C202

[Noel]

Took this photo some years ago at Cahirciveen. I wonder if the loco still exists or if the salt water and sea air has dissolved it completely. Silverfox C class kits fit like a glove on 141/181 donor chassis.

[Galteemore]

Long gone, Noel I’m afraid ....http://eiretrains.com/Photo_Gallery/Railway Stations C/Cahirciveen/IrishRailwayStations.html#Cahirciveen_20100815_002_CC_JA.jpg

Five years ago the loco (or what remains of the loco) was in storage at Kilmacow, Waterford. Not sure as to its current status.

Edited November 9, 2020 by Galteemore

[jhb171achill]

Me just being me, I have to comment that the number should be light green, and in a totally different font! Nothing was every even remotely like that...........

For good measure, the loco is not actually No. 202..............

Off to get a refill of tea. Goodnight.........

[minister_for_hardship]

It's gone to a private site, but not before local kids and the elements had a go at it.

C227 I think. No idea what the fake C202 number business was about.

[Galteemore]

Apparently because that was the last C to haul a train out of the place....although that wasn’t the case! 

[Liam_Murph]

It looked an even greater shambles after its time in Gracedieu, Waterford. Such a sorry sight when I would pass it when taking the dog for a walk there, windows boarded up and covered in graffiti....

[jhb171achill]

17 minutes ago, Liam_Murph said:

It looked an even greater shambles after its time in Gracedieu, Waterford. Such a sorry sight when I would pass it when taking the dog for a walk there, windows boarded up and covered in graffiti....

Has it gone from there now?

It should be put out of its misery and broken for spares for the ITG's pair of "C"s.

[Garfield]

It's currently stored in a top secret location. 

[DJ Dangerous]

9 minutes ago, Garfield said:

It's currently stored in a top secret location. 

On the roof of IRM Towers?

[Mayner]

C227 appears to have worked the last non-public train out of Cahirciveen on 11th February 1960. There is a photo of the train in Vol 1 of Patrick O'Sullivan's book on the Farranfore to Valencia Harbour Railway (Oakwood Press 2003).

The train appears to be made up of 3 coaches and approx. 20 4 wheel wagons. Interestingly there 3H vans are visible in the yard although the "final" train is made up and ready to depart!

 

[jhb171achill]

39 minutes ago, Mayner said:

The train appears to be made up of 3 coaches and approx. 20 4 wheel wagons. Interestingly there 3H vans are visible in the yard although the "final" train is made up and ready to depart!

It was not unusual for loaded wagons to arrive at a terminus station on the last ever train, which would thus have to await unloading, possibly over the following day or two.

On the Achill line, a loco went down to Achill the day after closure to bring back several wagons  that had arrived on the last scheduled train on "closure day".

At least one goods van was stranded in Killybegs after closure and as far as I am aware was broken up at the station.

2 hours ago, Garfield said:

It's currently stored in a top secret location. 

Does that mean it'll be melted down to make models ones?

[Mayner]

2 hours ago, jhb171achill said:

It was not unusual for loaded wagons to arrive at a terminus station on the last ever train, which would thus have to await unloading, possibly over the following day or two.

 

The closure date was usually the last day for officially accepting traffic at a station, some lines continued to operate and stations accept traffic for several weeks after "closure". 

The County Donegal operated a "interim" goods service with 3 trains daily (2 railcar 1 steam) on the Strabane-Stranorlar section of its main line for several weeks after closure and later operated goods trains as-required until the company was able to haul all its traffic by road.

Beet Specials continued to operate on the  Loughrea Branch for several weeks after the line closed to passenger and general goods traffic in November 1975.  Most of the activity seemed to be centered at Dunsandle Halt which continued to receive beet pulp in H Vans and load out Beet in Bulleid opens with trains continuing to Loughrea to run round. "Post closure" beet working were featured in a recent IRRS Film Show.

An impending closure could result in a short lived surge in goods traffic as Co-ops and Merchants "stocked up" on heavy or bulky goods like coal, grain or fertiliser taking advantage of the once lower freight rates offered by rail.

The last goods over the West Donegal was a special goods for Ballyshannon (on the day before the line closed) with 9 wagons of coal and nearly 20 covered wagons which would have taken several days to unload!

There seems to have been a surge of grain traffic on the Ballinamore-Belturbet section of the Cavan & Leitrim before closure with trains running for approx 10 days after closure to clear empty wagons from the section.

During the "Block Train" era Newcastle West received two "Back to Back" fertiliser specials during the final weeks before closure of the station and Ballingarne-Listowel section of the North Kerry, probably more goods traffic than the line had carried during the 12 months before closure.

