I took this photograph of the old railway station in Drimoleague, West Cork, the other day.
Old train station waiting for the trains to return?
The other side of the platform. The line use to run where the tarmac and litter bin is.
The line use to run from Bantry to Cork. But it closed in 1961. The line was running at a loss of fifty six thousand Punts a year. I Suppose that would be a lot of money in today's money? The sleepers were lifted and sold for a shilling each(500 to the mile) and many were exported to Nigeria.
Today part of the line is part of a walk and a lot of the railway land was sold off and built on. My dad left Bantry when he was seventeen and emigrated to England via this line during the 'black fifties". Do you have an old railway line near you?
When I was in Dorset in June, me and my walking friend met a decorator renovating a rural church. He told us in one hundred years there will be no cars. I think there will be at least electric ones. Wouldn't it be great to see little railways running again full of people and cattle?
The line use to run from Bantry to Cork. But it closed in 1961. The line was running at a loss of fifty six thousand Punts a year. I Suppose that would be a lot of money in today's money? The sleepers were lifted and sold for a shilling each(500 to the mile) and many were exported to Nigeria.
Today part of the line is part of a walk and a lot of the railway land was sold off and built on. My dad left Bantry when he was seventeen and emigrated to England via this line during the 'black fifties". Do you have an old railway line near you?
When I was in Dorset in June, me and my walking friend met a decorator renovating a rural church. He told us in one hundred years there will be no cars. I think there will be at least electric ones. Wouldn't it be great to see little railways running again full of people and cattle?
Actually, our old railroad is still running!!!
ReplyDeleteUsed to run right through town. And of course, the railroad line, *separated* the city into 2 parts. :-) You were "one side or the other," of the "railroad tracks."
Then they moved it out farther, so city traffic was not disrupted.
I remember back when it was "in" town. But then, that's because I'm 'older than dirt.' ,-)
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Hi wisp of words. I love railways. Especially when they go through the countryside, towns and cities. Also if they are not too crowded you can walkabout, use the toilets or dine in the restaurants. Well you can on the big trains. Thanks.
DeleteI'm not familiar with the "black fifties." But I'm sure I can do a search, on it.
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Yes the "black fifties" were a time of unemployment and emigration in the nineteen fifties. Then it was the eighties and again recently. Seems to happen every thirty years or so. My Irish grandparents got married in 1929. What a year to get married.
ReplyDeleteWest Cumbria had a network of railways, most of them lifted in the early 60s, some of them now part of cycle ways.
ReplyDeleteI never rally understood the reasoning behind this, it forced a lot of heavy commercial traffic on to the roads.
I agree Cumbrian there doesnt seem to be any reasoning for axing so many railways. They could have been used for freights and tourism. There are far too many vehicles on the roads. Thanks!
DeleteMy local station is now just a stopping and picking up point.
ReplyDeleteThe ticket office was closed down when the last ticket seller retired 10 years ago and he was never replaced. He was not even replaced by a ticket machine. I have requested one many times because often the guard on the train does not get round to everyone to sell a ticket and then there are problems at the destination in explaining why you haven't got a ticket and one is treated as a criminal although entirely innocent. It is all very frustrating. We are now expected to buy it via an App. Life gets so complicated. Beeching did the closures as purely an economic exercise with a red pen that went through any line that did not pay its way. Sadly the human side was not taken into account. Wicked. I enjoyed your post Dave. Thanks.
Thanks Rachel. I hate it when train stations are not manned especially at night. Strangers need information and people want to feel safe. I miss railways here in rural Ireland especially.
Deletevery good. Thank you for sharing.
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I used to love the old trains and stations. Not so much now, modern railways don't seem to have the same atmosphere.
ReplyDeleteI see Gmail sign up is on the prowl again. I had an email this morning which made no sense at all.
Hi Valerie. Oh Mr Porter stareing Will Haye is one of my favourite films, especially about railways. Filmed in 1937. It shows English branch railways in their heyday. I don't like going on crowded trains with only three or four railway carriages.
DeleteYes I see quite a few blogs afe getting Gmail sign up visits. I take no notice of none bloggers. Thanks.
I think the man painting the church may be right. Unless the roads are ten or twenty lanes wide. The European investment bank is financing a 1,000 km motorway from Mombasa to Lake Victoria. So they'll have a motorway from Calais to Cape Town one day I suppose. And millions of big trucks trundling along, all driven by computers. Road trains.
ReplyDeleteIn Italy I've seen trams that travel on one metal strip inserted along the road under the centre of the team. The trams have normal wheels but like road vehicles fitted with tyres so they are very quiet.
DeleteHi Gwil. You always come up with some brilliant statistics, thanks! Apparently there are 37.3 million licenced vehicles in the UK and 2.5 million here in Ireland. No wonder we need so much oil. I like the Italian trams with the metal strip. Thanks.
DeleteThere are quite a few empty stations around here and grass covered tracks.
ReplyDeleteI love train rides too. You can get up and have a stroll and chug along.
There is a spectacular little train ride a couple of hours from us through a deep gorge. My favourite
Thanks LA. My longest train ride was nine hours from Warsaw to Vienna. I like people watching and talking to people.
ReplyDeleteYour spectacular little train trip sounds like fun and perhaps you will blog about it sometime? Thanks!
We have an old railway line near us which still has the tracks, and there are numerous small houses spaced along it, presumably the homes of those people who looked after the line. I don't have any thoughts about this railway, but there was an old railway and railway station near where I used to live and that which was abandoned a long time ago, and that did ooze an atmosphere of times gone by.
ReplyDeleteI am old enough to remember a steam train blowing its steam up my skirt as I crossed over a railway bridge at a station near where I lived! It hooted too, which gave me quite a fright.
Thanks Vera especially for your steam train memories. They were almost metal creatures the steam trains with their magnificent painted liveries.
ReplyDeleteSept. 25th now...
ReplyDeleteAnd this (Sept. 14th) one, is the last post here. Is everything ok? Hope you are just busy.
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Yes I know Wisp. I have got a job and been very busy. Thanks for thinking of me Wisp.
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