Photographic Website Updates

[thewanderer]

Evening folks,

We kick off the September gallery with:

Sunday 1st September 2019:
A mini chase on the Nenagh Branch with photos of the 1720 Limerick - Ballybrophy at various locations between Birdhill and Nenagh.

Monday 2nd September 2019:
Today's photos from Clonkeen outside Portlaoise of the 1225 Cork - Heuston MKIV service and refreshed 5ICR 22039 working the 1330 Heuston - Tralee Kerry GAA Private Charter which conveyed the team home to Kerry after the draw against Dublin in the All Ireland Football final on Sunday.

Click https://bit.ly/2jTi1nC to view.

[thewanderer]

Evening folks,

The Emerald Isle Explorer railtour by the RPSI / Steam Dreams is currently touring Ireland using the RPSI's Cravens set and their locos No. 85 and No. 4.

This photographic gallery concentrates on the first part of the tour covering the tour from Limerick Jct. on the Friday, the day trip to Cork on Saturday and from Killarney to Millstreet on the Sunday.

Click https://bit.ly/2lFl1Vc to view all the images from the weekend.

[thewanderer]

Evening folks,

The September gallery has been updated with photos from the past several days.

Wednesday 4th September 2019:
A couple of images from Portlaoise while catching the 1530 Heuston - Limerick.

Thursday 5th September 2019:
Pictures today come around Heuston Station.

Friday 6th - Sunday 8th September 2019:
General images from Limerick Jct., Cork and Kerry while out and about photographing the RPSI / Steam Dreams Spl.

Monday 9th September 2019:
A day trip to Dublin today, highlights being the IWT liner hauled by 232 and 216 shunting the Belmond set through the wash at Heuston and its transfer to Inchicore.

 

Click https://bit.ly/2kAxJnW to view. 
 

Edited September 9, 2019 by thewanderer

[thewanderer]

Evening folks,

Two updates to the website this evening.

The first update features the RPSI / Steam Dreams "Emerald Isle Explorer" special passing the Commons Bridge in Portarlington.

Click https://bit.ly/2mbGFRh to view.

The 2nd updates is to the September gallery featuring images from Dublin City Centre of the CrossCity LUAS line, Heuston and Thurles stations. 

Click https://bit.ly/2mcNwde to view.

Both galleries can also be accessed from the main page at http://www.thewandererphotos.com

[thewanderer]

Evening folks,

A small update this evening featuring the start of our trip to head out west. The first part of the trip being heading from Nenagh to Heuston on the evening Branch train.

Click https://bit.ly/2kjNrE3 to view.

[Gordon71]

12.1.19. Great Victoria Street Station Belfast.
31.1.19. GM 228 light engine at Portadown Station .

 

2.1.19. North Wall Dublin.
2.1.19. Ossory Road Dublin.
2.1.19. GMs 071 078 080 & 088 at Ossory Road & North Wall Dublin.
4.1.19. York Road Depot Belfast.
6.1.19. Dublin Connolly .
6.1.19. Drogheda .
6.1.19. Dundalk.
12.1.19. Great Victoria Street Station Belfast.
31.1.19. GM 228 at Portadown Station .
 

 

Edited September 16, 2019 by Gordon71

[Gordon71]

26.2.19. Great Victoria Street Station Belfast.

 

 

[Gordon71]

21.9.19. GM 8209 passes Craigavon Lakes working the 13:20 Dublin to Belfast Enterprise service.

 

 

[Gordon71]

9.2.19. GM 234 departs Dublin with the IWT Liner to Ballina . Photo take at Ossory Road Dublin.

 

 

[thewanderer]

Evening folks,

Saturday 5th October 2019:
After spending three weeks in the USA and Canada its back to Ireland. Here we see 4003 arriving into Heuston with the deferred 1145 from Cork.

Thursday 9th October 2019:
225 + 078 worked a trial in multiple from Inchicore to Mallow, following on from the trial last week as 225 edges closer to a return to service after 9 years out of service. Later in the afternoon Track Recording Car 700 passed Portlaoise with a 1115 Limerick - Kildare recording run.

Click https://bit.ly/2AVgguX to view.

If you wish to view the USA images, a mixture of railway and travel photography click https://thewandererphotos.smugmug.com/International/2019-International-Trips for the individual galleries.

[thewanderer]

Evening folks,.

A varied selection of images from today including:
- 2611 + 2612 making an rare appearance at Laois Traincare Depot on a driver training special.
- Common user liveried 233 on the 1225 Cork - Heuston.
- 3ICR 22007 has been fitted with a ZF transmission as a trial and made its first run today from Laois Depot to Mallow under test.

