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Dublin Connolly, formerly
known as Amiens Street Station prior to 1966, was opened by the Dublin &
Drogheda Railway in 1844. The D&DR became part of the extensive Great
Northern Railway (GNRI), and their southern headquarters were
established at Amiens Street, now Irish Rail's HQ. The station became a
through station in 1895 when the City of Dublin Junction Railway linked
Amiens Street with
Westland Row (Pearse Station) via the
'new' loop line across the River Liffey. Services from the south from
Bray and Rosslare could now gain access to Amiens Street and interchange
with the GNR. In 1906 the GSWR opened their line into Amiens Street from
Kingsbridge(Heuston Station) via
Drumcondra (now the main
Sligo/Maynooth line). When the GSR ,and
later CIE took over in 1945, services could run straight from the south
through to the western lines, and then after the GNR were abolished in
1959, CIE had total control over the north, south and western lines from
Amiens Street, which are now used extensively by the DART and Commuter
services, mainly from
Bray,
Howth,
Maynooth and
Drogheda.
Connolly Station boasts a fine imposing Italianate station building,
with some later GNR station architecture and canopies on some of the
platforms. The station also boasts two operational turntables and
locomotive shed. There are stabling sidings at the back of the station
where you can usually find all types of locos and rolling stock.
Not surprisingly for a large station, I have plenty of pictures of
Connolly Station, beginning from 2002 when there were still loco hauled
services to Drogheda/Dundalk
and
Rosslare. 201 Class locos are to be
seen on the Enterprise, complete with electrified DART services and
commuters trains, mainly in the hands of 29000s railcars(DMUs).
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