A tale of two International coaches.

[thewanderer]

Pictures from today are a tale of two coaches.

 

In July 2009 International Carriages 6203 and 6205 were transported from North Wall to the Killashee House Hotel in Naas, Co. Kildare for conversion into a restaurant. See http://smu.gs/YQPs6w for pictures of the movement in the Dublin area.

 

In March of the following year I visited Killashee House Hotel and managed to obtain photograph of the coaches stored in a yard behind the hotel. Click on http://smu.gs/168MGOq for the start of the March 2010 pictures. The yard was also home to Cravens Carriage 1558.

 

It was always in the back of my mind to get back to the Killashee House Hotel to see what happened to the coaches but for one reason or another I never got around to it. Then, only days apart in late April 2013 my interest in these now unique carriages was rasied once again when I saw two seperate pictures on facebook of the carriages. Their individual condition now poles apart.

 

In the three years since I last visited the Killashee House Hotel time has not been kind to 6205. The future plans for it never materialised and the coach has been left to rot away in open storage. All external windows on the coach have been smashed and the body work is in poor condition. Meanwhile its sister 6203 has been moved to Caragh Nurseries, about 10km away and converted into a Coffee Shop. Compared to 6205, 6203 bodywork appears to be in good condition and the interior of the vehicle is well presented. Pictures of 6203 and 6205, plus Cravens 1558 from earlier today are now online in the May Gallery at http://smu.gs/YQR4NN

 

The Wanderer.

[BosKonay]

Wow!

 

What a sad sight of the two stored coaches and what a contrast to the beautifully restored one !

[WRENNEIRE]

I have never see that Cu Na Mara logo inside the coach before

Great bit of work Wanderer, thanks.

[irishrailways52]

unfortunately i fear the worst. i was researching the coaches myself and upon looking at google earth they are gone as of 2023

[Gabhal Luimnigh]

I wonder are they gone for good or just hidden.

[Westcorkrailway]

34 minutes ago, irishrailways52 said:

unfortunately i fear the worst. i was researching the coaches myself and upon looking at google earth they are gone as of 2023

I can’t remember but I think @Nileshad info on these coaches. I think as you say, there gone now.

[Niles]

22 hours ago, Westcorkrailway said:

I can’t remember but I think @Nileshad info on these coaches. I think as you say, there gone now.

I had enquired about 1558 in a past role around 2014, we were basically told you can take it but you'll need to take the mk3 as well. I think there'd been a change of management since they were acquired and I got the impression no longer wanted.

As the enquiry was just for parts for the running Cravens and wouldn't have been worth the expense of extraction and storage, I reckon IÉ would rightly have had a fit had we suggested bringing the bogieless wonder back to Inchicore.

Edited Sunday at 21:33 by Niles

[Westcorkrailway]

“This week I was on the internet and I found this”

https://caraghnurseries.ie/caragh-design-studio/?fbclid=IwAR3LLLewtvMkCK3-TqZRzWwbWh3YniUuvISH-5wZd_p9BzCp9ePgepcUVAo