|
The large Co.Cork town of
Midleton was first served by rail as early as 1859, when the Cork &
Railway opened their line between Cork City and Midleton. The C&RY then
extended the line east from Midleton to the seaside of town of Youghal
in 1860. By 1866, the Great Southern & Western had taken over the C&RY.
Regular passenger services over the
Cobh Junction to
Youghal line ceased in 1963, but
remained in use of occasional Sunday excursions until the late 1970s. By
the early 1980s goods services had ceased completely, after which only
infrequent passenger specials ran to Youghal, the last being to Midleton
in 1988. The Youghal line lay derelict for 21 years until 2009, when the
line reopened as far as Midleton. Midleton Station has up & down
terminal platforms, with the 1860s built single storey brick station
building located on the up side, along with the GSWR built signal cabin,
beyond which was the former goods yard. On the down side was the site of
the original C&YR works, now a carpark. A modern footbridge is located
at the western end of the station. The western approach to the station
is marked by the level crossing on the R626 road. Currently no immediate
plans exist to reopen the rest of the line to Youghal, this section
remaining derelict. |
.jpg "141 Class loco No.168 pauses at Midleton Station with a...")
.JPG "Midleton Station in 2006, after the overgrown tracks at...")
.JPG "The refurbished Midleton Station just prior to passenger...")
.jpg "In 1977, 001 Class loco No.009 is seen at Midleton...")
.JPG "By 2005 the Youghal line had been derelict for almost 20...")
.JPG "By summer 2009 both up & down platforms at Midleton...")
.jpg "001 Class loco No.057 arrives at the up platform at...")
.JPG "On the up platform of the forlorn looking Midleton...")
.JPG "By 2009, a new carpark had been built on the site of the...")
.jpg "001Class loco 029 approaches Midleton Station from...")
.jpg "071 Class locomotive No.087 approaches Midleton Station...")
crop.JPG "Midleton Station in 2005, looking east towards Youghal...")
crop.JPG "By the following year the track had been cleared of...")
.JPG "The rebuilt station, looking towards the end of the...")
.JPG "The then derelict and overgrown station at Midleton,...")
.jpg "Another 071 Class, No.076, stands at the western end of...")
.JPG "A view between the overgrown tracks at the western end of...")
.jpg "071 Class 087 pulls out of Midleton Station in 1988 with...")
_2.JPG "The GSWR milepost at the western end of Midleton had...")
.JPG "Two tracks once again run into Midleton Station, serving...")
.JPG "The derelict single storey brick station building on the...")
.JPG "The restored 1860s built station building at Midleton,...")
.JPG "Another shot the station buildings at Midleton when...")
.JPG "The station buildings at Midleton, viewed from the down...")
.jpg "141 Class loco 168 arrives at the up platform at Midleton...")
_2.JPG "By 2005 the disused Youghal line had become heavily...")
_2.JPG "Vegetation clearance along the line to Midleton revealed...")
.JPG "Present view shows the restored Midleton signal cabin at...")
.JPG "Closer view of Midleton signal cabin in a derelict state...")
.JPG "The removal of the high grass, trees and shurbs at the...")
_2.JPG "By 2009 the entire yard had been cleared and levelled as...")
.JPG "On the derelict up platform at Midleton Station, looking...")
.JPG "The rebuilt up platform at Midleton, looking east towards...")
.jpg "168 is seen again in May 1978 with a short goods train...")
.jpg "175, which was also built by GM in 1962 at their La...")
.jpg "175 prepares to head back to Cobh Junction with a driver...")
.JPG "The original wooden doors at Midleton Station, seen...")
.JPG "Midleton Station, looking east from the footbridge...")
.JPG "Midleton Station, looking west towards Cork from the...")
.JPG "At the end of the down platform at Midleton Station...")
_2.JPG "The former goods yard has since been removed entirely,...")
.JPG "The 1860s brick built signal cabin at the eastern end of...")
.JPG "Midleton Station signal cabin, shortly after the...")
