The current state of the Tralee & Dingle Railway
After the successful restoration of the rail tracks between Tralee and Blennerville the Tralee & Dingle Railway had been one of the major attractions of Tralee for years. Unfortunately it has now been out of service since the end of the 2006 season. So I wondered whether we could hope for the steam train to be back on track in 2008.
After reading a report (which I found here by the way) stating that the 5T-engine has been stripped down for inspection last year and that there was work to do on the railtracks I was very keen to see with my own eyes what progress had been made since then. Today I finally had the chance to do so - here are the pictures, first some impressions of the track from Ballyard via the Basin to Blennerville:
So far so good, but I still had to see the condition of the stock, especially of the 116-year old Hunslet 5T-Engine. But first some pictures of the shed area and the cars:
Finally I saw the engine - or rather the stripped down boiler and some parts that seem to be left from the once proud 5T. To be quite honest I don’t think that poor old lady will be back in service anytime soon. But let’s hope the best. Here come the pictures:
Sorry to say that, but it seems that the season 2008 will see no steam trains between Blennerville and Ballyard Station in Tralee, too.
My wife & I were on our Honeymoon and visited Tralee 3 October 2007.While looking for the Tralee & Dingle train, we met a railfan from England who wanted to trace the line. He invited my wife and me to join them on a ride to Dingle to photograph what relics we could find We had a pleasant journey and was very impressed by the beautiful Kerry countryside. I am enamored by 5T and look forward to riding her train in the future. I model 2′ & 3′ gauge & just added 2 class 141 diesels by Murphy models to my collection
Comment by Doug Harley — April 2, 2008 @ 6:55 am
Interesting piece and great blog.
Thanks..
Comment by D O'T — April 8, 2008 @ 11:34 pm
Probably time this crowd called it a day!Even when the train was running the whole operation was a joke. Mainline type platforms with Euro cobble, carriages with domestic house door handles, and staffed by people who knew little or nothing about the original railway or, indeed, the sorry mess that was the repatriation of No.5. from Vermont, USA. When the Blennerville operation was first mooted the original narrow gauge platform still existed at Blennerville as did some of the mileposts - where are they now? Perhaps the Dublin Docklands Authority could buy the whole operation as they did with the moribund Jeanie Johnston???
Comment by David Parks — May 26, 2008 @ 11:16 am
Sad to say, but the railway is rapidly reverting to weed-choked wasteland. I was there just today and sections of the engine yard are now almost impassable due to plant growth. The project will probably fail completely if this is allowed to continue.
Comment by Niall — July 3, 2008 @ 1:11 am
When I visited in May 2007, No 5 was in the shed and I was taken to see, photograph and climb over it. The cab was off due to the inspection of the boiler/firebox which was leaking.
Upon return to the UK I sorted around the UK boiler repairers for them and emailed them a list of ones who could undertake repairs for them. I see from the photo the boiler is now out of the frames. I know repairs also relied on Tralee Tourism coughing up some money towards repairs, for which they were hopeful as their Windmill is one of the areas main tourism draws. Here’s hoping they eventually get her repaired.
Regards,
John Berry
Comment by John Berry — July 10, 2008 @ 3:41 pm
It looks as if they have some serious leaks on the boiler of 5T and it will require new stays at least. If it continues to sit outside so close to the ocean it is bound to suffer from salt attack. It is to be hoped that after all the effort put in so far it will be possible to find the money quickly but in such a sparsely populated part of Ireland that is bound to be difficult. The cost of fuel now will also keep folk away. Alan Keef would seem to be their best bet to get the job done a bit at a time, as he has done for other such projects, as money has become available. The boiler certainly cannot sit out there for long.
Comment by George Harris — July 12, 2008 @ 4:15 pm
[…] I expected in a posting in march there was no steam train to be seen on the last remain part of the historic Tralee-Dingle […]
Pingback by The Tralee Blog » More works in the town park, but still no train — September 9, 2008 @ 10:04 pm
Can anyone help with a story in ‘The Kerryman’,
when the Dingle railway station,Tralee, was being demolished , regarding initials, (P.C./M.M.)
found carved on a notice board situated in the entrance hall to the booking / goods office .
My family and I used to live in ASHE STREET
and I spent much of my childhood in and around the old station . Any info’ would be much appreciated . Many thanks , if you can help .
Comment by Fr. Paul Mercer . a.k.a.' Mio' — December 8, 2008 @ 9:53 pm
I am at present working on vol6 of our History of the British Steam Tram series for Adam Gordon (ahg-books.com) which is basically about the Irish lines, both pure tramways and the hybrid lines where a degree of roadside running is involved. Would it be possible for me to beg the use of a handful of your photos showing the state of No.5 and the trackwork? After all her travels surely no5 deserves better than to be left to rot? There are a number of ex-Barry engines in England where the tubes are hanging out and the cab sidesheets are like lace curtains. They will certainly never be restored unless some trillionaire turns up; and I do not think you have very many of those in Tralee, unless things have changed vastly from a decade ago. Any help would be appreciated.
Comment by David Gladwin — January 15, 2009 @ 11:38 am
Hi David,
of course you can have plenty of pictures of the line and the stock, I would be glad to help. But the pictures on this site are now almost a year old, and I’m very sorry to say that things have actually changed for worse. The best part of the track is now overgrown and the gates at the two level crossings are seriously damaged and blocked. The boiler had not moved nor changed last time I visited Blennerville just before christmas. A very sad sight overall.
I would suggest to take some more current pictures as soon as the weather permits and send you some samples in higher resolution, so you can decide which to use.
Best regards,
Holger
Comment by Holger — January 22, 2009 @ 10:40 am
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Pingback by The Tralee Blog » The Tralee and Dingle Light Railway revisited — March 23, 2009 @ 3:00 pm
hello. Just to inform your site that i heard from a good source that no.5 could very well be scraped due to lack of funds by that miserable bunch in kerry co council. What a pitty. If i have any news i leave a comment asap. Sad times. Declan in abbeydorney.
Comment by declan o connell — March 29, 2009 @ 3:25 pm
The RPSI have the know how and resources in Whitehead to restore No 5 if and when the money is available, they are restoring a CDRJC loco at the moment
Comment by Iain Bruce — July 1, 2009 @ 12:59 pm