|
Ennis in Co.Clare, on the
Limerick
to Athenry
and
Claremorris line, was once also the junction for the 1887/95
narrow gauge West Clare Railway, which ran from Ennis to
Kilkee
and
Kilrush on the Shannon Estuary. Despite modernisation, the
West Clare line was closed in 1961 by CIE, and was the last surviving
narrow gauge line in the country. The line through Ennis had originally
opened in 1859 and was first worked by the Waterford Limerick & Western
Railway. Ennis Station itself lost it's passenger services from Limerick
to Claremorris in 1976, but a Limerick passenger service was re-instated
in 1994. The line north of Ennis to Athenry and Claremorris remained in
use for freight traffic until the late 1990s, the same time Ennis itself
lost its Limerick freight liner train. Today, the line north of Ennis to
Claremorris is now part of the
Western Rail Corridor and is due
to reopen in 2009. |
.JPG "The road overbridge at the north end...")
.JPG "More up to date scene of Ennis...")
.JPG "The large goods shed on the down side...")
.JPG "Ennis Station, looking south towards...")
.JPG "The northern approach to Ennis...")
.JPG "The stop board sign just north of...")
.JPG "Opposite the stop board sign is the...")
.JPG "Just north of Ennis Station, the West...")
.JPG "View along the track just north of...")
.JPG "View along the track just north of...")
.JPG "141 Class locomotives Nos.162+171...")
.JPG "162+171 at the north end of Ennis...")
.JPG "171+162 are seen running round the...")
.JPG "171 couples onto the Mk3 coaching...")
.JPG "View of the train, consisting of Mk3...")
.JPG "141 Class loco 162 at Ennis Station,...")
.JPG "171, also a 141 Class loco dating...")
.JPG "162 as viewed from the rear portion...")
.JPG "171+162 about to depart Ennis...")
.JPG "162+171 are haulted at a red signal...")
.JPG "2700 Class railcar No.2720 stands at...")
.JPG "Standard CIE semaphore signal at...")
.JPG "View of 2720 from the footbridge at...")
.JPG "2721 at the head of a returning...")
.JPG "2720 departs past the soon to be...")
.JPG "141 Class locomotives 142+141 arrive...")
.JPG "141+142 arriving with the evening...")
.JPG "141+142 run round the Mk3 stock at...")
.JPG "142+141 run round the Mk3 stock at...")
.JPG "141+142 at the south end of Ennis...")
.JPG "142 eases up to the Mk3 stock at...")
.JPG "The evening sun shines against...")
.JPG "141 Class locos 141+142, dating from...")
.JPG "Ennis South signal cabin, which still...")
.JPG "The immaculate 13 lever frame inside...")
.JPG "The modern track diagram inside Ennis...")
.JPG "Another view of the levers inside...")
.JPG "The electronic staff machine inside...")
.JPG "Another view of the levers inside...")