Click https://bit.ly/35nvF5f to view them.

 

[thewanderer]

Evening folks,

Two updates to the website tonight with updates to the October gallery and the Bord na Mona gallery.

October gallery: I had to go to Galway today, so I decided to drive to Athlone and let the train take the strain for the rest of the way. Pictures come from Athlone and Galway and also shows the track layout changes which are happening in the yard. While on the way back to Athlone I copped 073 at Ballinasloe on a HOBS train so decided to head home via the scenic route to get a picture of it.

Click https://bit.ly/318xC2i to view.

While on the way home from Ballinasloe to Nenagh, a friend and a Bord na Mona expert rang me by chance for a quick chat. I mentioned that I would be passing Shannonbridge shortly. He informed me that it was a good time to be passing as the evening shift would start at 1700 and would see several trains heading out to the bogs on either side of the Power Station. So it would have been rude not to stop. After staking out the underbridge on the R357 road for 15 minutes the action begin with two trains heading out to the bogs. I decided to relocate to Blackwater Works a few miles away and caught up with the first two trains passing me once again. But that wasn't the end of it, a total of four trains were following the first pair in close succession. A great 40 minutes of railfreight action in the heart of Ireland.

Click https://bit.ly/329C8Pt to view all the images.

[Gordon71]

9.2.19. GM 073 at North Wall Dublin with the IWT Liner from Ballina .

 

 

[thewanderer]

The latest batch of pictures from this week have now been uploaded to https://bit.ly/33CcD9C

Featuring:

- Heuston.
- Portarlington.
- Thurles.
- Limerick Jct.
- Limerick 
- Sixmilebridge.
- Plus for the Belmond Grand Hibernian trial to Sligo photos from Lough Owel and Hill of Down of the Sligo to North Wall working.

[Gordon71]

9.2.19. GM 071 shunts at North Wall Dublin.

 

[Gordon71]

26.3.19. York Road Depot Belfast.
30.3.19. Great Victoria Street Station Belfast.

 

[thewanderer]

Evening folks,

It's been a busy week so only a handful of images so far.

Monday 21st October 2019:
A selection of images from Inchicore.

Friday 25th October 2019:
Two pictures from Portlaoise featuring 078 hauling failed 229 from Cork to Inchicore and 22046 + 22056 arriving at Portlaoise to form the 1525 Portlaoise - Heuston.

Click https://bit.ly/34d3CEz to view.

[thewanderer]

We kick off the month of November with images from Thurles, Portlaoise and Killarney today.

Click https://bit.ly/2NtmacK to view.

[Gordon71]

2.2.19. NIR Ballymena Permanent Way Depot.
2.4.19. Remains of former NIR 80 & 450 DEMUs at Hamills Ahoghill.

 

 

 

[thewanderer]

Evening folks,

The weather was pretty dire over the weekend so not much chance for photography. So this weekend has a small update with some images from Limerick Jct, Killarney, Rathmore and Mallow to add to the first batch of photos from last Friday.

Click https://bit.ly/2NbrMtj to view.

[thewanderer]

Evening folks,

A small update tonight to the November gallery with pictures from:

- Portlaoise
- Limerick Jct. where 086 was viewed on a Ballast HOBS train.
- Limerick.

Click https://bit.ly/2JZXSX4 to view.

[thewanderer]

I'll start off today's picture update with, sometimes things work out in your favour when you least expect it.

With loco 225 allocated to the 0800 Heuston - Cork, it would mean I would pass it mid section Ballybrophy - Portlaoise on the 0740 Limerick - Heuston. For those not in the know, this locomotive only returned to traffic last month working freight services after being stored since September 2010 after suffering damage in a collision with a tractor at a user worked level crossing near Roscommon.

However, luck was on my side. Due to adverse weather conditions the 0630 Limerick - Ballybrophy was 20 minutes late arriving into Ballybrophy and the connecting service wasn't held. Passengers would be carried to Dublin on the 0913 Portlaoise - Heuston, which started back from Ballybrophy. Thankfully the 0800 Heuston - Cork was also running 14 minutes late and the empty set to collect the passengers in Ballybrophy was behind the 0800 Heuston - Cork service, which meant I was able to photograph 225 passing Ballybrophy. 

Later in the day we saw 086 heading L.E. from Mallow to Portlaoise and 228 worked the 1100 Heuston - Cork. Finally later that evening while passing Birdhill I called into the station to see the 1905 Ballybrophy - Limerick which was the last passenger service between Ballybrophy - Birdhill for a number of weeks as the line is closed for track relaying.

Click https://bit.ly/2K3hc5A to view. 

