Irish locomotive development
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MGWR 4-4-0 129 Celtic designed Cusack (Rly Mag., 1902, 11, fp. 289)

The railways of Ireland, and the majority of the steam locomotives which ran on them, were built when the whole country was part of the United Kingdom. Many British Chief Mechanical Engineers had been trained in Ireland or been Irish Locomotive Superintendents (e.g. J.A.F. Aspinall and R.E.L. Maunsell). Other CMEs or locomotive superintendents were trained in Great Britain and subsequently went to Ireland. Although the gauge is different (5 ft 3 in) a link, therefore, existed with British design. This was especially strong in Ulster on the Midland Railway, later LMS, owned Northern Counties Committee (NCC). Many "Irish" locomotives were constructed in "British" workshops, such as Beyer Peacock in Manchester, or at Derby works.

Almost inevitably the major administrative changes which took place in Great Britain were mirrored to an extent in Ireland. Thus the 1923 Grouping was followed by a railway grouping in the Republic of Ireland (Eire) in 1925 when the Great Southern Railways came into being.. This company was nationalized in 1945 to form part of the Coras Iompair Eireann (CIE). The LMS took over from the Midland Railway in Ulster, but in 1949 the Ulster Transport Authority (UTA) was created from the NCC system and the Belfast and County Down Railway.

Due to the newly-established frontier between Ulster and the Republic, certain railways remained independent from these groupings and three companies remained "free" until their end (the County Donegal Railways Joint Committee; the Sligo, Leitrim & Northern Counties Railway and the Londonderry & Lough Swilly Railway). It should be noted that this last still exists as a bus company. The Great Northern Railway (Ireland) which links Dublin and Belfast was eventually divided between the CIE and UTA in 1958.

During the period surveyed by Jones there was little locomotive development in Ireland and this was due to the severe financial difficulties of the period following Partition. Prior to that locomotive development tended to mirror that in "Mainland" Britain: thus, the Dublin and Kingstown Railway, the first Irish railway, used locomotives very similar to those used on the Liverpool & Manchester Railway. This parallelism makes any work, such as the fatally flawed Oxford Companion to British Railway history, absurd in its titular claim (English railway history might have been acceptable).

During the Second World War the Republic suffered from a severe coal shortage and this, plus the poor condition of the locomotive stock, hastened the process of dieselisation. Steam was retained for longer in Northern Ireland, due to the better condition of the locomotives and to Stormont's doubts about the viability of railways as such. Ireland both North (where a delightfully inappropriately named, but able, engineer named Pope held sway) and South contributed much to diesel railcar development which is the normal form of traction over great swathes of the crumbling railway notwork in mainland Britain.

The material assembled in this section has been abstracted from non-Irish sources, in the main. The Journal of the Irish Railway Record Society did not appear to be publicly available (it was not in the British Museum and was not available through the National Central Library or the Irish Central Library). A sample issue was examined for Steam locomotive development and, to judge from the contents of that one part, it was a serious omission from the point of view of retrospective material. KPJ would be very obliged to receive details of material not included. The Irish Railway Record Society has a lively website, but is mainly concerned with contemporary activity. The Irish Railway Preservation Society also has a website. Returning to traditional sources, United Kingdom-based journals did survey contemporary development  in Ireland, and did offer some retrospective literature, especially the Locomotive, Railway Carriage & Wagon Review..

The Irish railways are surveyed in the following order:

1. General literature
2. Dublin & Kingstown Railway/ Dublin & South Eastern Railway
3. Great Southern Railways & its constituents, the importance of Inchicore
4. Waterford Limerick [and Western] Railway
5. Midland Great Western Railway
6. Coras Iompair Eireann
7. Great Northern Railway (Ireland)
8. Northern Counties Committee & its constituents
9. Belfast & County Down Railway
10. Other Irish railways

This is very different to the order adopted in Jones and reflects the greater period to be covered eventually

General literature: J.C. Conroy's scholarly A history of railways, in Ireland does not examine mechanical development.  The final volume in the magnificent Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain became magisterial once it extended its coverage to Ireland with a well-received work by J.W.P. Rowledge. The only books which had treated Irish locomotives as one unit by 1968/9 were R.N. Clements' and J.M. Robbins' The ABC of Irish locomotives and W.E. Shepherd's Twentieth century Irish locomotives. The former is unlike the remainder of the Ian Allan "ABC" series in that it includes notes on both the railways and the locomotives, in addition to tabulated data. The latter is similar in style and seems to be based on the earlier work, but incorporates more detail. Since then Rowledge has contributed a monumental survey of all steam locomotives in Ireland, Nock has written a better than usual book on Irish locomotive development: it is probably better in that it was a one-off.

Ahrons, E.L. Locomotive and train working in the latter part of the nineteenth century; edited by L.L. Asher. Cambridge: Heffer, 1951-4. Volume 6 includes Irish railways
Originally published in Railway Magazine 1925/6
Clements, R.N. and Robbins, J.M. The ABC of Irish locomotives. London, Ian Allan, 1949. 56 p. incl.. 16 plates. 46 illus., 19 tables, map.
Conroy, J.C. A history of railways in Ireland. London, Longmans, 1928. [viii], 386 p. 16 tables. Bibliog. (footnotes).
Originally compiled as a Thesis for the M.A. Degree at University College, Dublin.
Fayle, H. Dublin surburban services. Rly Mag., 1954, 100, 297-304. 6 illus.
Includes notes on the motive power.
Fayle, H. The Irish railways during the War. J. Stephenson Loco. Soc., 1946, 22, 59-70.
WW2: the effects of fuel shortages are emphasized.
Fayle, H. The narrow gauge railways of Ireland, London, Richard Tilling Ltd., 1946. 204 p. incl. 60 plates + 3 folding plates. 206 illus., (incl. 8 line drawings :s. el.),diagr., 3 tables, 15 maps.
Each narrow gauge (mainly 3 ft 0 in) line is treated separately
Ferris, Tom. Irish railways in colour: from steam to diesel, 1955-1957. Leicester: Midland Publishing, 1992. 120pp
Needless to say a gift to the impoverished Norfolk County "Library": copy seen very poorly printed..
Irish locomotive notes. Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1930, 36, 178; 250.
Irish locomqtives in 1932. Rly Mag., 1933, 73, 458.
In connection with this Railway Magazine reference it should be noted that the May issues of this journal tended to specialize on Irish affairs.
Irish notes. Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1938, 44, 387-8: 1939, 45, 10-11; 41-2; 83-4; 122-3; 149-50. 16 illus., diagr. (s. & f. els.)
Irish railway events, 1947. J. Stephenson Loco. Soc., 1948, 24, 120-3.
Irish railways locomotive notes. Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1930, 36, 106.
Johnston, Norman. Locomotives of the GNR(I). Newtownards: Colourpoint, 1999, 208pp.
Not entirely error-free: Hawthorn Leslie with an additional "e" to the Hawthorn. In the Introduction notes his debt to R.N. Clements. Covers much more than the Great Northern.
Kidner, R.W. The light railway handbook . Part 4. Narrow gauge railways of Ireland.
McCormick, W.P. The railways of Northern Ireland and their locomotives. [Belfast, Author] 2nd ed. [1946] . 30 p. 13 illus., table.
Brief notes.
Middlemass, Thomas. Encyclopaedia of narrow gauge railways in Great Britain and Ireland. London: Guild, 1991. 272pp.
Includes most Irish narrow gauge lines (the majority of which were built to a common 3ft gauge).
Nock, O.S. Irish steam. a twenty year survey 1920-1939. 1982.
Reed, K.H. Notes on Irish locomotives. Rly Mag., 1929, 65, 302-5.
Rolt, L.T.C. and Whitehouse, P.B. Lines of character. London, Constable, 1952. [iv], 188 p. + front. + 32 plates. 65 illus. Bibliog
This contains the memorable account of the running of the cattle trains on the Tralee & Dingle Railway.
Rowledge, J.W.P. The Irish steam loco. register. Stockport: Irish Traction Group, 1993.
This book is extremely short of navigational aids: thus the Dublin & Kingstown Railway (a British and Irish landmark) is treated on page 86, but the contents listing (there is no index) places the user no nearer than somewhere between page 57 and 115. Once the Irish page is complete this deficiency will be rectified.
Shepherd, W.E. Twentieth century Irish locomotives. [Union Publications, 1969] , 61 p. 23 illus., table.
Whitehouse, P.B. A Northern Ireland miscellany, 1949. Rly Mag., 1950, 96, 340-2; 316-17. 7 illus.
Accent on the narrow gauge lines.
Young, R.A. A railway holiday in Ireland. Rly Mag., 1959, 105, 342-7; 416-20.9 illus.

Dublin & Kingstown Railway

The Dublin & Kingstown Railway was one of the earliest British railways and followed from the construction of the Liverpool & Manchester Railway (and another reason to reject Simmons' absurd paradigm as exemplified in the flawed Oxford Companion). Its earliest locomotives were built by Forrester & Co of Liverpool and included the first tank locomotives which Balkwill claims were Victoria and Comet in 1835.

