Tralee to Dingle

I mentioned the Irish narrow gauge a few days ago, but here's a picture of maybe my favourite Irish line. About 30 years ago I finally made it down that long peninsula to Dingle and saw for myself some of the remnants of the old T&D although most of the track had been 'lifted' twenty years before and all the locomotives and stock were long gone.

Dingle was the furthest west point in the whole of Europe ever reached by rails!

The thing that really struck me then was how fearsome the gradients on this line used to be. I suspect that more smoke came off the engine's brake shoes than out of the chimney.

So it was was something amazing about ten years ago to travel on the Tralee and Dingle once more. Only about 2 miles across the marshes from Tralee to Blennerville have been relaid again but the truly remarkable thing was that after a fifty year absence - much of it spent as a static exhibit in Steamtown in the USA - T&D number 5T is back home again and in steam. Beautiful.

If you are in the west of Ireland a visit to Blennerville is a 'must'. Take a look here for details ...