European Railroad Discussion > Irish Railway Question?

Good Evening

On the route between Dublin and Bellfast, do the train drivers make the run all the way through? Or do they change drivers at the border or at specific points?

Thanks

BP

I'm not sure, but I think the crews run through. I seem to recall the same ticket collector for the full trip, so I assume the drivers do the same. It's really a short run.

The work is split between CIE and NIR crews. (Coras Iompair Eiran) (Northern Irish Railways).

The crews run through from Dublin Connoly to Belfast Central (driver only operation). Ticket inspectors do not stay with the train in European operation, they check tickets and get off. On some trains there is the equivalent of a train manager (on board service person).

Currently the "Enterprise" uses export versions of the SD70 on one end, and a cab control car on the other. The cars are recent, possibly Japanese or Spanish built.

The new equipment replaces older dedicated train sets which also used export EMD's, and earlier
dedicated DMU's.

The "Enterprise" has a dedicated paint scheme, different from CIE or NIR.

The only way I knew we had a Northern Ireland Railways crew was the fact the driver (engineer) had a NIR hi-vis jacket. The locomotive was named after one of the Northern Irish lochs.

Unlike the US and Canada, there is no border fence visible, or customs inspection going from the Republic to Ulster.

Thank You! I am working on some activities for the Making Tracks Irish Enterprise train simulator and I did not know if EI & NIR crews worked through or swapped at Dundalk or somewhere like that.

Thanks!

BP

eminence_grise Wrote:
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> The cars are recent, possibly Japanese or Spanish built.

They are actually French, built by De Dietrich and are very similar in outline to the Eurostar high speed trains. This is what they look like, taken at Laytown just south of Drogheda, about 30 miles north of Dublin. Quite often the loco isn't one of the matched ones, IE often using any old 201 that's available.

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Thanks again...I think Drohega is as far freight goes on that line these days, there are 4 round trips to the mines at Navan for Zinc and I think one round trip for cement. Does anyone know what time the cement runs?

I am working on activities for the train simulator version of the route...Thank You!

BP

Kentucky86 Wrote:
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> Thanks again...I think Drohega is as far freight
> goes on that line these days, there are 4 round
> trips to the mines at Navan for Zinc and I think
> one round trip for cement. Does anyone know what
> time the cement runs?

On the 7th November there were two day time zinc trains, the 09:20 and 12:20 from Navan. The cement from Platins to Limerick followed the 09:20 out of Drogheda,

Thank You for that....can I ask one more question...what time does the return trips to Navan from Dublin and Limerick occur?

Thanks!

BP

Also are there other Zinc trains running at night?

Kentucky86 Wrote:
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> Thank You for that....can I ask one more
> question...what time does the return trips to
> Navan from Dublin and Limerick occur?
>
> Thanks!
>
> BP
The morning train returns at 14:00, I guess the afternoon one ran after dark so I wasn't around and don't know the precise times. Not sure whether there are any night time departures. I'll try and find out from a friend in Ireland.

I took some pictures when I was there on the 7th.
http://trainsofthewesternworld.fotopic.net/c1403969.html

OK Thank you!

BP

I received this brief email from a friend in Ireland this morning. Dublin commuter services are in chaos

"Got your email, line is closed at present, 6 wagons of laden Tara derailed near Skerries during night"