Dublin & Kingstown Railway: centenary of Irish locomotive building. Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1942, 47, 133-4.
Lowe, James W. British steam locomotive builders. 1975. 
Sekon's Evolution of the steam locomotive notes that three similar locomotives to the Experiment were constructed for the Dublin & Kingstown Railway in 1833. These early products suffered from steam leakage from the vertical cylinders and these were subsequently abandoned. Excellent source of information. Notes that 2-2-2WT Princess was first tank engine. Ten locomotives constructed at Grand Canal Street Works tabulated. Information on Locomotive Superintendents.

Dublin & South Eastern Railway

The Dublin & Kingstown Railway remained independent from the DSER and was a source of competition with it. Furthermore, the Kingstown line was associated with Holyhead whilst the DSER provided the Great Western with access to Dublin. The railway had complex beginnings which are not aided by Shepherd's account and Rowledge (on its locomotives) and included the Dublin and Wicklow Railway, subsequently the Dublin Wicklow & Wexford Railway which are cited in earlier works, such as D.K. Clark's Railway locomotives..

Ahrons, E.L. Locomotive and train working in the latter part of the nineteenth century; edited by L.L. Asher. Cambridge: Heffer, 1951-4. Volume 6
Originally published in Railway Magazine 1925/6: PP. 338-49 cover the Dublin, Wicklow and Wexford Railway.
Fayle, H. The Dublin & South Eastern Railway and its locomotives. Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1944, 50, 57-9; 125-7; 188-90: 1945, 51, 20-2; 57-9; 89-90; 115-16; 153-4: 1946, 52, 11-13; 25-6; 62-4. 29 illus., map.
A list of corrections and additions was published in: Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1948, 54, 111-13 (3 illus.). This discusses 2-2-2T No. 6a Vulcan, 2-4-0 No. 3 and 0-4-2T No. 8.
Fayle, H. The main line train services of the Dublin & South Eastern Railway. Rly Mag., 1938, 82, 335-46. l3 illus.,4 diagrs., map.
Contains brief notes on the locomotive stock.
Shepherd, W. Ernest. The Dublin & South Eastern Railway. Newton Abbot: David & Charles, 1974. 231pp.
Locomotive development is covered at length. Fayle (above) is not cited but G.H. Wild's Locomotives of the D&SER (J. Irish Rly Record Soc. is cited without date, volume number, etc!)
Shepherd, Ernie and Gerry Beasley. The Dublin & South Eastern Railway; an illustrated history. Midland Couunties, 1998.

2-2-2ST/0-4-2ST

Clark, D.K. Railway locomotives. 1860
Plate 39 illustrates these designs supplied by Vulcan Foundry

2-4-2T

No. 28 (built in 1887 as a 2-4-0T) was converted in 1910 to a 2-4-2T and a note in Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1910, 16, 22 noted this and that work to convert Nos. 45 and 46 similarly had started.

Former LNWR locomotives
Sale to of six to Dublin, Wicklow & Wexford Railway.

Changing the gauge of rolling stock. Rly Mag., 1942, 88, 186. 186.
Notes submitted by E. Williams record that six 4ft 6in 2-4-2Ts were converted to 5ft 3in gauge at Crewe Works for delivery to the Dublin, Wicklow & Wexford Railway. In 1917 three of these were acquired by the British Government and reconverted to standard gauge and used at the train ferry terminal at Richborough. Two of thse were eventually sold to Cramlington Colliery.

K2:1922 : Wild :
These freight engines were basically an 0-6-0 design which had been modified by the addition of a pony truck.

"MOGUL" freight locomotives, Dublin & South Eastern Ry. Loco. Rty Carr. Wagon Rev., 1923, 29, 93. illus.
NEW goods locomotives for the Dublin & South Eastern Railway. Rly Engr, 1923, 44, 263-4. illus., diagr. (s. el.)
2-6-0 locomotive, Dublin & South Eastern Railway. Rly Mag., 1923, 52, 414 + plate f.p. 347. illus.

4-4-2T

C2:1924: Wild/Cronin
These two locomotives differed from the original Cronin design, of 1911, in having Belpaire fireboxes.

NEW tank locomotive, Great Southern Railways, Ireland. Rly Mag., 1925, 56, 192. illus.
PASSENGER tank engines, Great Southern Ry. [sic] of Ireland, Dublin and South-Eastern Section. Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1925, 31, 31-2. illus.

Great Southern & Western Railway/Great Southern Railways

After the 1925 amalgamation this, the largest Irish company, was comparable in size with some of the English pre-grouping railways. Main-lines radiated from Dublin to the South and West. With the exception of the line to Cork, traffic on most of the system was sparse and trains were infrequent. In consequence, the locomotive stock was relatively small and the replacement rate was low.
E.E. Joynt's "Reminiscences of an Irish locomotive works" provide an "inside view" of activity at the well equipped Inchicore Works, but mainly surveys the period which preceded 1923. In its way it is a precursor of Holcroft and Cox. .J. Watson's book consists of tabulated data and brief notes on the locomotive stock. See also Locomotives of the GSR, Ireland scheduled for Autumn 2008: see latter from Jeremy Clements and Michael McMahon (Steam Wld, 2008 (248) 19 with this vital news).

Ahrons, E.L. Locomotive and train working in the latter part of the nineteenth century; edited by L.L. Asher. Cambridge: Heffer, 1951-4. Volume 6
Originally published in Railway Magazine 1925/6: Pp. 1-27 cover Great Southern & Western Railway
Clements, R.N. Great Southern and Western locomotives from 1900 to 1924. Rly Mag., 1936, 78, 333-7+. 6 illus.
Additional notes from the author and the G.S.R. Rly Mag., 1936, 79, 70.
Joynt, E.E. Reminiscences of an Irish locomotive works. Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1932, 38, 104-6; 138-40; 171-3; 202-3; 257-8; 285-6; 316-17; 367-8; 395-7; 426-8: 1933, 39, 52-3; 96-7; 127-8; 151-2; 180-1; 212-13; 274-6; 312-14; 340-2: 1934, 40, 24-6; 90. illus.
New loco. shops at Inchicore, Great Southern Railways. Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1935, 41,152-3. 2 illus.
An erecting shop.
Recent developments at Inchicore Locomotive Works, Great Southern Railways, Ireland a new locomotive repair shop, designed and equipped on the most modern lines. Rly Gaz., 1935, 63, 823-4. 4 illus., diagr. plan.
Reed, K.H. and Fayle, H. Recent developments of Irish locomotive practice, Great Southern
Railways. Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1937, 43, 138-40; 181-2; 226-8; 283-4; 309-11; 360-1: 1938, 44, 9-11; 83-6. 29 illus. Erratum: 1938, 44, 55.
Rolling stock renumbering, Irish Railways. Rly Mag., 1926, 58, 84.
A prefix system.
W[atson] , S.J. Locomotives of the Great Southern Railways of Ireland. London Arthur H. Stockwell, 1937. viii, 77 p. 34 illus., table.

Chief Mechanical Engineers

Early locomotives

2-2-2

Bury No. 36

Bulleid, H.A.V. Aspinall era. p. 45

Photograph ordered by H.A. Ivatt when No. 36 was cut up at Inchicore in 1886, having been withdrawn from service in 1872.

2-2-2

Sharp: 1846: 20 constructed (Rowledge)

No. 19 illustrated (from Engineer) Bulleid: Aspinall era Fig. 7 p. 27:5ft 6in driving wheels; 15 x 20in cylinders and 80 psi boiler pressure.

McDonnell locomotives

Chacksfield, J.E. The Coey/Cowie brothers. all railwaymen. Usk (Mon.): Oakwood, 2003. 176pp.
Also includes some material on Alexander McDonnell and his locomotives built whilst he was in charge at Inchicore.

0-6-0: 1866: 101 class (Class 3)
The lucid Norman Johnston (Locomotives of the GNRI) makes it clear that the design originated at Beyer Peacock in 1867: two were built for the Dublin & Belfast Junction Railway and became part of GNRI stock. Bulleid: Aspinall era Text and Table p. 40 notes that design had 5ft 1¼in coupled wheels; 17 (later 18) x 24in cylinders, a grate area of 17½ft² and a total heating surface of 957 ft².

