Or, if you prefer: locomotives fore and aft on a ballast train in the cutting.
The three-track cutting extending from Islandbridge Junction up the grade toward Inchicore in Dublin is known as “the Gullet”.
Permanent way works (track maintenance) on Irish Rail’s Cork line on Saturday March 21, 2015, required operation of HOBS (high output ballast system) trains with locomotives at both ends.
While topped and tailed operations are quite common in some countries, these have been very unusual in Ireland in modern times.
I made several views of this train with an aim to emphasize the locomotives at both ends.
These images were exposed using my Fuji Film X-T1 digital camera. Among the features of this camera is an adjustable fold down rear-view display that allows me hold the camera at arms length over a wall. A built in level feature is especially useful in these circumstances.
For more about the HOBS see my earlier post: Irish Rail Ballast Train—July 28, 2014.
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Irish Rail internal documents call the train: ‘High Output Ballast System.’ This train distributes ballast, it does not clean it.
Brian Solomon.
I don’t know about Ireland but here in the UK the High Output Ballast Cleaner trains look like this http://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/resources/bild06774 . Not only is there the working element but the wagons are not like the one in this picture. I think your picture is simply a ballast train with hoppers which have side dumps.