thewanderer

Evening folks, A round up of images from this week so far: Monday 11th November 2017: Pictures from a snow covered Portlaoise as dusk approached on the Monday evening. Tuesday 12th December 2017: The snow was still there on the Tuesday morning and I managed to get some photos from Ballybrophy and Portlaoise. Wednesday 13th December 2017: Some images of the new LUAS Green Line extension in Dublin City plus photos from Connolly and Heuston. Click http://smu.gs/2ACUVcg to view.

The LUAS Cross City extension of the Green Line opens on Saturday 9th December after being offically opened by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar TD, Transport Minister Shane Ross TD and Minister for Finance & Public Expenditure and Reform Paschal Donohoe TD at a opening ceremony outside the GPO in Dublin. The new tramline is a 5.6 km extension of the existing Green Line from Stephen's Green to Broombridge in North West Dublin via Dawson Street, College Green, O'Connell Street / Marlborough Street, Parnell Street, Broadstone, Phibsborough and Cabra serving a total of 13 new tram stops. Pictures from the opening day have now been uploaded to http://smu.gs/2jiM1Jp

Photos from this week so far come from: - Thurles - Ballybrophy - Quakers Road LC - Heuston - Connolly Click http://smu.gs/2zVEbbD to view.

Afternoon folks, The December gallery has been updated with images from: - Nenagh - Thurles - Heuston - Broombridge (RPSI Santa Specials). - Drumcondra (IWT Liner). Click http://smu.gs/2khQkot to view. The second update to the website features the LUAS Cross City Extension. With just a week to go before opening of the LUAS Cross City Extension, I headed to Dublin to get some photos before it opened. Also thanks to the generosity of Transdev management I was able to take a trip on the new extension from St. Stephens Green to Broombridge on Saturday afternoon during a timetable test. I had planned to travel on the IRRS trip two weeks previously but a family issue scuppered that plan two days before it. This will be the final update to the LUAS Cross City Gallery. This gallery stretches back to January 2013 when I walked the City Centre route prior to construction beginning. Nearly 600 photos later the extension opens at 1400 hours on Saturday 9th December 2017. Click http://smu.gs/2AGUflm to view the update from Saturday and if you wish the view the gallery from the start click http://smu.gs/2zIwDJc

Morning folks, Two updates to the website today. The first update is to the November Gallery and the main highlight of this is a trip to Limerick on Monday evening to see the recently completed rebuilding of Platforms 1 and 2 at the Station. Click http://smu.gs/2k9Y6AJ to view. On Wednesday 29th November, I was part of a small group visit to the main Iarnrod Eireann Civil Engineering base at Portlaoise located just off the Dublin - Cork railway line at the 52 MP. The site in Portlaoise is the main production hub for all of IE's track requirements throughout the network and includes a sleeper manufacturing plant and a rail welding facility. Click http://smu.gs/2zzcsxh to see images of this very interesting and rarely seen element of the rail network.

Evening folks, Other commitments have kept me away from the camera the past week or so, but I managed to get some pictures yesterday and today from Nenagh, Portlaoise and Killarney. Highlights include 216 back on Dublin - Cork MKIV duties and 080 hauling a PWD relay train from Cork to Portlaoise. Click http://smu.gs/2n4byaj to view.

Afternoon folks, The November gallery has been updated with some images from Heuston and interior pictures of recent labelling changes to the 22000 Class fleet. Click http://smu.gs/2mARbRV to view.

Evening all, A few updates to the website covering the past week: November Gallery: Wednesday 8th November 2017: Images from Portlaoise and of LUAS trams in Dublin near Heuston Station. Thursday 9th November 2017: Grabbed a few images around Heuston Station while passing through to catch a bus. Tuesday 14th November 2017: The Sperry Train passed Portlaoise just after midday heading from Heuston to Mallow. Click http://smu.gs/2jrSnpy to view. For the weekend I was in the UK visiting Manchester and York. - UK Trip featuring Manchester Metrolink, Piccadilly and York: http://smu.gs/2ifH9kB - Visit to the National Railway Museum: http://smu.gs/2ifmgpy

Evening all, The November gallery starts off with photos from: - Clonkeen outside Portlaoise. - Hill of Down on the Sligo line to see the extremely rare appearance of a 5ICR set working on Sligo route. This was following the failure of the booked 4ICR set. - Pictures from Lavistown and Commons in Co. Kilkenny on Sunday afternoon. Click http://smu.gs/2hHRRjx to view.