Clements, R.N. The "101" class, Great Southern and Western Railway. J. Stephenson Loco. Soc., 1949, 25, 120-2. 5 illus., (line drawings : s. el.)
Includes post 1923 modifications.
Flanagan, PJ., editor. The 101 class locomotives of the G.S. & W.R., 1866-1966. [Dublin], Irish Railway Record Society, 1966. 44 p. + folding plate. 13 illus., (incl.. 3 line drawings s. els.), diagr. (s. & f. els.), table, plan.
Contributions from the Editor, K.A. Murray, R.N. Clements, J. O'Neill and J.J. Johnston survey all aspects of its long history; appropriately 101 out of the 119 locomotives are illustrated and several photographs are Victorian marvels. The text of the book is effectively a number of essays, some from the original 1966 publication, the remainder written to add to and bring the story up to date. The 'historical' essays, outlining the development of the type are by R.N.. Clements, there is a driver's appreciation by the gentlemanly Jack O'Neill from Waterford and, presumably from the original edition, an essay entitled 'A Valuable Asset' gives an appreciation of the merits of the class from the point of view of the CIE's mechanical engineering department. The story is brought up to date through the travels and exploits - mainly cinematographic - of the preserved locomotives, Nos.184 and 186, and appropriately the final essay, by one of the named authors, details the recent restoration ofNo.186 to full working order in the RPS) workshops at Whitehead

Experimental modification by Ivatt as Worsdell Von Borries two cylinder compound

Ivatt, H.A. discussion on Sauvage, Edouard. Recent locomotive practice in France. Proc. Instn Mech. Engrs, 1900, 59, 412-13.
Described experimental fitting of GS&WR Class 101 0-6-0 with Worsdell Von Borries compounding system.

4-4-0: Kerry engines:1877

No. 2 illustrated (from Engineer) Bulleid: Aspinall era Fig. 15 p.39: notes swing link bogie. Table p. 40 notes that design had 5ft 8in coupled wheels; 16 x 20in cylinders, a grate area of 16ft² and a total heating surface of 862 ft².

Rutherford, Michael. A Brief Survey of the Irish 4-4-0. Part 1: Genesis — or how the Irish designed a "Crewe" 4-4-0 and exported it back to England. Two (Railway Reflections No.121). Backtrack, 2006, 20, 360-9.
Centres on Alexander McDonnell and how a series of standard locomotives were evolved for the major Irish railway (the Great Southern & Western Railway at its Inchicore Works, including the dominant 101 class of 0-6-0 (designed at Beyer Peacock), and eventually the Kerry bogies (4-4-0) which evolved from McDonnell's light 2-4-0 design. An 0-4-4BT (a sort of Fairlie) and an 0-6-4T are also considered. McDonnell was an inspired head hunter: the brilliant engineer John Aspinall was recruited from Webb to be Works Manager at Inchicore and later Ivatt was attracted across the water in the same manner. Thus it is shown how the Kerry bogie concept was to re-emerge on the LYR and GNR.

2-4-0: 1869: Class 1

No. 64 illustrated (from Engineer) Bulleid: Aspinall era Fig. 8 p. 29: notes similarity to Ramsbottom's Newton class. Table p. 40 notes that design had 6ft 6in coupled wheels; 17 x 22in cylinders, a grate area of 17½ft² and a total heating surface of 931 ft².

2-4-0: 1869: Class 2

Bulleid: Aspinall era Ligt passenger locomotive Table p. 40 notes that design had 5ft 8in coupled wheels; 16 x 20in cylinders, a grate area of 16ft² and a total heating surface of 862 ft².

0-6-4T: 1876: Goods tanks

No. 202 illustrated (from Engineer) Bulleid: Aspinall era Fig. 13 p. 35. Table p. 40 notes that design had 4ft 6½in coupled wheels; 18 x 24in cylinders, a grate area of 17½ft² and a total heating surface of 957 ft².:

0-4-4T: 1870

No. 35 illustrated (from Engineer) Bulleid: Aspinall era Fig. 11 p. 31: swing link bogie. Table p. 40 notes that design had 5ft 8in coupled wheels; 15 x 20in cylinders, a grate area of 16ft² and a total heating surface of 862 ft²..

Combined locomotive & carriage for Gortatleea & Castleisland Light Railway: 1874

Diagram: Bulleid: Aspinall era Fig. 14 p. 36 and illus. p. 46: usual difficulty of classification: 0-6-0T or 0-6-4T: caption notes preseved at Mallow.

Aspinall locomotives

4-4-0

52 Class?: 1883

Ahrons (Locomotive & train working) states Nos. 52-55 built in 1883 and 9 and 16 in 1886: these were based on McDonnell's larger 2-4-0 but with his swing link bogie. They were intended for the Dublin to Cork mail trains..

60 Class: 1885

No. 93 illustrated (from Engineer) Bulleid: Aspinall era Figs.26 and 27 (pp. 70/1) :second picture: cab view.Also Fig. 25 page 68 Inchicore standard diagram: grate area 18¾ft²; total heating surface 1051 ft². The boiler pressure was increased to 150 pist with the ability to withstand 160 psi.

Coey designs

4-4-0: 6ft 6in driving wheels; Sekon p. 324

Maunsell designs
Maunsell was responsible for only two designs whilst in charge at Inchicore: the sole member of the 341 classs of 4-4-0 and the 257 class of 0-6-0. See letter from Jeremy Clements and Michael McMahon in Steam Wld, 2008 (248), 19 which corrects information provided in article by Clarke in Issue 246 page 30. Both classes are covered in J.E. Chacksfield's Richard Maunsell: an engineering biography. It should be noted that the 4-4-0 incorporated a Belpaire firebox (this was a marked change from Coey's designs) and 9 inch piston valves from which it is not difficult to see how "Inchicore features" were translated to Ashford. Chacksfield notes that the 341 design was fully covered in Rly Engr, 1913, October.There were also plans for a three-cylinder 0-8-2T and a 4-4-2T...

4-6-0

B2 (400):
E.A. Watson introduced this class of ten locomotives soon after his arrival from Swindon in 1913. They were constructed as four-cylinder engines and, therefore, reflected Churchward practice to some extent. They were not successful, however, and Watson's successors inherited the task of improving them. Shortage of capital did not permit the locomotives to be rebuilt as a unit and modifications, of several kinds, took place over many years.

1922: Watson: Original design constructed with slight modifications.

Four-cylinder express locomotives, Great Southern & Western Ry.. Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1923, 29, 286. illus.
Four-cylinder 4-6-0 locomotives, Great Southern and Western Railway of Ireland. Rly Mag., 1923, 53, 428-31 + plate f.p. 421. 4 illus.

1924: Bazin:
Nos. 408 and 409 were equipped with superheaters. Un-titled reference: Loco. Rly Carr Wagon Rev., 1924, 30, 231.

1928: Bazin:
No. 402 was rebuilt as a 2-cylinder engine with Walschaerts valve gear.

REBUILT express locomotive, Great Southern Rys., Ireland. Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1928, 34, 343-4. illus., 2 diagrs. (s. els.)
REBUILT 4-6-0 locomotive, Great Southern Railways, Ireland. Rly Mag., 1929, 64, 143. illus.

1930 Morton:
Nos. 401 and 406 were rebuilt as 2-cylinder engines similar to No. 402, but with Caprotti valve gear.

IRISH locomotive with Caprotti gear, Great Southern Raliways, Ireland. Rly Mag., 1930, 67, 384. illus.
LOCOMOTIVE with Beardmore-Caprotti valve gear, Great Southern Rys.. Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1930, 36, 306-7. illus., diagr.

1935: Harty:
Nos. 403, 405 and 409 were rebuilt as 2-cylinder engines, but the changes did not involve the construction of new frames.

GREAT Southern Railways. Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1935, 41, 403.

1937: Bredin:
K-type boiler was first fitted to one locomotive.

NEW rolling stock, G.S.R. Rly Mag., 1937, 80, 335-7. 3 illus.

1941: Bredin :
The two Caprotti locomotives (Nos. 401 and 406) received the K-type boiler and modified valve gears.

CAPROTTI valve gear on 4-6-0 locomotives, G.S.R.. Rly Gaz., 1941, 75, 415. 3 illus.

Retrospective and critical

Probert, W.A. The history of the Irish 4-6-0s. Trains ill., 1953, 6, 149-52+. 6 illus., table.
A detailed, evaluative account.
Rebuilt 4-6-0 engines, G.S.R. Rly Mag., 1936, 78, 381-2.
Notes on the varieties existing in 1936.
Reed, K.H. The "400" class, Great Southern Railways. Rly Mag., 1938, 82, 347-51. 6 illus., diagr. (s. el.)
Scott, W.T.. Caprotti in Ireland. Backtrack, 2006, 20, 702 (letter)
See Backtrack feature beginning page 148: two GSR 400 class 4-6-0s fitted with Caprotti valve gear in 1930. Letter also notes that Watson 400 class were utter failure; J.R. Bazin's attempts to improve them; and (under Morton) fitting Caprotti gear to Nos. 401 and 406: also cites article by R.N. Clements in J. Irish Rly Rec. Soc. (October 1968). Letter also mentions 500 class.

B1 (500):1924: Bazin:
This was a mixed-traffic 4-6-0 design with 5 ft 8½ in driving wheels. They were successful in service and capable of working express trains.

4-6-0 mixed traffic locomotives, Great Southern and Western Railway (Ireland). Rly Mag., 1924, 55, 192-3. illus.
New and rebuilt locomotives, Great Southern & Western Railway. Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1924, 30, 232-4. 3 illus., 2 diagrs. (s. els.)
New mixed-traffic locomotives for the Great Southern & Western Railway, Ireland. Rly Engr. 1924, 45, 345-8. 3 illus., 4 diagrs. (incl. s. el.), plan.
Includes sectionalized diagrams.

