thewanderer

Morning folks, Saturday 29th & Sunday 30th April 2017: Photos from this weekend include images of the Belmond Grand Hibernian going down the Dublin & South Eastern Railway line as far as Gorey, where it stabled on Saturday night. The normal Saturday route to Belfast wasn't available due to engineering works. To start off the weekend I dropped into Rosskelton to see the ballast cleaning works ongoing. Click http://smu.gs/2qleiOj to view them all.

Your's truly suggested it to the right people in IE management.

Evening folks, Pictures from the middle of this week feature: Wednesday 26th April 2017: A evening stroll to Nenagh Town centre coincided with the evening passenger train arriving at the station. Thursday 27th April 2017: Friday morning was interesting at Portlaoise with the 0825 Charleville - Galway Belmond GH Spl. and a Limerick to Inchicore Wagon transfer passing the town. On Thursday evening I took a ramble from Portlaoise to Nenagh via Limerick Jct. and Ballybrophy. Friday 28th April 2017: Friday morning images from Nenagh and Ballybrophy. Click http://smu.gs/2pq7TRP to view them all.

Evening all, The Belmond Grand Hibernian started its 2017 season today with a trip from Heuston to Cork, Thurles and Charleville. Also other pictures from today feature Nenagh, Ballybrophy and Clonkeen. Click http://smu.gs/2q3GKXo to view.

Evening all, Pictures from Athlone (last week) and Limerick (today) have just been uploaded to the April gallery. Click http://smu.gs/2ptrNhl to view. Also if anybody is interested in river cruising then take a look at http://smu.gs/2paQw77

I do agree that the road bridge is very railway looking! But the railway terminated on the east side of the river bank.

Last week I traced the formation of the closed railway line from Roscrea to Birr and Portumna. Despite having closed 54 & 139 years respectively, large traces of the railway formation remain visible. Click the picture below to see all the images.

Evening all, A few pictures from the past week both featuring MKIV Set 4005 being hauled to Inchicore after failing in Mallow and Cork respectively. Click http://smu.gs/2pjdg4N to view.

Thanks Noel.

Morning all, Pictures from the last few days include: Saturday 8th April 2017: Lansdowne Road prior to heading to Connolly to catch the RPSI Railtour. Sunday 9th April 2017: A late night visit to Ballybrophy to film the Belmond Grand Hibernian set passing while on a trial run to Mallow. Monday 10th April 2017: Images from Rosskelton, Portlaoise and Limerick Jct. Includes catching 085 working the Cork to North Wall HOBS train. Click http://smu.gs/2ou3Aq4 to view.

Evening all, My photos of the RPSI Marble Tribesman railtour have now been uploaded to http://smu.gs/2oYPwWi

Evening all, Photos from Tuesday and today (Friday) have just been uploaded to the website featuring: - Nenagh. - Borris-in-Ossary. - Ballybrophy. - Heuston (including seeing Enterprise 207 on Cork duty). Click http://smu.gs/2nmiteU to view.

Afternoon all, The March gallery finishes with a photo of 087 hauling failed 084 and a single timber wagon from Limerick to Inchicore, passing Portlaoise on Thursday 30th March. Click http://smu.gs/2nOaTXc to view. April 2017 opens with images from around the Killarney area on Saturday and Sunday. Photographs also show the recent temporary shortening of the main platform to allow the station roof to be repaired and repainted. Click http://smu.gs/2nzWw8a to view.

Good evening all, The latest additions to the March gallery include: - Passing by Bord na Mona's Mountdillon Works near Lanesborough. - Old overbridge at Portumna on the long closed railway line to Birr. - Lunchtime at Clonkeen near Portlaoise to see 080 coming from Limerick with the Steel Train. - 22000 Class sets crossing at Portlaoise and passengers alighting at Thurles. Click http://smu.gs/2o8QQ8u to view.

Evening all, A few photos from the past week: Locations include: - Limerick Jct. Pocket Loop. - Lough Owel (Mullingar). - Ballybrophy - Thurles. Click http://smu.gs/2nxzwcn to view.

Noel, The station roof is being renewed.

