A beautiful thing about Dublin on a Sunday morning is the relative lack of traffic.
Not so pretty is the rubbish, broken glass and other carnage that tends to litter the streets following a lively Saturday night.
To make the most of the scene on Westmoreland Street looking back toward at College Green, I used my FujiFilm XT1 with 90mm and made low angle view of a northward LUAS tram passing the 18thcentury façade of the Bank of Ireland (right).
Over the last few years I’ve posted a variety of photos showing Dublin’s LUAS Cross City tram line under construction and trial/training runs.
In December 2017, this new LUAS service commenced from St. Stephens Green (at the north end of the original Green Line service) to Broombridge on Dublin’s Northside. But, at that time, I was elsewhere.
So last Friday (26 January 2018), Mark Healy and I went for a spin out to Broombridge and back. I made digital photos with my Lumix LX7 and colour slides with my Nikon N90S.
These are a few of my digital views.
Northward tram at O’Connell and Parnell Streets.
Broombridge terminus.
Broombridge terminus. Note the new footbridge construction over Irish Rail’s Sligo line. Broombridge is intended as an intermodal interface between Irish Rail and LUAS.
I found it fascinating to finally see a tram negotiating Dublin Cross City trackage having followed the construction of the line over the last few years.
This my third post showing LUAS tram trial on 18 August 2017.
These photos were exposed using my FujiFilm X-T1 fitted with a 27mm pancake lens. That’s right: fixed focal length (no zoom).
Never mind the camera, what amazed me was how completely oblivious most passers by were to the tram. What does it take these days to catch notice?
Warning!
Exposed with a FujiFilm X-T1 digital camera fitted with a Fujinon 27mm lens at Parnell Street.
Marlborough Street in Dublin on 18 August 2017.
The soon to be Marlborough LUAS stop.
Crossing Abbey Street at the Abbey Theatre.
College Green, soon to be Trinity LUAS stop.
Warning!
College Green, Trinity LUAS stop (future).
LUAS trial in the rain near Grafton Street shopping.
On Friday August 18, 2017, Mark Healy and I met to document a LUAS 5000-series tram trial on new Cross City trackage.
This was my first experience seeing a tram working recently completed Cross City trackage.
Mark and I have been documenting LUAS Cross City progress for more than two years.
Working with Lumix LX7 RAW file, I lightened shadows and adjusted contrast. In the distance is Dublin’s famous Spire.
I made this view using my Lumix LX7s HDR (high dynamic range) mode that digitally combines several images in-camera to allow for better shadow and highlight detail.
The trailing tram takes the points at the top of O’Connell Street to use the turn back loop to reach the southbound line on Parnell Street. Is this the first time a tram has negotiated this trackage? First time I’ve seen it anyway.
Over the last few years works have been underway in the Dublin city centre to install tram tracks and related infrastructure for the LUAS Cross City extension of the Green Line.
Last week, Mark Healy and I made a walking tour on Dublin’s North Side to inspect progress on this route.
Part of the route uses the former Midland Great Western Railway right of way from its old Broadstone terminus to Broombridge.
Looking south on Marlborough Street.
Marlborough Street.
Looking toward Dominick Street Upper.
Looking toward Broadstone on the old Midland route, now with LUAS tracks.
Track and platform construction continues in Dublin on Ireland’s latest rail-transit route.
When completed LUAS Cross City will extend the Green Line north through the Dublin City Centre via Parnell Square to Broadstone and beyond to a new terminus at Broombridge.
The other day Mark Healy and I made an inspection of the work in progress.
Safety fences combined with the visual chaos of this urban setting makes for challenging photography. I’m hoping to add these images to my file of now and then images once the project is completed and functional.
Looking toward Broadstone from the North Circular Road. Lumix LX7 photo.
Tracks at Broadstone. The old railway terminal is featured at the right. Lumix LX7 photo.
Construction fences and other modern ugliness make visually effective photography difficult. Lumix LX7 photo.
Dominick Street Upper. Lumix LX7 photo.
Dominick Street Lower. Lumix LX7 photo.
New tracks in Dublin’s north inner city. Lumix LX7 photo.
O’Connell Street looking toward the Parnell monument. Lumix LX7 photo.
General Post Office, O’Connell Street, Dublin. Lumix LX7 photo.
New square crossing at Abbey Street and O’Connell Street. Red Line tram waiting at the lights. FujiFilm XT1 digital camera.
A mix of new and old trackage on Abbey Street. One leg of the Cross City route will cross the Red Line at Abbey Street. FujiFilm XT1 digital camera.
Some interesting trackage on the Red Line at Abbey Street. FujiFilm XT1 digital camera.
Red Line LUAS trams pass near the Loop Line Bridge on Abbey Street. The new crossing on Marlborough Street is behind me.
This is a cursory survey of new trackage now being installed for Dublin’s Cross City extension of the LUAS Green Line tram route. (The first portion of the Green Line had opened in 2004.)
A couple of weeks ago, Mark Healy and I inspected progress on Dublin’s North Side.
We made a follow up trip last week and these photos were made walking the route along Hawkins Street, College Green, Nassau and Dawson Streets to St. Stephen’s Green (present southern terminus).
I made these photos with my Lumix LX7.
Hawkins Street, Dublin. March 2016.
Looking toward College Green.
From the foot of Grafton Street looking toward College Green. (Trinity College at right).
Dawson Street looking south.
Map of the new line.
Dawson Street looking north.
Dawson Street looking north.
St. Stephens Green.
St. Stephens Green.
St. Stephens Green.
St. Stephens Green.
St. Stephens Green.
One downside to the completion of the line will be the necessity to string catenary through the Dublin city centre. This will complicate photography of historic architecture.
Of course this same architecture will make for some nice backdrops.
In Dublin, LUAS Cross City works are underway. Ultimately, these new tram lines will link Red Line and Green Line routes (presently isolated from one another) and run all the way to Broombridge for an interface with Irish Rail’s line to Maynooth.
Back when the first two LUAS lines were under construction, I missed the opportunity to make lots of ‘before’ photos. I did make some, but not nearly enough.
The other morning was clear and bright, so I walked the route of the new tram line from the Midland Great Western terminus at Broadstone to O’Connell Bridge.
Excavation and track laying works are underway in several places along with detailed signs about the project. These photos probably won’t win prizes for artistic achievement, but I’m sure that they will age well, and make for excellent ‘before’ scenes in a few years time.
Map of LUAs Cross City works and plan. Lumix LX7 photo.
Detail of the old Midland Great Western terminal at Broadstone. The shed remains as an active bus depot (repair/storage facility), but passenger trains vacated the old terminus in the 1930s. Soon the LUAS will have a stop nearby. Unfortunately, while LUAS works are underway, it is difficult to make views of this historic building. Lumix LX7 photo.
View looking toward Dominic Street Upper from Broadstone. Dominic Street will carry the tracks from the city centre. Lumix LX7 photo.
View from Dominic Street Upper looking toward Broadstone. Lumix LX7 photo.
Dominic Street Upper looking north.
LUAS works on Parnell Street. Lumix LX7 photo.
LUAS works on Parnell Street. Lumix LX7 photo.
LUAS works on Parnell Street. Lumix LX7 photo.
O’Connell Street looking south.
O’Connell Street looking south. Lumix LX7 Photo.
O’Connell Street looking south. Lumix LX7 Photo.
O’Connell Street. Lumix LX7 Photo.
FujiFilm XT-1 digital photo.
LUAS Red Line tram at Blackhall Place. I wish I’d made a photo at this corner prior to 2004! (That’s my point). FujiFilm X-T1.