Dublin & South Eastern Railway
The D&SER and its antecedents served one of the most populous and picturesque parts of Ireland. Its tracks stretched down the east coast through the counties of Wicklow and Wexford and across to Waterford. It took the company over 60 years to achieve the aspirations of its promoters and many vicissitudes had to be overcome along the way.
This was a railway of contrasts, for in addition to serving these rural south eastern counties, the D&SER also operated some of the most intensive suburban passenger services in Ireland on the lines into its two termini in Dublin at Harcourt Street and at Westland Row.
From the suburbs of the Dublin to south of Greystones, the railway kept close to the coast. Whilst this afforded passengers impressive views from the train, this was perhaps the most difficult stretch of railway in the whole of Ireland to maintain as it was subject to a severe pounding from the wind and the sea in winter. The company had to cope with washouts and landslips and ultimately build expensive diversions to keep the trains running along this part of its network.
This comprehensive and thoroughly researched history is fully illustrated throughout, with photographs, drawings, maps or other documents reproduced on virtually every double page spread. It traces the D&SER's origins back to Ireland's first railway, the Dublin & Kingstown, which opened in 1834. The eventually successful struggle to extend the railway down the east coast to Wexford and over to Waterford via New Ross is covered in detail as is the convoluted story of the building of the Loop Line which was to link Westland Row station with the Great Northern at Amiens Street in Dublin, connecting the port of Kingstown to the rest of the Irish railway network. To this day the Loop Line is one of the city's vital transport arteries, used by DART electric trains every few minutes.
Separate chapters deal with the locomotives and rolling stock, services, signalling, personnel, accidents, catering and the course of the line. Much information is tabulated for easy reference in the many detailed appendices at the end of the book.
This is an important addition to Irish railway history, which as well as being acknowledged as the definitive book on this significant railway company, will be seen as having made a valuable contribution to our knowledge of the social and economic history of the part of Ireland served by the D&SER and the companies which came before it, since the beginning of the railway age in Ireland in the 1830s.
Hardback, 160 pages, black & white photographs
Condition: Good/Very Good
ISBN: 9781857800821
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Updated: 7 April 2025