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The Maynooth line has been in theoretical existence for 20 years now. I say theoretical as the youngest part of the line is 95 years old, the oldest 154 years, but as the Dublin - Maynooth service only commenced in November 1981, for operational purposes, the 'line' has only been in existence for 20 years.

The first section of the line and that which came into existence last is the Connolly Station to North Strand Junction spur, opened on 1st December, 1906 by the Great Southern & Western Railway (GS&WR) after having bought the powers of the Drumcondra and North Dublin Link Railway (D&NDLR) under the terms of an Act of July, 1896 for £6,000. These powers authorised a line from Drumcondra Junction to Church Road Junction and the branch to Amiens Street station and had been obtained by the D&NDLR under an Act of August 1894. This section of the line was the most difficult one to bring into operation due to an extreme lack of co-operation from the Dublin, Wicklow & Waterford Railway (DW&WR) regarding a junction at Amiens Street station. As such, while the actual trackwork was completed by 1903, two years after the opening of the next section, that to Drumcondra Junction which opened on 1st April, 1901, the opening of the line did not occur until Dec. 1906, as stated, due to the DW&WR claiming, among other things, that two of its sidings would be obliterated in the process. In the end this particular matter was referred to the Railway Commissioners and was resolved by the building of two new raised sidings just north of Amiens Street station, accessed from the western side of the station. They remain to this day, seeing occasional use as a storage siding for ballast trains.

The D&NDLR had intended that their line would be used for local traffic, but in the end the only such traffic was that from two stations, one at Drumcondra and the other at Glasnevin, both of which were short lived. The stations opened in 1901, along with the line, but didn't see much use, even when the ill-fated passenger service from Heuston Station, then Kingsbridge, commenced in 1906 upon the opening of the section into Amiens Street station. As suggested, this service was never a success, through lack of other stations on the route, but principally due to a lack of connections at the DW&WR / Great Northern Railway (Ireland) (GNR(I)) or Amiens Street station end of the line, something which was no fault of either of the two latter concerns. As a result, the last train ran on December 31st, 1907, it having been stated that the average number of passengers on each train was 1½!

Leaving the 4-platformed mainline section of Connolly Station, which was reconstructed in 1983 , the line passes the 1970's carriage shed and the ex-GNR(I) loco shed on the right, before crossing over onto the former GSWR spur. At this point on the left, the steep Newcomen Junction curve can be seen. Before crossing the latter concern's Spencer Dock on the Royal Canal, named after Earl Spencer, who was the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland at the time of its opening, the remains of two sidings can be seen alongside the canal, between the spur and the Belfast line. Brought into use in 1872, these served the City of Dublin Steam Packet Company's (CDSPCo) premises on the quays. This is followed on the other side of the canal by the Liffey Line, part of which forms a section of the Maynooth line. This line, from Liffey Junction to the North Wall was opened in 1864 to allow MGWR access to the quays by the Liffey, hence the name of the line and the junction.

Above the Liffey line, between the Maynooth and Belfast lines is the site of West Road signal cabin, opened in November 1936 and closed in 1991 in connection with the extension of CTC, a result of which was to make Clonsilla, Heuston and Church Road fringe boxes to CTC. Up until the closure of the cabin, there was access from the cabin to the Liffey line beneath by means of a stairway which was located between the two bridges here. However, like the cabin, the stairway no longer remains. Looking to the right at this point, Irish Rail's freight depots at North Wall can be seen. It is likely that these will be closed to make way for a conference centre on the site and replaced by a new depot on the Cork line between Clondalkin and Halzelhatch & Celbridge stations. The line then veers off to the left at Ossory Road Junction, leaving two connecting tracks to continue on to Suburban Junction on the Belfast line, a short distance ahead. These were installed in 1981, when the entire Connolly station area was remodelled in association with the DART project. In connection with the Maynooth line, this saw the reversal of Ossory Road Junction from a trailing link from the mainline section to a facing connection. The connection in its original form had been installed in 1973 to allow western trains to depart from the mainline section of Connolly station without having to reverse. Continuing on, at MP 4¼ from Islandbridge Junction, North Strand Junction is passed. The steep double track line from Church Road Junction joins the line here. By virtue of Section 10 of the Drumcondra and North Dublin Link Railway Act of 1894, the bridge over the North Strand Road is shielded, like its counterparts at Ballybough Road, Jones Road and Drumcondra Road, to prevent distress to animals passing along these roads from passing trains, the Act stating:

Section 14, subsection 4 of the 1896 Act authorising the sale of the powers to the GS&WR contains the same requirement, with the additional condition that the screens should be "proper and suitable" and not just suitable! (What difference this would make has escaped me).

