Ireland

[dickdarlington]

With Eire having a different guage compared to the UK. What happens in Northern Ireland? Is this the same as the rest of Britain? Or is it the same as the rest of the emerald isle?

 

[Railsigns]

With Eire having a different guage compared to the UK. What happens in Northern Ireland? Is this the same as the rest of Britain? Or is it the same as the rest of the emerald isle?

Here are a couple of clues:

1. The partitioning of Ireland happened after the railways were built.

2. Direct services are running between Dublin and Belfast.

P.S. Northern Ireland is part of the UK.

P.P.S. Check the correct spelling of 'gauge'.

 

[ainsworth74]

Here is the wiki article for railways in Ireland which should give you some more info and includes a link to an article on the history railways in Ireland. Hope its helpful for you

 

[dickdarlington]

Here are a couple of clues:

1. The partitioning of Ireland happened after the railways were built.

2. Direct services are running between Dublin and Belfast.

P.S. Northern Ireland is part of the UK.

P.P.S. Check the correct spelling of 'gauge'.

Wow. Someone got out of bed the wrong side this morning.

1 - I know! Doesn't alter anything. GWR used a different gauge to others, so it's not as daft a question as you clearly make out.

2 - Direct services run between Montpellier and Barcelona, but they have a different set up.

P.S. I know that NI is a part of the UK. UK and Britain are one in the same. Now had I said the British Isles, you might have had an argument.

P.P.S I know how to spell gauge. It was a tpying error.

P.P.P.S You're a really nice person. So glad you responded. Pillock!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Here is the wiki article for railways in Ireland which should give you some more info and includes a link to an article on the history railways in Ireland. Hope its helpful for you

Ainsworth. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. I should have checked wiki myself.

 

[Railsigns]

P.P.S I know how to spell gauge. It was a tpying error.

P.P.P.S You're a really nice person. So glad you responded. Pillock!

What a wuckfit!

P.S. That was a typing error.

 

[bradders1983]

Saucer of milk for this thread please.

 

[ajdunlop]

Not to spark this one of again but just as a clarification the UK and Britian are not the same thing. Britian is the same as Great Britian the UK is short for the United Kingdom of Great Britian and Northern Ireland. So Britian = Scotland, England and Wales. The UK = those three plus NI. The British Isles can be viewed as a politically offensive term as it implies that Britian still has dominion over a of Ireland. A better term is Britian and Ireland when referring to the geographic land masses rather than the contries when it I'd best to say UK and Republic of Ireland.

The railways are far from the only thing that is the same in both parts of Ireland but different to the UK. N Irish laws are based on Irish ones at partition and are therefor more similar to those of the Republic than Scotland and England and Wales.

Northern Ireland's railways are not maintained by Network Rail and translink (publicly owned company who run the trains and railways as well as most busses) is not part of National Rail.

Well that went on a bit. As someone from N Ireland I feel compelled to educate people, sorry.

I have often wandered, if we had to choose what gauge would become dominant all over again what would be technically the best? I assume a larger gauge like Ireland's or Spain's would be better in terms of space on trains and cornering. Are there any downsides with larger gauges (ignoring the cost of being different)?

 

[Tom B]

Handbags away, both of you.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

The Republic and Northern ireland have the same gauge (5' 3"), differing from Wales, Scotland and England (which are 4' 8 1/2"). Shame some people on here are so uptight that they cannot even answer genuine questions without sarcasm.

Looking at doing every passenger line in Ireland as a whole next summer... can't wait!

Thing you will also notice about railways in Ireland is that when a line or station is closed they are nearly always lift in situ (in place) should they ever be needed again... polar opposite from Britain

Some random trivia on Ireland's railways are that their gauge (above) is only used in Brzail and Australia elsewhere, and that railway stations in key Republic towns are named after key members of the Easter Rising.

Hope this was more useful than some other replies to you mate

 

[route101]

Ha when i go to Ireland i feel like im still in the UK , i even try and use my Railcard .

 

[68000]

Like using your £ instead of €, speed information on the roads and cars using kmph instead of mph, Yield road signs instead of Give Way signs?

 

[daikilo]

Like using your £ instead of €, speed information on the roads and cars using kmph instead of mph, Yield road signs instead of Give Way signs?

I agree 68000. Just had an excellent long weekend in Dublin area only slightly marred by trackworks on DART.

For those UK based who do not really understand the history of the Emerald Isle, trust me, they are one nation who want to reunite if external influences can be resolved, including that of the UK government.

 

[plannerman]

For those UK based who do not really understand the history of the Emerald Isle, trust me, they are one nation who want to reunite if external influences can be resolved, including that of the UK government.

Yikes, is that the sound of a massive can of worms opening? I suspect some parts of Northern Irish society may disagree with your synopsis of the situation there...

 

[wibble]

2. Direct services are running between Dublin and Belfast.

Shouldn't that be, "Direct services run between Dublin and Belfast."?

 

[dickdarlington]

You only have to look at the rugby to see that there is definately a case for a unified nation. But I can't see it ever happening in our lifetime, no matter how far things have progressed. The end of Imperial reign started with the Irish Free State, and to give up complete control would be seen as defeat to what's left of the Emprical notions of Britain/England. Also, there is the fear of what will happen to the protestant population that would remain in Ulster.

If I caused offence, it wasn't intentional. My apologies

I didn't know that about the names of the stations. That's fascinating. And in keeping with the Victoria's and Waterloo's in London.

 

[4SRKT]

For those UK based who do not really understand the history of the Emerald Isle, trust me, they are one nation who want to reunite if external influences can be resolved, including that of the UK government.