1928 : Bazin
No. 500 was equipped with the "Bredin-Burnell" feed-water heater, which was designed at Inchicore by the Works Manager and Chief Chemist.

FEED-WATER heating apparatus, Gt. Southern Rys. (Ireland). Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1928, 34, 384-5. illus., diagr.
LOCOMOTIVE feed-water heating on the Great Southern Railways of Ireland. Rly Engr. 1928, 49, 45. illus., diagr. (s. & f. els.)

Retrospective and critical

Probert, W.A. The history of the Irish 4-6-0s. Trains ill., 1953, 6, 149-52+. 6 illus., table.
A detailed, evaluative account.

800:1939: Bredin:
By a large margin, the three locomotives were the biggest and most powerful engines ever to run in Ireland. Further, it was the only design which exploited the extra width afforded by the 5 ft 3 in gauge. The engines had three 18½ in x 28 in cylinders and 225 lb/in² boiler pressure. The nominal tractive effort was 34 799 lbf, which corresponded with Great British main-line power. They were intended for the Dublin-Cork route and received the names of ancient Irish queens: Maedhbh, Macha and Tailte. The nameplates had Erse characters.

Great Southern Railways : 800 class 4-6-0 locomotives. Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1939, 45, 129. illus.
Irish notes. Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1939, 45, 41-2. 2 illus., diagr. (s. & f. els.)
New "800" class 4-6-0 locomotives, GS.R.. Rly Mag., 1939, 84, 338. illus.
New 4-6-0 express engines for Eire: a 3-cylinder design for Great Southern Railways Dublin-Cork service. Rly Gaz., 1938, 69, 521.
New G.S.R. 4-6-0 locomotives. Rly Gaz., 1939, 70, 617-19. illus., 2 diagrs. (s. els.)

Performance

Semmens, P.W.B. Impressions of the Irish railways. Rly Mag., 1953, 99, 291-6. 4 illus. Footplate observations.
Striking performance of new Irish 4-6-0 locomotives. Rly Gaz., 1941, 74, 41-2. illus.

Retrospective and critical

Bredin, E.C. The design of a modern locomotive. Rly Gaz., 1939, 71, 718.
Abstract of a paper presented to the Dublin University Engineering Society.
Probert, W.A. The history of the Irish 4-6-0s. Trains ill., 1953, 6, 149-52+. 6 illus., table.
A detailed, evaluative account.

Preservation

"MAEVE" at Belfast. Rly Mag., 1965, 111, 59. illus.
Preservation at the Belfast Transport Museum.

2-6-0

2-6-0 Coey

2-6-0 goods locomotive, GS&WRy. Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1910, 16, 10.

K3:1923?: Bazin:
In 1903 Coey introduced the 355 0-6-0 class for freight working, but the class was rebuilt as 2-6-0s to achieve a lower axle-loading.

REBUILT goods engines, Great Southern and Western Ry. of Ireland. Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1923, 29, 353. illus., diagr. (s. el.)

K1 :1925 Maunsell :
These 2-6-0s were very similar to the N class of the Southern Railway, as they were built from N-type parts supplied by Woolwich Arsenal. They were originally intended for the Midland Great Western Railway.

MOGUL locomotives, Great Southern Rys., Ireland (Midland, Great Western Section). Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1925, 31. 167. illus.
RECONSTRUCTED 2-6-0 locomotive, Great Southern Railways, Ireland. Rly Mag., 1925, 56, 495 + plate f.p. 423. illus.

1929: Experimental installation of Wood's device aimed at improving cylinder lubrication whilst coasting.

Wood's patent vacuum braking device for locomotives. Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1929, 35, 119-20. 2 diagrs. (incl. s. el.)

K1a :1930 The last six Maunsell 2-6-0s were built with 6 ft diameter driving wheels. Un-titled reference: Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1933, 39, 54.

Retrospective and critical

Kirkland, R.K. The Woolwich moguls a locomotive family. Trains ill., 1951, 4, 134-7. 2 illus.
Maunsell moguls in Ireland. Rly Mag., 1944, 90, 186-7. Corrections to W.J. Reynold's article (below).
Reynolds, W.J. The Maunsell moguls, S.R.. Rly Mag., 1943, 89, 155-8; 199-202; 279-82. 17 illus., 3 tables.
Rowledge, J.W.P.  The Maunsell Moguls. Oakwood, 1976. (Locomotion Papers No. 99). 64pp.
This is now the key source.

0-6-0

J15b: 1934 Harty:
Locomotives of this type were first built by McDonnell in 1866. The design evolved with time and in 1934 a final 15 engines were constructed. These were fitted with superheaters and piston valves.

New rolling stock, GS.R.. Rly Mag., 1937,80, 335-7. 3 illus.
Six coupled goods locomotive, class 710, Gt. Southern Rlys.. Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1935, 41, 138. illus., diagr. (s. el.)

Retrospective and critical

Clements, R.N. The "101" class, Great Southern and Western Railway. J. Stephenson Loco. Soc., 1949, 25, 120-2. 5 illus., (line drawings : s. el.)
Includes post 1923 modifications.
Flanagan, PJ., editor. The 101 class locomotives of the G.S. & W.R., 1866-1966. [Dublin], Irish Railway Record Society, 1966. 44 p. + folding plate. 13 illus., (incl.. 3 line drawings s. els.), diagr. (s. & f. els.), table, plan.
Contributions from the Editor, K.A. Murray, R.N. Clements, J. O'Neill and J.J. Johnston survey all aspects of its long history.

4-4-0

D2:1924: Bazin
Bazin rebuild of Coey's 1904 design.

NEW and rebuilt locomotives, Great Southern & Western Railway. Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1924, 30, 232-4. 3 illus., 2 diagrs. (s. els.)

D4: 1934: Harty:
Rebuild of Coey 1906 class with Belpaire firebox, superheater and extended smokebox. The locomotive described (No. 335) retained its original cab.

GREAT Southern Railways. Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1934,40, 166.

D4: 1936: Harty:
New locomotives, based to some extent on the Coey 1907 design, but built with Belpaire fireboxes and superheaters.

GREAT Southern Rys., 4-4-0 type passenger locomotives. Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1937,43,35. illus., diagr. (s. el.)
NEW 4-4-0 type locomotives, Great Southern Railways. Ireland. Rly Gaz., 1937, 66, 236-7. illus., diagr. (s. el.)
NEW rolling stock, G.S.R.. Rly Mag., 1937, 80, 335-7.3 illus.

Tank engines

2-6-2T

P1:1928: Bazin :
This was a solitary locomotive (No. 850).

NEW 2-6-2 tank engine, Great Southern Railways, Ireland. Rly Mag., 1929, 64, 142. illus.
2-6-2 tank locomotive, Great Southern Rys. of Ireland. Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1928, 34, 341-3 + folding plate.. illus., 4 diagrs. (incl. s. el.), plan.
Includes sectionalized diagrams.

0-6-2T

13: 1933: Harty:
This was a small class of suburban tank engines.

[Harty GS. Rly. 0-6-2Ts, 670 class]. Rly Mag., 1934, 74, 227-8.
NEW 0-6-2 tank locomotives, Great Southern Rys., (Ireland). Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1934, 40, 2. illus., diagr. (s. & f. els.)

Liveries

Liveries: carriages and engines of Irish railway companies
Great Southern and Western Railway: Locomotives, olive green; carriages, dark chocolate , but new tints — red & cream being introduced.

Waterford & Limerick Railway

Absorbed by the Great Southern in 1901. Prior to that had strong ties with GWR. Had a long cross country railway which extended from Waterford to Limerick and then headed north enabling its trains to reach Sligo. Its mainline was long (over 200 miles), but trains were very few in number. Its best known locomotive engineer was Robinson, who later acquired fame on the Great Central, but he had been invited to Ireland by Henry Appleby. Hamilton Ellis Midland Railway p. 79 noted: There was once an Irish railway, the Waterford and Limerick, which was noteworthy for its numerous succession of locomotive engineers, and for the infallible frequency with which they were dismissed, asked to resign, or induced to tender resignation. .

Ahrons, E.L. Locomotive and train working. Vol. 6. p. 28-37
Fryer, Charles. Waterford and Limerick Railway.

Henry Appleby locomotives

Ahrons mentions two 4-4-0s (each different) and an 0-6-0

2-2-2
The only "single" engine on the Waterford, Limerick and Western Railway. Rly Mag., 1900, 7, 547.
Kitson 2-2-2 which had been exhibited at the Dublin International Exhibition in 1865. It had 6ft driving wheels and 15 x 22in cylinders.