Between the North Strand Road and Ballybough Road, the line is carried on arches. The line is carried over the Ballybough Road by a bridge bearing the year of construction "1898". It was originally proposed by the D&NDLR to have a station in this area, as part of the aforementioned Kingsbridge to Amiens St. service. However, such a station never materialised. Looking straight ahead at this point, the eagle eyed may be able to make out the footbridge at Drumcondra station in the distance, with the North City Mills and Shandon Park Mill rising above this some two miles distant. Parallel to the railway, between the Ballybough Road and Jones Road, a lane providing back entrances to houses on Clonliffe Road runs to the right of the line. In this lane in the mid 1970's, during the period after the Dublin car bombings, a man was shot dead by terrorist forces, the sound of the gun going off being muffled by a passing train. At approximately MP 3¾, Croke Park, the home of the GAA is passed, the line running adjacent to the Hill 16 end of the ground. To prevent people from watching matches from the line, a high wall topped off by barbed wire has been erected here. Jones road is then crossed. For the next 80 metres, the line is carried on a number of arches, which are let out.

Drumcondra station, where the IRRS had its headquarters for many years, was to have been built somewhere between Jones Road and Drumcondra Road, but the Drumcondra Town Commissioners objected to "their" station being in such an obscure location. Consequently it was built facing onto Drumcondra Road. Between Mabel Street and St. George's Avenue, the embankment widens out on both sides, but particularly on the Up side, adjacent to Elizabeth Street, where a station could have been built. Along here, we pass yet another old signal post from West Road days. It was this signal which is visible from the house where I lived until I was 12, that gave me the impression that CIE had a class of 'small' engines, a couple of feet high, because from the back of my house, that was all that was visible of locos stopped on the Up line awaiting clearance from this signal.

After crossing the bridge over Drumcondra Road, Drumcondra station at MP 3½ is reached. Opened with the line in 1901, the station was de facto closed in 1907 with the termination of the Kingsbridge - Amien's Street service. It lay in limbo for 9 decades until 1998, reopening on 2^nd March, the red brick features of the original station having been retained, along with the subway at the Connolly station end of the station. This is supplemented by a lift accessible footbridge at the same end of the station. There is also a ticket office and shop at ground level, along with a plaque commemorating the reopening of the station.

Immediately before Glasnevin station, at the end of Claude Road is a footbridge over the railway line. This is a replacement of one built at the Hammond Lane Foundry which was erected in 1911 by the GSWR at the request of local residents wishing to attend the new church constructed on Iona Road on the north side of the line. The new bridge was erected in 1998. Immediately prior to this is a DUTC signal location case, previously in use as part of the West Road signalling system. Glasnevin Station, accessed from Whitworth Road, was closed as of November 1910, having opened with the line. At closure, the stationmaster here went on pension and was allowed to retain his house. (Thanks are due to Michael Nolan for informing me that this was Prospect Lodge, which in the Valuation lists was given as 3 Royal Canal Bank). The station building, above the line and to the left of it was then let to the adjacent Charleville Lawn Tennis Club. Currently it is being used as a car repair workshop. The island platform that was here was removed in 1916 to allow for straightening of the track.

Between the bridge and the station, the security floodlights of Mountjoy jail can be seen on the Down side. Coming home from college a few years ago, I got talking to a fellow passenger who, upon seeing the lights, enquired as to what the name of the football pitch was!

Just beyond Glasnevin station is Glasnevin Junction, a double track junction which connects the Drumcondra and North Dublin Link Line with the MGWR's Liffey Line. Strictly speaking, there are two junctions here, Drumcondra Junction, at MP 2¾ from Islandbridge Junction and Glasnevin Junction, MP ¾ from Liffey Junction, the former on the Drumcondra & North Dublin line and the latter on the MGWR's Liffey Line. However, the term Glasnevin Junction is generally used to describe the entire layout. The junction originally ran the other way to that in existence now such that GSWR trains could travel over the Liffey Line and proceed to West Road Junction from where the London & North Western Railway (LNWR) and the GSWR had a line to their own respective depots on the quays, but upon the opening of the D&ND Line, the junction gradually became derelict, the only traffic using it being transfers of Guinness to the North Wall and the mails. When these used the alternative route, the connection was no longer needed and was closed upon the opening of the North Strand Junction to Amiens Street spur in December, 1906 and removed in 1921. However, the junction was reinstated in its present form in 1936, being opened on 22nd November by the Great Southern Railways (GSR) to allow ex-MGW section trains to run to Connolly station without having to traverse the steep Newcomen Junction curve. It has been proposed to reinstate the original connection, to allow for the running of Kildare line trains through to Connolly station.

At this point, I would like to backtrack (excuse the pun!) to Connolly station to look at the alternative route to Glasnevin Junction from Connolly, the Liffey line.

The former CDJR station, now the suburban section of Connolly station has 3 platforms, no's. 5 to 7, no's. 6 and 7 being an island platform. At the north end of the station on the Down side are a turntable, disused water tank and a short siding accessed via the turntable, which up until recent years was used to stable an inspection car. There is a subway from the island platform to platform 5 from where passenger access to the mainline section of the station can be obtained.

