The black stuff

[MOGUL]

I'm interested in the Black stuff on Irish Rail's, no not Guinness, Tar!!

 

So far I know it was conveyed to Sligo and Oranmore for Cold Chon, Cahir (Abbey Siding) for Tipp Co-co and also Mallow to Quartertown mill.

 

Does anybody have photos or plans of the wagons used?

I believe there were two types, one for Cahir and Mallow in the 70s/80s and a lagged demountable tank mounted on a 20ft flat for the Sligo Workings. So far the only images I've been able to locate are in videos of Sligo Liners on youtube.

 

I'm also interested in the reasons for the traffics ending and the years these occurred in?

 

thanks

Andrew

[Glenderg]

Truth be told I didn't spot the difference until I looked at the video a few times. I thought they were the standard Molasses/Esso Fuel Oil wagons. Learn something new everyday...

 

 

 

If it's the "Jumbo" at the back, there is some info here, scroll down to J. Mayners post for the good stuff. I've a feeling he's the man to ask on this one.

 

http://irishrailwaynews.multiply.com/journal/item/4053

[waffles]

The traffic stopped when Co Councils who used the tar with stone chippings to repair road surfaces, started to use roads to transport their tar rather than the railway.

The railway had started to focus on block trains and with the demise of local goods trains that could bring a wagon load or less here and there. councils simply did not need huge amounts found on block trains.

[Mayner]

Tar seems to have been carried in 45Gal drums in open wagons up to the 1950s, then carried in anchor mounted tank wagons up to the introduction of de-mountables and liner train operation.

 

 

Gruesome Tanker Galway 1980?

 

Some of these wagons may have been used for storage at the Alexandra Road depot up to the end of railborne traffic.

 

Besides Sligo, Oranmore, Cahir and Mallow there seems to have been depots at Ballingarne, Clarecastle, Cork, Ferns, Lixnaw, Tralee most of these closed with the ending of wagon load.

 

Some depots like Ballingarne and Cahir had two storey buildings that presumably housed the heating plant and Council offices others like Tralee (Rock st) a simple structure housing the heating plant for transferring bitumen from rail to road tankers. Most only seem to have dealt with one or two wagons at a time Ballingarne had one extremly short siding.

 

 

Tralee Rock St

[FrankS]

Thanx John,

Interesting stuff on where it went to ...................

Anyone know where it came from ???

[Mayner]

Alexandra Road Dublin. http://maps.osi.ie/publicviewer/#V1,719569,734771,7,4. CIE fuel oil depot on left, ESSO in middle, Irish Tar and Bitumen with double line connection on left, the B&I container terminal was served by the partially lifted loop East of Breakwater Road, the Asahi Terminal was on the opposite side to B&I.

 

I think the cut of 6 wagons in the Ortho 2000 view may well have been used for static storage. Has anyone a photo of the depot?

 

All you ever wanted to know but were afraid to ask about Bitumen http://www.irishtar.ie/itproducts.htm

[MOGUL]

Thanks for that John. Took me a while to get my bearings with the extension of the Eucon terminal over the Alexandra Road. So much rail traffic and so many sidings in use in that area then

[MOGUL]

 

Found this on youtube, has the jumbos on the back of a liner.. Can't make it out but the first tar wagon has something written in the bottom left corner. It nearly look like the BRT logo from the UK, anyone know what it says??

[Garfield]

 

Found this on youtube, has the jumbos on the back of a liner.. Can't make it out but the first tar wagon has something written in the bottom left corner. It nearly look like the BRT logo from the UK, anyone know what it says??

 

Excellent video... thanks for posting it. Interesting to see the IR 'points' logos on the side of the second Craven. Can't remember seeing that before.

[snapper]

 

Found this on youtube, has the jumbos on the back of a liner.. Can't make it out but the first tar wagon has something written in the bottom left corner. It nearly look like the BRT logo from the UK, anyone know what it says??

 

Could it be a hand written number like at the end of this video?

 

[heirflick]

time for another few questions re the black stuff..how were the tanks unloaded?. how did they stop the tar from solidifying in the tanks and in the loadind/discharge pipes ?

[MOGUL]

It would be heated to reduce its viscosity and then pumped through pipework into the terminal.. Not sure if the IE wagons had electric heat or burners though. Also the tanks were insulated so would retain some of the heat..