Irish Rail locomotive 224 underframe cracking incident

[dowlingm]

Loco 224 (12-710, 100mph push pull, delivered 1995) does not look so good these days, and rumour has it that Irish Rail does not know how/why it occurred, with talk of enthusiasts being quietly approached for recent pictures of the unit.
https://imgur.com/ohu5Cjs

The Rail Accident Investigation Unit is showing an open investigation:
“Underframe cracking of a Class 201 locomotive (No. 224), 7th July 2020”

If the 201s end up speed-restricted or grounded pending inspections, it would have significant impact to services, since that class operates most intercity services on the Dublin-Belfast and Dublin-Cork routes.

[Benny]

Something incredible!

Ciao

[Benny]

And, apart Irish locos, probably it will be needed a check also to the other classes of the same family (59, 66 etc.).

Ciao

[Benny]

Something more.
https://www.dublinlive.ie/news/dublin-n ... l-18602391

Ciao

[dowlingm]

Similar write up in the Examiner. But it isn’t too reassuring that no cracks are apparent (and with a whole fleet inspection in 24 hours one wonders whether it was more than the Mark I eyeball used) until the cause of this failure is determined. Given the initial fault at Limerick Junction and the subsequent haul to Dublin where the metal failure became obvious, it might take a while for the RAIU to produce their report.
https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/muns ... 16177.html