Access to the Liffey Line from Connolly station is via the 1 in 51 Newcomen Junction curve, which was opened on 2nd June, 1892, having been authorised in 1884. Originally double track, except for the canal crossing which was interlaced, the curve was singled in 1929 by the GSR. Just after passing CW64, the CDSPCo siding, previously mentioned, trailed in on the Up side. It was here that the battle of 'the hole in the wall' occurred, as the DW&WR attempted to link up with this siding and thereby effect a junction with the Liffey Line. The ensuing actions by the MGWR can, in retrospect, only be described as childish. This entailed the building of a wall so that the DW&WR couldn't connect with the siding. The DW&WR responded by knocking a hole in the wall, hence my earlier reference to the' Hole in the wall' and eventually knocking the wall over. The MGWR subsequently had the wall rebuilt, only to have it knocked down again by the DW&WR. This procedure was carried out a few times until the matter was referred to the Master of the Rolls, at which the MGWR officially dropped the matter. Unofficially however, to express their dislike of the junction, the Midland engaged in an apparent policy of obstruction of the junction by moving trains back and forth along the Liffey Line, many of which were apparently empty, to prevent use of the junction. After further incidents, the matter was referred to the Railway Commissioners, judgement going in the DW&WR's favour. There was a signal cabin here, from the opening of the Loop Line connection, until West Road cabin opened in 1936.

The line then crosses the Royal Canal, to join the Liffey Line proper, currently by an embankment, but originally by a lifting bridge, which was removed in 1968. With the restoration of the canal currently underway, the lifting bridge is presently being reinstated to allow this connection to remain. There was a suggestion floating around to remove the Liffey line and use its trackbed as a dedicated lorry route from Dublin Port to Glasnevin Junction, where it would somehow cross the Maynooth line (by a level crossing ?) and run along the ex GSWR's line from Islandbridge Junction, which would obviously have to be closed and lifted. However, in its latest form, the proposal is for a tunnel from the M1 near Dublin airport to the port, which would pass under Fairview Park and the DART line en route, therefore, I think it is safe to say that the line is safe from the road protagonists for the time being.

THE LIFFEY LINE

Originally authorised in 1846, the powers for this line were revived in 1859, with the line opening on 1st March, 1864. Passenger traffic commenced in 1877. Double track throughout, it runs parallel to the Royal Canal as far as Glasnevin Junction. After passing under Newcomen Bridge, named after a Dublin banker and director of the Royal Canal Co. and then under the Ballybough Road, the line passes the Canal end of Croke Park. It has been suggested by the GAA that a station at this point for match days would be useful, the promise to allow the use of the station for local residents at all other times, subject to Irish Rail agreement, having been made in a futile attempt to buy local support for the recent and ongoing rebuilding project. In all likelihood, this will be necessary as, although it was suggested that part of the reason for re-opening Drumcondra was to allow specials to run to there to serve Croke Park, no sooner was the station opened than Irish Rail slapped a ban on such specials due to insufficient platform length, a convenient EU regulation not always enforced elsewhere.

However, if built, restoration of the original connection at Glasnevin Junction would make sense, as the existing and new junction arrangements would then allow all bar trains from Northern Ireland to run direct to a new station at Croke Park on this line, those from Rosslare via Newcomen Junction, from Sligo direct via Glasnevin Junction and from Ballina, Westport, Galway, Limerick, Tralee, Cork & Waterford via the new connection at Glasnevin.

Beyond the Jones Road/Russell St. road overbridge, the site of Clonliffe Mills at MP 1¾ is on the Up side. This mill was rail connected by means of a trailing siding, installed in 1866 and had its own signal box controlling the junction. An explosion at the mill in 1961 brought the end wall crashing down onto the line, which resulted in the closure of the line for a few days. An additional adverse effect of this explosion was the severing of the main cable for West Road cabin which resulted in absolute block on the Drumcondra Link Line, until repaired. All that remains at this point today is a set of spring operated catch points on the Down line and the base of the cabin on the up side. The line then passes under Binns Bridge, named after one of the directors of the Royal Canal, who has the dubious honour of having a bridge on the Grand Canal named after him as well! For the next half mile, the line is in a cutting, running parallel to Whitworth Road, at the end of which is Cross Guns Bridge. The line then passes through a 177 yard tunnel. The official distance for this is 292 yards, however, this appears to be the distance from the eastern portal of the tunnel to the western end of the bridge immediately before the junction.

As a result of a derailment in Knockcroghery, Co. Roscommon in 1997, a number of lines were reviewed from a safety viewpoint and this led to the closure of one of the two lines between Newcomen Junction and Glasnevin Junction, the other being reduced to freight only. As at this stage, all passenger trains were scheduled to run via NorthStrand Junction any way, for the purposes of serving Drumcondra, the effect of this was and is largely academic as there is no regular freight movement over the line anyway. Both lines were subsequently blocked physically at three locations, at Glasnevin Junction and between the Summerhill Road and Jones Road bridges, where a blockade of concrete sleepers was laid and again at Croke Park where earth was laid across the track and the adjacent canal for the purposes of easier access to Croke Park for contractors working on the developments at that ground. However, as stated earlier, the lifting bridge at Newcomen Junction is being reinstated, therefore it seems likely that the line will be retained for future developments.

