Sir, - The recent screening by RTE television of the documentary series Ironing the Land will have brought Ireland's rich railway heritage to the attention of many viewers. It is therefore surprising that the imminent destruction of a piece of our railway heritage has not generated comment, particularly from organisations dedicated to the preservation of that heritage.
Within the next few days the former engine shed of the Dublin and South Eastern Railway at Barrow Street, Ringsend is scheduled for demolition to make way for the development of a DART station. A small portion of the shed wall is to be incorporated into the structure of the new station.
The history of the Barrow Street engine shed is linked to the history of the Dublin and Kingstown Railway, opened on December 17th, 1834, and arguably the world's first commuter railway. The trackwork of the original Dublin and Kingstown Railway consisted of inverted T-section steel rails secured to granite blocks which formed sleepers. Problems with this method of construction led in 1839 to the replacement of the trackwork using (by today's standards) more conventional materials.
In true Victorian tradition the material recovered from the original trackwork was "recycled" and used in the construction of the engine shed, which still stands at Barrow Street. The columns used to support the roof of this building were formed from the inverted T-section rails while the walls were built using the granite blocks. Indeed, it is still possible to see the holes in the granite blocks where the rails were attached to the sleepers.
The passing into oblivion of this piece of our railway heritage is a matter of sadness. - Yours, etc.,
Richie Murray Turret Road, Palmerstown, Dublin 20.