oldpway.info Details of:

"Tales of the Permanent Way. Stories from the Heart of Ireland's Railways".
By Michael Barry.

opwID Barry_2009
Type Book
Status oldpway has copy, in copyright
Availability Not on-line. In print (2010)
Published by Andalus Press, Dublin, Ireland, 2009
ISBN 978-0-9560383-1-9
Pages 160pp, many photos
Description This book is about the permanent way of Irish railways and the men who worked on the permanent way. It is mainly the personal recollections of permanent way staff, but it also describes early Irish railways and permanent way.
Notes Chapter 1 is about early Irish railways, including the rails and gauges used. The rest of the book is the personal recollections of permanent way staff, including patrol gangers, permanent way inspectors, civil engineers, divisional engineers and chief civil engineers, who worked in the period 1921 to 2008. There is much about different people and personalities.
p.5: The "Cultra campus" has an extensive collection of permanent way artefacts. Contact is Mark Kennedy, Railway Curator, Ulster Folk and Transport Museum.
p.12: Permanent way of Dublin & Kingstown Railway. 1834 was wrought iron rails on granite blocks, and short length with longditudinal timbers. By 1839 was bridge rail on longditudinal timbers.
p.12: Reference to "Ireland's First Railway" by K.A.Murray, IRRS, Dublin, 1981, which has more details of Dublin & Kingstown Railway permanent way.
p.19: Dublin & Drogheda Railway, 1839-1842, bridge rails on timber sleepers.
p.19: Rail sections and renewal history around Drogheda, 1840-1904.
p.19: Drawing of early flat bottom rail by Charles Blacker Vignoles ("Vignoles Rail").
p.27: Early gauges used in Ireland, and origin of 5ft 3in (1600mm) Irish gauge in 1843-1846.
p.28: Photo of twin rail inspection bicycle (see also p.69, p.103).
p.30 & p.59: Photo of Bretland tracklayer in use in 1925 (see p.51).
p.30: Photo of Platov tracklayer on Estonian Railways (see p.51).
p.32: Rails used. Flat bottom on Great Northern Railway (Ireland), which took over Dublin & Drogheda Railway. Flat bottom on Midland Great Western Railway. Bull head on other Irish railways.
p.32: Charles Blacker Vignoles introduced flat-bottomed rail in 1836.
p.50: Photo of rail sections. 1890, Midland Great Western Railway, 85lb, FB. 1895, Great Southern & Western Railway, 95lb, FB. 1909, Dublin & South Eastern Railway, 85lb, BH. 2009, Iarnrod Eireann, 121lb (60kg), FB.
p.50: First CWR (continuously welded rail) in Ireland , the "Golden Mile", in mid 1960s.
p.51: Bretland tracklayer; developed by Arthur Bretland, chief engineer of Midland Great Western Railway, in 1923. Used 1923 to 1939. Photos p.30 & p.59. LNER copy used till 1960s. Soviet Union "Platov" similar, used in 1990s, photo p.30.
p.69: Recollections of rail bicycles (see also p.28, p.103).
p.71: Photo of Allday & Onions Motorised Inspection Vehicle, 1905 (early car on railway wheels).
p.92: Photos & poster of relaying in 1922, circa 1930 and 1959.
p.103: Photo of rail bicycle in use (see also p.28, p.69).
p.106: Pat Jennings, retired Chief Civil Engineer says: "There was a theory that each chief engineer should have his own rail. I know Large [ie. Paddy Somerville Large, Chief Civil Engineer, circa 1960] fiddled around and modified a number of rails. The Midland Great Western Railway designed their own rails, there was no equivalent rail in another railway. They'd produce a profile every time a railway was modified or changed."
p.126: Photo of Inspection Car in 1942.