Edited November 8, 2019 by thewanderer

[thewanderer]

Saturday 9th November 2019:
The Nenagh Branch is currently closed between Ballybrophy and Birdhill for relaying work to be carried out. The first section to be done is in the Ballybrophy - Roscrea section between the 4 1/2 MP to 5 1/4 MP around Quakers Road Level Crossing. I visited the area today to see the progress so far on the first day of the closure.

Click https://bit.ly/32w0jHb to view.

[StevieB]

Lovely set of photos but I have to ask if the line is being prepared for closure. Whenever there is talk of economies, this line is one if the first to be mentioned.

Stephen

[jhb171achill]

And is the track REALLY so worn out that it needs to be closed entirely and lifted? With a service of two trains a year, and lengthy closures?

One wonders how long it will be closed. I hope someone who is better informed than I can come on here and give credible reasons why this, and the Junction - Waterford line, have to have so many bustitutions; and can any reassurance be given that IE, and Shane Ross-Bus, are NOT determined, absolutely determined, to undermine any focus on getting more people to use it.....

[Mayner]

 

9 hours ago, jhb171achill said:

And is the track REALLY so worn out that it needs to be closed entirely and lifted? With a service of two trains a year, and lengthy closures?

One wonders how long it will be closed. I hope someone who is better informed than I can come on here and give credible reasons why this, and the Junction - Waterford line, have to have so many bustitutions; and can any reassurance be given that IE, and Shane Ross-Bus, are NOT determined, absolutely determined, to undermine any focus on getting more people to use it.....

the Wanderers photos indicate that IE is doing a thorough job of the re-lay with deeply ballasted track with new rails rather than using track panels cascaded/salvaged from the main line.

While the existing jointed bullhead track in some of the photos is likely to be life expired, IE appear to have carried out considerable preparatory work improving the formation and installing deep ballast which would account for the cancellation and bustitutions.

The real challenge with the secondary lines is the political will to grasp the nettle to either close or improve services on these lines rather than allow these lines to 'wither on the vine".

 Perhaps IE have a cunning plan to upgrade the  Branch to main line status and divert some of the Dublin-Limerick services to run via Nenagh, otherwise this level of investment makes absolutely no sense and is an excellent example of mismanagement by IE & the Department of Transport.

[jhb171achill]

Exactly - so that they can whine about the cost of retaining it for annual three trains; this will be taken as justification to close it.

They've been using this trick for sixty years.....

[StevieB]

It would appear that the same approach to closure by stealth was taken the railway authorities on both sides of the Irish Sea!

Stephen

[thewanderer]

Great to see so much positivity in the parish about replacing life expired infrastructure  

[Gordon71]

1.6.19. GM 216 with the Belmond Grand Hibernian Train in the Portadown area.

 

[thewanderer]

 

Evening folks,

Photos so far from this week:

Monday 11th November 2019:
A postscript to Saturday's pictures. I called into Quakers Road while on the way back home. Earlier in the day 084 had visited the branch with the relay train and relayed the track near the level crossing with 2nd hand rail and sleepers.

Tuesday 12th November 2019:
Pictures from Thurles and Cork while heading to Cork on the 1400 Heuston - Cork service for the IRRS show in Cork later that night.

Wednesday 13th November 2019:
Pictures from a wet Cork on Wednesday morning as I head to Dublin on the 0925 service. Later in the day has two batches of pictures from Heuston, where in the space of a few hours the weather deteriorated significantly.

Click https://bit.ly/33KYaJ7 to view all the images. 

 

 

[Gordon71]

27.8.19. Scotrail Kilmarnock & Ayr Stations Scotland.

[thewanderer]

Waterford & Suir Valley Railway Sunday 27th October 2019

While on a visit to the Waterford area, I travelled on the Waterford and Suir Valley Railway at Kilmeadan.

It's been nearly 5 1/2 years since my previous visit to the railway and since then the Waterford Greenway has been build beside the railway. I'm rather split on this greenway to be honest. On one hand it has certainly increased the passing traffic at Kilmeadan with walkers and cyclists stopping off for refreshments at the station cafe, but the greenway has destroyed the tranquil scenery of the railway from Kilmeadan in towards Waterford.

Click https://bit.ly/2NR1YTx to view.

[thewanderer]

On Saturday 16th November rail services were suspended between Portlaoise and Limerick Jct. for the renewal of turnout of Ground Frame 820 at Thurles. Here we see tamper 751 tamping the new turnout on the Saturday afternoon. Pictures from the day also come from outside Cashel.

Click https://bit.ly/2pooSbs to view.

[thewanderer]

Pictures today come from Portlaoise with the hightlight being 071 heading L.E. from Inchicore to Portlaoise PWD yard.

Click the image below to view.