A 2010 visit to the Bord Na Mona's Blackwater Yard.
In recent weeks the use of narrow gauge peat trains has ceased in Ireland. The Bord Na Mona's 3ft gauge lines once constituted one of the largest industrial railway systems in Europe. Operating on several sites across Ireland with extensive lines that would bring peat to power stations, the track mileage was said to exceed that of the national passenger network.
In recent years environmental concerns have led to a switch towards biomass for power generation. The news that the peat trains had ended led to me looking back at photos from a 2010 visit to the Bord Na Mona's Blackwater depot. This was where equipment was maintained for the network of lines that supplied West Offaly power station.
Rail tours of part of the West Offaly system were operated under the Clonmacnoise and West Offaly Railway name. These tours used one of the former peat railway locos and a single carriage. Unfortunately the railways to the power station were so busy that these tours could not be accommodated without disruption to the peat trains and the tours were discontinued in 2008. At the time of our visit the stock for the tours was laid up in the Blackwater yard.
More about the Bord Na Mona and its railway system can be found on the Wikipedia article.
Below - One of the peat trains with a Hunslet Wagonmaster, these formed the bulk of the locomotive fleet for the system.
Below - A maintenance train with one of the earlier Wagonmasters identified by its connecting rods on the wheels.
Below - Another maintenance train with one of the later Wagonmasters. The tracks were often realigned according to the cutting face in the peat bog.
Below - Some of the old railway equipment seen at the Blackwater yard. Nearest the camera is one of the railcars that would be used for line inspections. Some of the earlier locomotives from before the Bord Na Mona standardising on the Wagonmasters can be seen.
Below - At one point it seemed that Ruston & Hornsby would build the standard loco fleet for Bord Na Mona and the company put a lot of development in to loco designs for the system, though they insisted their locos could only be supplied with their engines and the Bord Na Mona wanted their locos to use Ford engines common with other equipment they used.
Below - A German built Deutz loco
Below - A Simplex loco.
Below - The Ruston & Hornsby loco and coach of the Clonmacnoise and West Offaly Railway.
Below - A light engine Hunslet Wagonmaster enters the yard.
Below - A maintenance train and an old crawler crane.
Below - Some of the other equipment seen around the yard.
Below - Some of the track panels, the network would often be relayed like a big model railway as the cutting face moved along the bog.
Below - Another engineers train. Plenty of engineers trains could be seen around the Blackwater yard.
Below - A ballast train on the main line towards the West Offlay power station.
Below - The main line towards the West Offlay power station, double track with sidings on the right.
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