Coaching Stock of Ireland
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A wide variety of hauled coaches have been used on the railways of Ireland. This page lists all those that have been introduced in Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland since 1945.
Republic of Ireland
When formed in 1945 Córas Iompair Éireann (CIÉ) must have inherited from its constituents, with few exceptions, the most rag - bag collection of coaching stock imaginable, some of which would not have been out of place in a transport museum, indeed many were over 40 years old, some even older, and these had to be kept in work until a programme of replacement could be found.CIE, which controlled the Republic's railways between 1945-86, and its subsidiary, Iarnród Éireann (IÉ) which took over in 1986, have made great use of hauled coaches, though in recent years IE has turned increasingly to multiple units to replace old locomotives and coaches. IE and NIR jointly own the current stock used on the Enterprise services between Dublin and Belfast, with IE nominally owning the odd-numbered vehicles and NIR the even-numbered ones, though all are painted in the same Enterprise livery.
\"Park Royal\" stock
In 1955 Inchicore Works commenced the construction of 50 coaches from parts supplied by the Park Royal Works in London. These coaches made full use of the Irish loading gauge and were 61 ft 6 in long and 10 ft 2 in wide, reduced by 8" at their ends. They were, because of their aluminium and steel construction, only 26 tons tare (Suburban) and approx. 27 1/4 tons tare (Main Line). Unusually these coaches had inward opening doors, similar to the American "Pullman" design but this was unpopular and somewhat confusing to the passengers, and they were rebuilt conventionally. The suburban coach had seating for 82 passengers while the main line coach, fitted with lavatories, had seats for 70. These coaches rode on Commonwealth bogies[link], the first in Ireland to be so fitted, which were of a cast steel construction and originated in the United States but were made under licence in England by the English Steel Corporation / English Steel Castings Corporation, at their River Don Works, Sheffield. During the early 1990's the "Park Royal" stock fell from use and was barred from certain routes. The stock lasted just long enough until, in 1994, the delivery of the first of Japanese DMU's arrived in Dublin, before being withdrawn.
Livery
When built these coaches received the standard CIE green livery (often referred to as "ivy - leaf green). In the early 1960's, as they passed through works they were given the new black / tan / white colour scheme (See : Craven's stock / livery)
Mark 1 (\"Craven's Stock\")
In Spring 1961 the CIE sought tenders for 40 new second class coaches, 10 of these were to be delivered complete with the suppliers then providing technical assistance to enable the assembly of the remainder, which were to be delivered "part-finished", at Inchicore. The contract, worth over £500,000 (sterling), was awarded to Cravens of Sheffield for a variation of the British Railways Mark 1. It was reported that these new vehicles "would set a pattern for future construction of CIE carriage stock." The first of the Sheffield-built coaches was unloaded at the North Wall, Dublin on 3rd May 1963 and taken to Inchicore for acceptance.
These new coaches were built with light alloy bodies on steel underframes and fitted with Type B4 bogies, a type tried and tested by BR before crossing the Irish Sea. The B4 bogie was of a fabricated steel design with fitted Roller bearings similar to those on the commonwealth bogie. Again, the springs were of the coil type, but now two were fitted above each axle as opposed to two as seen on the commonwealth bogie.
Each coach was fitted with 64 seats, eight bays of four seats around a table either side of a central gangway, and had two toilets situated at one end. The interior made great use of laminated plastics, creating a light and airy feel. They were also fitted with a central fluorescent light along their length, the first coaches in Ireland to be so treated, this fitting incorporating a loudspeaker for the on-train public address system. To reduce noise and add insulation the coaches were fitted with double-glazed window units. They were 61 ft 6 in in length and 9 ft 6 in wide and each weighed 30 tons.
During early 1963 Inchicore commenced construction of two new first class coaches to a style similar to, but not connected with, the Cravens contract. These coaches were built with an open plan format, fitted with double-glazing and air conditioning. They were numbered 1145 and 1146 and were the only post-war all-first class coaches to be added to the stock, their immediate predecessor, numbered 1144, was built in 1935.
