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It seems only right to mention the
Inchicore Railway Works on this website, as it was an amazing place to grow up beside
and without its influence I might have chosen a different career and
perhaps my railway would never have been built.
The Inchicore Railway Works
were established in 1846 by the Great Southern and Western Railway
(GS&WR) as its main engineering works, the first payroll is dated the
24th of April 1846 and amounted to £83. 12s. 9d. At that time there
were 39 men employed, but at its peak there were over 2000.
The original running shed was
built throughout of limestone and was designed by Sancton Wood who also
designed Heuston Station. With its castellated walls and tower and
gothic appearance it was architecturally a very picturesque
building.
The tower is said to have been
built as a "lookout" for a signalman who in the early days could
observe the movement of trains coming up the bank from Kingsbridge
(Heuston).
The "Works" are located 3km west of Heuston Station
and covers a site of approximately 73 acres. It's still the main
engineering works for Iarnrod Eireann, maintaining the large fleet of
diesel locomotives and rolling stock.
My earliest memories of living
beside the railway are the sounds, the cattle trains stopped outside
the house at night, loose coupled trains passing by with their
clanking brakes and couplings and of course the Works "horn". This
horn would sound in the morning, lunchtime and in the evening, its
no longer working, but when it sounded it could be heard many miles away.
Another great memory was
watching the GAA specials on a Sunday coming up from the country.
The supporters would have their flags flying out of the windows and
depending on the result there would be plenty of cheering and waving
as they passed by on there way home.
This was the view from my
bedroom window. The picture is not great but
you can just make out an old AEC/Park Royal railcar in the distance, a CIE/Maybach shunter, a A101 class and a pair of B121 class General
Motors single cab locomotives. The coaches parked along the wall
were used as a sound barrier.
The sound barrier was changed
many times over the years, from various four wheeled wagons,
coaches, and locomotives, for many years the track lay empty. This photograph shows a C201 class shunting
into position, there are three BRCW/Sulzers parked up waiting their
turn to be placed along the wall.
A view from the other side of
the wall, this photograph was taken after I was given a quick trip from Heuston,
where I was watching trains, back
to Inchicore in the cab of an engine. The signal cabin can be seen
on the left and the original running shed tower can just be seen
over the locomotives on the right.
The Works had many nice
features including an outdoor swimming pool and this fountain, although not in the best condition when I took this photograph it
was still just about working.
It wasn't just Diesel
locomotives that came to Inchicore this photograph was taken in
1978. These two steam locomotives are 186 and 184 both class J15,
they were modified for the
film "The First Great Train Robbery" which was shot in Ireland. The
majority of these locomotives were built by the GS&WR at Inchicore
so they would feel right at home here.
You could say that this was my first "BIG" scale garden railway...!
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