It's sad to think that in the space of 10 years, Irish Rail went down, big time. The Kingscourt line went, the Rosslare to Waterford line went, the sugar beat trains are gone, all the freight liners are gone (apart from the North Wall to Ballina liner), most of the loco hauled passenger trains are gone and replaced with cheap Japanese DEMU's. For a country of such interesting railways, it's sad how it has become. No wonder many people I know (especially children) don't have any interest in trains anymore, because they are so boring.

Glad you like it. I hope to be able to show some more material in the future.

Indeed it is, very interesting bit of footage to be shared!

Great video! Fair play to the chief for sharing it :-) the old weed sprayer train looks much more interesting.

Thanks for that.

The section of line in Navan is still in use for trains to access the Tara Mines site. North of Navan the line to Kingscourt is still in-situ but disconnected and disused.

Hi. Great bit of history, well recorded. Maybe one day Kings court will come back into use?

A real fascinating and nostalgic piece of history. I used to watch gypsum trains head west out of Drogheda (and Tara Mines and Cement trains too), often hauled by 001 locos. All now a thing of the past. There is a bridge on the Kingscourt branch which has been completely removed in recent times after being hit by a truck. Sadly it looks like that branch line will never reopen...

Thanks for uploading the video! I love seeing old footage like this. It seems like so long ago, but it's only 10 years. Some of that track needs a lawnmower, never mind weedkiller!

Glad it is of interest, I'm sure also the spray was probably washed away by the rain too!

The level crossings were normally crew operated, but on the last day they were operated by PWD staff, it was the last train to run between Navan and Kingscourt.

Relaid only at the level crossings, about a year before the line closed.

Planning notices are now up at all level crossings north of Navan indicating the plan for a greenway. Also on their website (can't link directly to it. Bah.)

It was a policy IE had of years of running the weed sprayer over disused lines to keep them in order if traffic ever returned, but this lapsed after 2002/2003.

That's right, it's a bridge near Castletown. I say the line will end up as a cycle way at least.

That's right, they must have just hoped the track would be there beneath the grass!

A lovely piece of history here - but very sad. There's a few shots where it looks like she's derailed the grass is that high! Bart.

Ah I can't see Kingscourt coming back, there's little to keep the line there, might be turned into a cycleway instead though!

The gypsum traffic ceased the previous year, November 2001.

i was the train driver

Are the tracks still there? I thought that entire line was long since ripped up, wondered why the level crossing gates were still there until a few weeks ago I was driving from Robinstown to Navan when just before Navan hospital I was stopped by.........the level crossing gates closed to allow a train to cross. I thought it was a quite wonderful mirage.

Yes I've no idea how they managed to get back considering the poor state of the line!

It was a summer just like we have now, wet and weedy, btw Id just like to say, theres no skill in taking video, just point and press the record button, some of the best skill is actually in editing, which I like to thank Eiretrains for doing a great job in editing on my tapes, I was lucky to be around that time when the railway was interesting, and its still interesting but changing all the time.

When I say are the tracks still there, off course I'm referring to Kingscourt.

Eamonn Jones is the driver, he can be seen clearly in the cab as the train is departing Navan.

Will this line ever reopen?

Just curious as to why they did this on a disused line if not to prepare it for use again? Good vid!

They will need to reopen them & all railway lines sooner rather then later we need extra money to afford a better train service all over Ireland should happen sooner rather then later.

Brilliant video. Does anyone know if NIR have something similar?

@Martin98Baumann

4 жыл бұрын

No. The IR train used to run over the NIR system once a year sometimes with an IR loco sometimes with NIR but this ceased many years ago

I think they do, but it's operated like a track machine, not a locomotive hauled train.

Quick question: Why did IE send a weedspray train up a line that was closed and never going to reopen? Looks like a wasted effort to me.

terrible, I can really see this happening to the waterford-rosslare railway.

Well Colm, one thing is for sure, there wasn't any weeds growing on you that year.

Why spray the track twice? Once to Kingscourt and then back to Drogheda! Surely once is enough?🤔 Knowing CIE they wouldn't wait for optimum conditions and just spray according to a prearranged schedule!

Probably not, it will most likely be converted into a cycle way.

Haha 1:55 where are the tracks? Lol don't tell me they scrapped that diesel

Shame really how they let it go like that be nice clean up only way to travel