mgwr preserved railway Connemara Railway project.

[jhb171achill]

Jim is organising work parties most weekends, if any is interested. There is a nice hotel 2 minutes walk from the site - Peacockes - who will offer a decent overnight rate. I'm planning to go myself in the next few weeks.

[skinner75]

I heard about this on RTE Radio1 - amazing to see the progress, and what scenery!

[ttc0169]

19 hours ago, jhb171achill said:

Jim is organising work parties most weekends, if any is interested. There is a nice hotel 2 minutes walk from the site - Peacockes - who will offer a decent overnight rate. I'm planning to go myself in the next few weeks.

Looking forward to your visit jhb-and the pints afterwards....

[jhb171achill]

7 hours ago, ttc0169 said:

Looking forward to your visit jhb-and the pints afterwards....

Might get down weekend after next.

[ttc0169]

Another productive day yesterday at Maam cross,

An articulated truck load of railway equipment arrived at the site and was promptly unloaded,

• With the assistance of two machines we put into position a base for the crane on the goods loading bank,this crane originated in Barrack street goods yard in Dundalk,
• A new pit had been previously excavated and this was lined with timber sleepers-but not finished yet,it will be used for under frame examinations of visiting locomotives
• Level crossing gates were given another coat of paint,they will be put into position in a few weeks time.
• The lever frame and a ground frame was moved to safe storage this lever frame was formally located in Carlow signal cabin
• A buffer stop was moved into position at the Galway end of the goods loading bank,this can been seen in the sixth photo
• Finally we ''planted'' a telegraph pole near to where the West signal cabin will be located-this in time will have working phone and ETS lines attached to it and others,it was previously located between Broadstone and Liffey junction..

A selection of photos from yesterday....

 

 

[DiveController]

That's amazing. Great to see things progressing so rapidly.

How is all of this being funded? 

Well done!

[ttc0169]

On 8/2/2020 at 2:40 PM, DiveController said:

That's amazing. Great to see things progressing so rapidly.

How is all of this being funded? 

Well d

The site owner is funding the project to date, but there is a gofundme page set up for anyone who wishes to donate to the project,see the link on the first page.

[DiveController]

Jayzus, that cannot be cheap! Thank Christ he is and good luck. 

EDIT:

So I guess he is James Deegan per the GoFundMe site.

I decided to give up one IRM wagon set and rounded that up to a donation plus a little for GFM.

Less than 5,000 Euro (68 donations) raised though from the 300,000 goal after several months. Wondering if this is just another railway preservation doomed to failure due to lack of public support. 

Edited August 6, 2020 by DiveController

[ttc0169]

On 8/6/2020 at 12:57 AM, DiveController said:

Jayzus, that cannot be cheap! Thank Christ he is and good luck. 

EDIT:

So I guess he is James Deegan per the GoFundMe site.

I decided to give up one IRM wagon set and rounded that up to a donation plus a little for GFM.

Less than 5,000 Euro (68 donations) raised though from the 300,000 goal after several months. Wondering if this is just another railway preservation doomed to failure due to lack of public support. 

As they say ''Rome wasn't built in a day'',thanks for the kind donation Kevin, Jim is fortunate in that he has a reliable volunteer base from various backgrounds including railway operations, engineers,accountants,fitters etc who are all keen and driven to see this come to fruition 

Edited August 7, 2020 by ttc0169

[Colin R]

On 7/28/2020 at 9:02 PM, jhb171achill said:

Jim is organising work parties most weekends, if any is interested. There is a nice hotel 2 minutes walk from the site - Peacockes - who will offer a decent overnight rate. I'm planning to go myself in the next few weeks.

Thanks for the details about the local Hotel. Do you have a web site and phone number to go with that?

This sounds like a brilliant idea, Ireland is full of possible railway tourist opportunities, it is just you need the people to back it up.

Tourism is going to play a big part in most of Western Europe in the coming years and heritage railways can play a vital part in telling the story about Ireland.

The guys have made a great start and let’s hope it continues. I am a great believer of having a proper legal frame work from the start of the project. As much as it is all boring stuff trust me, once you have done it, everyone can sing from the same hymn sheet and you won’t get any misunderstandings on how it will all operate and factions forming with in the group.

I could go on for ages about how some of the more successful UK groups have gone about doing things and if an example is required then contact the L&BR in North Devon and ask to speak to someone who is willing to help you.

https://www.lynton-rail.co.uk/

Good luck and long may it continue.

 

PS as to a 3ft gauge steam loco has anyone considered an IOMR 2-4-0T on loan? Or how about one of the locos that was at Lord Neils Place?

As for 5ft 3ins gaugue steam I reconmend you seriously consider building a new loco and carriages from scratch, unless you can find a load of old coach bodies on farms or other out the way places around Ireland.

Regards

Colin Rainsbury

PS just remembers that the IRPS has a number of coaches which it can't use on the mainline anymore may be they could come up with a coulpe of coaches for you in the short term.

