Below: On September 5, No. LM422 departs from the final stockpile at Derrylea Bog, which is already returning to nature near Portarlington. Once the peat stockpile is cleared, the whole of the 10-mile branch to Ballycon will be redundant, including the old Clonsast main line and it is expected that lifting the line could start once the last trains run towards the end of
September.
BOTH SEAN CAIN
FOLLOWING the decision to close two peatburning power stations in December 2020, the once extensive 3ft gauge Bord na Móna (BnM) network continues to contract, leaving BnM Edenderry Power Station as the last remaining power station in Ireland to burn peat. It is expected it will cease burning peat in August 2023 when it switches totally to biomass.