2751

[Branchline121]

Although the 2700s are due to be scrapped, I’ve heard word of 2751 possibly being kept as a shunter for the Portlaoise ICR depot. I’ve also heard that the lads at Maam Cross are investigating acquiring the unit for preservation, but nothing since. Has it been moved already or is it still in storage? It’d be interesting to see it return to service after so long but likewise it could be a useful asset for Maam Cross. I’d be interested in hearing if anyone has updates on it anyway.

[ttc0169]

10 minutes ago, Branchline121 said:

Although the 2700s are due to be scrapped, I’ve heard word of 2751 possibly being kept as a shunter for the Portlaoise ICR depot. I’ve also heard that the lads at Maam Cross are investigating acquiring the unit for preservation, but nothing since. Has it been moved already or is it still in storage? It’d be interesting to see it return to service after so long but likewise it could be a useful asset for Maam Cross. I’d be interested in hearing if anyone has updates on it anyway.

Gone back into storage in Cork- It’s going to Maam cross in the near future. 

[Mol_PMB]

Rolling stock of this era can be a real challenge to keep going, owing to obsolescence of electronics and the increasing complexity of systems compared to older stock.

If you can no longer get the correct 30-year-old circuit board or chip, then there is a huge effort of reverse-engineering, redesigning with modern components, and proving that the new design is equivalent to the old. 

Pre-1990s technology is much easier to fix.

[josh_]

Wonder if they might buy 2, one set in the points and plug and then other in IE 'commuter'

[Westcorkrailway]

10 minutes ago, josh_ said:

Wonder if they might buy 2, one set in the points and plug and then other in IE 'commuter'

No.

[Railer]

Just an update on this topic. The last 3 sets of 2700s were removed from Cork shed on Tuesday for their final trip to Inchicore for scrapping. Freshly painted 083 did the honors fitted with a Dellner coupling adaptor.

[hurricanemk1c]

3 hours ago, Railer said:

Just an update on this topic. The last 3 sets of 2700s were removed from Cork shed on Tuesday for their final trip to Inchicore for scrapping. Freshly painted 083 did the honors fitted with a Dellner coupling adaptor.

Not the last sets

[Niles]

4 hours ago, Railer said:

Freshly painted 083 did the honors

Decent of it to put on a nice suit for a funeral.

[Westcorkrailway]

A nice coat of GSR Grey if you went spotting on April 1st you were no fool! 

 

And yes. There is a few more floating around, however, moving them is slightly more uncertain 

 

[Mayner]

On 4/4/2025 at 1:40 AM, Westcorkrailway said:

A nice coat of GSR Grey if you went spotting on April 1st you were no fool! 

 

And yes. There is a few more floating around, however, moving them is slightly more uncertain 

 

I remember the Guard of the Sunday afternoon Longford-Connolly passenger telling me in the Spring of 96 that CIE had placed an order with Alstom for 27 Railcars for a similar price to 19 Mitsui railcars. Their delivery and introduction into service was quite protracted to say the least requiring a lathe number of modifications before they were allowed to enter service. 

IE introduced a through Sunday afternoon Ballina-Waterford service probably aimed a Athlone & Waterford RTC students that actually appeared in the timetable intended to be worked by 2700s that had not yet entered service.

They eventually displaced 201s and MK3 Push Pull sets from Pearse-Drogheda services for about 2-3 years in the early 2000s before being replaced by 2800 Class Units and transferred to Limerick where their reliability improved careful maintenance & less intense usage than Dublin.

By contrast the AEC railcars introduced by CIE in the early 50 operated for approx. 20 years in Main Line and Suburban duties before being converted into non-powered units after British Leyland ceased to supply engine and transmission parts for AEC railcars, The 2700s may have a shorter in service life as a result of their slow introduction to service and being out of service for many years.

Be interesting to find out whether IE seriously considered the economics of upgrading the Alstom Units (2700 and DART) to improve reliability/reduce maintenance costs or was its simply cheaper to replace the Units with new possibly dual mode stock.

That young Guard appeared to enjoy his work and optimistic about the futher of the railways all those years ago, you begin to feel old when you remember 3 generations of Irish passenger trains entering and being withdrawn from service (Supertrain, MK3, Alstom diesel railcars).

[Railer]

It was when the 2700s were pushed into regular service on the Connolly to Rosslare route as the 071+Mk2Ds were being phased out when alot of the 2700 problems were brought to the fore front. One 6 car formation even split when in service. The 2800s were a big improvement on this route and really showed how unsuited the 2700s were. There were times when the 2800 fleet were producing 100% fleet availability with all 20 cars in service for weeks on end while working Northern commuter, Maynooth and Rosslare services out of Dublin with no issues. The polar opposite of the 2700s.

 

[Mayner]

3 hours ago, Railer said:

It was when the 2700s were pushed into regular service on the Connolly to Rosslare route as the 071+Mk2Ds were being phased out when alot of the 2700 problems were brought to the fore front. One 6 car formation even split when in service. The 2800s were a big improvement on this route and really showed how unsuited the 2700s were. There were times when the 2800 fleet were producing 100% fleet availability with all 20 cars in service for weeks on end while working Northern commuter, Maynooth and Rosslare services out of Dublin with no issues. The polar opposite of the 2700s.

 

Nicknamed 'Sparrows' (Spanish Arrows) in a similar manner to the original 2600s Arrow railcars or Jarrows. (Japanese Arrows)

Remember a friend commenting that a Northern Suburban driver calling the 2700s 'Spanish crap' when asked what he thought of the new railcars.

First saw the 2800 in service on the Northern Suburban when I returned to Ireland for a couple of weeks in 2005, what impressed me was the sheer intensity and frequency of service with the new railcars compared to a couple of years earlier when most services were worked by MK3 Push Pulls.

Travelled on Northern services on three different types of train during the past 30 odd years, 1st  refurbished Park Royal hauled by 141 around 1989, 121 hauled Push Pull late 90s, 2800 in 2005.