Tara Street

Tara Street Station, located in Dublin's city centre, is one of Irish Rail's most busiest stations. Known fully as 'Tara Street & George's Quay' station, it was the only one built on the City of Dublin Junction Railway's line, which linked the Dublin & South Eastern Railway's station at Westland Row (Pearse) with the Great Northern Railway's Amiens St Station (Connolly). The construction of this line in May 1891, known commonly as the 'loop line', required the building of the well known lattice bridge across the River Liffey and the construction of lengthy stone and brick viaducts.

Tara Street Station has up & down platforms, and the original station buildings where located at street level, now long since replaced by the modern one. The platforms also once had brick & wooden retaining walls with canopies, but only a section of this survives at the south end of the station. The DSER signal cabin was located on the up platform where a disused shop stand now lies, it had been taken out of use in 1925 by the Great Southern Railway.
German Linke Hofmann Busch built DART unit No.8329, dating from 1983, approaches Tara Street Station on a southbound service to Greystones. The fourth 8100 Class DART, No.8104, forms the rear unit on this southbound service to Greystones at Tara St. The 8100s have all since been refurbished. A busy commuter scene at the north end of Tara St, with 29000 Class railcar No.29114 and 2600 Class railcar No.2612 passing each other on north and southbound workings. 29000 Class No.29409 takes the curve out of Tara Street Station on a northbound service to Maynooth, seen crossing the 'Loop Line' bridge across the River Liffey.
2001 Japanese built 8500 Class DART, No.8604, arrives into Tara Street with a midday northbound service to Howth. The station is located entirely on a curved stone built viaduct. Refurbished 8100 Class DART No.8315 approaches Tara Street Station from the north with an afternoon service to Bray. Unlike the original 8100 design, the refurbished units now feature distinctive cluster type headlights. DART No.8113 approaches Tara Street Station on a northbound service to Malahide. The City of Dublin Jct Railway 1891 built stone/brick viaduct construction can clearly be seen here. The new trains on the Dublin South Eastern scene, a 22000 Class diesel railcar, No.22230, stands at Tara Street with an evening service to Gorey.
Seen in the evening sunshine heading away from Tara Street Station is 8500 Class DART No.8604, on rear of a southbound service to Bray. The 'PE' on the signal stands for nearby Pearse. 8100 Class DART No.8117, gingerly arrives at the up platform at Tara Street on a northbound service to Binn Éadair (Howth). The 1983 installed signals will shortly be replaced by LED types. An 8100 Class DART unit is seen departing Tara Street Station on a 'down' evening service to Bray. The buildings in the background are the adjacent Ulster Bank offices. The useful crossover points at the south end of Tara Street Station, used frequently by trains departing from nearby Pearse on the down line, to access the up line.
22000 Class railcar No.22230 is seen again, this time heading across the River Liffey on the Loop Line bridge on the approach to Tara Street Station. Ex Great Southern & Western J15 0-6-0 No.186, built at Inchicore Works in Dublin in 1879, enters Tara Street Station with northbound Railway Preservation Society of Ireland special from Wicklow. CAF Spanish built 29000 Class railcar No.29420 prepares to take the curve through Tara Street Station with a northbound service from Dublin Pearse to Maynooth. Framed by the colour light signals, 8100 Class No.8106, now sporting its new 'DART 25' logos for the 25th anniversary of DART services, heads a Bray bound service out of Tara Street.
On a very dull November day, 2600 Class railcar No.2613 stands at the down platform at Tara Street, having failed on a southbound commuter service to Gorey. These units original entered service in 1995 in Irish Rail's black & orange 'Arrow' livery. Operating 'wrong road' at Tara Street on the up line is 8100 Class DART No.8327, heading a southbound stopping service to Bray. The unit is seen passing the aforemented failed 2600 Class railcar. On a much brighter day in April, 8100 DART No.8325 looks well as it runs along the down line into Tara Street. The Loop Linne from Pearse to Connolly features a checkrail within the track to prevent any serious derailments. With the Customs House just visible in the right background, 29000 Class railcar No.29410, nears the end of its journey as it approaches Tara Street Station with a service to Pearse. Signal 'PE22' shows a yellow for an 'up' train to Connolly.
A December morning sees ex Northern Counties Railway 2-6-4 tank loco No.4, arriving into Tara Street on a Railway Preservation Society of Ireland's ''Santa Special' that would later operate from Pearse Station to Maynooth. Thanks to an intruding northbound DART service, steam & electric traction meet at the south end of Tara Street, with 8500 Class No.8624 awaiting departure north to Howth. No.4 was built by the LMS NCC at Derby in 1947, and was finally withdrawn by Northern Ireland Railway's in 1971. No.4, heading along the stone built viaduct south of Tara Street, prior to arriving into Pearse to the form the first morning's RPSI 'Santa Special' to Maynooth. The train is composed of ex CIE coaching stock; Park Royals and Cravens dating from the 1950s and 1960s respectively.