Motive power for Tara mines trains

[201bhoy]

Just wondering there why an 071 ALWAYS pulls the Tara mines trains? I have seen pictures of an A-class pulling them ages ago but since they were scrapped I've never seen a 201 or pair of baby GMs pulling them. Anyone know the reason for this?

[jhb171achill]

The A class were certainly regulars. I don't recall "pairs" on them but there may have been.

[Riversuir226]

A combination of weight & power is the simple answer the 201's are heavier plus have a limited availability on certain lines.

[irishrail123]

Yea the 201's are too heavy. Think they are too heavy for the Navan Viaduct. I believe a 201 has worked a Tara mines only once but it was either ex Drogheda or North Wall. Didnt go on the navan branch.

[h gricer]

The 201class doesn't fit on the traveser in the Tara Depot in Dublin Port. The Aclass was a perfect fit, the buffer stops had to be removed to accommodate the 071class, 201class are cleared to work the Navan Branch, 228 worked a GAA special September 1996. Pairs of 141s have worked Taras, but limited to 10wagons. The As worked 11wagons, Taras only started working 12wagons since the 071s took over.

Regards

hg

[heirflick]

The 201class doesn't fit on the traveser in the Tara Depot in Dublin Port. The Aclass was a perfect fit, the buffer stops had to be removed to accommodate the 071class, 201class are cleared to work the Navan Branch, 228 worked a GAA special September 1996. Pairs of 141s have worked Taras, but limited to 10wagons. The As worked 11wagons, Taras only started working 12wagons since the 071s took over.

Regards

hg

 

great info there:tumbsup:

[Glenderg]

The 201class doesn't fit on the traveser in the Tara Depot in Dublin Port. The Aclass was a perfect fit, the buffer stops had to be removed to accommodate the 071class, 201class are cleared to work the Navan Branch, 228 worked a GAA special September 1996. Pairs of 141s have worked Taras, but limited to 10wagons. The As worked 11wagons, Taras only started working 12wagons since the 071s took over.

Regards

hg

 

Theres a traverser in the tara mines depot? Thought it was just a loop, any chance of a few photos? R.

[h gricer]

Theres a traverser in the tara mines depot? Thought it was just a loop, R.

Its more than a loop, the loco moves on to the ''traverser'' then moves across for it to run round, the wagons follow to be unloaded, the 071 just barely fits.

Speaking of 141s on Taras, when the Iranian Leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was running his Presidential campaign to became President of Iran, his campaign workers downloaded a photo of 181+155 on a Tara train off the Meath on Track website, it caused quite a bit of amusement at the time, some say he should have used a modern railcar instead of vintage locomotives, it would have given Irish Rail better publicity and free advertising, maybe even get Iranian tourists to visit the Emerald Isle, very funny at the time, you can read it here http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/iran-on-track-with-help-of-irish-rail-26542633.html

Regards

hg

[Eiretrains]

A ©201 class also hauled a Tara Mines working in the early 1980s, probably standing in for the normal A Class locomotive.

[Ian Cooper]

Trying to figure out the workings of the unloading of the Tara wagons at the port. 

I'm aware that the loco leads into the siding and moves to the parallel track via the traverser.

Does it then run round to propel the wagons into the traverser and tippler  before then running round again to pull each wagon off the traverser when empty?

Or is there a mechanism to move the wagons with out the aid of the loco.

I've seen a video and pix of the operation of the traverser and tippler but since lost the link.