RAIL 06 PHOTO

Construction of the Lavistown loop is evident in this photograph as GM 083 powers out of Kilkenny with a rake of mark 3 carriages. The destination is Dublin Heuston (Kingsbridge); Kilkenny was always an interesting location in the days of loco-hauled passengers since reversal was necessary. The direct loop was built when Irish Rail were handling a lot of liner trains, particularly Bell liners. When that company went bankrupt, the usefulness of the direct line dimished somewhat. There were proposals to allow passenger trains to skip Kilkenny but there was strong objection to the traders and people of Kilkenny. However, Irish Rail have experimented and allowed the occasional passenger to avoid the Kilkenny stop.

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