.JPG "The now restored GSWR signal cabin at Midleton Station,...")
.JPG "Side on view of the now restored cabin at Midleton...")
.jpg "Midleton signal cabin, before it was boarded up in the...")
.jpg "150 is seen running round the IRRS special at the eastern...")
.JPG "The 2006 view showings the once extensive goods yard at...")
.JPG "An old lamp hut, built of corrugated iron, on the up...")
.JPG "The Great Southern Railway, or later CIE, bi-lingual...")
.JPG "Two red aspect colour light signals stand opposite the...")
.JPG "Close up of one of the new LED colour light signals at...")
.JPG "The line serving the rebuilt down platform at Midleton is...")
.JPG "Another view of the restored station building at...")
.JPG "Side on view of the brick built 1860s station building at...")
.JPG "Modern Irish Rail nameboard mounted on Midleton Station...")
.JPG "The then derelict station building at Midleton in 2005,...")
.JPG "The station building at Midleton, now fully restored as...")
.JPG "The station building at Midleton, as viewed from the...")
.JPG "The interior of the restored Midleton Station booking...")
.JPG "Another shot within the stored booking office at Midleton...")
.JPG "The rear of the restored GSWR signal cabin at Midleton...")
.JPG "Detail on the brick & stone built chimney on the restored...")
.JPG "Closer up of the wooden railway stype roof surround on...")
.JPG "The modern footbridge at Midleton Station, certainly much...")
.JPG "The modern suburban style waiting shelter on the up...")
.JPG "The base of the former waiting shelter on the down...")
.JPG "On the down platform at the then derelict Midleton...")
.JPG "Typical surburban platform furniture on the newly rebuilt...")
.JPG "The rear of the newly rebuilt down platform at Midleton...")
.JPG "The carpark on the down side of Midleton Station, the...")
.JPG "The western end of the then derelict Midleton Station,...")
.JPG "A view looking down the overgrown track at the western...")
.JPG "By 2009 the level crossing at the western end of Midleton...")
.JPG "A view from the end of the up platform at Midleton...")
.JPG "Closer view of one of the new 3-aspect LED colour light...")
.JPG "A distant view of the rebuilt level crossing at the...")
.JPG "This is the GSWR semaphore signal at the east end of...")
.JPG "The new LED colour light signal, which replaced the GSWR...")
.JPG "Close up of the semaphore signal arm once located at the...")
.JPG "The two terminating lines at the east end of Midleton...")
.JPG "A similar view but taken in 2006, showing the former...")
.jpg "001 Class loco No.057 is viewed from the goods loading...")
.jpg "Seen at the same location is 071 Class No.076 having...")
.JPG "The same located but in 2006 after the line was cleared...")
.jpg "141 Class loco No.190, then freshly repainted in the new...")
.JPG "An old point blade, giving access to the goods loading...")
.JPG "Some of the point mechanisims on the track at the west of...")
.JPG "Another fairly intact track point at the east of Midleton...")
.JPG "Points giving access to the goods siding at the east end...")
.JPG "A two lever ground frame once controlled the points at...")
.JPG "The very rusted two lever ground frame at the eastern end...")
.JPG "Elevated view of this rather fixed two lever ground frame...")
.JPG "Some more railway signalling equipment lies rusted on the...")
.JPG "The track at the eastern end of the yard at Midleton,...")
.JPG "A distant view of the former goods yard at Midleton. In...")
.JPG "Present view shows the cleared site of the former goods...")
.JPG "Looking the opposite way but in 2006, showing the...")
.JPG "A pre 1948 Great Southern Railway base plate on one of...")
.JPG "The rather deterioted track at the east end of Midleton...")
.JPG "This is where the vegetation clearance ended at the...")
.JPG "Looking the opposite way back towards the station at the...")
.JPG "The same location is viewed in 2009 after the line to...")
.JPG "The remaining disused line to Youghal is terribly...")
.JPG "The first road overbridge east of Midleton on the line to...")
.JPG "The derelict track still in situ beneath the road...")