Returning to Glasnevin Junction, above the line on the left, is the trackbed of the North City Mills siding, which served the latter concern on the opposite side of the Royal Canal, the latter also above the line since Binns Bridge. The siding ran parallel to the Liffey line, but between it and the canal and was brought into the MGWR proper under an Act of 1874. In 1877, the layout was altered such that the junction with the mainline was brought nearer to and under the control of Liffey Junction. This was at the instruction of the Board of Trade, which made it a precondition of approving the Liffey Line for passenger traffic. The siding was lifted in 1977, along with the remnants of the Broadstone line, not having been used since 1972. Immediately behind the North City Mills was the Shandon Park Mills, taken over by the MGWR around 1848 for use as a log wood mill and disposed of in the early 1900's. It was recently converted into a block of apartments.

A short distance beyond the junction, there is a trailing crossover installed in 1992, supposedly to allow for reversible working along the Down Line from Clonsilla to Glasnevin Junction. However, on the one occasion that it should have been used, 9th December, 1994, when the 0658 ex Mullingar broke down between Castleknock and Ashtown, delaying the 0809 ex Maynooth behind it, it wasn't! The end result, a delay of 63 minutes to the latter train. For part of the distance from here to Liffey Junction, the line runs alongside Glasnevin Cemetery, this particular section of the cemetery being completely surrounded by rails as the former GSWR line from Islandbridge Junction passes around the other side of the cemetery, albeit at a lower level, passing under the Liffey line at the western end of the cemetery. On the Down side of the line here, there are four former canal cottages, known as "Coke Ovens Cottages", so called after the MGWR's Coke Ovens which were off the Broadstone line on the other side of the canal. Immediately after this at the end of the cemetery, the bridges carrying the Royal Canal and Broadstone line trackbed over the former GSWR line can be seen.

The next point on the line, at MP 1½ from Broadstone is Liffey Junction, where the Liffey Line joins the original mainline to the west, the latter having been authorised by the company's Act of Incorporation of 21st July, 1845 which gave permission for a line from Dublin to Mullingar with a branch to Longford. The line from Broadstone to Enfield opened on 28th June, 1847. The line crosses the Royal Canal here and runs parallel to it for almost all of the route to Mullingar. It had originally been proposed by the MGWR to close the Royal Canal and lay the railway line along the canal bed. This was at the suggestion of the then Duke of Leinster, one of whose predecessors had, ironically, been a director of the Royal Canal company before him. However, Parliament refused to sanction this and inserted clauses in the MGWR's Bill of Incorporation, to the effect that the canal must be kept open and navigable, although in later years, this latter part was not always enforced. The requirement to keep the canal open was done away with by the 1960 Transport Act, CIE's involvement with the canals being removed in 1986.

Before the canal crossing, on the Down side, was a carriage shed. Between the canal crossing and the Broadstone line trackbed is the derelict water tower and pump for water supply. Adjacent to this was the signal cabin, built in 1915 to replace an earlier one of 1877 and closed in 1991 with the extension of CTC to Clonsilla. It was subsequently set on fire by vandals and demolished by Irish Rail in the interests of safety. There were a loading bank on the Down side and two island platforms here, one of which was built in 1878 to cater for passenger transfers to the LNWR, such transfers finally ceasing in 1926. The loading bank and the Down island platform were demolished in March, 1997 to allow for track realignment of the sharp curve at the junction, a feature of the line since its opening as a freight only branch, which meant that such a feature was not really a problem. However, with the need for speed now a priority to compete with the car and road bypasses, an easier curve here is necessary. The Down line was slewed to its new curve on 20^th April and the Up on 6^th July 1997.

The line to Broadstone, closed to passenger traffic in 1937 when all remaining passenger trains were transferred to Pearse Stn., then Westland Row, remained open to steam locos only until April, 1961, after which the line was used for oil transfers to CIE's road based operations located at the former station. As already said, the line remained in situ until the late 1970's when it was lifted. After the transfer of passenger trains to Westland Row, Liffey Junction's sole duty, but one which kept it busy and kept it a stationmaster, a vacancy for such a post being advertised as late as 1972, was as a cattle transfer point for the Dublin Cattle Market, a duty it had had since 1879, the station opening as a cattle depot on 7th July of that year. Upon the cessation of livestock traffic in the 1970's, Liffey Junction was used a storage point for wagons awaiting disposal.

Immediately beyond the loading bank on the Down side was the MGWR's sawmill, built to replace an earlier one which was at Broadstone, and concrete works for the production of buffer stops, signal posts, etc., rail access to which was provided by a siding which is still in situ, connected to the disconnected loop sidings on the Down side, albeit under a pile of earth at this stage. An Act of Parliament obtained in 1874 gave the MGWR the right to build, among other things, a ³/₈ths mile curve from a point 150 yards west of Liffey Junction to the GS&WR's line from Islandbridge Junction to allow for better access to the Dublin Cattle market. It was never built.

