Baltimore Lifeboat

[Noel]

Captured this photo in Baltimore last week early one morning at 5:19am when this RNLI Tamar class AWB roared out to sea on a rescue under a setting moon moments before sunrise.  A sort of cosmic changing of the guard.  Can you imagine if the train lines in West Cork were still in operation today - they'd be busy from May to September with holiday traffic.  The station in Baltimore closed in 1961.

A magical moment as the moon sets over the old Friary on Sherkin Island

[jhb171achill]

It would take just three 3-car ICRs to run the whole service - twice a day Drimoleague - Baltimore and return, and twice, or possibly three times, Cork - Bantry and back.

Doubtless there would by now be no goods, so Albert Quay goods yard would be a bus station and car park.

An extra 2600-class could do a commuter service Cork - Bandon....

Layout idea?

[patrick]

Backdating the idea to the ninteys or earlier could allow oil trains from Whiddy Island and beet in season.

[jhb171achill]

1 hour ago, patrick said:

Backdating the idea to the nineties or earlier could allow oil trains from Whiddy Island and beet in season.

Absolutely.  Taking the 1970s or 80s would probably see the whole thing operated by 141s, with goods still in evidence, oil probably being the main thing, but busy beet traffic too. H van heaven on day to day stuff.

That period would also see the lines using a motley collection of older laminates and Park Royals - the odd Craven might get a look in, while the occasional old Bredin would still be about into the mid seventies. Had it survived, it might well have been the last stamping ground of the four wheel tin vans too.

[murrayec]

Hi Noel

Nice to see those photos, brings back memories when used to holiday there, worked there, and sailed there- when sailing we stayed in the old station- there used to be a sailing school there- Glenn Ann's I think it was called!

Eoin

[Noel]

21 minutes ago, murrayec said:

Hi Noel

Nice to see those photos, brings back memories when used to holiday there, worked there, and sailed there- when sailing we stayed in the old station- there used to be a sailing school there- Glenn Ann's I think it was called!

Eoin

Hi Eoin

Cheers. Yes its a lovely spot for sailing. Glenans Ireland is well regarded sail training establishment. 

Noel

Baltimore Harbour anchorage

[Mayner]

13 hours ago, jhb171achill said:

It would take just three 3-car ICRs to run the whole service - twice a day Drimoleague - Baltimore and return, and twice, or possibly three times, Cork - Bantry and back.

Doubtless there would by now be no goods, so Albert Quay goods yard would be a bus station and car park.

An extra 2600-class could do a commuter service Cork - Bandon....

Layout idea?

Similar timetable and operating methods to Glasgow-Forth William & Mallaig line 3-4 Albert Quay-Bantry & Baltimore trains worked by pairs of 2700 railcars (with gangways) splitting and combining at Drimoleague, possibly a single car Sparrow if the Clonakilty branch survived.

It would have been interesting to see how passenger figures would have worked out if CIE had introduced railcars on the West Cork branch lines and operated a more frequent service with better rolling stock on the branches.

The main line was worked by a single 3 car AEC set and goods and branch line services by a trio of C Class. Two of the locos worked the two daily main line goods trains and the Baltimore-Skibereen branch connections, the third loco was more or less captive to the Clonakilty branch. There was no connection to Clonakilty out of the morning Cork-Bantry railcar after the Courtmacsharry branch was diesilised. as the morning mixed from Clonakilty to the Junction returned as a goods in order to work an as required trip to Timoleague and Courtmacsharry. 

[jhb171achill]

You'd like to think they'd put ICRs on it nowadays, at least on the main line; but I suspect it might end up with 26s or 28s (or 27s, right enough!)