Palace East railway which closed in 1963. * Thurles * Inchicore One of the highlights of the month so far was the transfer of the last remaining 2700 Class vehicle from Cork to Inchicore on Thursday 21st August 2025 departing Cork at 1240. After a stop at Mallow to examine 2751 to ensure all was in order it ran non-stop to Inchicore. Click https://thewandererphotos.smugmug.com/2025-Photos/August-2025 to view.

Woodbrook Station opens on 10th August 2025. Woodbrook Station, which is located between Bray and Shankill, will serve the existing and new communities of Woodbrook and Shanganagh. It is the 147th Station on the Iarnrod Eireann network. The station was officially opened last Sunday morning by the Minister for Transport Darragh O'Brien. Click https://thewandererphotos.smugmug.com/Officialevents/2025/Woodbrook-Station-opens-Sunday-10th-August-2025 to view all the images from the opening ceremony.

The next July update comes with the rest of the pictures for the month in the Irish gallery with images from Thurles, Heuston, Tara Street, Connolly, Drumcondra and the Dublin LUAS tram system. Also featured is the new modification to the 29000 Class fit with a bike space area. 5 seats have been removed in the MT type car (293xx) and replaced by 7 tip up seats and bike spaces. Click https://thewandererphotos.smugmug.com/2025-Photos/July-2025/i-8d7RHrt to view.

Between the 12th -15th July I was in London and Birmingham for a few days city break but still managed to fit in several transport related topics including: * The Rail 200 Inspiration train at London Euston. * The 1938 Tube Stock Tour on the Piccadilly Line. * Hidden London tour of the disused Aldwych Branch platforms at Holborn Underground Station. Pictures can be viewed in the daily galleries at https://thewandererphotos.smugmug.com/International/2025-International-Trips/UK-Trip-12th-to-15th-July-2025

The July gallery has been updated with a few images from earlier tonight. The 1925 Cork - Heuston service was cancelled on Wednesday evening after the set failed pre departure. Recovery was arranged for Friday with 076 working the train back to Dublin. Unfortunately this also ran into trouble at Mallow and was terminated there for further assistance which came in the form of 220 from Cork. The train departed Mallow at 2105 approx and closely followed the 2025 Cork - Heuston and was photographed passing Thurles Beet Factory Sidings. Click https://thewandererphotos.smugmug.com/2025-Photos/July-2025/i-RJ3qHNv for all the images including the 2025 Cork - Heuston passing a few minutes in advance of the empty movement.

The July gallery has been updated with new images after short stay in Co. Wexford which just happened to coincide with the annual visit of the weedspray train to the mothballed South Wexford railway. Tuesday 8th July 2025: Pictures from Wexford and Rosslare Strand. Highlights include seeing the morning Rosslare bound train passing the Irish National Heritage Park outside Wexford, MPV 790 at Wexford which had just arrived with the 1120 weedspray train from Greystones and later a visit to Rosslare Europort to see the massive changes ongoing at the port. Wednesday 9th July 2025: MPV 790 operated over the mothballed Rosslare Strand - Waterford railway on this day to weedspray to just beyond Dunbrody Abbey near Campile. The train couldn't proceed to Waterford as the Barrow Bridge is closed to rail traffic and pinned in the open position to allow shipping traffic through. Click https://thewandererphotos.smugmug.com/2025-Photos/July-2025/i-cskFmv3 to view all the images and videos.

The July Gallery has been started with images from: Saturday 5th July 2025: Pictures from the Thurles area on Saturday morning showing the process of trains heading to Dublin from Cork due to Cork playing Dublin in the GAA All Ireland Hurling Semi-Final. The railway company ran 5 specials in addition to the scheduled service. Sunday 7th July 2025: Images from Waterford City showing the new station and new bridge crossing the River Suir, plus a trip on the Passage East ferry. All the images are available at https://thewandererphotos.smugmug.com/2025-Photos/July-2025

Saturday 21st June 2025: A selection of images from between Thurles and Lisduff on the longest day of the year. Click https://thewandererphotos.smugmug.com/2025-Photos/June-2025/i-2CzdjCH to view all the images.

Evening all, The June gallery has been updated with images from this week in Dublin and Thurles. Highlight capturing 218 hauling a failed MK4 set from Cork to Inchicore on Thursday lunchtime. Click https://thewandererphotos.smugmug.com/2025-Photos/June-2025/i-dFXXm2x to view.

Last week, between the 1st and 6th June, Railtours Ireland, in conjunction with the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland operated another of their Emerald Pullman charters around Ireland. The last number of years have used a Iarnrod Eireann 22000 Class unit (a 3ICR set) but for 2025 the format has reverted to the RPSI Cravens which feature two of their six coaches in the rake upgraded to "Pullman" class. The tour departed from Dublin Connolly on Sunday 1st June and over the next 6 days visited Waterford, Killarney, Cork, Cobh, Limerick, Galway, Westport and Dundalk. The full guest itinerary can be found on the Railtours Ireland website (link on my gallery page). I managed to capture photos of the Special Charter on Sunday 1st June at Lavistown South Jct. & Waterford, on Wednesday at Limerick Jct. while operating from Killarney to Galway. On Friday I was invited to board the train and travelled from Westport to Dundalk where guests continued their journey north to Belfast via the Enterprise. Locos 086, 083 & 081 were used during the course of the week. For all the photos click https://thewandererphotos.smugmug.com/RailtoursPreservedRailways/2025/Railtours-Ireland-Emerald-Pullman The June gallery has also been updated with images from the past week at: * Lavistown South Jct. * Waterford * Thurles * Limerick Jct. * Loughmore * Portarlington * Clara * Athlone * Manulla Jct. * Westport * Inchicore * Connolly * Dundalk * Bohernacrusha The 60+ images can be viewed at https://thewandererphotos.smugmug.com/2025-Photos/June-2025/i-fJGnH57

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