In 1908, an incident which could have become an accident statistic for the MGWR occurred here. At about 9 o' clock one evening, the signalman noted an engine coming up the line from Broadstone at a moderate speed. It passed the Down signal at Danger, over running it by about 20 yards, but stopping short of the junction point. Simultaneously, a goods train was due from the North Wall, which, if the first loco had continued, would have resulted in a collision between the two. The 'driver' of the first loco turned out to be a man in the temporary employment of the company, employed to load coal, but with obvious ambition for greater things.

Less than ¼ mile from Liffey Junction, at MP 1¾ from Broadstone, Broomebridge station is reached. Built at the outer extreme of Liffey Junction, something which is indicated by the presence of two buffer stops, one at the Maynooth end of the down platform and the other on the adjacent grassy area, Broomebridge is the first of the second round of new stations to have been built on the line, opening on 2nd July 1990. Access to the Up platform here is by means of a ramp from the adjacent road overbridge of the same name at the Maynooth end of the station (what will be done to save money!). The ticket office here is prone to being set on fire by bored locals such that the present one is the third one that this station has had! It is on the Up platform, the first one having been adjacent to the Down platform. On the first day of services to/from the four new stations opened in 1990, a bouquet of flowers was on hand at each new station to be presented to the first female passenger to use each of the respective stations. At Broomebridge, no such person turned up!

On the Maynooth side of the adjacent canal bridge, a stone plaque can be seen commemorating the mathematical discovery by Sir William Rowan Hamilton of quaternions, which, for those who are interested, are to do with geometry in three dimensional space. At MP 2, Reilly's level crossing, named after the adjacent Reilly's bridge on the canal, is passed. This is the site of an early and short lived station on the line, the station having opened and closed in 1847!

Next at MP 3 is Ashtown station. This station opened in 1902 for race specials at the now closed Phoenix Park Race course and opened fully in 1905. It closed in 1934 but reopened in 1979 for a short period in connection with the visit of Pope John Paul II to Ireland, to allow for transport of the public to and from the Phoenix Park where he said mass. In connection with this, two new temporary crossovers, a temporary cabin, which was at the Dublin end of the station on the Down side and associated signals were brought into use from 1130 hrs on 28 Sept. to 1100 hrs on 1 Oct. 1979. A wooden extension to the Down platform was also in use for the occasion (See Jnl. 81 for full details of layout, trains, etc.). The station reopened fully on 11 Jan 1982. At the Maynooth end of the station, there is a level crossing, where, on 3rd March, 1865, Mr. E. Senior, an Irish Poor Law Commissioner was killed. He had crossed the line in a snowstorm, behind a Down train and was subsequently hit by an Up train. He was carried 30 yards, flung across the track and was, not surprisingly, badly mutilated by these events which subsequently led to his death. At the ensuing inquest, it was revealed that he regularly crossed the track when there was an oncoming train on the basis that as he had acknowledged warnings from the gate policeman, he had accepted responsibility for his actions, hence the coroner's verdict of 'accidental death'.

Immediately after the level crossing, a siding, installed in 1882 to serve the adjacent McMaster Hodgson's mill (Todd's Mill), diverged on the Down side of the line, the trackbed of this now seeing service as an access road for a car repair workshop. The clock which is built into the outer wall of this came from Newgate Prison. At MP 3½, it had been proposed to construct a new Ashtown Station, in conjunction with the development of the former Phoenix Park racecourse as an 80,000 seater stadium, hotel and casino complex, planning permission for the development having been granted, at the beginning of May, 1996. However, due to the reluctance of the government to grant a casino licence, Irelands gambling laws dating from the middle ages, the project has been cancelled. In addition, a major selling point of the project was the provision of a national conference centre. This, as stated earlier, will now be built in the Docklands on the site of Irish Rail's freight depot there.

BLANCHARDSTOWN

Just before Blanchardstown, the line passes under the first of three overbridges constructed in connection with the M50 motorway. Just before the second stands the rebuilt abutments of Ranelagh bridge, which carried a minor road over the line until the building of the M50 necessitated its closure and destruction of the bridge at this point. At MP 4½, between the second and third of the new overbridges, the site of Blanchardstown station is reached. Nothing remains of this station today due to a temporary deviation of the line here during the construction of the Northern cross section of the M50, the purpose of which was to allow the building of a viaduct for the line to run along and the M50 to run under. This has created a three level layout with the Navan Road on a roundabout at the top, the Maynooth line and canal in the middle and the M50 motorway at the bottom. In 1871, a siding was installed on the Up side to serve a local mill. It was removed in 1888. The station closed at the end of 1933. Immediately after this overhead roundabout is the old Navan Road overbridge, erected in 1875 to replace a level crossing, as it was held that the latter needed four intelligent men to operate it safely! (of course, intelligent men didn't exist in great quantities in 1870's Ireland!) The bridge was reconstructed in 1972, but remnants of the original canal bridge can still be seen.