.JPG "Although the line to Youghal is disused it is rather...")
.JPG "This section of track has been protected by the road...")
.JPG "The overgrown line to Youghal viewed from the R627 road...")
.JPG "Looking the opposite way towards Youghal on the R627 road...")
.JPG "On the overgrown track east of the R627 road overbridge...")
.JPG "The eastern side of the R627 road overbridge at Midleton,...")
.jpg "Returning to the western end of Midleton Station, 141...")
.JPG "The western end of Midleton Station, on the east side of...")
.JPG "The track at the west end of Midleton Station was not as...")
.JPG "The grass covered track at the west end of Midleton,...")
.JPG "The same location but after the grass and shurbs were...")
.JPG "A view of the track towards Cork at the west end of...")
.JPG "The track at the east end of Midleton having been cleared...")
.JPG "The small derelict crossing keepers house, adjacent to...")
.jpg "Approaching Midleton level crossing is 001 Class No.009...")
.JPG "The CIE bracket semaphore signal on the western side of...")
.JPG "After the vegetation clearance on the line to Midleton,...")
.JPG "Today the level crossing on the R626 has been reinstated,...")
.JPG "By 2006 the derelict crossing keepers house had been...")
.jpg "Seen on the western side of level crossing in 1988, 071...")
.JPG "By 2006 it was unlikey that the then derelict on track on...")
.JPG "Present view shows the reinstated line to Midleton on the...")
.jpg "001 Class loco No.029 heads a Knock pilgrimage special...")
.JPG "By 2006 the CIE style level crossing gates were long gone...")
.JPG "Present view shows the newly rebuilt line crossing the...")
.JPG "The standard CIE bracket semaphore signal on the western...")
.JPG "This type of tubular post bracket semaphore signal at...")
.JPG "The rear of the 'down' home semaphore signal arm on the...")
.JPG "A small concrete bridge, located on the western side of...")
.JPG "Another shot of this rather forlorn looking concrete...")
.JPG "The bridge was possibly dates from the 1960s when a...")
.JPG "A distant view down the line towards Cork from the...")
.JPG "The line serving the down terminal platform at Midleton...")
_2.JPG "A general view of the former level crossing on the R626...")
.JPG "Midleton Station is now clearly visible from the level...")
.JPG "The same location but in 2006, clearly showing the...")
.JPG "What the level crossing at Midleton once looked like....")
.JPG "The remains of the former wooden CIE crossing gates which...")
.JPG "The modern automatic level crossing on the R626 road at...")
.JPG "Unsually the traffic lights at Midleton level crossing...")
.JPG "Midleton, now finally back on the rail network at last....")
.JPG "The Cork & Youghal Railway station masters house at...")
.JPG "The former station masters house at Midleton, now walled...")
.JPG "Yet another view of Midleton signal cabin, now having...")
.JPG "Close up of the new nameboard mounted on the signal cabin...")
.JPG "Seen at the down platform at Midleton Station is 2700...")
.JPG "No.2704 seen on the rear of the 2-car 2700 railcar set at...")
.JPG "No.2703 stands at Midleton Station having brought in the...")
.JPG "No.2704, seen at the down platform at Midleton Station,...")
.JPG "No.2703 was built by Alsthom in Spain in 1998, and worked...")
.JPG "A line of cars occupy the former loading bank where sugar...")
.JPG "Midleton signal cabin is of course no longer used, the...")
.JPG "The first member of the 2600 Class railcar fleet,...")
.JPG "A comparison between 2600 & 2700 railcar profiles at...")
.JPG "Another comparison between the older and latter...")
.JPG "Viewed in the mirror, 2600 Class railcar No.2602 prepares...")
.JPG "No.2602 prepares to depart Midleton Station with a...")
.JPG "Railcars Nos.2704 & 2602 are seen side by side at...")
.JPG "2600 Class railcar units Nos.2601+2602 head out of...")
.JPG "No.2704 and the restored Cork & Youghal built red bricked...")