Kingscourt Passenger Train Queries

[LocallyDone]

Hi, just some queries, but might be stretching!

Kingscourt station says it closed to passengers in 1947 on Wikipedia. I'm not expecting any modelled coaches currently available to have made it to there. But what type of coaches would have featured realistically until it closed?

And hypothetically, if it was still open until the 1990s for passengers, what would? E.g. would Park Royals feature? Not sure if Cravens make it onto branch lines, so would they feature? Any thoughts?

The line stayed open to freight but not sure about its capacity to accommodate these types of coaches.

Many thanks, going to really appreciate the thoughts!

[Mol_PMB]

Several railtours went to Kingscourt in the freight-only period, some with steam (ex-GNR 132, RPSI 186) or diesel (059) haulage , and some with obscure railcars (SLNCR 'B', NIR 'RB3').

There was a black and tan Park Royal in the train hauled by 186, in 1970.

Some photos from Jonathan Allen, Colm O'Callaghan and and Ernie on Flickr. There are very many more photos of Kingscourt on the IRRS Flickr archive which you can only view if you're an IRRS member:

 

To answer your 'what if' question, then yes, 1990s would likely have been Park Royals and BR or Dutch van.

Edited January 22 by Mol_PMB
Added photo links

[Mol_PMB]

One more from Roger Joanes. Here's you're excuse to buy a Park Royal...

 

[Mayner]

10 hours ago, LocallyDone said:

*Hi, just some queries, but might be stretching!

Kingscourt station says it closed to passengers in 1947 on Wikipedia. I'm not expecting any modelled coaches currently available to have made it to there. But what type of coaches would have featured realistically until it closed?

And hypothetically, if it was still open until the 1990s for passengers, what would? E.g. would Park Royals feature? Not sure if Cravens make it onto branch lines, so would they feature? Any thoughts?

The line stayed open to freight but not sure about its capacity to accommodate these types of coaches.

Many thanks, going to really appreciate the thoughts!

There are a number of photos of Meath Line passenger trains in the 1930s in"Great Southern Railways" Donal Murray published by Iain Allen during the 2000s as part of series of Irish railway pictorials. Before the Emergency there were usually 2-3 return passenger trains between Dublin & Kingscourt, that was possibly down to a single morning Kingscourt-Amiens St train & evening return working.

1930s photos of the train 3 ex-MGWR 6wheel coaches hauled by an ex-MGWR 2-4-0 or 0-6-0. In MGWR & GSR days there was a daily scheduled North Wall Kingscourt Goods likley to have been worked by an ex-MGWR Standard Goods, goods services were cut back to a three day weekly from the late 1940s usually worked by one of the large ex-MGWR Cattle Engine.

At one stage brick traffic from the local brickworks was once an important traffic, at one stage there was a private siding into the works, though in later years wagons were loaded on the main line South of the level crossing.

The station appears to have been a railhead for both passenger and goods traffic for Baileborough, in GSR days there was a glazed canopy on the gable end at the North end of the station building possibly as a shelter for passengers transferring from rail to road.

                                                                                                

[jhb171achill]

17 hours ago, LocallyDone said:

Hi, just some queries, but might be stretching!

Kingscourt station says it closed to passengers in 1947 on Wikipedia. I'm not expecting any modelled coaches currently available to have made it to there. But what type of coaches would have featured realistically until it closed?

And hypothetically, if it was still open until the 1990s for passengers, what would? E.g. would Park Royals feature? Not sure if Cravens make it onto branch lines, so would they feature? Any thoughts?

The line stayed open to freight but not sure about its capacity to accommodate these types of coaches.

Many thanks, going to really appreciate the thoughts!

From opening until closure (to passengers) this line like several other MGWR byways was populated entirely by standard MGWR six-wheelers. Like Killeshandra and Athboy, originally a third, a 1st / 2nd compo and a brake third, but the Midland became the first major company to ditch 2nd class, and passenger numbers were never high, so from the mid-1910s the set was typically a 1st / 3rd compo and a brake third. All six-wheelers.

Had it made it to the modern era, expect two standards and a tin van until the mid-80s. These would be typically:

- Until end of steam - probably an old wooden bogie and a six wheel brake 3rd.

- 1960s - same, or else an old Bredin or a new laminate, but orange & black and diesel hauled, so a tin van essential too.

- 1970s - last old wooden stock gone, but Park Royals appearing on services like this - so one or two various laminates, PRs or old Bredins.

- 1980s: same, but you might see the odd Craven. After 1986, and the wooden body issue, only Cravens, though PRs might get a by-ball for a couple of years. Laminates gone.

Four wheeled tin vans replaced by BR or Dutch by maybe 1980 latest.

- 1990s: only Cravens, possibly two, and a BR or Dutch van.

Loco-wise, up to the end of steam, latterly J18 0.6.0s and rarely anything else, though in earlier days 2.4.0s and “E” class tanks.

At whatever stage they dieselised it, expect a “C” from 1960-ish for a few years, then probably an exclusive diet of 141s after that until a railcar took over. Today, doubtless a 29 class set. An “A” could have appeared too, with gypsum trains running alongside passengers, and post-1972 you’d probably get the odd re-engined A or C (B201).