Cherryville Junction

Cherryville Junction, Co.Kildare, is located just west of Kildare town on the Dublin to Cork main line. The junction is where the Waterford line branches off. The Great Southern & Western Railway opened the Waterford line as far as Carlow in 1846, but created a junction here at Cherryville when the main line to Cork was constructed west towards Portarlington. The signal cabin at Cherryville, one of the oldest still standing, closed in 1976 when the first Centralised Traffic Control signalling was installed on CIE. The signal cabin also boasts a long post 1930s Great Southern Railway bilingual name board. Adjacent to the junction are some railway cottages, and of course a modern CTC aerial, but there was never a station here. The junction can be accessed from the old Dublin to Cork road (R445) out of Kildare town.
201 Class locomotive No.233 approaches Cherryville Junction at a gingerly pace working a Dublin to Waterford pushpull train. Nowadays this loco is painted in the cross border 'Enterprise' livery. A 141/181 Class locomotive, probably No.141, is seen approaching Cherryville Junction with a track panel train from Waterford, as viewed from the M7 motorway. The disused 1840s era Great Southern & Western Railway signal cabin at Cherryville Junction, located on the down side of the line adjacent to the former signalman's cottage. The Great Southern Railway style name board mounted on Cherryville Junction signal cabin, possibly dating from the 1930s. The cabin today is now used as a permanent way mess room.
Passing the junction and Great Southern & Western Railway signal cabin at Cherryville is Mk4 driving van trailer No.4005, leading a morning Cork to Dublin express. 071 Class loco No.087 traverses the crossover points at Cherryville Junction as it brings the morning Waterford to Ballina DFDS liner train past Cherryville Junction. Approaching Cherryville Junction from the north is 'Enterprise' liveried 201 Class loco No.230, seen at the head of a Dublin to Cork express. Visible in the right background is traffic on the M7 motorway. Having run around its freight train in Kildare Station, 087 returns to Cherryville Junction as it leads the Waterford to Ballina DFDS freight liner. 087 was built by General Motors in 1976 and still carries Irish Rail's older orange and black livery.
Most Intercity services on Irish Rail are nowadays operated by 22000 Class railcars. Here No.22334 leads a 6-car set heading for Dublin. 071 Class loco No.084 passes Cherryville Junction with an empty ballast train from Carlow on the Waterford line. 084 also intends to reverse at Kildare Station in order to head west. Another view of 084, leading its empty ballast train past Cherryville having run round at Kildare Station. Most ballast trains are accompanied with yellow brakevans fitted with ploughs, as seen behind the locomotive. In black and silver livery, 071 Class loco No.081 leads the Ballina to Waterford DFDS freight liner train past Cherryville. The track layout seen here at Cherryville Jct has since been altered so that the crossover points are now located on the north side of the road overbridge.
081 crawls on the approach to Cherryville Junction with the Ballina to Waterford DFDS liner. The containers are bound to be unloaded at Belview Port east of the county city of Waterford. Today the crossover points are located here. In matching 'Intercity' livery 201 Class loco No.223 is seen approaching Cherryville Junction at speed with a Dublin to Cork express. The town of Kildare can be seen on the horizon, with the spire of White Abbey church visible in the left background. The overbridge at Cherryville Juncton, numbered '88' on the rail network, carries a small road over the railway which leads off the R445 road. Having past Cherryville Jct visible in the background, 071 Class loco No.082 loudly approaches the Kyle Bridge near Kildare with the Waterford to Ballina DFDS liner.
Having run around at Kildare, 082 glides past Hybla Bridge west of Cherryville Jct with its Waterford to Ballina freight liner. Monasterevin Station is visible in the distance as a Cork to Dublin Mk4 express headed by DVT No.4002 climbs the gradient on the approach to Hybla Bridge. Also seen climbing up from Monasterevin at Hybla is 071 Class loco No.074, heading the Ballina to Waterford DFDS liner. The train would shortly pass Cherryville Jct, then arrive into Kildare to run round before heading south to Waterford. With two pocket container wagons behind the loco, No.085 leads the somewhat colourful looking Dublin to Ballina IWT freight liner. This train had departed North Wall yard in Dublin at 10:30am.
074 is seen again with its DFDS freight liner from Ballina, seen south of Cherryville Jct on the Waterford line passing Sullivan's Bridge. No.074 was built by General Motors in 1976, entering traffic with CIE in June 1977. A muddy looking 071 Class 080 leads a rake of empty bogey flat wagons from Portaloise to Waterford past Oghill, just south of Cherryville Jct. This train usually returns loaded with rails delivered at Belview Port near Waterford. Seen slowing on the southern approach to Cherryville Jct is a somewhat cleaner looking No.080, heading the Waterford to Ballina liner. With Cherryville signal cabin visible in the background, 080 has just past the junction as it heads west with its liner to Ballina, the train having reversed in Kildare Station.
Seen in Irish Rail's orange livery, 078 storms past Cherryville Jct with the Dublin North Wall to Ballina IWT liner, consisting entirely of pocket container wagons. Just west of Cherryville Jct is a wide overbridge which carries the old Dublin to Cork road (R445) over the railway. A Cork to Dublin express is seen passing beneath this structure on the approach to Cherryville Jct. 201 Class loco No.232 propels this northbound Cork to Dublin express past Cherryville Jct. The single track Waterford line can be seen converging from the right. 079 is seen taking the curve of the Waterford line just south of the junction at Cherryville as its heads the Ballina to Waterford DFDS liner.