John G. Robinson locomotives
Six locomotives built at Limerick (Lowe): 0-6-0; 0-4-2T and 0-4-4T. J.G. Robinson, locomotive engineer. Lowe Fig. 569: 0-4-4T No. 15 Roxborough (1894)

Midland Great Western Railway

Incorporated 1845: Dublin-Enfield opened 28 June 1847; reached Galway 1 August 1851, and Sligo on 3 September 1862. Monaghan to Clones opened 2 March 1863. Liffey branch, giving access to the port of Dublin, was opened in 1864. Absorbed Dublin and Meath, Sligo and Ballaghadereen, Navan and Kingscourt Railways. Lines to Killala, and to Clifden and Achill in 1890s. Peak route mileage 538 miles (third largest after GSWR and GNR). Constituent of Great Southern Railway in 1924.

Locomotive construction started at Broadstone, Dublin, in 1879 and accounted for 75% of requirements. Prior to 1879 the works had been involved in improving the existing stock and this policy until amalgaamation.: for instance, some of the older 0-6-0s were rebuilt with Belpaire boilers. The locomotive fleet on amalgamation was 139. Last of 126 engines produced there in 1927. Thereafter, railway repair work gradually transferred to Inchicore. Locomotive Superintendents were John Dewrance 1847, (contactor) 1849, Edward Wilson 1853, Joseph Cabry 1856, Robert Ramage 1862, Martin Atcock 1872, Edward Cusack  1902, Walter H. Morton 1915. (Information off Internet)

Ahrons, E.L. Locomotive and train working in the latter part of the nineteenth century; edited by L.L. Asher. Cambridge: Heffer, 1951-4. Volume 6 pp 50-64.
Originally published in Railway Magazine 1925/6
Shepherd, Ernie. The Midland Great Western Railway of Ireland. Leiceester: Midland Publishing, 1994. 144pp.

Early locomotives

Lowe records that Longridge supplied five 2-4-0s in 1851/2 (Vulcan, Childers, Arabian, Eclipse and Cygnet) and two 5ft 0-6-0s (No.s 25 Cyclops and 26) in 1852.

Atock's locomotives

Ellis (Trains we loved p. 86) stated "Atock's little locomotives with their floridly curving cabs, wildly varying names and showy finish, carrying their headlamps between the buffers, were like nothing else in Ireland, or, for that matter, in Great Britain". Sylph, a 2-4-0 in emerald green is depicted in the depths of Connemara on a plate facing page 176. Lowe notes that Atock introduced the 4-4-0 type by drastically  rebuilding six 2-4-0s, although these did not enter service until after his retirement. Lowe includes a list of locomotives constructed at Broadstone..

Cusack's locomotives

Hope, Basil. Midland. Great-Western Railway, new locomotives and corridor trains. Rly Mag., 1902, 10, 318-21.
The dimensions of the new 4-4-0 locomotives are given at the foot of the colour plate facing page 289. The electrically-lit 58ft corridor stock ran on four wheel bogies with the exception of the dining car which ran on 6-wheel bogies. The train performed the 254 mile round-trip between Dublin and Galway and was intended to encourage tourist traffic.

Cork, Bandon and South Coast Railway:
This railway, long-closed, was almost isolated from the rest of the Irish system. The only connection with the rest of the G.S.R. was made through the railways in Cork docks.
Cross, L.C. The locomotives of the Cork, Bandon & South Coast Railway. Rly Mag., 1934, 74, 355-61. 9 illus., 5 tables.
Fayle, H. The Cork, Bandon and South Coast Rly. and its locomotives. Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1939, 45, 163-5; 219-21; 275-7; 336-8. 26 illus. (incl. 9 line drawings: s. el.)

Waterford and Tramore Railway:
This line was completely isolated from the other Irish railways. Until 1935 a 2-2-2WT formed part of the motive power.
Fayle, H. The Waterford and Tramore Railway. J. Stephenson Loco. Soc., 1948, 24, 114-19 + plate. 3 illus.
Fayle H. and Newham, A.T. The Waterford & Tramore Railway. Dawlish (Devon), David & Charles, 1964. 48 p. + 12 plates. 38 illus., diagr., 3 plans, map.

Coras Iompair Eireann

O.V.S. Bulleid, formerly C.M.E. of the Southern Railway, became a consultant to the C.I.E. in 1949 and later assumed the full responsibility of being CME. In Ireland, Bulleid adopted a vigorous dieselisation policy and the use of steam traction rapidly declined. Nevertheless, one experimental steam locomotive was constructed; namely a turf, or oil, burning 0-6-6-0. This was similar to the Southern "Leader" class in many respects, but the new design wias simpler to build. In connection with this attempt to burn turf (i.e. peat), one 2-6-0 was also modified.

Oil-burning
Oil-burning locomotives in Eire. [J, Macartney Robbins]. Rly Mag., 1947, 93, 248.
White circle painted on smokebox and tender sides to indicate oil-burning: classes so fitted/painted included 2-6-0s and 623 class 0-6-0s, but being extended to 400 and 500 class 4-6-0s.

Locomotive classification

Classification of locomotives, January, 1953. J. Stephenson Loco. Soc., 1953, 29, 139-41.
Locomotive classes and leading dimensions.

Livery: Light green, lined black and white.

NEW locomotive livery, C.I.E., Rly Mag., 1948, 94, 271.

Bulleid, O.V.S.:
The major descriptions of Bulleid's activity are examined on the Bulleid page.. It should be noted, however, that only S. Day-Lewis' Bulleid, last giant of steam portrays his Irish work. H.A. Vallance's The railway enthusiast's bedside book. Pp. 13-21 : include some anecdotal material on Bulleid and his turf burning locomotives. Obviously the infamous Leader type had some influence on this project..

2-6-0

K3:1954 : turf burning modifications.

[C.I.E. 2-6-0 (class K3) converted by Bulleid to turf burning] . Trains ill., 1954, 7, 363. illus.
Illustration and caption only.

0-6-6-0 turf-burner

Very few details of this locomotive appear to have been published in contemporary journals. Chapter 20 of H.A.V. Bulleid's Bulleid of the Southern, 1977 gives an excellent summary and mentions the involvement of J.G. Click (whose archives) are "believed" to be held at the NRM.

C.I.E. prototype turf-burning locomotive. Rly Gaz., 1958, 108, 611. illus.
IRISH report. Trains ill., 1958, 11, 116-117. illus.
TURF-BURNING experimental locomotive. Rly Gaz., 1958, 108, 586.

Retrospective & critical

Duffy, M.C. Waste heat recovery and steam locomotive design. Trans Newcomen Soc., 1989, 61, 15-30. Disc.: 30-1.
Describes economisers fitted to Irish turf (peat) burning locomotive.
Robertson, Kevin. Leader: steam's last chance. Gloucester: Alan Sutton, 1988. 123pp.
Very little included on the Irish turf burner.
Rowledge, J.W.P. The turf burner: Ireland's last steam locomotive design. Billericay (Essex): Irish Railway Record Society, 1972.
Excellent diagrams, but extremely concise, also contains notes on Leader class, and on turf burning experiments on GNR and GSR during WW2.
Shepherd, Ernie. Bulleid and the Turf Burner. Southampton: Kestrel Books,
Reviewed in Archive No. 44 and seen in Motor Books, but invisible in Norfolk bibliographical wilderness and absent from BLPC. A study of O.V. Bulleid's experiments with steam traction in Ireland after 1949 and in particular with his turf burning locomotive CCl.: "a fascinating read."
Tufnell, Robert Prototype locomotives. 1985.
Page 55, at the end of the chapter on the Leader class Tufnell notes the involvement of J.G. Click and A.R. Pocklington of the Rugby Test Plant in getting the turf burner onto the road, its inspection by Armand of the SNFC, its successful operation in trials and visits to see it by the Institution of Locomotive Engineers and Institute of Transport in 1958

Self-weighing tenders

SELF-WEIGHING tenders in Eire. Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1951, 55, 40.
SELF-WEIGHING tenders in Ireland. Rly Mag., 1951, 97, 384-9.

Narrow gauge lines (absorbed into Great Southern Railways/CIE)
Fayle's Narrow gauge railways of Ireland describes all the lines considered in this section and it is, therefore, mentioned first. All shared the 3 ft 0 in gauge and the GSR and CIE adopted the policy of transferring locomotives from one section to another. All lines were lightly built and all are now closed. Steep gradients, sharp curvature and roadside tramway sections were other common features. W.J.K. Davies' Light railways opens his Chapter 4 entitled Ireland with "Ireland, unlike the rest of the British Isles, presents the case of a true network of secondary railways – but, alas, a network of lines badly mismanaged, both by the state authorities and by the individual company promoters..

Fayle, H. The narrow gauge railways of Ireland. London, Richard Tilling Ltd., 1946. 204 p. incl.. 60 plates + 3 folding plates. 206 illus. (incl. 8 line drawings s. els.), diagr., 2 tables, 15 maps.