Livery
The Sheffield built coaches were outshopped in the new CIE livery of tan(brown/orange) below the waist, black on the central panel, around the windows and on the ends, and between the upper window and roof a broad (6"/150 mm) white band. Large, white, class numerals were applied to the doors. The two Inchicore First Class coaches were treated the same way. Later still a thin white band (approx. 1"/25 mm) was added to all, separating the tan and black section.
On 2nd April 1964 the new coaches were demonstrated to the press and saw their first public outing, on 10th April, working the 18.30 Dublin to Cork train. As of 2006, the old Mark 1 type (Craven) coaches have been almost completely phased out, their final regular duties being the covering of the "Fridays Only" workings from Dublin Heuston to Cork, Galway and Limerick and their return. They are also occasionally used for special and once-off services, coordinated around rugby union and football matches.
Mark 2
In 1972 the CIÉ placed an order with British Rail Engineering Limited for 72 new coaches to be based on the British Rail Mark IId design. These were built at the Litchfield Lane workshops in Derby. With air conditioning as a principal feature they became known as “AC Stock” and ran on BR B4 bogies, converted to 5 ft.3ins. (1600 mm) Irish Standard gauge, and were fitted with vacuum brakes.
CIÉ locomotives, prior to the introduction of the Class 201, were not fitted to supply power for heating and lighting and therefore trains made up of AC Stock normally include an electric generator van (EGV).
The order consisted of 6 First Class coaches, numbered from 5101 to 5106; 9 Composites, (5151-5159); 36 Standard Class (2nd), (5201-5236); 11 Restaurant / Buffet / Standard Class (5401-5411) and, to supply the heat and light, 11 Electric Generator Vans, originally classified as "Heating Vans", (5601-5611).
To accommodate changes in traffic, five of the Composites, 5153-5156 and 5158 were re-classed as "Standards", while one of the Restaurant / Buffet / Standards, No.5408, was converted to the Presidential Coach.
They are still running the mid-day Intercity routes to Galway and Limerick, but are expected to be phased out in late 2006.
Mark 3
Mark 3 Coaches were first introduced on the C.I.E. system in 1986 and currently serve the intercity routes of Cork, Dublin, Belfast and Galway. The decision to purchase a new fleet of modern Intercity coaches based on the British Rail Mark 3 design was quickly made as a result of several accidents involving the older style coaches. These coaches were already a well-proven design having been designed for B.R.’s High Speed Trains (HST) and later adapted for loco-haul and push-pull working.
The first 44 Open Standards were built at BREL’s Litchurch Lane workshops in Derby, along with the Buffets and Electric Generator Vans. The remainder of the carriages were built under licence at CIE’s own workshops at Inchicore in Dublin between 1980 and 1989. All the coaches ran on 5 ft 3 in gauge versions of British Rail’s BT22 Air Suspension bogie [link].
The Mark 3 fleet, as it stands in 2005, comprises 123 standard coaches built in 1980 and 1989 and 9 Mark 3A coaches built in 1986. The majority of these coaches are fully air conditioned and fitted with intercity standard seating. Some however, are push-pull fitted and originally formed part of the suburban rail service. This version has opening windows, forced air heating rather than air conditioning and operates in a formation with a driving van trailer (DVT) at one end and a diesel locomotive at the other.
The Irish Mark 3 coaches are similar, but not identical, to their British counterparts. They have a different electrical system (230/400V 50 Hz) and are fitted with automatic swing-plug doors. There are some different internal layouts to cater more specifically for Irish traffic.
De Dietrich Stock
When the " Enterprise" service was upgraded with the introduction of the new Class 201 locomotives, new coaching stock, built by French trainmakers De Dietrich Ferroviaire (DDF), was also delivered. The coaches are divided into “Enterprise” (Standard) class, which feature air conditioning, tinted windows with adjustable blinds and seating; and “First Plus” where the coaches offer air conditioning, tinted windows with adjustable blinds, individual reading lamps and spacious, fully adjustable, lumbar supporting seating with complimentary "in seat" audio. Each coach has an easily accessible toilet with baby changing facilities. Each train set has a Café Bar, situated between the “First Plus” and “Enterprise” class coaches, and also features visual information and high quality audio systems for important announcements.
