Irish North in a modern layout

[jhb171achill]

Took this pic at Dundalk last week.

I was going to post it on the satirical website with a caption to the effect that it was the 12:50 Dundalk - Enniskillen.

That got me thinking about “what-ifs”…..

In truth, had the INW survived, we’d be  looking exactly at this - 29s operating DDK - EKN, maybe on to Bundoran, with NIR 3ks operating Portadown - Clones - Enniskillen - Omagh.

Maybe timber trains originating in the Monaghan area, but goods otherwise gone.

Often, railway layouts are constrained for space, meaning stations on sharp curves are necessary, even though they’re rare in real life.

Enniskillen, like Drogheda, Cork and Belfast Lanyon Central Maysfields, was on a very sharp curve.

So; layout idea……!

No goods yard needed - Enniskillen worked by both NIR and IE railcars…..

 

[Robert Shrives]

Good ideas , In a slightly older period perhaps 80class and 141s on Craven / MK2a stock  or Hunslets on Pushpull stock,

Now 121 Mk3 and Hunslets on MK 2 would make a great look as well.   Your track plan ? 

What - Ifs always work better if the back story is  more than plausible.  Like Scottish highland never were branches  coming to life in the BR blue era - eking out a  rural lifeline that just a little look around shows proposals were drawn up but never enacted.  - I suppose a category of  "almost happened" is required.

Robert 

[Galteemore]

Like it. With the NIR rail bus painted two tone SLNC green waiting in the bay….. 

[Mayner]

For someone with the space a layout based on Clones in its original or "what if" form would make an excellent operating model with short relatively frequent trains arriving and departing in four different directions, a large loco depot and two goods yards.

The GNR operated Clones-Cavan as an extension of the original Ulster Railway main line with four Belfast-Cavan trains made up of modern stock daily, the Irish North appears to have been more secondary main line in nature with a small number of Dundalk-Derry trains intermixed with through Belfast-Enniskillen via Clones & Omagh trains, Enniskillen-Omagh and Enniskillen-Bundoran trains.

Diesel units would be a no-brainer for operating a fast Belfast-Cavan-Enniskillen service made up of AEC/BUT, MPD, 70, 80 or CAF units splitting and combining at Clones, with IE eventually replacing B141+2 Bredin/Park Royal/Craven+van with 2 Car 2600 sets for a once/twice daily Dundalk-Clones possibly Bundoran service.  Again NIR could simply operate Enniskillen-Omagh as a feeder to the Derry Road with a captive 2 car railcar set or operate a Belfast-Derry-Enniskillen railcar service splitting at Omagh similar to the GNR during the final weeks of the Irish North line.

Its just about possible that CIE/IE could have continued freight services to Clones as a railhead for Cavan and Monaghan into the 90s to serve the large meat and dairy processing plants in Counties Cavan and Monaghan, export meat and dairy products going out in ISO containers same as Claremorris, Mallow and Rathluric during the same era.

[Mayner]

1 minute ago, Mayner said:

For someone with the space a layout based on Clones in its original or "what if" form would make an excellent operating model with short relatively frequent trains arriving and departing in four different directions, a large loco depot and two goods yards.

The GNR operated Clones-Cavan as an extension of the original Ulster Railway main line with four Belfast-Cavan trains made up of modern stock daily, the Irish North appears to have been more secondary main line in nature with a small number of Dundalk-Derry trains intermixed with through Belfast-Enniskillen via Clones & Omagh trains, Enniskillen-Omagh and Enniskillen-Bundoran trains.

Diesel units would be a no-brainer for operating a fast Belfast-Cavan-Enniskillen service made up of AEC/BUT, MPD, 70, 80 or CAF units splitting and combining at Clones, with IE eventually replacing B141+2 Bredin/Park Royal/Craven+van with 2 Car 2600 sets trundling along once/twice daily between Dundalk-Clones possibly Bundoran . 

NIR could simply operate Enniskillen-Omagh as a feeder to the Derry Road with a captive 2 car railcar set or operate a Belfast-Derry-Enniskillen railcar service splitting at Omagh similar to the GNR during the final weeks of the Irish North line, or even a Belfast, Clones, Enniskillen, Belfast circular service.

Its just about possible that CIE/IE could have continued freight services to Clones as a railhead for Cavan and Monaghan during the Railplan 80 era.

Meat and dairy processing plants in Counties Cavan and Monaghan, potentially generating levels of ISO container traffic to Waterford or Dublin Port similar to Claremorris, Mallow and Rathluric during the same era. Clones would also have made sense as a railhead for fertiliser traffic for the area with a reasonable line haul from Shelton Abbey. Non-train load traffic such as Guinness, Sundries and individual containers likely to be distributed by road direct from Dublin.

 

[jhb171achill]

The existence of the border changed everything. Had no border ever existed, the INW would have been of more importance, and ended up quite possibly as the main Dublin - Derry line; failing that, the Derry Road.

Once it DID exist, however, the resultant stunting of economic growth in its immediate vicinity, and changes in local travel patterns, meant the immediate death knell of the Keady - Castleblayney line, only open 13 years, and the relegation of most rural stations along the route to relative backwaters. 

Thus, it is probable that “secondary” stock would have been used, with the Derry Road being the “main line” west.

In the 70s or 80s, yes, 141s and laminates, or NIR 80s.

While it’s tempting to think today of a shiny ICR doing Connolly - Derry via either Portadown or Enniskillen, and container trains galore, the probability would be 29s and CAFs, maybe the odd 3-ICR. This actually makes modelling of such a thing comparatively simple.

In terms of routes, IE would likely stick to their own territory. It’s probably stretching credibility too far to expect Cavan to remain, so we’re looking at Dundalk to Enniskillen operated by IE, where it meets NIR railcars on Enniskillen - Foyle Road. Meanwhile, another NIR service does Belfast - Armagh, with probably two services a day extended to Clones and Enniskillen. Clones - Portadown could have an IE local too….

That would be my take on it anyway, based on probable realities.