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. 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 […]
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