European Railroad Discussion > Iarnród Éireann last week

Went to Dublin for a couple of days last week, using the flybe service from Cardiff to Dublin, flying time is about 35 minutes! Stayed in Booterstown in south Dublin on the DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) line to Greystones. Weather was warm, mostly bright, occasionally sunny. No car so did everything by public transport - bus, LUAS (tram), DART and Commuter Rail. Just nine pictures this time, five from Wednesday and four from Thursday

1: On the first day I went to Monasterevin on the former GS&WR mainline from Dublin Heuston, this is the 10:20 Cork to Dublin crossing the River Barrow. The loco is an EMD 201 class

2: Retraced my steps to Kildare where the Waterford to Ballina intermodal - liner in Irish rail-speak - was changing direction, and swapping motive power, one 40 year old 071 class for another.

3: Back in Dublin a LUAS Red Line tram, that's the St Jame's Gate Brewery wall on the left

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4: A DART train passing the Booterstown nature reserve, that's the Hill of Howth on the other side of Dublin Bay, the train was probably bound for Howth

5: And this is the view from my hotel room, that's Dun Laoghaire, the one time ferry port for Dublin, in the background. My first landfall in Ireland, in June 1975, was on the Dun Laoghaire pier and the boat train from there to Connolly. Today ferries arrive and depart from the ferryport in Dublin's docks.

6: In Cabra on the Phoenix Park line a Hazelhatch to Grand Canal Dock commuter train. Introduced in November last year this service gives Dubliners from the SW suburbs a one seat ride into the city centre.

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And finally three more freight trains, all hauled by IE's 071 class

7: Back at Kildare the Ballina to Dublin North Wall liner.

8: At Portarlington the Ballina to Waterford DFDS liner comes off the Athlone branch and joins the GS&WR mainline. Yesterday's train from Waterford was fully loaded, today's return carried only two 45' boxes.

9: The Waterford bound train exchanged driver with the Westport bound timber empties from Waterford. Portarlington station has changed since I was last here in 1985.

As usual a few more pictures are here https://nick86235.smugmug.com/Trains/2017/Two-days-in-Dublin/i-LxGn5HC

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Thanks very much for posting the interesting and very scenic photos from Ireland.
ALLEN

Thanks for posting the great shots from Ireland.

Stanley Jackowski
Valrico, FL

Glad you both like them, Ireland seems to have dropped off many railfan's radar since most passenger services were railcar worked.

Every time you post Nick, I have to look. Great as usual.

Has anyone ever taken photos of the Bord na Móna operation in n. Ireland? I find it interesting that they still use railcars to transport the peat.

Question about European double cab locomotives. Do the Engine crew have a preference as to what end is leading, such as the radiator / fan end on the lead end as compared to the prime mover diesel on the lead end, assuming it is a single engine diesel. Just curious about the noise level and perhaps if the Engine crew likes running from one cab or the other. Thanks. Doug

CPRR Wrote:
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> Every time you post Nick, I have to look. Great as
> usual.
>
> Has anyone ever taken photos of the Bord na Móna
> operation in n. Ireland? I find it interesting
> that they still use railcars to transport the
> peat.

Thanks, I've not looked at the peat operations, I guess they are in the least visited parts of the country, the Midlands that most pass through on their way to Cork, Kerry, Clare, Connemara and Mayo.

CPRR Wrote:
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> Has anyone ever taken photos of the Bord na Móna
> operation in n. Ireland? I find it interesting
> that they still use railcars to transport the
> peat.

Go to: https://www.flickr.com/
and search for 'Bord na Móna', there are many photos but you will have to search and see what is current.

Nick- thanks for another fine group of photos.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/10/17 20:32 by kevink.

Thanks Nick. I must admit, I have abandoned going to Ireland since practically everything went plastic some years ago.

hoggerdoug Wrote:
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> Question about European double cab locomotives. Do
> the Engine crew have a preference as to what end
> is leading, such as the radiator / fan end on the
> lead end as compared to the prime mover diesel on
> the lead end, assuming it is a single engine
> diesel. Just curious about the noise level and
> perhaps if the Engine crew likes running from one
> cab or the other. Thanks. Doug

Somewhere it is. I.e. ÖBB permanent coupled 1116-engine with 7 cars (named railjet) are coupled with cab 1 faced to the train and painted for this arrangement.

For start up it necessary that the engineer enters cab 1 and then go to cab 2 or to the cab car. To avoid this some engines are turned cab 2 facing the train as shown (sorry no better pic this moment). But cab 1 is a little noisier than can 2.

Currently you can observe both arrangements.

Erwin from Austria

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Very interesting ! Keep them coming I really enjoy your trips and pictures !!! :):):)

gaspeamtrak Wrote:
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> Very interesting ! Keep them coming I really enjoy
> your trips and pictures !!! :):):)
Thanks

spandfecerwin Wrote:
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> hoggerdoug Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Question about European double cab locomotives.
> Do
> > the Engine crew have a preference as to what
> end
> > is leading, such as the radiator / fan end on
> the
> > lead end as compared to the prime mover diesel
> on
> > the lead end, assuming it is a single engine
> > diesel. Just curious about the noise level and
> > perhaps if the Engine crew likes running from
> one
> > cab or the other. Thanks. Doug
>
> Somewhere it is. I.e. ÖBB permanent coupled
> 1116-engine with 7 cars (named railjet) are
> coupled with cab 1 faced to the train and painted
> for this arrangement.
>
> For start up it necessary that the engineer enters
> cab 1 and then go to cab 2 or to the cab car. To
> avoid this some engines are turned cab 2 facing
> the train as shown (sorry no better pic this
> moment). But cab 1 is a little noisier than can
> 2.
>
> Currently you can observe both arrangements.
>
> Erwin from Austria


Of course the Austrian Locos (and indeed the vast majority of European double ended locos) are electrc rather tha diesel powered, so the question is quite different. They may well be differences between the ends on account of noise etc but I would be surprised of they got anyone too excited. Yet another basis difference between us?

spflow Wrote:
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>
> Of course the Austrian Locos (and indeed the vast
> majority of European double ended locos) are
> electrc rather tha diesel powered, so the question
> is quite different. They may well be differences
> between the ends on account of noise etc but I
> would be surprised of they got anyone too excited.
> Yet another basis difference between us?

I cannot see a basis difference between us. What i know is this about the 1116 engines. This i told, not less and not more.

Erwin

spandfecerwin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> spflow Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
>
> >
> > Of course the Austrian Locos (and indeed the
> vast
> > majority of European double ended locos) are
> > electrc rather tha diesel powered, so the
> question
> > is quite different. They may well be
> differences
> > between the ends on account of noise etc but I
> > would be surprised of they got anyone too
> excited.
> > Yet another basis difference between us?
>
> I cannot see a basis difference between us. What i
> know is this about the 1116 engines. This i told,
> not less and not more.
>
> Erwin

I think the original question was asked about diesels, especially given that I had posted pictures of double ended IE 071 class EMD diesels, and Ireland has no mainline electrification in any case.