Irish
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Coastal repairs secure future of Wicklow line
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SPECIALIST contractors and Iarnród Éireann-Irish Rail (IÉ) workers have completed essential coastal defence repairs on the scenic stretch of the former Dublin & South Eastern Railway line between Greystones and Bray. The work at Bray Head saw the line temporarily closed between Bray and Greystones over the Bank Holiday weekend (October 26-28), and again on…
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Downpatrick diesel gala marks 30 years of the ITG
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STEAM gave way to internal combustion power at the Downpatrick & County Down Railway (DCDR) on October 12 as the Irish Traction Group (ITG) celebrated three decades of diesel locomotive preservation. Visitors travelled from both sides of the border, and from across the Irish Sea, to join in the celebrations, which saw ITG stock in…
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Good craic on Steam Dreams’ ‘Emerald Isle’ luxury charter
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BRITISH railtour operator Steam Dreams returned to Ireland during September with its multi-day ‘Emerald Isle Craic Express’. The charter was operated in conjunction with the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland (RPSI). The RPSI’s Dublin-based Cravens set was given the luxury treatment to bring it up to Pullman standards, including carpets, curtains, table lamps and antimacassars.…
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RPSI cuts frames for new-build LMS-NCC ‘W’ class Mogul
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THE first steps in the re-creation of one of H P Stewart’s LMS-NCC ‘W’ class 2-6-0 have been taken by the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland (RPSI) with the cutting of the locomotive’s 33ft-long main frame plates. The machined plates were delivered to Whitehead on August 29 from Cooke Bros Engineering of Newtownards, having been…
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Ireland’s railways prepare for Brexit border scenarios
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OPERATORS of the national rail networks on both sides of the Irish border are formulating plans for post-Brexit future operations of cross-border train services. Since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998 border checks have been consigned to the history books, and free movement has been the norm for the last two decades. …
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Bundoran Junction station on the market for under £200k
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ONE of Northern Ireland’s best-known former stations has been put up for sale, opening up the opportunity to own a real piece of Irish railway history. Bundoran Junction, in Kilskeery, Co Tyrone, was a popular interchange on the Great Northern Railway’s (GNR(I)) Irish Northwest line between Enniskillen and Omagh. It was originally opened by the…
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New dome completes 22-year restoration of Nancy at Dromod
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THE restoration of the Cavan & Leitrim Railway’s Avonside 0-6-0T Nancy is officially complete after 22 years’ work and £160,000 investment. The former ironstone loco returned to steam at Alan Keef’s Ross-on-Wye workshops in March, but was delivered to Dromod without its brass dome cover as this was still being manufactured by The Dorset Copperfish. …
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No go for TransPennine ‘185s’ as Class 2700s deleted
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By Tony Miles THE Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) tender for ‘second-hand’ trains for Iarnród Éireann (IÉ) is unlikely to see the spare 22 Class 185 units moving to Ireland despite some initial support from within IÉ. The tender is being led by the Irish Government’s National Transport Authority (NTA). The rail operator…
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Steam returns to Drumshanbo… on the back of a lorry!
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AVONSIDE 0-6-0T Nancy once again flew the flag for the Dromod-based Cavan & Leitrim Railway (C&LR) on June 30 when it took part in the opening parade of the An Tóstal festival at Drumshanbo, County Leitrim. The visit followed Nancy’s starring role in the Ballinamore Family Vintage event earlier in the month. During the parade…
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Cavan & Leitrim steam returns to Ballinamore
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NARROW gauge steam returned to the former Cavan & Leitrim Railway (C&LR) station at Ballinamore on June 2 when the revived C&LR’s newly restored Avonside 0-6-0T Nancy attended the Ballinamore Vintage and Family Festival. The event was held on the Ballinamore station site, which in its heyday was the headquarters of the original C&LR. It…