The coaches make 4 train sets as follows : Driving Brake First, (No’s 9001 to 9004), with 30 seats; "First Plus", (No’s 9101 to 9104) with 47 seats; Café / Buffet, (No’s 9401 to 9104); “Enterprise” Standard, (No’s 9201 to 9212) with 71 seats and “Enterprise” Standard, (No’s 9213 to 9216) with 68 seats. The odd numbered coaches are owned by I.E. and the even numbers by N.I.R.
Mark 4
Mark 4 coaches were introduced in 2006 as part of the Spanish designed CAF Push Pull train sets. The new trains will eventually operate on all regular Dublin-Cork route services on an enhanced hourly clockface timetable.
The availability of these on the mainline route, will permit Mark 3 carriages, currently in use on Dublin-Cork, to replace the older (and tired looking) Mark 2 carriages presently operating the Limerick, Galway and Waterford routes.
The carriages will be formed into 9-carriage trains, comprising six standard class vehicles, a café-style dining carriage, first class and finally a control vehicle (or DVT) for push-pull driving, conductor and parcels. There will be seating for 499 passengers on-board and the trains will be fully accessible to mobility-impaired customers.
Liveries since inception of CIE
Carriages were originally dark (malachite) green, pale (apple) green broad stripe above and below windows and the flying snail emblem. A lighter shade with a pale green waist came in with Park Royals in 1955. At the end of 1955 unpainted aluminium coaches were introduced with large red 1s and 2s to indicate class and small red running nos. From 1958 all carriages were repainted standard green.A radical new livery was introduced in 1961 - deep orange (golden brown) lower panels, white waist stripe, black upper panels, roofs and ends. Wagons were reddish brown, departmental stock grey. On re-branding as Irish Rail in 1988, a narrow band of white (about 7.5 cm) was added on each side of the black portion. The words “InterCity” were added in large white on the lower brown section. Craven coaches and ex-BR MkI generator vans continued in CIE black, white and golden brown. In the early 1990s, the golden brown was replaced with a brighter orange and the stylised IE icon replaced the I.R. track logo.
A new livery that harks back to the original concept is gradually working its way through within the next few years. This is a green and silver livery that can be seen on the Mark 4 coaches/DVT being introduced in 2006.
Northern Ireland
Although the majority of passenger services in Northern Ireland have been worked by diesel multiple units since the mid-1950s, a number of hauled coaches have been required under the tenure of both the Ulster Transport Authority (1948-1966) and Northern Ireland Railways (since 1967). From 2001, all items of rolling stock in use on NIR had 8000 added to their number so as to be part of the Translink number series, which incorporates their road vehicles. The table below lists the hauled passenger coaches currently in service, excluding the "De Dietrich" stock jointly owned with IE for operating Enterprise services between Belfast and Dublin:
| NIR Number | Introduced | BR Number(s) | Built | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 911 / 8911 | 1981 | 14104 | 1969 | Generator Van (ex-Mark 2B BFK) |
| 8941 | 2001 | 6089 / 72634 | 1974 | TSO (ex-BR Class 488 unit 8318) |
| 8942 | 2001 | 6098 / 72637 | 1974 | TSO (ex-BR Class 488 unit 8318) |
| 8943 | 2001 | 6082 / 72605 | 1974 | TSO (ex-BR Class 488 unit 8305) |
| 8944 | 2001 | 6080 / 72609 | 1974 | TSO (ex-BR Class 488 unit 8305) |
| 8945 | 2001 | 6017 / 72626 | 1974 | TSO (ex-BR Class 488 unit 8314) |
| 8946 | 2001 | 5974 / 72627 | 1974 | TSO (ex-BR Class 488 unit 8314) |
| 8947 | 2001 | 6078 / 72646 | 1974 | TSO (ex-BR Class 488 unit 8319) |
| 8948 | 2001 | 6081 / 72647 | 1974 | TSO (ex-BR Class 488 unit 8319) |
See also
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