Cavan & Leitrim Railway
Opened on 24 October 1887 according to Middlemass. Its main traffic, coal from the mines at Agrigna, gave it a longer life and the line tended to gather locomotives from other sections as they closed beginning with the Cork, Blackrock & Passage 2-4-2Ts and ending with ex-Tralee & Dingle 2-6-2Ts. Its own locomotives are listed in the following table (all were supplied by R. Stephenson: all were 4-4-0T except for No. 9 (0-6-4T): al were given suffix L by GSR.Nos. 1-8 rebuilt with larger boilers: 1902-6..

The Cavan and Leitrim Railway and its locomotives. Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1936, 42, 249-52. 6 illus.
Flanagan, P.J. The Cavan & Leitrim Railway. Newton Abbot (Devon), David & Charles, 1966. 192 p. + col. front. + 24 plates. 67 illus., 8 diagrs., 7 tables, 11 plans. 3 maps. Bibliog.
The motive power is described in depth. Locomotives introduced from other sections are also included.
Kirkland, R.K. The Cavan & Leitrim Railway. Rly Mag., 1951, 97, 339-45. 4 illus., table. map.
A table includes all locomotives which worked on the railway.
Smith, W.A.C. The end of the Cavan & Leitrim. Trains ill., 1959, 12, 412-15. 6 illus.

Cork & Muskerry Light Railway
Boyd's Schull & Skibbereen Railway gives brief details of both the line and the locomotives one of which was transferred by the GSR to the Schull & Skibbereen when the Cork system closed completely from 29 December 1934. The Cork & Muskerry were attractive narrow gauge lines in the vicinity of Cork City that had opened in August 1887: their environs were the leafy lanes and pleasant valleys west of the city were in complete contrast to the S&SR and its trains began their journey westwards from the city by passing along the street.

2-4-0T
Nos. 1-3 City of Cork, Coachford and St. Annes were built by Hughes (WN137/136/138) in 1887. They were later rebuilt as 4-4-0Ts. The first two were withdrawn in 1938, and No. 3 in 1924. No. 4 was a Kitson 2-4-0WT named Blarney (WN 235/1888). It was withdrawn in 1911.

0-4-4T
The fifth and sixth engines supplied to the C&MLR, were unusual in being of the 0-4-4 wheel arrangement – the only narrow-gauge examples in Ireland. They were bought to work the Donoughmore Extension Railway, opened on 6 May 1893, a nominally independent section which served a thinly-populated valley north-west of Cork. Delivered in 1892 and 1893 respectively from Thomas Green & Son of Leeds: they were WN 180/1892 Donoughmore running No.5 and WN . 200/1893 The Muskerry (later simply Muskerry) running No.6. As built, they had stove-pipe chimneys. In 1925 they became Nos. 5k and 6k (Class EN1) under the GSR which took them into Inchicore Works when the line closed. Here they were dismantled and stored. Later No.5 was re-assembled and numbered 9t for employment on the Tralee & Dingle section but was never transferred to Tralee. No.6 was similarly treated for service on the S&S section as 6s but it had to return to Inchicore again shortly afterward as the buffer beams fouled Ballydehob platform and the goods and cattle docks there and at the termini: also for alterations to the brake hose connection. After this it did sterling work.

Dimensions were: cylinders 14 x 20 in., driving wheels 3 ft 6 in. diameter (somewhat large for the gradients of the S&S section), bogie wheel diameter 2 ft 0 in., coupled wheelbase 6 ft 0 in., total wheelbase 14 ft 10 in; grate area 10.5 ft², total heating surface 600 ft², boiler pressure 140 psi, water capacity 500 gallons, coal capacity 1 ton, weight in working order 25 tons; tractive effort 11,100 lbf.

4-4-0T
Finally 7 Peake (see also Sekon p. 324); 8 Dripsey and 4 Blarney were further 4-4-0T supplied by Hughes (WN 274/1897), Brush (successor to Hughes: 307/1904) and Hunslet (1200/1919). This last was withdrawn in 1927, the other two in 1935. Middlemass.

Cork, Blackrock & Passage Railway:
This railway closed in 1932, but four of the locomotives were transferred to the Cavan & Leitrim. It opened on 8 June 1850 as a 5ft 3in gauge line, but was converted to 3ft gauge in 1900. The original (broad gauge) loocomotives were supplied by Sharp Bros in 1850 and were all 2-2-2Ts: WN 655, 656 and 662. The narrow gauge locomotives were Neilson 2-4-2Ts: WN 5561-4/1899. According to Middlemass "they could run like hares".

NARROW gauge locomotives (No. 5): 2-4-2T, No. 5, Cork, Blackrock & Passage Railway (later Cavan & Leitrim Railway, No. 11). Railways, 1944, 5, 122-3. 4 illus., (incl.. line drawing : s. f. & r. els.)

Schull & Skibbereen Light Railway
Boyd gives a very extensive account of the locomotives used on this railway. The line began as the West Carberry Tramway & Light Railway

Boyd, James I.C. The Schull & Skibbereen Railway. 1999. (Oakwood Library of Railway History No. 108)
Fayle, H. and Camwell, W.A. Round Roaring Water Bay : the Schull & Skibbereen Light Railway. Rly Mag., 1940, 86, 257-62 +. 10 illus., map.
Newham, A.T. The Schull and Skibbereen Tramway and Light Railway. (Locomotion papers, No. 24).
Originally presented as a lecture to the Irish Railway Record Society.

Boyd (above) Chapter Fourteen Locomotives: Early three-foot gauge tramways in Ireland using steam locomotives
Boyd began by dispelling any notion that the West Carbery was a pioneer steam tramway in Ireland by tabulating its contemporaries.

* Only this short distance from Portrush station was worked by steam.

Boyd noted that none of the above four undertakings approached the WCT for length (although the Castlederg line was half of  it KPJ), that none used Dick, Kerr-built locomotives, and that the operation and costs of each were available to the promoters of the WCT before construction started. In a period when steam tramway building was in vogue, perhaps established builders like Kitson and Wilkinson had full order books? Perhaps Dick, Kerr were anxious to break into the market and quoted a competitive price? Boyd stated that these questions remain unanswered: it was obviously the last (KPJ).

Three 0-4-0 tram engiines were supplied by Dick Kerr in 1886 (in Chapter being cited Boyd states "1888"): all had 2ft 6in diameter coupled wheels and 9½ x 16in cylinders. They were named: Marion, Ida and Ilen (Boyd used upper case for the names). Boyd conjectures the steps that led to the conception of the West Carbery in the form of a street tramway, though neither its length, gradients nor curves would be inadmissible as these features were frequently found in the towns of the West Riding (e.g. Huddersfield), but seldom of the severity and continuation of the WCT which soon proved the street tram principle unsuited to the terrain.

Faults included the boiler/firebox design; the firebox brick-arches were faulty, and the three were recommended for rebuilding with copper in place of steel. The wrong material led to weeping of the boiler/firebox due to unequal expansion of these materials. The weight in working order was 15 tons but they were unable to pull twice their weight on a gradient of 1 in 30. Some of the blame was placed on the firemen who were possibly inexperienced. Sheet-steel skirting was taken down to a level approximately 3 in. above the rails; the rolling and pitching of the engine probably produced shrieks of protest as it scraped the rails. There was an entrance through the upper sheeting both front and rear; the former would allow the tubes to be cleaned. With a coupled wheelbase of only 6 ft, the fore and aft pitching was considerable. Well tanks held 350 gallons. Condensing of the live steam was also a problem as the boilers were domeless. The engines were delivered in a green livery. Marion and Ida were possibly named after Director's wives; Ilen is the river at Skibbereen.

The locomotives failed from the first; shortage of steam was countered by the early removal of the condensing gear, and the disconnection of the vacuum brake. Leakages of both boiler and firebox were put down to cost-cutting and the use of steel in construction. Unequal expansion would cause leakage. The Company submitted, clearly with informed opinion, that the fireboxes were wrongly made and detailed leaking tubes, and cracks around the firehole door. To remedy a dire situation, the cure was seen in fitting new fireboxes to the tram engines and then putting them on light duties; they would then be replaced by conventional engines of adequate power output. Though this objective was to be achieved over a number of years, the initial financial position forbade it, but a start was made in 1888..

Marion was in a dismantled state at Skibbereen in 1906. Ida when seen at Skibbereen in 1924 was largely unused except in emergency. Ida had been rebuilt in 1905 when it lost its tram-engine appearance. A more conventional cab was fitted having an open back; the side sheets were given a horizontal shutter which would close to keep out a little of the Atlantic gales. In May 1901 a new, bigger boiler had been ordered from Nasmyth, Wilson which cost £403: it was fitted  with a Belpaire firebox and a huge dome on its first ring, surmounted by Salter safety valves. A very tall chimney was to aid combustion. A large brass lubricator was mounted below the chimney. In this state the engine could produce a tractive effort of 5,730 lbf with 140psi boiler pressure. Further modifications were made before 1924, when the locomotive had a smokebox extension necessitating a removal of the forward sandboxes so they were now outside the sheeting at both ends - as when new. The machine lasted until the GSR take-over in 1925 but was not taken into stock; it was scrapped in 1926.

