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Cars on train at Rosslare

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Newtoncork

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Hi All,

Was talking to my Dad last week and he drove to oOme in 1962 with a couple of pals. One thing he did mention was that they went from Rosslare where the car was put onto a train, propelled out the pier and craned into the ferry! I must admit I had never heard of this. Does anyone have any info or photos on this?

Thanks,

Newtoncork

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Cars for the ferry WERE indeed taken out onto the pier on flats for many years and craned onto  the ship, as you say. Oliver Doyle had photos of it when he gave a talk on the Railways of Wexford to the IRRS in London a few weeks ago.

If my memory serves, they were six wheel coach chassises with suitable decking - so two cars to a "wagon". 

The same process was used for a while with moving new cars from the Ford plant at Cork.

I see that Oliver wrote a paper in IRRS Journal Volume 8, so I'll have a look when home and see if I can extract a picture. 

 

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There’s a photo of a D17 working the train in Pat Whitehouse’s Branch Line Album published by Ian Allan in, probably, the 1960’s. The caption describes it as one of the shortest branches in Eire and the passengers ride in the ‘sax whaler’!

Stephen

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This a photo courtesy of the Martine Heritage Centre in Rosslare. A car being loaded onto the Saint David in the 1950s. From the Ron O'Rourke collection. 

You can also see the rail link over the water from the same period in the following link:

https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/rosslare-harbour-wexford-04-09-53-photograph-by-alexander-news-photo/533285922

received_510563812813417.jpeg

Edited by Wexford70
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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...

Was speaking with the guys in the Rosslare Maritime Centre.

St David III was the first ferry cars could drive onto. A deck of cabins was removed and a door created in the side of the ship. Max car height was 6 feet.

May 1965 was the first service. Max 62 cars.

Previously, another ship,, Slieve Dromod (will check the spelling) used take cars only. Passengers went on a separate ship. 

Photos and details available in Justin Merrigan's

"Let Go Fore and Aft: History of the Fishguard and Rosslare Railways and Harbours Company"

ISBN-13: 978-0952848608

Have attached some photos from the web. The last one is a post card that seems to show the construction of the pier. Compare it to the second one where all the tracks are in place.934906628_Rosslare1970.thumb.jpg.0bb57e7af2d742723bf5241bf1923bac.jpg

Rosslare - Laurence collection perhaps.jpg

Rosslare - Laurence collection perhaps 2.jpg

construction of Rosslare Pier perhaps.png

Edited by Wexford70
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  • 1 month later...

Hi guys, one last photo kindly supplied by the guys in Rosslare Maritime Centre from a book by J Merrigan and B Clearers - 'Let Go Fore and Aft' A History of the Fishguard & Rosslare Railways and Harbours Company p26.

According to the guys who were working ion the port at the time, cars were driven on to flat loaders at the land side, pushed by train to ramp where the last carriage can be seen and driven off by staff to be lifted onto the boat by crane.

There were few cars transported in reality compared to today's traffic given a) the service was quite expensive and b) there was not the same volume of car ownership. 

Screenshot 2019-07-29 at 09.16.01.png

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