Cork, Blackrock & Passage pre-1900 (5'3" gauge)

[Mol_PMB]

I've is busy at present as I'm away from home a lot with no time for modelling. But after a recent discussion which touched on the railway stations of Cork, I have spent a few odd moments looking at the two termini of the broad gauge Cork, Blackrock and Passage Railway. These don't get much coverage in the normal Irish Railway books, as the first was abandoned in the 1870s and the second regauged to 3' in 1900 and then abandoned in 1932 - nearly a century ago. However, the buildings themselves both long outlasted the railways.

I just thought I'd jot down a few links and bits of information in this thread in case anyone else was interested. Please feel free to add more on the topic, ideally keeping to the pre-1900 broad gauge theme.

A proposal for a railway from Cork to Passage was first made in the 1830s. This map shows the entire route, running on the south bank of the river. At the city end it is shown going further west than the line actually built, and terminating where the City Hall is now:

1836 Cork–Passage Proposed Railway - Cork Past & Present

The line as actually built in 1850 followed a similar route but terminated east of Victoria Road, at a station known as City Park or Victoria Road. There are a couple of maps from 1852 and 1872 here which show the location:

The Catholic Heritage Association of Ireland: Back on the Rails II - All Rails Lead To Cork

Also here:

View map: Ordnance Survey of Ireland, Cork Sheet 74 (St. Finbar's;Inishkenny;Carrigaline;St. Anne's, Shandon;Caherlag;Carrigrohane;St. Nic... - Ordnance Survey Six-inch Ireland, 1829-1969

 

Colm Creedon's research notes available on the Cork Local Studies website include some more detailed plans of the City Park terminus

Cork, Blackrock and Passage Railway 1850 - 1932: digital format · Cork Local Studies Digital Archive

Colm Creedon also found a couple of external photos of the buildings in 1878 and 1932 (both after it had been closed as a railway station) and they can also be seen in the document linked above. The station building including the train shed remained as part of the mill complex built around it, at least into the 1930s. I imagine that many of these plans and photos are reproduced to a better quality in Colm Creedon's book on the CB&PR, but that book is hard to find.

 

In the early 1870s about 2km of the western end of the line was realigned further south, to free the river bank for development of quays and industries. A new terminus was built alongside Albert Road, about 200m south-west of the original, and it opened in 1873. At this stage the line was still 5'3" gauge. Colm Creedon's notes (linked above) include trackplans of this station in its broad gauge days; there was also a siding towards the mills on the quay.

This map shows the realigned route:

View map: Ordnance Survey of Ireland, Cork - Sheet 74 (includes: St. Finbar's;Inishkenny;Carrigaline;St. Anne's, Shandon;Caherlag;Carrigro... - Ordnance Survey Six-inch Ireland, 1829-1969

I think the 25-inch map at this location shows the broad gauge era at Albert Street, though the track layout may be simplified:

Irish Townland and Historical Map Viewer

I don't think there was ever a link line between the CB&PR and the Bandon or Macroom lines. And the CB&PR was regauged well before the Cork City Railway was constructed.

When the line was regauged to 3' in 1900, the Albert Street station was re-used, but with a very different layout of tracks and platforms. The building still exists today, though probably threatened with re-development.

 

There are several photos of the broad-gauge locos - there were three, all 2-2-2Ts. Here are 3 images:

No.2 - 2-2-2WT - built 1850 by Sharp Bros & Co., W… - THE CORK, BLACKROCK & PASSAGE RAILWAY - transportsofdelight

No.1 - 2-2-2WT - built 1850 by Sharp Bros & Co., W… - THE CORK, BLACKROCK & PASSAGE RAILWAY - transportsofdelight

No.2 - 2-2-2WT - built 1850 by Sharp Bros & Co., W… - THE CORK, BLACKROCK & PASSAGE RAILWAY - transportsofdelight

There are a couple more photos in Colm Creedon's notes that may also be published elsewhere, but so far I've only found about 6 images of the line in broad gauge days. Good views of the other rolling stock seem non-existent.

That's what I've found so far but I may do some more research.

 

I was idly wondering whether it might make an interesting 'what-if' layout imagining the scenario that it remained 5'3" gauge and thrived into the early 1960s and perhaps beyond - a busy but small city suburban terminus.

[Flying Snail]

The National Museum of Ireland also have a photographic reproduction of a photograph from the Locomotive Magazine, Engine number 1, C.B. and P.R. Sharp single tank engine No. 1.

https://www.museum.ie/collections/collection/object-159691/?return=%2Fcollections%2Fcollection%2F%3Flimit%3D100%26page%3D3%26term%3Drailway%26media%3Dyes

edit: it appears to be a reproduction of the same photo as the transportsofdelight one linked above

Edited 39 minutes ago by Flying Snail

[Mol_PMB]

12 minutes ago, Flying Snail said:

The National Museum of Ireland also have a photographic reproduction of a photograph from the Locomotive Magazine, Engine number 1, C.B. and P.R. Sharp single tank engine No. 1.

https://www.museum.ie/collections/collection/object-159691/?return=%2Fcollections%2Fcollection%2F%3Flimit%3D100%26page%3D3%26term%3Drailway%26media%3Dyes

edit: it appears to be a reproduction of the same photo as the transportsofdelight one linked above

Nice - thank you. 

It's interesting that the three locos seem to have ended up different to each other. 

No.1 and No.2 had flat sides to the cab, but No.2 had a small saddle tank added.

No.3 had a wider upper cab, and a different style of buffer.

All these photos show the locos fitted with vacuum brakes, so I assume they are from the latter years of broad gauge operation (1890s)

I also found these:

(from https://oldphotosofcork.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/98195547_2891388294291418_8321570423867179008_o.jpg)

 

Plus Colm Creedon's notes (linked in my first post) include a photo of a train at Passage in 1897, and another photo of No.2 with its saddle tank.

[Flying Snail]

There's also a faded picture of a bridge and the permanent way on the National Library's website in the Joshua H. Hargrave Collection. Not sure if its 5' 3" or 3' - I think its the former, but someone more knowledgeable can confirm:

https://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000289089

 

Edited 12 minutes ago by Flying Snail