Loco 461(exDSER) at Sutton Stn, North Dublin, 25.03.2012
(Photo by Bart Busschots)
(Photo by Bart Busschots)
Steam rides the rails:
On Sunday, 19.08.2012, one of the best preserved steam locomotives in Ireland was on the rails again for a trip from Dublin to Kilkenny as part of the Kilkenny Arts Festival. Loco 461 is part of the stable of preserved steam locos owned by the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland(RPSI) based at Whitehead, Co Antrim, near Belfast, Northern Ireland.
The trip was a part of a regular series operated by the Society throughout the year on Irish railways which is very popular and attracts large crowds on every appearance.
Over the years, all but two of the locomotives in the collection have been restored or rebuilt by the Society at its Whitehead base. The RPSI built its own Locomotive Workshop at Whitehead in 1997, complete with an 1897 built overhead heavy lifting crane which came from the former Belfast & County Down Railway's works at Queen's Quay, Belfast. The RPSI's Whitehead Depot is the premier steam engineering facility in Ireland and has been able to carry out contract work as well - most recently the rebuilding of locomotives owned by the Downpatrick and County Down Railway.
The RPSI's first locomotive was
the "Guinness Engine", an industrial shunting locomotive from the
famous brewery in Dublin. "Guinness" was presented to the
Society in 1965. Ex- GNR No.171 "Slieve Gullion" and ex-GSWR
No.186 followed shortly afterwards. Other locomotives were added over the
years, culminating in the presentation of No.131 and No.184 to the Society in
2004. At any one time, one main line loco is based in Dublin and another
in Whitehead (for Belfast based day trips). An extra locomotive is used
to shunt at Whitehead.
Built
for shunting Ireland's largest privately owned broad gauge industrial system
this locomotive became the RPSI's first preserved locomotive, being presented
to the Society in 1965. The famous Dublin brewery operated an extensive
1'10" gauge system within the complex from 1874 to 1965 with broad gauge
locos being used to transfer traffic from there to Kingsbridge (now Heuston)
Station for onward transhipment. Originally the engine carried side sheets
covering the motion, but these were removed by the RPSI for maintenance
reasons. The bell and number plates seen in the picture above are also not
currently fitted. No 3 spent a number of years at the RPSI's Whitehead base
before being leased to the Downpatrick & Ardglass Railway for the
commencement of their steam operations in 1989. The locomotive was used
at Downpatrick between then and 1996, when she was stopped for overhaul.
She was returned to Whitehead on 28th December 2001 and she soon entered the
works for overhaul to running order. Livery was originally dark green,
but in later years a dark blue livery was carried. The
"Guinness" nameplates now carried came from Guinness's diesel shunter
No. 4, which is now scrapped.
Over the years, all but two of the locomotives in the collection have been restored or rebuilt by the Society at its Whitehead base. The RPSI built its own Locomotive Workshop at Whitehead in 1997, complete with an 1897 built overhead heavy lifting crane which came from the former Belfast & County Down Railway's works at Queen's Quay, Belfast. The RPSI's Whitehead Depot is the premier steam engineering facility in Ireland and has been able to carry out contract work as well - most recently the rebuilding of locomotives owned by the Downpatrick and County Down Railway.
Three of RPSI's steam locos at Inchicore Works, Iarnród Éireann, Dublin.
FearFeasaMacLéinn
Áth Cliath/Dublin
23 Lúnasa/August 2012
