A journey along the line
(Description of a journey along the South Tipperary line)
Nasc tábhachtach í an líne iarnróid réigiúnach idir Port Láirge agus Gabhal Luimnigh. Trasnaíonn an líne Thiobraid Árann Theas agus tá ceithre stáisiúin idirmheánacha; Carraig na Siúire, Cluain Meala, An Chathair agus Tiobraid Árann. Faoi láthair tá dhá traenacha laethúil i ngach treo ó Luan go Satharn. Faraor níl seirbhís ar an Domhnach. Tá ceangail idir traenacha eile (go dtí Baile Átha Cliath, Corcaigh & Luimneach) ar fáil ag stáisiún Gabhal Luimnigh. Tá radhairc breá tuaithe agus sléibhtiúil (Na Comaraigh, Cnoc Mhaoldonn & Na Gaibhlte) ón líne. Fad na líne na 56 míle.
Two line guides are available as PDFs which may be downloaded and or printed off for personal use/to bring with you on your travels (each is circa 28 KB; 2 A4 pages):
Two line guides are available as PDFs which may be downloaded and or printed off for personal use/to bring with you on your travels (each is circa 28 KB; 2 A4 pages):
Line guide for travelling in Waterford - Clonmel - Limerick Junction direction:
waterford-clonmel-limerick_junction_direction_south_tipperary_line_journey_description_(4th_edition_april_2015).pdf | |
File Size: | 26 kb |
File Type: |
Line guide for travelling in Limerick Junction - Clonmel - Waterford direction:
limerick_junction-clonmel-waterford_direction_south_tipperary_line_journey_description_(2nd_edition_april_2015).pdf | |
File Size: | 26 kb |
File Type: |
If you just wish to read the content of the line guides online their content is reproduced below:
(for navigation to other pages of this site please click on the tabs on the top right hand side of this page).
Waterford to Carrick-on-Suir: After departing Waterford Plunkett Station the line initially runs close to the River Suir – look out on the left for the partially dismantled bridge which carried the line to Mallow via Dungarvan. It was traversed by Cork to Rosslare boat trains until 1967 and by freight trains until the early 1980s. Also to be seen on the same side is the modern cable-stayed bridge on the Waterford Bypass. Shortly after Newrath Level Crossing the line to Kilkenny and Dublin diverges on our right. Our line then traverses Dunkitt Viaduct over the River Blackwater. Open countryside has now been reached and the train proceeds in a north-westerly direction. A landscape of fields and distant hills is punctuated by the former station at Grange and two or three minutes later by the erstwhile station at Fiddown. Both stations closed in 1963.
Four miles further on is the town of Carrick-on-Suir. Our arrival is announced over the automated public address as the town looms closer. Ormonde Castle, an Elizabethan manor, can be glimpsed in the distance on the left. It is open to the public for several months of the year.
Carrick-on-Suir to Clonmel: West of Carrick-on-Suir cattle are seen grazing and resting in fields in the foothills of the Comeragh mountains. The River Suir and N24 road keep fairly close company with the railway between Carrick-on-Suir and Kilsheelan village which is passed around a quarter of an hour after departure from Carrick-on-Suir. A pleasant riverside walk, a section of the East Munster Way, can be enjoyed between Carrick-on-Suir and Kilsheelan (the Walks by train page on the website has further info).
Clonmel: Clonmel is the largest town on the line and its station is a very impressive edifice indeed. The town has extensive shopping facilities, the main shopping area commencing around ten minutes’ walk from the station. A local bus company operate a town bus route which passes the station. There are also bus links to other surrounding villages from the station and town centre. Clonmel has a prominent place in the history of Irish public transport as it was between Hearns Hotel in the town and Cahir that Charles Bianconi first operated a horse-drawn carriage (or “bian”). This single route rapidly expanded into a comprehensive network. In latter decades the ever expanding railway network saw some routes being discontinued and others being reorganised to act as feeders to the railway stations. Indeed Bianconi served as a director on the board of the Waterford & Limerick Railway.
Clonmel to Cahir: Nearer to Cahir there are good views of the undulating Knockmealdown mountains. Cahir boasts a well-preserved castle on the river Suir in the centre of the town. It is open to the public throughout the year. There are several pleasant walks including one from the castle environs to the Swiss Cottage, a delightful ornamental cottage open to the public for several months a year. Cashel, renowned for the Rock of Cashel, is but a twenty minute coach journey from Cahir.
Cahir to Tipperary: After leaving Cahir station Cahir Viaduct is traversed. Sadly in 1955 the locomotive driver and fireman of a sugar beet train lost their lives in an accident here. There is a memorial plaque on the station platform.
On the edge of the town we pass in turn under local roads, the M8 motorway and through a deep cutting. The scenery soon opens up on our left with splendid vistas of the forested slopes of the Galtee Mountains. Bansha village at the northern end of the scenic Glen of Aherlow is passed about fifteen minutes after leaving Cahir. On the curve a little way beyond the village there is a pleasant retrospective view of the village marked by its two churches and backdrop of the Galtee Mountains. A further few minutes sees our arrival in Tipperary town. The station here has one platform. A picture postcard available locally features a bicycle propped up against one of the station signs suggestive of a timeless relaxed atmosphere. The Excel Arts & Culture Centre, shops and places to eat are less than a ten minute walk away.
Tipperary to Limerick Junction: A few minutes after departing Tipperary town the double tracked Cork-Dublin mainline is crossed on the flat. Shortly afterwards the train comes to a standstill. The driver goes to the other cab and we proceed the few hundred metres or less into Limerick Junction station (usually platform 2). All change! Within the next twenty minutes trains to and from Dublin, Cork and Limerick will be here.
