Tralee and Dingle Light Railway

Left: TDR coa (for larger size). Source: © G. Hartley (scan RCJ)
Right: new TDR coa. Source: Webpage

History: Summary

Incorporated 1888. Opened 31/3/1891. 3ft gauge. 37 1/2 route miles in 1911 (Main line Tralee-Dingle 31 1/2 miles, branch to Castlegregory 6 miles). Most westerly railhead in Europe (Dingle Pier). 70 or more level crossings, most ungated. Included on 1/1/1925 in GSR. Passenger service withdrawn 17/4/1939. Daily goods faded out in 1944. To CIE in 1945. From 1947 to 1953 (final closure with last special 27/6/1953) sole traffic was once monthly Dingle Fair cattle trains. Recently part of the TDR near Tralee has been relaid and loco No. 5 restored.

Rolling stock: 8 locos (3 Hunslet Engine Co.- 1889 Wks.Nos. 477-9, Hunslet - 1890 Wks.No.514, Hunslet - 1892 Wks.No.555, Hunslet - 1898, Kerr Stuart - 1902 Wks.No.800, Kerr Stuart - 1903 Wks.No.836, Hunslet - 1910 Mks.No.1051 replaced Hunslet of 1890), 20 passenger (included 20 from Bristol Carriage Works between 1890-1907 and a 1907 Midland Carriage Works, the latter preserved USA) and 1 other passenger, 77 goods vehicles (about 30 cattle wagons) in 1911. First series of vans from Bristol C.W., then Midland C.W., Oldbury and Pickering, and Tubular Frame Wagon Co.. Four wheel inspection car built at Tralee.
Works: Tralee. After 1925 heavy repairs at Inchicore.
Livery: Dark green lined out with red between two cream lines, red buffer beams. Coaches purple brown. Under GSR locos repainted at first plain grey and later black. Coaches: GSR plum livery 1934
Staff:
Signalling: 4 Tyers tablets. Sections: Tralee-Castlegregory Jct., Castlegregory Jct.-Annascaul, - Castlegregory, Annascaul-Dingle.

Further reading: D.G.Rowlands The Tralee and Dingle Railway, P.Whitehouse and J.Powell The Tralee and Dingle Railway , H.Fayle Narrow Gauge Railways of Ireland, T.Ferris The Irish Narrow Gauge, Volume 1.
Web: The Narrow Gauge Museum at Tywyn in Wales has a number of Irish narrow gauge items. Browse through their collection on here.

Coat of Arms

"The T&DLR monogram/garter is very large (69cm wide x 46cm high) for coaching stock, the monogram, edging and ornamentation is gilt and garter is vermilion. The T&DLR coat of arms on the page was displayed on the tank sides just in front of the cab area of the engines and is not a modern invention. A photo showing this arrangement is in the book 'The Dingle Train' (Rowlands/McGrath/Francis)." Source: D. Cronin

Rolling Stock railwayana

Locomotive nameplates:

Works & tenderplates:

Lineside and station railwayana

Footbridge:

Bridge Restriction:

Bridge Numbers:

Trespass:
TDLR trespass (TPTD101). Source: A.J.Powell in Rowlands, op. cit.

Another. Source: RAG31 (Click thumbnail for full image)

Station:

TDR station enamel at Tywyn. Source: RAG43

Mileposts:

Railchair:

Signalling:

Cutlery, china, ashtrays etc.:

Miscellaneous:

Return to Index page, or go to Narrow gauge page 8, Other Irish narrow gauge, etc..

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For genealogy, go to my Lennan genealogy pages

Page posted 27/7/1997. Revised 14/1/12