Luas pylons

if anyone wass knocking around the Ballymount Road (where the top picture is taken) for the last 3 or 4 weeks you will have seen 20-odd LUAS trams with 4 or 5 burly men protecting them 24 hours a day. I figure they must have run out of space in teh Red Cow depot for them, and Alstrom wouldn’t hold them for them until 2004. So if you fancy a look at 20 stationary trams call up to Sylan Drive anytime in the next few months.

I’m hoping they take those nasty red railings down too. when the service does go live.

I noticed the last picture on that link above of the old Dundrum station. It would be a complete tragedy if it were to be knocked down simply to replace it with an ordinary (glorified bus stop) tram stop. If it were retained (fingers crossed!) it would certainly be one of the most unusual tram stops you might ever come across and could be the jewel in the crown of the LUAS lines – its retention would also give some immediate maturity to the system if you want to look at it that way or – represent the historical link in rail terms….

Hi,

BTW, you might like to know that there is a later update available at:

http://www.allaboutbuses.com/1820b-lu2.html

which shows further construction, including the support struts for the ramp beside the Hilton Hotel.

Also btw, the new bridge deck at Charleston Road, Ranalagh, is to be errected this Sunday.

LUAS coverage on my site is just a sideline – we cover the bus system in much more detail.

Regards

Gabriel
Editor – Bustravel Ireland
http://www.allaboutbuses.com

Very interesting stuff Gabriel

Yes I agree…. The Taney Bridge in particular looks great. I was in Croydon South London yesterday which has a light rail system. The lines have been integrated quite well into the street and allow for both pedestrian and public transport use if the same street (an idea for Dawson Street maybe). However, the stations could so with being a bit more minimalist. The pylons are awful – big clunky railway style pylons. Those in the pictures above look much better.

Any images of proposed pylons for the city centre? Surely not the same ones?!

Why not Graham?

So long as we don’t get some mock-victorian style cobblers for pylons (would look stupid I’m afraid) the modern Pylons look good to me, anyway in most areas the lines should be strung between buildings so no need for pylons.

thats right ro_g, they moved them up there because they ran out of space to test the new stock down at the red cow depot… Two of the trams suffered their first bit of vandalism when some gobshites broke in to the depot and sprayed paint all over them hence the security guards …

Its just they look unfinished, like motorway lamposts. As long as they are painted/coated in a matt, even finish, I’ve no objections. Theres a nasty habit in this country of not finishing street furniture & pavements etc to a high standard, and these being the very elements we all see at close range.
The pylons are restrained and elegant, structurally, and should work well.

The trams at Red Cow were moved out of the Depot to allow electrical short circuit testing of the overhead lines in the stabling yard. The vandalism took place about a week previously, I’ve heard that it was a roving graffiti artist from the UK. The poles will be the same throughout the system and are painted silver to match the silver on the old lamp standards in town, no victoriana ( phew ! ). Plenty of building fixings in town and combined public lighting fittings were poles are needed. One dissapointment is that the poles at the stops were to be stainless but due to costs cuts these will now be painted.
Croydon used higher tensioned wire and as a result H sections for the poles. They are very crude and ugly so I’m glad we did not end up with something like them.
JJ

on a lighter, slightly separate, but still Luas based note:

they were putting christmas lights across the main span of the Dundrum Luas Bridge this morning (attached to the top of the handrail).

this pleases me…

fjp

Originally posted by Niall
New pic of Luas pylons.

Have to say I like them, not as ugly as I thought!

http://www.allaboutbuses.com/1820-lu1.html

You should look at Melbourne (Australia) if you want to see what good urban design of transit systems is about

Is’nt it great to see such a level of construction here in Ireland, tunnels, bridges, etc….(ok. they may be on a smaller scale as to such schemes abroad) but it is so good to see such a hive of activity….with people thinking, working, active;…….. all for the betterment of Irish life………well after years of stagnation, poverty and idleness. Here’s to the LUAS and the likes.