The sun does, in fact, occasionally shine in Ireland. About halfway through the unloading process at West Offaly Power Station's tippler, LM405 catches some rays. At right, a second rake has arr... (more)

On the first day of my honeymoon, I arrived in Dublin at sunrise, obtained our rental car, figured out how to drive a stick left-handed, nervously ventured out onto the roads and set off for Shann... (more)

The West Offaly Power Station tippler functions by rotating through 360 degrees, dumping peat out of the loaded wagons into the receiving pit below. Dumping is well underway in this scene; while ... (more)

An overview of West Offaly Power Station from the roof of the storage silo, looking south. This 150 MW power plant is fueled by peat stripped from nearby bogs in Cos. Offaly, Roscommon and Galway... (more)

Locations where Bord na Mona's 3-foot narrow gauge tracks cross public roads are guarded by manually-operated gates and split-point derails (known locally as "catch points"). Normally left with t... (more)

This strange creature parked at Bord na Mona's Blackwater Works was once a Massey-Ferguson 135 tractor, converted by the railroad's shop forces into a rail-mounted utility vehicle. Bits of ingenu... (more)

This photo encapsulates how temporary loading tracks are laid in the bog: First, the mound of dried peat at left is notched by a bulldozer to create a (somewhat) level path that acts as roadbed. ... (more)

A proud man and his machine: The driver of haul locomotive LM409 poses in the cab door for a photo somewhere in the Bloomhill bogs of Co. Offaly. The 3-foot-gauge track under the loco is temporar... (more)

The incipient sunrise turns clouds on the horizon pink as an empty rake departs West Offaly Power Station, crossing the River Shannon on its way to a peat bog in either Co. Galway or Roscommon. F... (more)