By which statement I take it you haven't spent much time in Northern Ireland? What do you think all the argy-bargy over the last 40 years (and beyond) has been about? There's little appetite for unification in the Republic either, because of the cost and horrendous problems that would be faced by trying to integrate a large reluctant minority. NI protestants would make up almost 20% of the population of a United Ireland, whereas NI catholics constitute around 1% of the population of the UK.

It's now possible to have Irish nationality and cultural rights respected while living within the UK, and enjoying all the benefits that confers, such as living in a country that doesn't have a third world health service and isn't bankrupt (yet) or utterly corrupt. There is simply no need for a united Ireland in the modern world, and it will never happen. Some sort of joint sovereignty maybe, but NI is simply too different from the Republic (and indeed from most of Britain TBF) ever to be united.

 

[hedpe]

Irelands railway system largely stems out of Dublin towards other cities. There are very few branch lines which do not start/end in Dublin.

Ireland and Northern Ireland use the same gauge. Only in Dublin are where overhead wires provide power for, and only, the Dublin Area Rapid Transit system. Everything else is diesel. Iarnrod Eireann (Irish Rail or abbreviated to IE) owns and runs the railway system in Ireland and Northern Ireland Railways (abbreviated to NIR)..well.. you guessed it.

The oldest locomotives on the network are the 141/181's. These were built by General Motors in 1960's. There are only a few left. In early 2000's, the 121 class were just being withdrawn. These were GM's with only one cab at either end and typically worked in pairs (both cabs facing outwards).

Only up till recently there were still locomotive hauled trains in Ireland. The Irish Intercity is a slight exception, running between Cork and Dublin, where push/pull is in operation. The last set of diesel locomotives bought from GM (class 201 built in 1994) are used on this service. They are the most powerful engines on the Irish Rail network. Other then that, these locomotives are also used on the small amount of freight that Irish Rail have. Other locomotives of significance include the class 071's, 1970's built GM's of which there are about 18 or so still running.

Much of the railway is now overrun with DMU's. The recent stuff looks quite nice, though the DMU's built by Alstom between the early and late 90's leave a lot to be desired...

A considerable amount of the network is single track only. Station loops are frequently used for trains to overtake. On these lesser used lines some of the track dates back from early 1900 with fairly intensive speed restrictions of 40mph.

On a few lines, there are a maximum of 2 trains either way. Often there is no sunday service. On the lesser used single tracked lines, you can experience wait times of up to 15 minutes at a station whilst waiting for the train travelling in the opposite direction to overtake. (Usually the time when everyone gets off for a cigarette). Semaphore signalling is still the norm in some parts of the network, along with manned level crossing swing gates. Even on the Intercity line between Cork and Dublin, double track with a top speed of 90mph there are still a few manned crossings left. Apparently it costs millions to put in automatic crossings.

Not so long ago, a service was scrapped and the line closed. The line travels from Waterford (fairly big town/city), over one of the biggest bridges in Ireland (so old and in desperate need of repair with a speed restriction of 5mph) towards Rosslare Europort, where you can get a boat to Fishgaurd in Wales. All of the track originates from 1900 so top speed was 40mph all the way. Semaphore signalling and manned crossings were the norm. Only 1 train per way each day, none on sundays.

 

[jopsuk]

One of the oddities with Irish diesel loco hauled services compared to the UK is that, other than Enterprise, they generally use/used generator coaches for power to the carriages. Even the most modern coaches (known as "Mark 4", but unrelated to UK Mk4) have a generator car in the rake- the driving trailer as it happens- despite being hauled/pushed by locomotives with HEP capability.

 

[hedpe]

One of the oddities with Irish diesel loco hauled services compared to the UK is that, other than Enterprise, they generally use/used generator coaches for power to the carriages. Even the most modern coaches (known as "Mark 4", but unrelated to UK Mk4) have a generator car in the rake- the driving trailer as it happens- despite being hauled/pushed by locomotives with HEP capability.

HEP in the GM Class 201 was notoriously unreliable from what i have read on the internet. I dont think it is used anymore. It was one of the main causes of train failure on the enterprise.

And whilst none of the other locomotives ever bought by Iarnrod Eireann featured HEP, it was a typical formation that the train consisted of not only a locomotive, but a generator coach aswell. I travelled on a set of steam heated cravens back in 2006 before they were withdrawn. The generator coach included a generator and a boiler to power/heat the coaches.

Before 2 carriage DMU's came into action, it was not unusual to find a train consisting of 1 passenger coach, 1 generator coach and 1 875hp locomotive!

 

[merlodlliw]

By which statement I take it you haven't spent much time in Northern Ireland? What do you think all the argy-bargy over the last 40 years (and beyond) has been about? There's little appetite for unification in the Republic either, because of the cost and horrendous problems that would be faced by trying to integrate a large reluctant minority. NI protestants would make up almost 20% of the population of a United Ireland, whereas NI catholics constitute around 1% of the population of the UK.

It's now possible to have Irish nationality and cultural rights respected while living within the UK, and enjoying all the benefits that confers, such as living in a country that doesn't have a third world health service and isn't bankrupt (yet) or utterly corrupt. There is simply no need for a united Ireland in the modern world, and it will never happen. Some sort of joint sovereignty maybe, but NI is simply too different from the Republic (and indeed from most of Britain TBF) ever to be united.

agree with you totally, we should do on RF, what is done in pubs, keep P & R out of it, except discussion on rail itself, I too have spent time in N.I.

 

[4SRKT]

agree with you totally, we should do on RF, what is done in pubs, keep P & R out of it, except discussion on rail itself, I too have spent time in N.I.

Apologies. I have broken my own rule on keeping P & R off this forum, except where it pertains to railway matters.

 

[merlodlliw]

Apologies. I have broken my own rule on keeping P & R off this forum, except where it pertains to railway matters.

No need for apologies, you responded to a thread, that's all & your reply was very well put, P&R was meant for the ops thread you answered.