[airfixfan]

Working on an article at present on the last days of the County Donegal. The last goods train of 29 wagonscetc through the Barnesmore Gap was hauled by Erne. Have a photo of Donegal Town in the summer of 1960 with tracks lifted but with wagons and Van's still there in the station yard.

[Westcorkrailway]

Behold, the real C202! coincidentally in Silver livery at Ballinhassig in November 1960 with empties. Taken by john langford. hope this helps.

[DiveController]

Fantastic shot of Ballinhassig with the Goggin's Hill Tunnel portal just visible in the background. A private residence now stands where the waiting room on the right was.

[jhb171achill]

Any idea if the station & signal cabin are still standing?

[Mike 84C]

Just look at the paintwork, maybe freshly applied? Even gives a look of pride in the place. 

[StevieB]

It seems like CIE employed the same tactics as BR when it came to closing railway lines, make them appear to be uneconomic.

Stephen

[minister_for_hardship]

3 hours ago, jhb171achill said:

Any idea if the station & signal cabin are still standing?

Platforms, concrete footings of booking office and brick base of cabin are there. 

[Westcorkrailway]

3 hours ago, jhb171achill said:

Any idea if the station & signal cabin are still standing?

the station is long gone, signal cabin was stripped of all valuables and the brick base remained for years. i think its still there being conjoined into a horse stable on the platform.

1 hour ago, Mike 84C said:

Just look at the paintwork, maybe freshly applied? Even gives a look of pride in the place. 

I think it was Norwegian artists who did all the station in west cork before closure, A common tactic to close down a line would be unnecessary expenditures like this to justify closing it. in november 1960 this paint would have been at most 1 month old!

[jhb171achill]

1 hour ago, Westcorkrailway said:

Dunno about Norwegians - CIE had their own teams of painters, and a small number of stations were done in that red and cream for a shirt time - as you say, that was exactly the reason - to artificially inflate maintenance costs!

Edited November 16, 2020 by jhb171achill

[airfixfan]

Was at St Johnston station in August this year. The family in lived in the Station masters house told me their Grandfather said they had done all the stations and bridges up from Strabane to Derry in the summer of 1964. Closed 6 months later!

Edited November 16, 2020 by airfixfan

[jhb171achill]

56 minutes ago, airfixfan said:

Was at St Johnston station in August this year. The family in lived in the Station masters house told me their Grandfather said they had done all the stations and bridges up from Strabane to Derry in the summer of 1964. Closed 6 months later!

[jhb171achill]

1 hour ago, airfixfan said:

Was at St Johnston station in August this year. The family in lived in the Station masters house told me their Grandfather said they had done all the stations and bridges up from Strabane to Derry in the summer of 1964. Closed 6 months later!

Indeed: one wonders if that it the strategy in recent years with the Nenagh branch.

Run as few trains on it as you can, at the single most utterly useless times, as slowly as you can, with the worst rolling stock you have, and cancel the service as often as possible to allow maximum expenditure on “maintenance” work.

Result: no income, astronomical costs. NTA and Irish Rail win, achieve their aim to get it closed, then lifted as soon as possible. Get the greenway down, and a strategic station mid-line bulldozed to make a huge Tesco so that it can’t ever be reopened.

Job done.

[Noel]

A pity the Middleton Youghal line was not returned to full rail for commuters from Youghal to Cork city, and summer tourism. Once its gone its gone, instead of another blasted greenway, and I like cycling greenways on my e-bike. Some greenways make sense, others seem just a seasonal PC fad.

[airfixfan]

1 hour ago, jhb171achill said:

Indeed: one wonders if that it the strategy in recent years with the Nenagh branch.

Run as few trains on it as you can, at the single most utterly useless times, as slowly as you can, with the worst rolling stock you have, and cancel the service as often as possible to allow maximum expenditure on “maintenance” work.

Result: no income, astronomical costs. NTA and Irish Rail win, achieve their aim to get it closed, then lifted as soon as possible. Get the greenway down, and a strategic station mid-line bulldozed to make a huge Tesco so that it can’t ever be reopened.

Job done.

Indeed John according to the last UTA Timetable from Sept 1964 until closure there was only ONE stopping service from Foyle Road to Strabane per week!

[jhb171achill]

1 hour ago, airfixfan said:

Indeed John according to the last UTA Timetable from Sept 1964 until closure there was only ONE stopping service from Foyle Road to Strabane per week!

Since the early 1950s, in other words for the larger part of a century, Limerick - Rosslare has been the most disgracefully blatant example of this.

