Irish Rail 141 Class 175 on Navan - Kingscourt Weed Sprayer - July 2002
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- Опубликовано: 12 сен 2024
- Irish Rail 141 Class locomotive 175 hauling the last weed spraying train on the disused Navan to Kingscourt railway, Co.Meath, Ireland.
The Kingscourt line has since closed completely.
07/06/2002
Filmed by Colm O'Callaghan, 7th June 2002.
©Colm O'Callaghan
It's sad to think that in the space of 10 years, Irish Rail went down, big time. The Kingscourt line went, the Rosslare to Waterford line went, the sugar beat trains are gone, all the freight liners are gone (apart from the North Wall to Ballina liner), most of the loco hauled passenger trains are gone and replaced with cheap Japanese DEMU's. For a country of such interesting railways, it's sad how it has become. No wonder many people I know (especially children) don't have any interest in trains anymore, because they are so boring.
Glad you like it. I hope to be able to show some more material in the future.
A real fascinating and nostalgic piece of history. I used to watch gypsum trains head west out of Drogheda (and Tara Mines and Cement trains too), often hauled by 001 locos. All now a thing of the past. There is a bridge on the Kingscourt branch which has been completely removed in recent times after being hit by a truck. Sadly it looks like that branch line will never reopen...
The section of line in Navan is still in use for trains to access the Tara Mines site. North of Navan the line to Kingscourt is still in-situ but disconnected and disused.
The level crossings were normally crew operated, but on the last day they were operated by PWD staff, it was the last train to run between Navan and Kingscourt.
Great video! Fair play to the chief for sharing it :-) the old weed sprayer train looks much more interesting.
Thanks for uploading the video! I love seeing old footage like this. It seems like so long ago, but it's only 10 years. Some of that track needs a lawnmower, never mind weedkiller!
Glad it is of interest, I'm sure also the spray was probably washed away by the rain too!
Indeed it is, very interesting bit of footage to be shared!
Hi. Great bit of history, well recorded. Maybe one day Kings court will come back into use?
It was a policy IE had of years of running the weed sprayer over disused lines to keep them in order if traffic ever returned, but this lapsed after 2002/2003.
Planning notices are now up at all level crossings north of Navan indicating the plan for a greenway. Also on their website (can't link directly to it. Bah.)
That's right, it's a bridge near Castletown. I say the line will end up as a cycle way at least.
Relaid only at the level crossings, about a year before the line closed.
That's right, they must have just hoped the track would be there beneath the grass!
Thanks for that.
It was a summer just like we have now, wet and weedy, btw Id just like to say, theres no skill in taking video, just point and press the record button, some of the best skill is actually in editing, which I like to thank Eiretrains for doing a great job in editing on my tapes, I was lucky to be around that time when the railway was interesting, and its still interesting but changing all the time.
A lovely piece of history here - but very sad. There's a few shots where it looks like she's derailed the grass is that high!
Bart.
Ah I can't see Kingscourt coming back, there's little to keep the line there, might be turned into a cycleway instead though!
Eamonn Jones is the driver, he can be seen clearly in the cab as the train is departing Navan.
i was the train driver
Are the tracks still there?
I thought that entire line was long since ripped up, wondered why the level crossing gates were still there until a few weeks ago I was driving from Robinstown to Navan when just before Navan hospital I was stopped by.........the level crossing gates closed to allow a train to cross.
I thought it was a quite wonderful mirage.
The gypsum traffic ceased the previous year, November 2001.
They will need to reopen them & all railway lines sooner rather then later we need extra money to afford a better train service all over Ireland should happen sooner rather then later.
Yes I've no idea how they managed to get back considering the poor state of the line!
Well Colm, one thing is for sure, there wasn't any weeds growing on you that year.
I think they do, but it's operated like a track machine, not a locomotive hauled train.
When I say are the tracks still there, off course I'm referring to Kingscourt.
terrible, I can really see this happening to the waterford-rosslare railway.
Just curious as to why they did this on a disused line if not to prepare it for use again? Good vid!
Quick question: Why did IE send a weedspray train up a line that was closed and never going to reopen? Looks like a wasted effort to me.
Will this line ever reopen?
Why spray the track twice? Once to Kingscourt and then back to Drogheda! Surely once is enough?🤔
Knowing CIE they wouldn't wait for optimum conditions and just spray according to a prearranged schedule!
Probably not, it will most likely be converted into a cycle way.
Brilliant video. Does anyone know if NIR have something similar?
No. The IR train used to run over the NIR system once a year sometimes with an IR loco sometimes with NIR but this ceased many years ago
Haha 1:55 where are the tracks? Lol don't tell me they scrapped that diesel
Shame really how they let it go like that be nice clean up only way to travel