 

 

   

Edited August 8, 2020 by Colin R

[jhb171achill]

Peacockes Hotel, Maam Cross, Co. Galway.

00353 91 552 306

https://www.peacockes.ie/

[Colin R]

On 8/6/2020 at 12:57 AM, DiveController said:

Jayzus, that cannot be cheap! Thank Christ he is and good luck. 

EDIT:

So I guess he is James Deegan per the GoFundMe site.

I decided to give up one IRM wagon set and rounded that up to a donation plus a little for GFM.

Less than 5,000 Euro (68 donations) raised though from the 300,000 goal after several months. Wondering if this is just another railway preservation doomed to failure due to lack of public support. 

To be honest this is the first I have heard of it (today  8th August 2020), I suggest they need to find someone who knows there stuff about media and setting up websites and facebook etc.

I have two facebook pages one to support alll the Donegal Railway projects (132 members) and the other a community group in support of the Somerset and Dorset Railway projects (400 members). Once they have a facebook page I can link these two groups to them and others can then find them.

 

Colin Rainsbury

 

 

17 hours ago, jhb171achill said:

Peacockes Hotel, Maam Cross, Co. Galway.

00353 91 552 306

https://www.peacockes.ie/

Thankyou John for the link. I hope to use it next year when I can get over.

Colin R

 

Edited August 9, 2020 by Colin R

[DoctorPan]

2 hours ago, Colin R said:

To be honest this is the first I have heard of it (today  8th August 2020), I suggest they need to find someone who knows there stuff about media and setting up websites and facebook etc.

I have two facebook pages one to support alll the Donegal Railway projects (132 members) and the other a community group in support of the Somerset and Dorset Railway projects (400 members). Once they have a facebook page I can link these two groups to them and others can then find them.

 

Colin Rainsbury

Their website:https://www.connemararailway.ie/

And FB page: https://www.facebook.com/connemararailwayman/

 

They've also gotten coverage in regional and national papers.

[ttc0169]

11 hours ago, DoctorPan said:

Their website:https://www.connemararailway.ie/

And FB page: https://www.facebook.com/connemararailwayman/

 

They've also gotten coverage in regional and national papers.

Regular updates are given on this page along with various Facebook Irish railways pages,

We are also fortunate to have two members who contribute to and have contacts with some of the leading UK railway magazines, with one magazine in particular doing an article during the early days of the project.

A well known Irish radio & TV personality recently paid a visit to the site and was impressed with what he has seen so far and will give the project a mention on his return to the airwaves next month.

[abaddon]

So many fond memories of Clifden. I didn't even know about the rail link. I am willing to bet that if it gets up and running, it would attract huge tourism, if it were not for this corona curse. It might even become commercially viable.

We should never have ripped up all those lines.

Edited August 13, 2020 by abaddon

[minister_for_hardship]

1 hour ago, abaddon said:

So many fond memories of Clifden. I didn't even know about the rail link. I am willing to bet that if it gets up and running, it would attract huge tourism, if it were not for this corona curse. It might even become commercially viable.

We should never have ripped up all those lines.

Shame this site, once an intact although derelict terminus, is now unavailable with hotel development. The inevitable greenway is also making inroads into what is left of the trackbed.

[Colin R]

 

On 8/13/2020 at 8:20 AM, minister_for_hardship said:

Shame this site, once an intact although derelict terminus, is now unavailable with hotel development. The inevitable greenway is also making inroads into what is left of the trackbed.

 If they can make a go of it at Maam cross, then in time they might be able to work something out in conjuction with the grewway path, it is happening over here in Bristol, so it is possible.

 

Colin

Edited September 20, 2020 by Colin R

[airfixfan]

Anything planned for the public at this new railway Centre next month?

[ttc0169]

On 8/23/2020 at 2:53 PM, airfixfan said:

Anything planned for the public at this new railway Centre next month?

Subject to the COVID restrictions being eased, an announcement will be made regarding a date for an open day,

Please keep following this thread for updates...

[ttc0169]

Another intensive day of work took place at Maam cross yesterday, many thanks to the volunteers from near and far who put in such a fantastic performance, 

• Level crossing gates and gate posts were put into position alongside the main R336 Maam to Maam cross road
• The buffer stop on the standard gauge track had its timber block replaced as the original timber had decayed and was life expired.
• Vegetation clearance took place at the Galway end of the station where the Cutting crew from Cork done a superb job in opening out a long lost culvert,
• Temporary track was laid into the shed, this will allow for the safe storage of a locomotive and rolling stock
• Vegetation clearance was undertaken along side the boundary fence and level crossing gates on the R336 road-improving the view and increasing the awareness of the project for passing motorists.

A selection of photos from yesterday....

 

 

 

[Lough Erne]

Looks like JD and the lads have made excellent progress in such a short timescale, which is brilliant to see. The pway also seems to be taking shape as well, and I imagine it will not be long before we see photos of self propelled vehicles on the line?

I will definitely need to arrange a visit to see progress in due course.