Historical note on the timetable: For many years the rail service along the line comprised a Limerick-Rosslare evening boat train each way supplemented by a morning train in the summer months. Between the Autumns of 2003 and 2004 the line was closed for repairs to be effected to Cahir Viaduct. From its reopening an enhanced service of three trains in each direction Mondays to Saturdays inclusive was provided (indeed for a period there were four trains each way) until January 2013 when the service was reduced to two per day each way.
Speed limit: The line speed is 50mph (with sections subject to lower limits).
Notes: 1. References in the text to on the left/right are in reference to facing the direction of travel. 2. It is railway convention in Ireland for lineside signage to show speed limits in miles per hour. Furthermore there are mileposts alongside the track (in fact posts at intervals of every quarter of a mile). For this reason the text uses miles when referring to distances and speeds.
Waterford city from the train
Waterford Bypass cable-stayed bridge
Cattle grazing and relaxing
(for navigation to other pages of this site please click on the tabs on the top right hand side of this page).
Limerick Junction to Tipperary: Connecting trains from Cork, Dublin and Limerick have already disgorged their passengers and our departure is imminent. The train departs the station (usually platform 2) and proceeds a few hundred metres or less towards Limerick before coming to a standstill. The driver goes to the other cab and we proceed in a south easterly direction presently crossing the double tracked Cork-Dublin mainline on the flat. In just a few minutes we arrive at Tipperary. The station here has one platform. A picture postcard available locally features a bicycle propped up against one of the station signs suggestive of a timeless relaxed atmosphere. The Excel Arts & Culture Centre, shops and places to eat are less than a ten minute walk away.
Tipperary to Cahir: On a curve around seven minutes or so out of Tipperary a pleasant view of the approaching village of Bansha may be had on the right. Located at the northern end of the scenic Glen of Aherlow it is marked by its two churches and the backdrop of the Galtee Mountains. Splendid vistas of the forested slopes of the Galtee Mountains continue for some time. Less than a quarter of an hour later the train passes through a deep cutting and, in turn, under the M8 motorway and local roads on the edge of Cahir. On the approach to the town’s station Cahir Viaduct is traversed. Sadly in 1955 the locomotive driver and fireman of a sugar beet train lost their lives in an accident here. There is a memorial plaque on the station platform. Cahir boasts a well-preserved castle on the river Suir in the centre of the town. It is open to the public throughout the year. There are several pleasant walks including one from the castle environs to the Swiss Cottage, a delightful ornamental cottage open to the public for several months a year. Cashel, renowned for the Rock of Cashel, is but a twenty minute coach journey from Cahir.
Cahir to Clonmel: Between Cahir and Clonmel there are good views of the undulating Knockmealdown mountains. Entering Clonmel we traverse two level crossings and our arrival is announced over the automated public address.
Clonmel: Clonmel is the largest town on the line and its station is a very impressive edifice indeed. The town has extensive shopping facilities, the main shopping area commencing around ten minutes’ walk from the station. A local bus company operate a town bus route which passes the station. There are also bus links to other surrounding villages from the station and town centre. Clonmel has a prominent place in the history of Irish public transport as it was between Hearns Hotel in the town and Cahir that Charles Bianconi first operated a horse-drawn carriage (or “bian”). This single route rapidly expanded into a comprehensive network. In latter decades the ever expanding railway network saw some routes being discontinued and others being reorganised to act as feeders to the railway stations. Indeed Bianconi served as a director on the board of the Waterford & Limerick Railway.
Clonmel to Carrick-on-Suir: Less than ten minutes from Clonmel, Kilsheelan village is passed. The N24 road and River Suir keep fairly close company with the railway between here and Carrick-on-Suir. Cattle are seen grazing and resting in fields in the foothills of the Comeragh mountains. A pleasant riverside walk, a section of the East Munster Way, can be enjoyed between Kilsheelan and Carrick-on-Suir (the Walks by train page on the website has further info).
Carrick-on-Suir to Waterford: Leaving Carrick-on-Suir the Elizabethan manor, Ormonde Castle, can be glimpsed in the distance on the right. It is open to the public for several months of the year. Four miles from Carrick-on-Suir the former station at Fiddown is passed and two or three minutes later the erstwhile station at Grange. Both stations closed in 1963. The landscape is one of open countryside - fields and distant hills. On the approach to the outskirts of Waterford city our line traverses Dunkitt Viaduct over the River Blackwater. Presently the line from Dublin and Kilkenny joins ours on the left and we pass Newrath Level Crossing. A little further along the line runs close to the River Suir. If one looks to the right and back the way the train has come, the modern cable-stayed bridge on the Waterford Bypass and the partially dismantled bridge which carried the line to Mallow via Dungarvan can be seen. It was traversed by Rosslare to Cork boat trains until 1967 and by freight trains until the early 1980s. Approaching Waterford Plunkett Station the city is seen on the opposite bank of the river.
Historical note on the timetable: For many years the rail service along the line comprised a Limerick-Rosslare evening boat train each way supplemented by a morning train in the summer months. Between the Autumns of 2003 and 2004 the line was closed for repairs to be effected to Cahir Viaduct. From its reopening an enhanced service of three trains in each direction Mondays to Saturdays inclusive was provided (indeed for a period there were four trains each way) until January 2013 when the service was reduced to two per day each way.
Speed limit: The line speed is 50mph (with sections subject to lower limits).
Notes: 1. References in the text to on the left/right are in reference to facing the direction of travel. 2. It is railway convention in Ireland for lineside signage to show speed limits in miles per hour. Furthermore there are mileposts alongside the track (in fact posts at intervals of every quarter of a mile). For this reason the text uses miles when referring to distances and speeds.
(All text this page © B. Allan, 2018).
Date of last update to this page: 24th August, 2018: new photo.