Some recent photos of the Bord na Mona railway at Derrinlough Briquette Factory in Co. Offaly. From 2018 this will be the last plant to produce peat briquettes when the Littleton factory in Co. Tipperary is closed. This closure is due to falling demand for the product in the face of milder winters, higher taxes, falling oil prices and growing awareness of the environmental damage that burning peat causes. Click http://smu.gs/2z9aIeY to view.

Evening folks, I've finally caught up with the last of the October gallery with the final update published today. Highlights include: - Photos from Brittas north of Thurles. - Belmond Grand Hibernian Trial over the Western Rail Corridor. With thanks to TTC0169 for these images. - Pictures from Cherryville Jct and Kildare. Includes Belmond liveried 216 on Cork passenger services and 082 on the DFDS liner from Waterford to Ballina. Click http://smu.gs/2z5BsN4 to view them all.

Morning folks, It's been a busy few weeks since the Munster Double railtour and I haven't really had a chance to update the website much. During the week I made a flying visit to the London area, managing to travel on one of the brand new Class 800 "IEP" from Paddington to Reading and back again. Other items of interest include: Wednesday - A trip on the new GWR Class 800 "IEP" trains from Paddington to Reading and back again. - London Underground photos from various stations. - Liverpool Street - Stratford on a Class 315. - Jubilee Line refurbished train. - Former International platform 20 at London Waterloo. Thursday - Staines and London Waterloo. - London Euston and Birmingham International. These photos can be viewed at http://smu.gs/2yaOrjs The main reason for the visit to London was to visit the Great Cockcrow miniature railway in Chertsey outside London for an event organised by the Institution of Railway Operators. Photos of this excellent railway which features a full signalling system can be viewed at http://smu.gs/2zL8CAM An Irish update of photos covering the last two weeks of October should be posted somestage this weekend.

Evening folks, Two updates have just been done to the website tonight. The first update is to the October Gallery and features: - Lunchtime at Clonkeen on Friday. - Friday evening at Nenagh. - Saturday morning at Stacumny Bridge. - Institution of Railway Operators "Railway Operations Management" 2017 course launch for IE and NIR staff at Connolly. - Sunday features photos from Pearse, Connolly and Thurles. Click http://smu.gs/2ynsmuR to view. The second update is pictures from the hugely successful Railway Preservation Society of Ireland "The Munster Double" railtour. This was the first ever railtour to feature a pair of 071 class locomotives operating in multiple! I was only able to join the tour in Mallow on the way back to Dublin due to a scheduling clash on the day, but before joining the tour I photographed it at Stacumny Bridge outside Dublin and I also arranged for family members to get some photos of the train arriving into Killarney. Click http://smu.gs/2xGYqrz to view.

Evening folks, The October gallery has been updated earlier today with: Saturday 7th October: Flying into Dublin from Frankfurt with views of the City and Bay. Sunday 8th October 2017: Images from around Dublin, plus Thurles including: * Abbey Street * Busaras * Connolly * Howth * Dun-Laoghaire * Pearse * Heuston Wednesday 11th October 2017: Just a single photograph from today with 22054 leaving Portlaoise for Heuston. Thursday 12th October 2017: A few from Ballybrophy, Portlaoise and Limerick today including the last Belmond Grand Hibernian of the season, 086 on a Portarlington to Limerick HOBS transfer and Limerick Station Cabin has been swept away. Click http://smu.gs/2xBnqk0 to view all the images.

The second part of my trip to Poznan, which turned into a bit of an adventure due to Storm Xavier hitting northern Germany and Poland has now been uploaded to the website. After being stranded overnight in Leipzig on the hotel train, we managed to book tickets to get a bus to Berlin early on the Friday morning. Once in Berlin it became clear that there was still no trains running and we would have to get another bus to Poznan to meet up with the rest of the group that had headed from Dublin to Poznan on the Friday morning. Therefore the latest update is more of a travelblog with pictures of buses and stationary trains in how to get from Leipzig to Poznan via Berlin when the rail network is out of action. To top it off I didn’t even get to see any Polish trains, let alone travel on any! You can click http://smu.gs/2kwTHaL to see the pictures from Friday, plus Saturday’s picture of heading back to Dublin via Frankfurt. Click http://smu.gs/2y3fhsh to see the gallery from the very start. Maybe the 2018 trip will be a bit closer to home?