After passing under Granard bridge, Castleknock station, at MP 4¾ is reached. Originally known as Blanchardstown & Castleknock for the first few months, Castleknock is the second of the new stations opened on 2nd July, 1990. It was originally planned to have a station in the vicinity of Castleknock station open in 1981 along with Clonsilla, Leixlip (Louisa Bridge) and Maynooth, but lack of car parking provision led to planning permission being refused at that time. This did not appear to be a problem in 1990. The ticket office here, like that at Broomebridge, is a portakabin and is on the Up side. Between here and Coolmine, there are a number of closed off rights of way across the track, discernible by sleeper fences on the up side and/or turnstile walls on the down side.

The third of the stations opened on 2nd July, 1990, the platforms here are staggered, with the ticket office, a portakabin on the Up side. After passing MP 5¾, the line crosses Coolmine Road by a level crossing, at which, on 21st July, 1847, in what was the first recorded accident on the MGWR, one Thomas McGrath was killed when a ballast engine came in contact with the level crossing gates, which were closed at the time. The MGWR board, anxious to avoid criticism, were quick to note that the loco and line were under the control of the contractor at the time! There was a block post here until 1906. On the Up side, just beyond the level crossing, the proposed line to the Blanchardstown Town Centre, under the Dublin Rapid Transit Plan of the 1970's, was due to diverge. For the next mile, the steep quarry sides which the adjacent canal had to be driven through, can be seen. This stretch of the canal is colloquially referred to as the "Deep Sinkings", the cause of a number of human and animal fatalities. At MP 6, Porterstown level crossing is reached, the adjacent road bridge over the canal having a plaque to the memory of an accident on the canal here in 1845, built into it.

Clonsilla, at MP 7 is, for the moment, the start of the single line section to Maynooth. The line from Broadstone to Enfield was doubled in 1849, but was singled from Clonsilla, west, in 1930 as part of a GSR economy drive. This was, in the opinion of many, myself included, one of the craziest rationalisation proposals carried out by the GSR on the former GS&WR's rivals, a belief stated at the time and later, e.g., during the Dáil debate on the creation of CIE, Sean Lemass stated that the singling of the mainline to Galway was "a mistake" and on a different level, another Deputy alleged that the line had been singled to provide materials to renew sections of the Cork line, an allegation that was not completely untrue as some of the better track was used in relaying on the Cork line.

There have, as always with any railway or nationalised industry, been various suggestions to rectify the situation, including one in 1955 to redouble the line as far as Athlone, which made it as far as the Minister for Industry and Commerce, Sean Lemass, TD., to whom CIE was then answerable (the Minister obviously forgot his statement of some 11/12 years earlier!). However, nothing serious on this matter occurred until 1995, when the Chief Executive Officer of CIE, Mr. Michael McDonnell, gave an undertaking to Kildare TD and Minister of State at the Dept. of Transport, Energy and Communications, Emmet Stagg, that the redoubling of the line would be a priority matter, which would be put to the European Commission for funding by the end of 1995. The proposal dragged on until the Governments decision to kill off the light rail project for Dublin "LUAS", which released £114m for other priojects, including the doubling of the Maynooth line and imroved signalling to Maynooth, the decision being made public on 25^th June, 1998. Work has progressed slowly and will be noted when describing the ensuing stations.

The station, which opened in 1847, closed to passengers in 1941 for a short period as a result of fuel shortages in connection with the 'emergency'. It closed in June 1963 to all traffic bar livestock, but subsequently reopened in 1981. When the Maynooth line services commenced, there was a short working from Dublin to Clonsilla and back every evening. This working was terminated in 1982, reintroduced in 1983 but cancelled again in 1984. Immediately prior to the station were two loading banks, one on each side of the line. That on the Up side had a separate siding serving it, which was located between it and the canal. The line crosses a level crossing, before which on the Up side is the signal cabin, currently a fringe box to Suburban CTC. The mechanical staff exchangers here were removed in 1981 for safety reasons associated with the introduction of the Maynooth line services. On the Maynooth side of the crossing is the station proper, the ticket office, on the Up side being built onto the former canal cottage, now a private residence. The footbridges here and that at Ashtown were originally at Listowel on the North Kerry line and Midelton on the Youghal Line.

An interesting signalling arrangement existed here at one stage, when, in addition to the normal ETS arrangements for the Clonsilla - Leixlip section, there were also experimental non token single line instruments with track circuits to control the section. How long this system had been in operation for is unknown, as its existence was only made public in 1958. As at other blockposts along the ex Midland section, when the line was singled, sections of it were left in situ as long sidings. That at Clonsilla, on the Down side at the Maynooth end of the station, was known as "Gas Tank Siding".

Delays to Maynooth/Sligo trains are not uncommon, for various reasons which need not be gone into here. However, not all such delays are predictable or preventable. When travelling into Dublin one day, the train ground to a a halt between here and Clonsilla Junction and then proceeded only at crawling pace for the next 100 metres or so. The delay was due to a pheasant walking along the track in front of the train! I wondered if it should have been carrying a red flag, or if it was subsequently prosecuted for trespass! The incident added a whole new meaning to the saying about beauty "stopping traffic".