Intercity liveried 201 Class loco No.220 is seen employed on freight duties as it heads the Ballina to Dublin IWT liner on the approach to Cherryville Junction. No.234, named 'River Aherlow' is approaching Kyle Bridge just north of Cherryville with the morning DFDS liner to Ballina. 071 Class loco No.072 hauls sister loco No.073 past Hybla with two empty timber wagons in tow, operating a transfer working from Limerick to North Walll in Dublin. 201 Class loco No.215 hauls a rake of loaded pocket wagons past Hybla Bridge with the Dublin to Ballina IWT liner.
No.234, with its distinctive large numbers, now powers the DFDS Waterford to Ballina liner past Hybla Bridge. No.075 takes a rake of empty bogey flat wagons past Hybla, while operating from Portlaoise to Waterford. The train would return the following the day with new rails landed at Waterford Port. No.081 passes Cherryville Jct with the well laden Ballina to Waterford DFDS liner, which will revearse at Kildare before proceeding south. 201 Class No.229 hauls a ballast tamping machine past Hybla, en route from Portlaoise to the other Irish Rail permanent way depot located at Kildare Station.
Another view of No.229, hauling the ballast tamping machine past Hybla, west of Cherryville Jct. The 071 Class leader, No.071, glides past Hybla Bridge with the empty Waterford to Ballina timber train. No.075 is seen again, now seen approaching the tall overbridge at Kyle between Cherryville Jct and Kildare, with the new rails en route from Waterford to Portlaoise. Having run around its train at Kildare, No.075 nears Cherryville as it passes the hot axle detector box at Kyle Bridge, north of the junction.
Dating from 1974, Irish Rail's track recording car No.EM50 approaches Cherryville Jct with its recording camera visible. 071 Class No.076 approaches the M7 motorway bridge just south of Cherryville Jct with the Waterford to Ballina empty timber train. No.076 is caught again, this time as it joins the main Cork to Dublin main line at Cherryville with its empty timber train, bound for Ballina 201 Class No.234 approaches Cherryville with a rake of loaded pocket container wagons which are form the morning IWT freightliner from Dublin to Ballina.
Having passed an 'up' express from Cork, No.071, which entered service in May 1977, approaches the bridge at Hybla with the Ballina bound DFDS liner. Nearing 100mph, 'Enterprise' liveried 201 Class loco No.209 speeds past Hybla with a Dublin to Cork express, formed of the Mk4 coaching stock. 071 Class loco No.071 is seen near Kilberry on the Waterford line south of Cherryville Jct with the 'down' DFDS freightliner from Ballina. 201 Class loco No.218 hauls a rake of 1960s Craven built coaches past Hybla Bridge on a test run, which later in the week would form the RPSI's 'Mystery Train' tour to Kilkenny.
No.076 runs up the gradient from Monastervin at Hybla with the DFDS liner from Ballina, which would shortly reverse at Kildare Station before proceeding south to Waterford. 22000 Class railcar No.22242 leads an afternoon southbound Dublin to Waterford service at Cush Bridge, south of Cherryville Jct. No.076 has light work with the Ballina to Waterford DFDS liner train as it approaches the road overbridge at Cush. This section of the line was once double track until 1917. 071 Class loco No.076 powes up the gradient from Cherryville Jct on the approach to Kildare at the Kyle Bridge with the DFDS liner from Waterford to Ballina.
Approaching Hybla west of Cherryville Jct is 22000 Class railcar No.22342. This 6-car set is operating from Dublin to Galway. 071 Class loco No.079 powers past Hybla with a track panel train operating from Dublin North Wall to Portlaoise. These redundant track panels have come from the Navan branch in Co.Meath. Loco No.076, previously caught at the Kyle Bridge, now approaches Hybla having reversed in Kildare with the Waterford to Ballina DFDS liner. Loco No.083 approaches Hybla from the west with a rake of empty steel flat wagons operating from the PWD depot at Portlaoise to Waterford. The train would return loaded with rails the following day.
201 Class loco No.221 'River Fealge' approaches Hybla, west of Cherryville, with a morning Dublin to Cork express. With the cutting fairly clear of vegetation on this side of Hybla, Mk4 DVT No.4007 leads a morning 'up' Cork express to Dublin propelled in the rear by 201 Class loco No.220. Northern Ireland Railways owned 201 Class loco No.209 is seen at Hybla in charge of the Ballina to Waterford DFDS liner, which on this occasion consists entirely of 40th containers. 'Enterprise' loco No.209 is glimpsed again on the DFDS liner, as it works south from Cherryville Jct at Cush Bridge on the single track line to Waterford.
A 3-car 22000 Class set, No.22352, passes through the now rather lush cutting at Hybla as it nears Cherryville with an 'up' service to Dublin. 201 Class loco No.232 heads past Hybla while working a Dublin to Cork express, formed of the usual Mk4 rolling stock manufactured by CAF in Spain. 071 Class loco No.076 is seen in charge of Irish Rail's annual weed sprayer train, seen spraying along the 'down' line at Hybla as it works from Dublin to Portloaise. A somewhat patched up 071 Class No.072 approaches Hybla with the Waterford to Ballina DFDS liner. Sister loco No.081 has had similar attention around the window surrounds.
Still in its 'ex-works' appearence, 201 Class loco No.234 takes the morning Dublin to Ballina IWT liner past Hybla, which is seen consisting of a mixture of tanks and containers.