As an aside, I see that the ground in the station area also seems quite firm as well, which will be beneficial for unloading/ loading vehicles of either gauge in due course. 

 

[Georgeconna]

Personally I find it a Shame to see the trees being cut down. I much prefer to see them in situ, all you have to do is walk up  or down the road to see the view. I am not sure the Stub remains enhance the area.

 

[popeye]

I don't think the view is all that great behind the trees anyway.

And i think they look better in the scene, if too many are removed it might look a bit barren.

[Colin R]

It won't hurt to plant some new ones in there place, the thing is don't forget that these trees have grown up since the line closed and could be in the way, so to get rid of a few now is not a big deal as long as new young sapplings are plants over the next few months. 

Edited September 2, 2020 by Colin R

[ttc0169]

3 hours ago, popeye said:

I don't think the view is all that great behind the trees anyway.

And i think they look better in the scene, if too many are removed it might look a bit barren.

Correct the view is not as good as the opposite side- at that particular location the bushes were removed to examine the culvert which was uncovered by us earlier in the year and found to be in excellent condition- the remainder of the trees on that side will be left in situ.

 

1 hour ago, Colin R said:

It won't hurt to plant some new ones in there place, the thing is don't forget that these trees have grown up since the line closed and could be in the way, so to get rid of a few now is not a big deal as long as new young sapplings are plants over the next few months. 

When we first visited the site a few years ago we were unable to see the former line towards Galway as it was heavily overgrown and it did need some amount of clearance and we are all delighted with the results

This is the view now....

 

[ttc0169]

7 hours ago, Georgeconna said:

, all you have to do is walk up  or down the road to see the view. 

 

And very soon you will be able to enjoy this view from the comfort of the train-there will be no need to walk up or down that road.....

[Colin R]

Once again great photos.

Colin R

[ttc0169]

A great day of work was completed at the spectacular Maam cross station,

The cutting crew from Cork were buried for most of the day in the jungle but came out on top after successfully conquering the vegetation,

The combined Mayo and Sligo crew were busy painting the level crossing gate posts and erecting the new old style sign at the entrance to the station,

I brought along my drone and took these photos from the air of the location.....enjoy... 

[DiveController]

Lovely shots. I love the signage! So it looks like we have the beginnings of broad gauge now! I presume that is in the Galway direction? 

How much track is there now? What's he story with that road? Are you going to have track either side while waiting for a constitutional referendum to cross a national highway? 

[leslie10646]

Stunning shots, showing that Drones CAN be useful.

Shows Connemara at its very best - better than I managed with five different Great Rail Journeys groups there.

Railway looks good too!

Jim, you'll have to persuade Peter Liney to include your line on the GRJ Irish tours.

[Midland Man]

I have to say this is class. Keep it up

[Colin R]

I take my hat to you guy’s fabulous work; I hope you can get hold of a couple of the ex BnM wagonmaster locos before they all get sold, this is going to be a great railway project, how long is the run going to be?

Carry on looking forward to getting over to see you at some time next year.

Colin Rainsbury

[ttc0169]

21 hours ago, DiveController said:

Lovely shots. I love the signage! So it looks like we have the beginnings of broad gauge now! I presume that is in the Galway direction? 

How much track is there now? What's he story with that road? Are you going to have track either side while waiting for a constitutional referendum to cross a national highway? 

Yes looking towards Galway,

Approximately a half of a mile from the level crossing to the cutting-see previous photos

We intend to get the standard gauge track down first then get some locomotives and rolling stock operational before we look at the other side of the road.

5 hours ago, Colin R said:

I take my hat to you guy’s fabulous work; I hope you can get hold of a couple of the ex BnM wagonmaster locos before they all get sold, this is going to be a great railway project, how long is the run going to be?

Carry on looking forward to getting over to see you at some time next year.

Colin Rainsbury

Thank you Colin, It will be all 5'3'' gauge track so its mainly that type of rolling stock that will be required for operations.

[Colin R]

Hopefully you can find some to use, 5ft 3 is a bit rare around the world, Over here in the UK some one had 3 or 4 swedish gauge locos as static exhibits, may be a source for a rebuilt 5ft 3ins gauge steam loco, I am not sure if they are 5ft or 5ft 6in, as they are of no use to anyone else it might be worth having a look at them for the future, also not sure about Indian either as they have 5ft 3ins gauge lines so might have the odd 4-4-0 in a scrap yard still.   

Edited September 20, 2020 by Colin R

[ttc0169]

1 hour ago, Colin R said:

Hopefully you can find some to use, 5ft 3 is a bit rare around the world, Over here in the UK some one had 3 or 4 swedish gauge locos as static exhibits, may be a source for a rebuilt 5ft 3ins gauge steam loco, I am not sure if they are 5ft or 5ft 6in, as they are of no use to anyone else it might be worth having a look at them for the future, also not sure about Indian either as they have 5ft 3ins gauge lines so might have the odd 4-4-0 in a scrap yard still.   

Negotiations are on going to secure items of rolling stock and have already been successful.....