Today, it would take about two weeks to get from Limerick - Rosslare. Any time a cobweb appears on the points at Clonmel, there's a full H & S alert, and they close the line for six months, and dress everyone within 6km either side of the line in dayglow. Everything that moves, including push-bikes, have to be painted yellow and certified. Then there's the consultant's survey (€560,000) and then they remove the cobweb (€48,000 per web plus mileage and overnight allowances for, well, just about anyone on the local census returns going back to the Famine).

God forbid that it be run like a viable railway.

[K801]

11 minutes ago, jhb171achill said:

Since the early 1950s, in other words for the larger part of a century, Limerick - Rosslare has been the most disgracefully blatant example of this.

Today, it would take about two weeks to get from Limerick - Rosslare. Any time a cobweb appears on the points at Clonmel, there's a full H & S alert, and they close the line for six months, and dress everyone within 6km either side of the line in dayglow. Everything that moves, including push-bikes, have to be painted yellow and certified. Then there's the consultant's survey (€560,000) and then they remove the cobweb (€48,000 per web plus mileage and overnight allowances for, well, just about anyone on the local census returns going back to the Famine).

God forbid that it be run like a viable railway.

A tribunal will also be held as to how the cobweb got there with the findings made public in 2028

[Georgeconna]

6 hours ago, Noel said:

A pity the Middleton Youghal line was not returned to full rail for commuters from Youghal to Cork city, and summer tourism. Once its gone its gone, instead of another blasted greenway, and I like cycling greenways on my e-bike. Some greenways make sense, others seem just a seasonal PC fad.

Loads of small roads about the Country side to Pedal on. Spent 5 hours pedaling up the Vee and back last Friday, very enjoyable.

[DiveController]

On 15/11/2020 at 11:23 AM, Westcorkrailway said:

Ballinhassig, November 1960 by john langford

 

19 hours ago, jhb171achill said:

Any idea if the station & signal cabin are still standing?

View from the eastern end of the UP platform at Ballinhassig 59 years later (looking at the photographer on the previous photo)

 

Up Platform with recessed supporting wall

 

The brick base of the Signal box (and a modern addition atop the platform)

 

Western portal Goggin's Hill Tunnel stands the test of 170 years 

Edited November 17, 2020 by DiveController

[Westcorkrailway]

9 hours ago, DiveController said:

 

View from the eastern end of the UP platform at Ballinhassig 59 years later (looking at the photographer on the previous photo)

 

Up Platform with recessed supporting wall

 

The brick base of the Signal box (and a modern addition atop the platform)

 

Western portal Goggin's Hill Tunnel stands the test of 170 years 

remarkable amount around ballinhassig too, the embankments going down goggins hill all the way to Crossbarry are still there in decent condition road bridge still there, quite a few telephone poles. Im sure the other day I saw mileposts painted pink and being used as gateposts....

[seagoebox]

NIR 106/ CIE 227 not looking so good at Cahirciveen in June 1998

[Westcorkrailway]

thanks to the knowledge of a forum member on here. C202 (C227/NIR 106) turned up again….in a super secret location (don’t look at the hyperlink no clues there)

https://www.alamy.com/moyasta-junction-clare-ireland-27th-june-2022-a-diesel-locomotive-awaiting-restoraation-at-moyasta-co-clare-ireland-picture-david-creedon-image473781922.html?imageid=452A6CBA-69A3-4AA8-8CB3-A9FD68D7FAB9&p=442236&pn=1&searchId=9cfe3c28858f4cad8c1f61ae164e510a&searchtype=0

With some more goodies…this first one contains something that should be a suprise to many….if only IRM knew it existed 

https://www.alamy.com/moyasta-junction-clare-ireland-27th-june-2022-rolling-stock-belonging-to-the-west-clare-railway-awaiting-restoration-at-moyasta-co-clare-ireland-picture-david-creedon-image473781928.html

https://www.alamy.com/moyasta-junction-clare-ireland-27th-june-2022-a-former-bord-na-mna-locomotive-awaiting-restoration-by-the-west-clare-railway-at-moyasta-co-clare-ireland-picture-david-creedon-image473781973.html

 

https://www.alamy.com/moyasta-junction-clare-ireland-27th-june-2022-a-coal-wagon-with-some-carriages-awaiting-restoration-by-the-west-clare-railway-at-moyasta-co-clare-ireland-picture-david-creedon-image473781933.html

as mush as people like to bash this area, I find this kind of preservation fascinating. What’s more interesting, parts in a parts shed or a whole loco slowly being eaten away. While also giving some things a chance to be preserved in the future when the demand is there. 

Edited November 7, 2022 by Westcorkrailway