4-4-0T Erin
Supplied by Nasmyth, Wilson (342/1888) and funded by a loan of £1,600. As delivered, the vacuum brake was omitted, and the bogie had disc wheels with splashers on the rear set. The livery was green with white lining, and lettering on the side tank stated WEST CARBERY TRAMWAY with ERIN painted below but no number. It was a sound purchase and proved itself by outlasting the railway. It received a replacement boiler from Peckett in March 1908 costing £428 and pressed to 150psi. It had 'pop' safety valves, and the dome had been heightened to accommodate a higher intake to the main steampipe and supply hotter steam to the injector. Replacement disc wheels were fitted and in 1909 an extended coal bunker was cantilevered out behind the cab as the capacity within was inadequate. The side opening to the cab was partly infilled with sheeting. A Belpaire firebox was fitted from new and was probably the first of its type in Ireland, whilst the Walschaerts valve gear was a further novel feature. It weighed 24 tons, had a total heating surface of 508ft² and 12 x 18in cylinders.

As built, only one injector was fitted, together with a crosshead-driven pump on the right-hand side. The evidence of the higher dome suggests that the steep gradients induced priming and modification was necessary to correct it; the original coal capacity was clearly too meagre for an engine required by the line's nature to consume more than average amounts of fuel.

A second injector was fitted later under the fireman's (left side) and fed a clack forward of the tank on that side. The dome-stearn-supplied injector on the right-hand tank top fed a clack on that side and was unusual in being controlled from the driver's side. In view of what footplatemen recalled of conditions, this was a wise precaution as the fireman was so constantly feeding the fire and keeping a look-out that water-levels and injector controls could take second-place. Duplication was essential. Except when in Skibbereen for repairs the engine was normally based at Schull and therefore became the regular duty engine; it was preferred to the Peckett-built engines which joined it later; the accessibility of the motion was a factor and the ride better with its longer driving wheelbase. In 1925 it acquired tank-side number plates bearing the number 4s surmounted by small characters GSR; the suffix's' to the number indicated S&SR section under the GSR (which classified it DN5, the only member of the class).

4-4-0T No. 1 Gabriel
Peckett WN 1085 of 1906 was acquired to replace Marion, a tender for £1,220 being accepted for a second 4-4-0T. Unlike No.4 Erin which had inside frames, Gabriel was outside-framed. The driving wheel diameter was reduced to 3 ft 0½in giving more tractive effort, the bogie wheels increased to 2 ft 0 in. diameter, the driving wheelbase brought down to 5 ft 0 in., bogie wheelbase 4 ft 0 in. (total wheelbase 15 ft). Boiler pressure was increased to 160psi and with cylinders the same size as No.4 and smaller driving wheels, the tractive effort was enhanced to 9,650 lbf. Coal capacity was 1¼ tons and weight in working order 26½ tons which made for better adhesion. The grate area was 8 ft² and total heating surface 575 ft² . The men liked her. Peckett's were proud of their creation and their contemporary catalogue featured an embossed representation of the engine on the cover.

In 1906 on the first arrival of the, engine at Schull, it was turned and re-attached to the train, and was then blessed by Father John O'Connor, the Parish Priest of Schull who mounted the leading footplate, broke a bottle of champagne over the smokebox and duly named the engine.

It will be noted that on both this engine and its predecessor, ERIN, the cowcatcher was on the front end only. GABRIEL carried a wooden tool box and re-railing jack at the front end - or was the former for sand, as the front and rear sanding pipes so visible when new, are missing on later photographs? Furthermore, scrutiny of the maker's photograph shows only a leading sandbox below the footplate; the rear must be below the floor of the cab? Locally made rear sandboxes outside the frames appear more recently. Note too the usual Peckett displacement lubricator on the back of the chimney and the prominent compensating lever between the main driving springs. The weary looking lamp which drooped at the foot of the chimney appears to be of carbide type; it would not give much illumination but would be a better warning than an oil one. It was carried on two brackets, shaped like a 'U'; the engine lamps were of conventional pattern.

The engine was classed 'DN4' by the GSR but exceptionally, the nameplates were not removed as was their custom, 'No. l' being painted in small characters on the front beam instead, though the listed number was 1s. This, and the engines surviving to be absorbed in the GSR, were painted an un-lined black. The boiler, which had never received pop safety valves, was beyond repair in 1936 and the engine was scrapped in 1937. Its cylinders became a 'transplant' onto No.3. GABRIEL had proved itself to be prudent purchase. Its only major catastrophe occurred in Spring 1909 when the driving axle fractured; Peckett supplied a new one at half-price, having considered its age.

4-4-0T No.3 Conciliation (Kent).
Purchased in 1914, this was another machine from Peckett which proved to be of equally good value. It was almost identical to Gabriel, and under the GSR was given No.3 to replace the tram engine Ilen scrapped at that time. The name Kent had been bestowed in place of the original through local patriotism. The Skibbereen fitter, Paddy Murphy, who had been moved by the execution of Thomas Kent in Cork gaol by the British in 1916, contrived to make a new pair of plates from brass boiler tube and placed them before the Management Committee. This body was sympathic to such a patriotic gesture, acceded to the request, and No.3 was re-christened accordingly. Boyd describes at length the local politics which conspired in the renaming.

As this acquisition was a little shorter than Gabriel (24 ft 11 in.), it had a reduced heating surface at 514 ft², grate area of 7.58 ft², a coal capacity of 18 cwt. and weight in working order of 25½ tons (or possibly one ton less).# Painting, etc. was similar to Is under the GSR and the engine outlasted the life of the railway. Under the GSR, the engine was classed DN4.

Ex-Cork & Muskerry 0-4-4T No. 6s
The main account of this locomotive is included with the Muskerry line. 6s had to return to Inchicore shortly after arrival as the buffer beams fouled Ballydehob platform and the goods and cattle docks there and at the termini: also for alterations to the brake hose connection. After this it did sterling work.

It was the most powerful engine to work on the system so that at least those larger driving wheels would be offset on the steeper sections - the C&MLR had nothing of this nature to contend with. When working the Donoughmore line, Nos. 5 & 6 were usually turned at the end of each journey so that the cab was leading. The cowcatcher was at the front end for working the S&S section, whereas on the C&M Nos. 5 & 6 might sport the fitting at one end or the other!

Unique for the S&S line, it was driven from the left side which was likely to have been unpopular with most firemen. The bunker itself was pathetically small as built but Inchicore provided a new one of greater capacity - the increased height was noticeable.

As regards the vacuum brake, it may be noticed that No. 6s had two brake hoses at the bunker end and a single hose at the front. The double hoses were found necessary because the original single hose would not reach the train hoses when traversing a sharp curve. To make matters worse, there was a swing at the bunker end, a drawback which the other locomotives did not have. On No. 6s the bunker was always next to the train with chimney leading. To overcome this, when the engine returned to Inchicore to have the buffer beams 'trimmed', double hoses were fitted to the bunker.

Tralee & Dingle Light Railway
This railway accumulated a rich literature: Tom Rolt's account in Lines of character is amongst the best pieces of writing about railways. Patterson's Clogher Valley Railway (p. 94) noted that the railway experimented with the Holden system of oil-firing as the Clogher's Locomotive Superintendent was sent to Tralee to inspect the system. Middlemass lists locomotives supplied: all except No. 7 and 8 (original) supplied by Hunslet (H): Nos. 7-8 by Kerr Stuart (K). All received suffix T to numbers under GSR, except No. 4..

Fayle, H. The Tralee and Dingle Light Railway. Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1937, 43, 47-51.7 illus.
Whitehouse, P.B. and Powell,  A.J. The story of the Tralee & Dingle Light Railway. London, Locomotive Publishing Co., [196 ]. [iv] , 76 p. 34 illus., 6 diagrs. (incl. 3 s.f. & r. els.), tables, 2 maps.

West Clare Railway:
The West Clare Railway opened on 2 July 1887, and the South Clare Railways on 3 August 1892. The CIE modernized the motive power by replacing steam with diesel railcars and locomotives, but this policy did not prevent the line from being closed.

Fayle, H. The West Clare Railway. Rly Mag., 1939, 84, 339-45. 5 illus., table, plan, map.
Whitehouse, P.B. The West Clare Railway. Rly Mag., 1951, 97, 296-8. 4 illus., map.

Locomotive summary from Middlemass

4-6-0T
BN3: 1922 : Carter
4-6-0 tank locomotives, West Clare Railway, Ireland. Loco. Rly Carr. Wago Rev., 1923, 29, 94-5. illus., 2 diagrs. (s. & f. els.), plan.
Includes sectionalized diagrams.

Northern Counties Committee/Ulster Transport Authority

In 1903 the Midland Railway acquired the Belfast and Northern Counties Railway, but it was operated by a separate Committee which consisted of some Midland Railway and some Irish directors. This semi-independent system of management was perpetuated by the LMS. Whatsoever may be thought about the state or State of Northern Ireland it is obviously impossible to consider either the Midland Railway or the LMS in comprehensive terms without considering the NCC. Locomotive development in Ulster tended to follow the parent company's policy, especially after the formation of the LMS. One interesting feature of this was that Stanier's designs were not adapted for use in Ireland and both the W and WT classes were based on the Fowler 2-6-4T locomotive: coned boilers were not adopted by the NCC.