From 1862 until 1963, Clonsilla was the junction for the former Dublin and Meath Railway (D&MR) line to Navan and associated extension to Kingscourt, a partial revival of an early plan to construct an inland route from Dublin to Belfast which had failed. A subsequent attempt to extend from Kingscourt to Castleblayney and Armagh, where the ex-Ulster Railway's line to Belfast would have been met, was reduced to the Castleblayney - Armagh section upon opposition from the GNR(I), leaving Kingscourt as a dead end terminus in the middle of nowhere. The line diverged on the Up side at Clonsilla Junction, which was at MP 7½. A ¼ mile stub, which was left in situ after the closure of the line was removed in 1968. The bridge which carried the D&MR line over the canal, remained until a few years ago, when it and that on the North City Mills siding were removed by the OPW.

Clonsilla is no stranger to accidents, there having been at least two at Clonsilla Junction during its lifetime. On 2nd June, 1869, the second wagon of a goods train traversing the diamond crossing to the Meath line derailed, causing six others to do likewise, one of which ended up in the canal! Almost eight years later, on 10th March, 1877, when a passenger train derailed at the same location, five people were injured. Clonsilla was also the ultimate recipient of runaway loco no. 191 on 17th August, 1991, this run being the last time No. 191 ran under its own steam, so to speak. Between the Maynooth and Navan lines are the overgrown remains of the former engine shed, erected in 1870 by the MGWR (possibly replacing a D&MR one) and used in later years as a home for CIE employees. There has been a proposal made recently to reopen the line between here and Navan, a distance of twenty four miles.

After Clonsilla, at MP 8, Barberstown Level Crossing is crossed and for most of the way from here to Lucan North station, which is between MP 8¾ and MP 9, the line runs alongside the Garda sports complex and Golf club at Westmanstown, which is on the down side of the line. Unlike the line from Glasnevin to Broomebridge, there is very little stone throwing along here! The post which carries the signal for protecting this crossing in the Up direction, also carries Clonsilla Up Distant, fixed at caution.

Adjacent to MP 8¾ is the former goods area of Lucan North station, which was used primarily for millstuffs from Shackleton's Mill, located in the nearby Strawberry Beds. The sidings were controlled by a Ground Frame and Annet's lock, released by a key on the staff for the Clonsilla - Leixlip section. Originally known as Coldblow for Lucan, the station closed on 8^th October, 1941. It was intended to reopen this station in 1981, but planning permission for a station here was refused on the same grounds as it was for Castleknock and Coolmine. Planning permission was apparently not sought for a reopening in 1990. The station building, now a private residence, is on the down platform and has been renovated & rebuilt beyond all recognition in 1999. There is a small red brick waiting room on the up side where there are remains of a second platform.

At MP 10¼, Leixlip Confey is reached. As already said, this station opened on July 2nd, 1990. The ticket office here is adjacent to the station's single platform, which is built on the formation of the second line, such that when the Clonsilla - Maynooth section is redoubled, this station will have to be destroyed and a new one built, which will allow for two tracks through it. The ticket office (a Portakabin) is on the Maynooth side of the bridge on the Down side, beyond which is the car park.

Leixlip Louisa Bridge station, known at various stages as Louisa Bridge for Leixlip and later Leixlip, is reached by crossing over the Rye river viaduct. However, the term 'viaduct' here, is in my opinion ambiguous, as it brings one to think of a structure such as that at Craigmore on the Belfast line, Thomastown on the Waterford line or others around the country, whereas the structure across the valley is in fact a massive embankment, with a small tunnel through its Dublin end for the river to flow through. While it doesn't compare to the likes of the embankment on either side of the Craigmore viaduct, or that which carries sections of the Cork line, viewed from the adjacent park, its size would still leave the onlooker with no questions as to how its construction helped to bankrupt the Royal Canal company.

The station, at MP 11¼, is for the time being, a single platform station with the platform built on the formation of the second line. Originally closed on 15th June, 1963 (again, like Clonsilla, it closed for a period to passengers in 1941/2), the platform at this station, which reopened on 30th November, 1981, is constructed such that it can be cut back to its original alignment when the line is redoubled. A second platform, not used since the closing of Leixlip cabin, exists on the Up side. Apart from a short period of 3 months in 1947, the former goods area at the Maynooth end of the station was extensively used for livestock traffic until the end of 1972. This area is now occupied by the car park. Along with Kilcock box, the signal cabin here, which was out of use since 1975, closed in 1977, with Maynooth reopening in lieu. The points to the Cattle bank were removed in 1976 and the loop connections at the end of 1977. There is a radio aerial on the down side before the former station building, now a private residence. The ticket office is on the Maynooth side of this.

During the fuel shortages of World War 2 and its aftermath when turf, rather than coal was used as fuel, the latter not being available at the time, a loco, which was forced to stop at Leixlip for removal of 'clinker', was passed by a horse drawn barge on the adjacent Royal Canal. Ten miles down the line, at Fern's Lock, a second such cleaning or 'bailing out' as it was known, was needed and while this was taking place, the same horse drawn barge passed them by for the second time! In a separate incident, an returned American was boasting about the extent of the Horseshoe Curve on the Monongahela River in USA where the front and the back of goods trains move in opposite directions. The retort from the Irish driver was that after a few whiskies, he could take the Leixlip Curves so fast that he could see the back of his own neck!

