In 1854 the station in Bray was opened. A man called Mr. Wilkinson had designed a one- platform station with an engine house and sheds for storing carriages. A new engine shed was built in 1878 and a new bridge was built which still stands today. Between 1880 and 1885 the station was made bigger and the platform was extended to carry more passengers. New points were installed to allow two trains to use the platform at the same time. In 1927 a new platform was built along with a new signal box from which a new widened level-crossing could be opened and closed. A beautiful new canopy was built over the new platform and it was given the name ‘the Crystal Palace’ because of the light it let in through glass.
The Dart is an electric train system that runs from Howth in north Dublin to Greystones south of Bray. It is about 40 km long and it carried 5,000 passengers on its first day. The word Dart means ‘Dublin Area Rapid Transit’.The work began in 1980 when the old diesel trains were due to be replaced and a new signalling system built. The new system was finished in 1984 and cost over £100 million. Today there are Dart trains every five minutes at busy times and the trains can carry up to 100,000 people every day. When so many people are using the train every day, safety is very important. The whole system is controlled by a computer. This computer controls the signals, level crossings and the speed of the trains. The driver can slow down but if he goes faster, the brakes are worked automatically. The top speed is 60mph at the steepest part of the line between Dalkey and Killiney. There is a safety device if the driver has an accident.
A few months ago our class went to he Dart station. There was a very fancy entrance to the station but it was hard to see it because of the buses that park in front of the station. I thought that the Ticket Office was a bit small but nice. There was an old track at the end of the station where we scribbled on a piece of paper and got the image of the ground. The benches were nice and stylish. All the posters were big but I thought that there were too many of them. We went across the bridge to the other side of the station. There was a Time Chart of the station in pictures on the wall.
A massive block was standing half way down the platform, which was used to pump water into the old steam engines to make steam. There was a yellow line at the edge of the platform so children wouldn’t fall over the edge. The seats were comfy but there was a lot of litter on the ground. I would give the station nine out of ten altogether because of the paper and bubble gum on the ground.
Half of our class went on a Dart trip to Dalkey recently. After the train left the station we saw men working on the railway line. As we passed Bray Golf club we saw people playing golf. As we went through we saw people playing tennis. There were two more stops before we reached Dalkey. We could look out at the sea and it looked beautiful. Mr. Begley told us all about the Dart. It was a great trip.
Today I walked along the lane
Down beside the train
Electrical conductor sizzled the wires
As the wheels chucked chucked along the line
Vibrating all the time
Carriage carriage could be twelve
Like a snake around the bend
People sitting, reading, speaking
Joking,looking.
Driver driver drives the train
Down beside the lane
In summer sun and winter rain
People paying at the station
Passengers boarding smiling waiting
People going on vacation
Train making big vibrations
Going down the Dart line
Suspension makes the train run fine
Running down the silver spine
On track ahead and track behind