The West Clare Railway .. [AU 92.013 Book] | |
| |
The West Clare Railway | £24.00
Suggested Retail Price:
£25.00
|
| |
The West Clare Railway was one of a network of 3ft gauge lines which mushroomed across rural Ireland in the wake of the 1883 Tramways Act. Opened throughout in 1892, it connected the market town of Ennis with the coastal settlements of Kilrush and Kilkee. Dogged by money problems from the outset, the Railway was propelled into the limelight in 1896 when the entertainer Percy French was prevented from fulfilling an engagement in Kilkee by the breakdown of his West Clare train - his poem `Are Ye Right There Michael` and the resulting Court case ensuring a lasting worldwide fame for the Railway, although not in circumstances it would have chosen!
Other hazards the West Clare had to face included the weather - no less than five trains were blown off the metals by ferocious Atlantic storms, eventually resulting in the installation of an amameter at Quilty, and instructions that all trains should be halted when winds exceeded 80mph. This definitive history of the Railway gives its entire story from the first parliamentary proposals of 1845, to the controversial closure in 1961.
The tale of the Railway`s day to day role in moving passengers and astonishing varieties of goods across the wild landscape of County Clare, is interspersed with stirring accounts of the inevitable accidents and mishaps (including runaway trains), the havoc caused by the weather, and, for the first time, the story of the West Clare`s unsung role during the ?Troubles? of 1920-23. During this time the Railway was very much in the firing line, with numerous attempts to derail locomotives, several successful holdups and robberies of trains, and numerous attacks on railway property.
Contents:
Chapter 1 Early Proposals
Chapter 2 The West Clare Railway - From Sanction To Opening
Chapter 3 The South Clare Railways - From Sanction To Opening
Chapter 4 The Route Described
Chapter 5 Trains And Traffic
Chapter 6 The County Council And The Railway
Chapter 7 Locomotives
Chapter 8 Rolling Stock
Chapter 9 Permanent Way And Signalling
Chapter 10 Personalities
Chapter 11 Strikes
Chapter 12 War Of Independence
Chapter 13 Civil War
Chapter 14 Accidents
Chapter 15 Derailments, Collisions And Runawaytrains
Chapter 16 Breakdowns And Other Delays - Including A Detailed Account Of The Percy French Saga
Chapter 17 Storms And Floods
Chapter 18 Decline And Fall
Select Bibliography
Appendix 1 List of Steam Locomotives
Appendix 2 Main Dimensions - Steam Locomotives
Appendix 3 Interesting Statistical Information on Locomotives
Appendix 4 List of non-steam Motive Power
Appendix 5 Main Dimensions - non-steam Motive Power
Appendix 6 West Clare Carriages
Appendix 7 West Clare Wagons
Appendix 8 Irish Station Names
Appendix 9 Proposed Extensions of the WCR and SCR
Appendix 10 Progression of Bills Through Parliament
Appendix 11 A Selection of Timetables
Appendix 12 List of Level Crossings
Patrick Taylor
Hardback. 22.5cm x 28cm. 224 Pages
155 Black & White Photographs, plus Maps & Drawings
|
| | |
|
| Reference: | [AU 92.013 Book] |
|
| Payment Methods |
MasterCard, Visa, JCB, Solo, Delta, Maestro, PO, UK cheque or UK money order
Maestro - please state start date or issue number when ordering
Electron cards - unfortunately we are unable to accept Electron cards
|
|
