Portarlington 1996

[Flying Scotsman 4472]

[Guest hidden-agenda]

The good old days nice find Anthony.

[Glenderg]

Super find! Those ammonia appear to have little or no markings or are they hidden by dirt?

[BosKonay]

A truly golden age of loco haulage

[Garfield]

071 ,141, 181, 201... the only loco class in use at the time that doesn't appear in the video are the 121s - not bad for a few hours' filming! Nice find!

[RedRich]

I've just been watching it on the smart hub on the tv and it looks good.

 

Rich,

[heirflick]

those were the days! you could watch that clip for ages!

[Broithe]

Great stuff.

 

What is the strange little tower at the Port Laoise end of the Dublin platform? There'e a smaller one at Ballybrophy, that you could hardly stand up in. I've often wondered what they were for.

 

And why the big gap between the platforms? Was there a third track, like Kildare? The bridge doesn't seem wide enough for three...

[enniscorthyman]

Nice find there Bud.Do you remember back then when the 201s made that noise for a while.

The guys in Inchicore called them the spitters,and I know the locos seemed to stop this

sound after a few years in service.I dont know what caused this noise?.

[minister_for_hardship]

Great stuff.

 

What is the strange little tower at the Port Laoise end of the Dublin platform? There'e a smaller one at Ballybrophy, that you could hardly stand up in. I've often wondered what they were for.

 

QUOTE]

 

They may have been used as a bell towers, to announce a train arrival. A few locations had bells for this purpose, the only one I can think of that lasted into modern times was that attached to Mallow signal cabin.

[Broithe]

Great stuff.

 

What is the strange little tower at the Port Laoise end of the Dublin platform? There'e a smaller one at Ballybrophy, that you could hardly stand up in. I've often wondered what they were for.

 

QUOTE]

 

They may have been used as a bell towers, to announce a train arrival. A few locations had bells for this purpose, the only one I can think of that lasted into modern times was that attached to Mallow signal cabin.

Right. How quaint.

[Eiretrains]

And why the big gap between the platforms? Was there a third track, like Kildare? The bridge doesn't seem wide enough for three...

That's right, there was a middle track between the Up & Down lines, though it wasn't a through running line, but a loop for running around and stabling trains off the Athlone branch, think it remained in situ until the early 80s.

[jhb171achill]

Correct, Eiretrains. I remember seeing wagons parked there in v early 1970s - prob dropped off from Mayo for further south, or vice versa.

[Mayner]

I think the loop was removed with the first stage of the Cork Line CTC between Inchacore and Ballybrophy around 1975/76.

 

Around tha time Tullamore and Portarlington were served by a morning trip working from Athlone, a 001 one or two H Vans and Brake always seemed to be waiting in the Up CTC loop waiting a path as the early morning Cork Line and West of Ireland passenger trains passed.

 

With most intermedite stations closed the overnight Galway line loose coupled goods were altered only to call at Mullingar and Athlone with Ballinasloe and Roscommon served for a short time by day time trip workings from Athlone.

 

During this era I remember seeing a a 141 waiting at Ballinasloe with a short train made up of H Vans, Keg Flats and Back to Back fertiliser wagons and brake van.

 

John