Irish Explorer

9th March 2007

It got up very windy on Thursday afternoon, I left work in the rain at 17:20 and suffered a puncture. I replaced the inner tube and continued home, battling the southwesterly wind which was so strong that I had to dismount and push at times. We were worried that Friday's ferries would be cancelled.

To our great relief, the wind dropped during the night and there was not even a hint of a breeze as we left home to catch the Virgin Voyager from Bangor to Holyhead. The only interesting thing about these units is their names. A quick Google tells me that William Baffin was anEnglish explorer and navigator. In 1616 he and Robert Bylot explored Baffin Bay, northeastern Canada, and reached latitude 77° 45' N, which for 236 years remained the ‘furthest north’. So much for English explorers, we were off to buy Irish Explorer tickets to give us five days travel on Iarnrod Eireann tracks.

We checked in our backpacks and were straight onto to vessel to settle down with a coffee for the Irish Sea crossing, departing less than an hour after we left Bangor. At 10:55 we were awaiting the DART at Dun Laorghaire for the run to Connolly station.

Arriving at 11:30, we were surprised to see 078 at the buffers on platform 2 with a rake of Mark 2 stock.

We were just in time to grab a shot as 192 took the stock away.

The pilot told us that the Mk 2s would be on the afternoon FO run to Sligo, which we'd already guessed, but how had it got here? We later learned that its duty was a morning commuter service from Dundalk because no railcar was available.

The LUAS tram took us to Heuston, where 088 and 201 sat side by side at the blocks.

170 removed the stock and released the locomotives.

Platform 6 was occupied by 210 and Mk 3s (loco at the buffers)
Platform 7 just a rake of Mk 3 stock
230 was trapped on Platform 8 with 210 at the head of the 12:40 Westport service, which we boarded.

Several Mk 2 sets were in sidings. We passed 204 light engine on our way out and saw 201, 190 and 152 at Inchicore. We alighted at Kildare.

An afternoon at Kildare