A mix of historical, stations, integration, usage and infrastructure.
The method: You may post answers here or just keep answers to yourselves and mark the answers in due course. As before deviations from the official spelling are ok as long as it's clear what/where is being referred to.
Q.1 should name the two terminus stations;
Q.2 should mention at least one intermediate station to make it clear and unambiguous the line being referred to.
Questions 3 & 5-10 inclusive require a precise answer.
Q.4 should at minimum name the wider area.
The answers: Will post the answers with a few background comments at some stage next week, Monday at the earliest.
1. Which erstwhile line (standard gauge line) was physically separate from the remainder of the Irish railway network?
2. Which line ranks as the least used on the Irish Rail network?
3. Name the now disused station in County Meath on the Dublin-Belfast line which was built to serve a Butlin’s holiday camp.
4. The “Merrion Gates “ is perhaps Ireland’s best-known level crossing. Where is it located?
5. Mount Elliott tunnel (disused - rail) is located a short distance north of which town in the South-East?
6. Kerry Airport is around 1.5 kilometres from which railway station?
7. Which of the following stations is no longer served by passenger trains: Clara, Claremorris, Cahir, Campile, Cóbh, Clonsilla.
8. Dún Laoghaire Mallin, Wexford O’Hanrahan, Drogheda MacBride, Dundalk_________?
9. Which of the following stations is not a terminal station: Kilkenny MacDonagh, Killarney, Ennis, Rosslare Europort, Galway Ceannt?
10. The Aerdart was a bus service between which DART station and Dublin Airport?
Good luck
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1. Which erstwhile line (standard gauge line) was physically separate from the remainder of the Irish railway network?
Tramore to Waterford (Manor).
Tramore is a sizeable town and seaside resort about 12 kilometres south of Waterford city. A very interesting, well-written and illustrated book about the railway is available locally and is entitled
The 5-Minute Bell (ISBN 978-0-9574484-0-7, first printed 2012 - reprinted last year with additions). The railway was closed despite a report a few years before its closure finding that replacement buses would actually be dearer!!! The closing chapter discusses future possibilities.
2. Which line ranks as the least used on the Irish Rail network?
Ballybrophy - Nenagh - Limerick.
Reports such as the Rail Census 2012 and previous reports indicate this though thankfully the threat of closure seems to have lifted.
Local rail partnership's Facebook.
3. Name the now disused station in County Meath on the Dublin-Belfast line which was built to serve a Butlin’s holiday camp.
Mosney, which is located between Gormanston and Laytown stations. There is a passing loop at the station. In the "good old days" of GM haulage some Belfast-Dublin trains served the station.
The holiday camp opened in 1948 and closed around the turn of this century, train services ceased serving it a short time later. Subsequently it has been in use as an accommodation centre by people seeking asylum.
Reading
4. The “Merrion Gates “ is perhaps Ireland’s best-known level crossing. Where is it located?
Between Sydney Parade and Booterstown DART stations south of Dublin city.
It's something of a traffic bottleneck at peak times. Outbound from the city by train it marks the point where the line commences running beside the coast. The former station of Merrion is adjacent to the level crossing. Photos
here.
5. Mount Elliott tunnel (disused - rail) is located a short distance north of which town in the South-East?
New Ross.
There is also a disused rail bridge across the Barrow a little way beyond New Ross and the Mount Elliott tunnel commences just north of it. It ranks as one of Ireland's longest rail tunnels.
The interesting
Mountgarret (some say Ferrymountgarret) road bridge is nearby.
The bridge is in daily use for road traffic. In public transport terms it's on the New Ross to Kilkenny bus routes.
6. Kerry Airport is around 1.5 kilometres from which railway station?
Farranfore.
7. Which of the following stations is no longer served by passenger trains: Clara, Claremorris, Cahir, Campile, Cóbh, Clonsilla.
Campile.
Was last served on 18th September 2010. Campile is a sizeable village and the scene of a sad happening in 1940 when the Shelburne Co-op was bombed and three girls working there lost their lives. The Shelburne Co-op adjoined the railway, part of which was also destroyed in the bombing. The Co-op was demolished in 2010 and a memorial now stands on the site.
Some detail here. The book mentioned at the bottom of the article is available locally and very informative and detailed. It contains a good amount of information about the railway too.
Nowadays Campile can be accessed by
Bus Éireann route 370 (rail replacement).
8. Dún Laoghaire Mallin, Wexford O’Hanrahan, Drogheda MacBride, Dundalk_________?
Clarke
9. Which of the following stations is not a terminal station: Kilkenny MacDonagh, Killarney, Ennis, Rosslare Europort, Galway Ceannt?
Ennis.
10. The Aerdart was a bus service between which DART station and Dublin Airport?
Howth Junction.
The vehicles were in a two tone green livery.
Some info.
Marking rules:
One mark per question. Mark still awarded if spelling is a little out.
Marking notes on specific questions:
Q.1. Tramore acceptable on its own (but not Waterford on its own)
Q.2. Any answer which names at least one of Roscrea/Cloughjordan/Nenagh/Birdhill/Castleconnell, "the Nenagh line" is a commonly heard way of naming the line
Q. 3 & Q.5 to Q. 10 inclusive: exact answers
Q.4 as long as it gives an approximate location e.g. by using station name/s or area i.e. South Dublin city
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Answers to the second quiz now posted above.