Morning all, Some more pictures from the weekend & Tuesday of this week. The March Gallery features pictures from Connolly, Clonsilla and Gort. Highlights being the transfer of 22002 + 22001 + 22062 from Laois Depot to Connolly to place 22001 with its experimental in cab signalling equipment to Connolly for further tests. Click http://smu.gs/2o3GIdG to view. Also on Sunday the RPSI Dublin operations kicked off their 2017 season with two trips to Maynooth, using DSER loco 461 with 6 Cravens + BR Van. Click http://smu.gs/2mTloXP to view.

Good evening folks, On Saturday I took part in the "#JJinstarail Goes West, The Mystery Tour" which was a mystery train trip from Dublin Heuston to Galway (although I knew that already!). Pictures from the trip are at http://smu.gs/2nLKA3x

Evening folks, Photos from Wednesday and Thursday have now been uploaded to the March gallery at http://smu.gs/2mUImAj On Thursday I took a ramble from Portlaoise to Limerick via Galway. Some good loadings on the Western Rail Corridor. The 1840 Galway - Ennis (22003) had 43 passengers after Athenry. Many of these connected off the 1630 Heuston Galway. 31 of these alighted in Ennis, with 6 remaining in board for the 77 minute wait for the 2110 Ennis Limerick. The reason for the long wait is due to the long single line section between Limerick and Ennis of 24 miles and two trains from Limerick at 1945 (to Galway) and 2025 (to Ennis). The 1800 Limerick Galway was crossed at Gort formed of a single 2800 Class unit. It was full and standing room only with all four vestibules having standing and sitting passengers in them. Meanwhile for the 77 minute wait at Ennis I took a walk down the town to check out a certain railway themed pub.

Yes it is. As a mitigation to prevent wrong side signal failures in the form of non-operation of track circuits associated with rail-head contamination through non-use, a number of services in this WTT are identified as operating via alternative routing. Areas identified include: • Ballybrophy Down Loop. 1525 Heuston Limerick. • Thurles Down Loop. 0740 Limerick Jct Thurles Ety. • Charleville Down Loop. 1900 Heuston Cork. • Mallow Platform 3 (To Dublin). 2020 Cork Heuston. • Tralee Line Crossing Loops (Banteer – Farranfore). 0620 Cork Tralee serves the loops at Banteer and Farranfore, plus Killarney Bay. 2055 Cork Tralee serves Killarney Bay.

Evening folks, The latest images have now been uploaded to the March gallery. Monday 13th March 2017: A few pictures from Portlaoise, Ballybrophy and Limerick with the aim of heading to Birdhill to photograph a Ballast Train which should have been stabled there. It wasn't! Looks like it dropped its stone and headed back to Limerick Jct. instead of stabling. The ever elusive perway train! Tuesday 14th March 2017: A ramble around Portlaoise and Portarlington at lunchtime produced some better luck with perway trains! - Inspection Car 723 heading to Ballybrophy. - Track Recording Car 700 heading from Mallow to Heuston. - Ultra rare passenger loco 223 on a MKIV set. - HOBS and Spoil trains at Portarlington. - 22001 being reformed at Laois Depot into its correct formation. Click http://smu.gs/2mGqKGF to view.

Evening folks, A couple of updates from the past few days. The weekend features images from: - Nenagh - Brittas (Thurles). - Loughmore. - Templemore. Highlights include Belmond 216 passing through Templemore on the 1500 Heuston to Cork. Click http://smu.gs/2mXVaqo to view. Also "MKT Transport Photography" visited Dublin earlier in the week and has kindly allowed me to use some of his photos of Dublin Connolly from his trip. Click http://smu.gs/2ndDoQD to view these.

Thanks Noel

The latest pictures in the March gallery feature images at Nenagh of the morning train being split to form the 0745 Nenagh - Limerick, along with Ballybrophy and Portlaoise pictures. Click http://smu.gs/2m4Gd1l

Evening all, Tuesday 7th March 2017: I had to take spin to Dublin today for some business. Pictures from: - Portlaoise - Heuston - Pearse - Ballybrophy - Nenagh Click http://smu.gs/2lBMyWF to view.