A group of friends decide to go to Poznan for the weekend. Two of us decide to take the scenic route and get the train from London to Berlin (overnight) and then onto Poznan Friday morning, while the rest of them fly out on Friday from Dublin. What could possibly go wrong? It turns out we didn't bargain for a massive DB farce in the Berlin area due to OHLE down from bad weather and an ICE carriage is about to become our bed for the night in Leipzig station. Click http://smu.gs/2y3fhsh to view the adventure so far.....

Evening folks, Four updates to the website this evening featuring: * October 2017 updated with images from Baltimore and Ballydehob showing old railway infrastructure. * Visit to the West Cork Model Railway Village. * Railtours Ireland "Emerald Isle Express" updated with photos of 073 at Woodfarm between Limerick Jct. and Limerick. * September 2017 updated with photos from Mallow and Skibbereen. All the above galleries can be accessed from

Hi John, Yes it is planned to do so. Timings are 10.45 KILLARNEY/TRALEE 15.25 TRALEE/KILLARNEY

Evening folks, Today I followed the Emerald Isle Explorer from Mallow to Cobh and then to Killarney. The highlight being later on in Killarney when the Belmond Grand Hibernian also arrived into the station. The two privately owned trains passed to operated on IE metals in the same location at the same time. Click http://smu.gs/2xGZIGt to view all these. The second update is some images from Limerick Jct. this evening featuring 082 stabled on PWD duties and a rare case of 2612 + 2611 covering for a shortage of 2800 Class sets on the Limerick Jct. Shuttle. Click http://smu.gs/2xGdmcY to view.

Evening folks, Just two photos from earlier today, the hightlight being 218 replacing 216 on this weeks Belmond Grand Hibernian. Click http://smu.gs/2yrPkzS to view.

Afternoon all, There are two updates to the website today featuring: - The September gallery has been updated with images from Nenagh, Galway and Oranmore over the weekend. Click http://smu.gs/2wRD5Ly to view. - It's been over three years since I last visited the narrow gauge railway at Stradbally and in that time some major changes have taken place, with the building of a new two road maintenance shed and improvements to the platform at Stradbally with the addition of various items of traditional platform furniture. I visited the railway for their September running day on Sunday 24th September. Due to a minor issue with their ex Bord na Mona steam locomotive No. 2, this was stopped during the day for maintenance attention to take place, with the last hour of service being provided by diesel locomotive "Rusty". Click http://smu.gs/2wRK07S to view.

Thursday 21st September 2017: Images from around Portlaoise featuring: - 201 & MKIV sets on Cork services. - Empty 3ICR off a irish Distillers Private Charter from Heuston to Cork. - Tullamore - Cork National Ploughing Championship Spl. Click http://smu.gs/2wKm7ia

Evening all, The final batch of images from my weekend in London have now been uploaded to the website. Featuring: - Croydon Tramlink photos from East Croydon, Phipps Bridge, Morden Road and Wimbledon. - Class 455's & Class 700's at Wimbledon. Two generations of EMU's. - X26 across South London to Hatton Cross. - Hatton Cross and Heathrow T1,2,3. Click http://smu.gs/2xn8qJE to view. To see all the photos from the weekend you can click http://smu.gs/2x5mhEs to view these. These feature: Thursday's images feature the trip from Dublin to Gatwick and Gatwick Station itself. Friday's photos feature: - Carshalton Beeches. - Epsom Downs - Tattenham Corner. - Purley. Joining two Class 455's together and 66076 on a freight in the yard. - East Croydon. - Oxted. - Eridge. - Uckfield. - Edenbridge Town. - Edenbridge. - Redhill - Gatwick. 59204 passing through on a freight. Saturday's photos feature: - A trip on the new Mail Rail exhibition at the Postal Museum in Mount Pleasant. - Docklands Light Railway trips. - Greenwich Foot Tunnel. - Emirates Air Line (cable car). - Class 455's at Victoria and Carshalton Beeches.

Morning folks, Pictures from a jaunt around London on Saturday have now been uploaded to http://smu.gs/2xedGOl Featuring: - A trip on the new Mail Rail exhibition at the Postal Museum in Mount Pleasant. - Docklands Light Railway trips. - Greenwich Foot Tunnel. - Emirates Air Line (cable car). - Class 455's at Victoria and Carshalton Beeches.

Morning all, Friday's pictures from London have now been uploaded to http://www.smu.gs/2xa2AuY Featuring: - Carshalton Beeches. - Epsom Downs - Tattenham Corner. - Purley. Joining two Class 455's together and 66076 on a freight in the yard. - East Croydon. - Oxted. - Eridge. - Uckfield. - Edenbridge Town. - Edenbridge. - Redhill - Gatwick. 59204 passing through on a freight.