{"id":541,"date":"2012-11-09T22:44:27","date_gmt":"2012-11-09T22:44:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/?p=541"},"modified":"2014-09-14T03:05:08","modified_gmt":"2014-09-14T07:05:08","slug":"gallery-8-irish-bog-railways-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/gallery-8-irish-bog-railways-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Gallery 8: Irish Bog Railways\u2014Part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Bord<\/a>
In November 2012, a laden Bord na M\u00f3na train ambles across the bog toward the Edenderry Power Station seen on the horizon. Exposed with Canon EOS 7D with 200mm lens.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ireland\u2019s Bord na M\u00f3na (Peat Board) operates an extensive network of three foot gauge railways in the midland\u2019s for the primary purpose of harvesting peat for electrical generation from raised bogs in the Midland area. Bord na M\u00f3na\u2019s website (www.bordnamona.ie<\/a>) indicates that the company has more than 700 km (approximately 435 miles) of permanent line and another 140 km (86 miles) of portable temporary track. Some routes are more than a half century old, while temporary lines are located (and relocated) as needed to reach sections of the bog ready for harvesting. It\u2019s been described as Europe\u2019s most extensive industrial railway. Unlike traditional railways (which in Ireland are built to 5 foot 3 inch standard), bog railways use minimal infrastructure and engineering. Tracks are maintained for relatively slow speed freight movements and this part of the charm.<\/p>\n

\"Plaque<\/a>
Bord na M\u00f3na plaque marks a road bridge over the line near Clonbulloge, County Offaly.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I first explored Ireland\u2019s bog railways more than 14 years ago, and over the years I\u2019ve occasional made images of Bord na M\u00f3na, but until recently I\u2019ve not focused on these unusual railways, instead preferring Ireland\u2019s main line operations. However, over the last few weekends, I\u2019ve begun to explore and photograph the Bord na M\u00f3na\u00a0network that serves the Edenderry Power Station.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Dramatic weather sweeps across the Bog of Allen near Daingean on 3 November 2012. The Bord na Mona crosses this country boreen at grade. Many narrow gauge spurs are only very lightly used and rainbows may be more common than trains. Exposed with Lumix LX3 at ISO 80.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Bog of Allen in Counties Offaly and Kildare offers a stark landscape that reminds me a bit of the Scandinavian Arctic. While today the bog is largely devoid of trees, historically this was a heavily forested area (thus the concentration of peat). Locations for photography are very limited; by virtue of the bog, there are relatively few roads reaching points served by Bord na Mona. Low late-autumn sun suits photography in such an austere environment by accentuating the raised bog\u2019s texture and while emphasizing the trains.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Bord na M\u00f3na’s Edenderry Power Station is just a few miles from the village of Clonbulloge. A frosty November morning mades for ample condensation of water vapor escaping the plant. Bog trains feed this plant from the surrounding area. Exposed with Lumix LX3.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
The road bridge over the line near the Edenderry Power Station offers an excellent place to watch and photograph Bord na M\u00f3na railway operations.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Exploration and patience are the key to catching the trains in action. Trains typically operate in pairs which facilitates switching and simplifies operations. Some lines are operated as double track, others as single line. However, the lack of easy access and myriad routes radiating across the bog make for a challenge. I\u2019ve found that using my Canon EOS 7D and EOS-3 with Provia 100F and long telephoto lenses can produce some of the most effective images, although I\u2019ve also made some interesting wide views with my Lumix LX-3. Just to cover the bases, I\u2019ve also dragged out my Nikons for a bit of B&W work. The images presented here are part of a work in progress.<\/p>\n

\"Bord<\/a>
In October 2012, a Bord na M\u00f3na locomotive clatters along with an empty rake heading toward a loading point. Exposed with Lumix LX3 set at ISO 80.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
In late October 2012, a pair of trains are loaded on temporary track near Rathangan, County Kildare. Exposed using Canon EOS 7D fitted wtih 200mm lens, ISO 200.<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\"\"<\/a><\/dt>\n
A pair of laden turf trains work toward the Edenderry generating station having loaded near Rathangan. Exposed with Canon EOS 7D and 200mm lens; ISO 400, f4.5 at 1\/500 second.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ireland\u2019s Bord na M\u00f3na (Peat Board) operates an extensive network of three foot gauge railways in the midland\u2019s for the primary purpose of harvesting peat for electrical generation from raised bogs in the Midland area. Bord na M\u00f3na\u2019s website (www.bordnamona.ie) indicates that the company has more than 700 km (approximately 435 miles) of permanent line … Continue reading Gallery 8: Irish Bog Railways\u2014Part 1<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"yes","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2BVuC-8J","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/541"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=541"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/541\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":567,"href":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/541\/revisions\/567"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=541"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=541"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=541"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}