Waterford West

Waterford West is naturally located west of Waterford Station. By the 1850s the Waterford & Limerick Railway and Great Southern & Western Railway had already established a large goods yard at Waterford West located on the north bank of the River Suir. This yard, which once had engine sheds also, was modernised by CIE in the mid 1970s with the construction of container crane, cement silo, and a bagged cement & fertilizer store. Today, only timber traffic is still handled through Waterford West freight yard. Adjacent to the freight yard is the GSWR's Waterford West signal cabin, which once controlled the junction for the former 1878 constructed line to Dungarvan and Mallow, which was closed in 1967, but remained in use as far as Dungarvan serving Ballinacourty magnesite plant until 1982. The last train to traverse the route was in 1990, by which time it had become quite derelict and was lifted in the late 1990s. The stub of the line from Waterford to Dungarvan as far as the River Suir bridge remained connected to the mainline until recent years.
141 Class locomotives Nos.170+177 are seen stabled on a ballast train in Waterford West yard. Both these General Motos built locos entered service with CIE in December 1962. They have since been withdrawn. 2700 Class railcar No.2721 is seen stabled in Waterford West yard. This class of diesel railcar usually operates the Limerick to Waterford line services. Diesel railcars are not new in the Waterford area; here a 1954 AEC built unit, lead by No.2618, passing the yard in the early 1970s with service from Dublin. Crossely engined C Class locos Nos.C231 & C209 are also seen on pilot duties. ©Barry Carse A panoramic view of Waterford West freight yard, which is located just west of the passenger station. On the left is loco No.080 with a timber train, behind is the cement silo, and to the right is the 1975 constructed gantry, now disused.
071 Class loco No.080, dating from 1976, is seen on a timber train in Waterford West yard. Timber traffic from Ballina, Co.Mayo, is unloaded at the terminal here for Coillte forestry. Another 071 Class loco, this time No.086, is also seen on a timber train in Waterford West yard awaiting unloading. 141 Class locomotives Nos.171+141 are seen on pilot duties in Waterford West yard shunting two loaded timber wagons, prior to operating an RPSI railtour to Limerick Jct. 201 Class locomotive No.204 is seen in Waterford freight yard having brought in a DFDS freight liner train from Ballina, Co.Mayo. This loco, which entered service in November 1994, has since been withdrawn.
On a misy afternoon, 141 Class locomotives Nos.177 & 152 are seen at the head of a Limerick cement train in Waterford West freight yard. This freight traffic from the Castlemungret cement factory in Limerick has since ceased. A tired looking 071 Class loco No.084 propels an empty ballast train along the Limerick to Waterford line near Waterford West. The Great Southern & Western Railway's Waterford West signal cabin, which controls the western approach to Waterford, as well as the one time junction for the Mallow line. To the left can be seen the River Suir bridge of that long since closed line. Viewed from Waterford West signal cabin in the early 1970s, a 141 Class loco No.B158, approaches Waterford yard with an AEC railcar in tow from Limerick. The bracket signal visble to the left of the train read for the lines to Mallow, Limerick and Dublin respectively. ©Barry Carse
The view from a train on the western approach to Waterford West itself. In front of the locomotive can be seen the bracket semaphore signal; the right hand pole minus its arm once controlled the Dungarvan/Mallow line. Waterford West signal cabin can be seen beyond. The site of the junction with the line from Mallow at Waterford West, which converged just before the semaphore signal gantry. This is a Newrath automatic level crossing, located near Waterford West. The rusty disused track on the left are the remains of the line to Mallow which was closed in 1967, although the section to Ballinacourty remained open until 1982; it was last used in 1990. The nearest track is to Limerick.