It has been proposed on a number of occasions, that a line be built from the Maynooth line at Leixlip to Lucan South on the Dublin - Cork line, the distance between the two lines being the shortest at this point and in fact, a survey of such a route was carried out after World War 2 in association with a proposal to build a marshalling yard at Clondalkin. According to the late Jim O'Dea, in his article "Kingsbridge to Kildare", in Journal 104 of the IRRS, the line was to run from just west of Leixlip station to just beyond Lucan (South). The plans showed the line crossing the Liffey by a reinforced-concrete viaduct and the Lucan to Celbridge Road by a level crossing. However, nothing was done about it. Between here and Blakestown Level Crossing, looking to the left, 'The Wonderful Barn', built in 1743 by the widow of Speaker Connolly of Castletown estate as a famine relief work for the poor, can be seen.

Just before MP 12, a disused road (!) can be seen on the Down side. This is shown on the 1900 inch to a mile OS map as continuing on the other side of the canal. A level crossing wouldn't have been possible here as the railway and canal are at the same level. At MP 12¼, Blakestown level crossing is reached. The protecting signals are linked to the operation of the gate, rather than being controlled separately by levers. The former crossing keeper's hut, which was between the reputedly haunted canal lock and the railway, was demolished in June 1995. Towards the end of 1997, it was revealed that the management of INTEL, the adjacent computer chip factory, were lobbying for improvements to the service and would like to see a station at this crossing to serve their factory. From here to about MP 13½, the railway and canal run parallel to the road, such that it is possible to view cars and other road vehicles being passed by the train at this point (normally!), a morale boost for those who believe in the train as a means of transport! Adjacent to the line at this latter point is the Duke of Leinster's harbour at Carton. It is believed that the provision of this harbour, recently restored by the Royal Canal Amenity Group, is the reason the canal and consequently the railway ran through, rather than to the north of Maynooth, the Duke of Leinster of the day being an influential director of the Royal Canal Company.

The harbour is followed by Pike's Bridge, a road overbridge, after which Maynooth Down Distant, in the form of a board with an image of a distant signal and an electronic light, is passed. A quick glance to the right here brings Carton House briefly into view. Adjacent to MP 14½, a trailing siding connected to the Down loop through the station, terminates. Immediately under the Straffan Road overbridge, on the down side is the site of the water tower, demolished over the weekend of 7th/8th January 1995 in association with the building of a this road. The associated pumps for water supply were on the Up side immediately opposite the tower. This project also lead to the access road to the station being rebuilt and widened. Beyond this was the original bridge, which was demolished in mid-December 1995, in theory, to allow for eventual electrification of the line, in practise, to eliminate any maintenance expenses that would occur through keeping it. The line then enters Maynooth station proper.

Like Clonsilla and Leixlip, Maynooth opened in 1847, closed in 1963 and reopened in 1981. It is the only 'station' on the line (apart from Connolly) and is managed by stationmaster Carmel Gallagher. Her control extends from Drumcondra through to Enfield, encompassing 10 stopping places, 3 signal cabins and 8 level crossings.

Immediately prior to the introduction of the Maynooth line service, the station building on the up platform was demolished. A ticket office was built adjacent to the signal cabin to replace it. The signal cabin, which survived a fire at the beginning of June 1994, was brought back into use as of 27th March, 1977, having been out of use for the two years previous. The footbridge here was taken from Lansdowne Road station prior to the introduction of the Maynooth line service. Around the same time, the mechanical staff exchangers were removed for safety reasons. At the Sligo end of the station, on the down side, the top of a filled in turntable well can be seen. This was used for turning locos on the suburban service to Maynooth which was terminated in the early days of the GSR. It was accessed by a short trailing siding from the Down running line, the latter reduced to a siding after the singling of the line, which remains today. It is currently used regularly for storing PW Vehicles. At the same end of the Down platform, there was a water column. Beyond the station proper, there were sidings and a loading bank on each side of the line, those on the Down side having been incorporated into a housing estate and built on. The red brick building behind the Down platform is the former stationmaster's residence, now privately owned.

Maynooth could have been a junction station if the MGWR had let the promoters of a line to Edenderry continue along with their proposed 'line' of action, but in their wisdom, decided that they would only support the line to Edenderry if it were built from Enfield rather than Maynooth. This the MGWR did, obtaining powers for the line in their Act of 1874, the line itself opening in 1877. Just as Clonsilla was no stranger to accidents, Maynooth was no stranger to Royal visits, Edward VII, as Prince of Wales and his son George (later George V) having come to Maynooth by train twice to visit the college, the first occasion on 22nd April, 1868 and the second in 1897, travelling in the Dargan Saloon both times. Edward VII also came once as King, again to pay a formal visit to the college, on 22nd July, 1903 when he travelled in the MGWR's Royal train. In 1908, there was an accident here, in which one member of staff lost his life.