Photo of the Week - Week 26:
Former Harristown RV624 is seen in the "country" operating Route 239 in Westmanstown, Co. Dublin, on the 22nd September 2012.
Route 239 was was introduced the day that the Blanchardstown Centre opened, the 16th October 1996, along with Routes 237 and 238 which were interworked. It was operated out of Phibsborough Depot with minibuses. Its routing was as follows:
Blanchardstown Shopping Centre (South Road - Terminus outside Plex, then West, and North Road (stopping at PC World)), Blanchardstown Main Street, Laurel Lodge Road, Carpenterstown Road, Luttrellstown, Clonsilla Road, Blanchardstown Road South, Blanchardstown Shopping Centre.
The 239 was extended to Liffey Valley Shopping Centre on the 18th September 2000, having being amalgamated with Route 207 in the Lucan area. The routing was as follows:
Blanchardstown Shopping Centre (South Road - Terminus outside Plex), Blanchardstown Road South, Coolmine Industrial Estate, Clonsilla Road, Coolmine Road, Laurel Lodge Road, Castleknock Road, College Road, Luttrellstown, R121, right after Westmanstown Golf Club entrance, Westmanstown, left towards Lucan just after Collin's Bridge, follow old route to Lucan Village via Sunday Well, Lucan Bridge, Lucan Main Street, Adamstown Road, Newcastle Road, Esker Road, Esker Lane, Willsbrook Road, Ballyowen Road, Castle Road, Lucan Newlands Road, Fonthill Road, Liffey Valley Shopping Centre.
On the 13th February 2006, the 239's routing got revised to its present form. The 239 had suffered from reliability problems, the routing around Lucan Village and Westmanstown being a notorious rat-run, being one of only a few bridges over the Liffey, and being the principle route in avoiding the M50 toll. The new routing served Laraghcon estate, which allowed the bus to avoid the very narrow and steep hill in Sunday's Well. The routing around Lucan was slightly modified. It now did not serve the Ballyowen Road, instead it continued straight ahead at the Penny Hill to serve Esker Glebe before rejoining its former routing at Esker Lane. Finally, the routing via Luttrellstown was removed due to low patronage, ending continuous service in the area from the late 1920s. The routing instead from Westmanstown Golf course operated via the Clonsilla Road and the level crossing, before turning right onto the new Porterstown Link Road, Diswellstown Road, Carpenterstown Road and back onto its former route at Coolmine Road.
The Blanchardstown Centre termini change from the south side to the West side of the square in November 2006
RV587 is seen operating Route 239 in the last weeks of Harristown RV operaton on Coolmine Road on the 3rd November 2012.