See also Sentinel locomotive (No. 91) operated by NCC

Aberfalcon, pseud. The locomotives of the London, Midland & Scottish Railway, Northern Counties Committee. Rly Obsr., 1936, 8, 81-5. 3 illus.
Currie, J.R.L. The Northern Counties Railway. Newton Abbot: David & Charles, 1973/4. 2 vols.
The second volume notes that the narrow gauge lines are mainly excluded as these were covered by Patterson. Third volume, which would have covered locomotives & rolling stock was never completed. .
Gairns, J.F. Northern Counties Section (Ireland), L.M.S.R.. Rly Mag., 1924, 54, 421- 37. 12 illus. (incl. 2 ports.), 2 tables, map.
Includes a complete stock list.
Liddle, L.H. Steam finale a review of present-day steam traction on Irish railways. Harrow (Middlesex), Irish Railway Record Society (London Area), 1964. [vii , 66 p. + 8 plates. 17 illus., (incl. line drawings s. el.), 5 tables, map.
Performance and general locomotive working in the UTA area. Tables of locomotives extant in 1964.
The LOCOMOTIVES of the Northern Counties Committee, L.M.S.R.. Rly Mag., 1931, 68, 468-9. table.
Stock list with leading dimensions.
Nock, O.S. The locomotives of the L.M.S.R., N.C.C. Section. Rly Mag., 1937, 80, 340-9: 1937, 81, 118-27. 25 illus., 5 tables.
Locomotive development plus some details of performance including that of two-cylinder compound No. 57 Galgorm Castle..        
Patterson, E.M. The Ballymena lines: a history of the narrow gauge railways of North East Ireland. Part 2. 1968.
Patterson, E.M. An Ulster round trip. Rly Mag., 1950, 96, 801-4. 3 illus., map.
Footplate observations by an amateur enthusiast.
Radford, J.B. Derby Works and Midland locomotives: the story of the works, its men, and the locomotives they built. London: Ian Allan, 1971. 239pp. + plates.
Very important source of biographical material and of information about most Derby-built locomotives, including those built at Derby for the NCC..
Rutherford, Michael. Northern Counties Committee - the LMS in Ireland. Railway Reflections [No. 46]. Backtrack, 1998, 12, 564-72.
Surveys development of railways in Ireland, and the eventual involvement of the Midland Railway. Also notes the involvement of the LNWR in the Dublin & South Eastern Railway and how the LMS came to be represented on the Great Southern Railways of Ireland, and how the LNWR had nearly obtained a stake in the MGWR. The LNWR had its own facilities at North Wall in Dublin. Locomotive development on the NCC tended to be an improvement upon Derby practice: notably the magnificent 2-6-0s. GNR(I) between Strabane & Londonderry is stated as being on incorrect side of Foyle (see Readers' Forum page 688). illus.: Map; Northern Counties Committee lines; NCC headquarters at York Road Belfast; NCC engine shed at York Road Belfast; NCC engines nos. 51 and 56; Ballymena station; NCC engine no 101; A narrow gauge 8 ton hopper wagon; NCC engine no 70 in dismantled condition for transport purposes; NCC loco no 74 Dunluce Castle; The Greenisland loop viaducts; NCC loco no 90; NCC petrol driven railcar no 1 and trailer; NCC headquarters at York Road Belfast following clean up after a WW2 bombing; The wooden roof of York Road caught fire and fell on top of rolling stock in 1942,; As a result, the NCC was very short of rolling stock so the old goods; NCC no 7;
Wallace, W.K. Modern British railway practice. Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1927, 33, 369-72.
Abstract of an address presented to the Belfast Association of Engineers, by the NCC's Chief Engineer. Most of the paper is concerned with British, as distinct from Irish, development.

York Road Works
Currie noted that the works were modernised by the LMS: electric lighting came in 1932, heating in 1938, gantry cranes in 1931 and secondhand machinery was sent over from Newton Heath. In 1941 the GNR(I) overhauled NCC locomotives at Dundalk and on p. 189 Currie noted that Lemon had suggested diesel traction..

Belfast & Northern Counties Railway

Sekon, G.A. Evolution of the steam locomotive. 1899. pp. 321-2.
Compound 2-4-0 No. 51 fitted with Holden system of oil firing.

2-cylinder compound 4-4-0 No. 50 Jubilee (B. Malcolm Restreven class)

Tender locomotives

2-6-0

W:1933:
This design was based on the LMS Fowler 2-6-4T. Larger driving wheels (6 ft 0 in) were fitted, however, as the locomotives were intended for working expresses, including the North Atlantic Express. The first four were supplied complete from Derby; the remaining eleven were assembled from parts supplied from Derby at York Road.. They carried names, mainly of Rivers (surely the only successful British design to be associated with such), and also of Ulster noteworthies; No. 90 was Duke of Abercorn. "Somewhere" there is a reference to Prince of Wales being covered for his trips to Dublin.

L.M.S. 2-6-0, 2-6-2 and 2-6-4 locomotives. Rly Mag., 1934, 74,141-3. 4 illus., table.
A comparison of the W class with other L.M.S. designs.
NEW 2-6-0 locomotives for N.C.C.. Rly Obsr, 1933, 5, 101. illus.
[SECTIONALIZED diagram of the cylinder and valve gear of a N.C.C. 2-6-0]. Rly Gaz., 1935, 63, 644. diagr.
2-6-0 engines for the Northern Counties Committee, Ireland. Engineer, 1933, 156, 96. ilius., diagr. (s. & f. els.)
2-6-0 locomotives for the L.M.S.R. Northern Counties Committee. Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1933, 39, 237-8. illus.,diagr. (s. & f. els.)

1938 : Stanier tenders were fitted to the 1938, and subsequent, series.

MOGUL locomotives in Northern Ireland: the latest form of Ulster-built L.M.S.R. engines. Rly Gaz., 1944, 80, 336. illus.
2-6-0 locomotives, L.M.S.R., Northern Counties Committee. Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1938, 44, 167. diagr. (s. el.)

Two letters in Br. Rly J. relate to the "Stanier type" tenders fitted to these tenders and the last GNR(I) locomotives supplied by Beyer Peacock following WW2

Rowledge, J.W.P.Stanier tenders. Br. Rlys J., 3, 175.
See BRJ 21 (article on LMS 4000 gallon tenders): Mentions tenders of the Stanier type fitted to NCC Moguls (argues that six actually fitted) and to Beyer Peacock locomotives supplied to GNR (I). classes UG 0-6-0, U 4-4-0 and VS 4-4-0.
Coakham, D.G.Stanier tenders. Br. Rlys J., 3, 175.
See BRJ 21: information on the 2500 gallon "Stanier-type" tenders fitted to the GNR (I) U and UG classes and the 4000 gallon tenders fitted to the VS class. Queries whether design details came from NCC or from Derby. Cites Modern Transport.

Performance and testing

[INTERCHANGE trials: NCC 2-6-0 tested between Belfast and Dublin]. Rly Mag., 1935, 77, 385.
REMARKABLE locomotive working on the L.M.S., N.C.C. Section. Rly Gaz., 1935, 63, 644-5. 2 diagrs.

Retrospective

Arnold, R.M. NCC saga: the LMS in Northern Ireland. Newton Abbot: David & Charles, 1973.
Cited Rutherford (below). Ottley 9883. Not yet seen.
Currie, J.R.L. The Northern Counties Railway. 1973/4. Vol. 2.
This suggests that Major Malcolm Speir was the instigator of the design (the Mechanical Engineer had wanted a compound type). The tests instituted with the GNR(I) showed that the Moguls burnt less coal, but that the compounds used less water.
Mullay, A.J.  and Neil Parkhouse. Oil for coal: the plan to convert British steam locomotives to oil fuel, 1945-48. Rly Arch., 2006 (12). 4-15; 62-8.
This notes that W class Nos. 100/1 were converted for oil-burning in May and October 1947.
Radford, J.B. Derby Works and Midland locomotives. 1971. page 188-9
An order for four 2-6-0 two-cylindered superheated tender engines was filled to O/8207 of 16 November 1932 and carried running numbers 90-93. The design was derived from the LMS 2-6-4Ts and had outside cylinders, driven by 9in diameter piston valves having 63/8in travel, 19in x 26in cylinders. The leading pony truck had 3ft diameter driving wheels and the driving wheels on a 16ft 6in coupled wheelbase, were 6ft diameter. The Belpaire boiler, with an LMS superheater and pressed to 200psi carried 21 large and 121 small tubes, and the total evaporative surface was 1,080.75 ft², the superheater adding a further 266.25ft². Grate area was 25ft²t and the tractive effort was 22,1601bf. These boilers were built at Crewe.
Rutherford, Michael Northern Counties Committee - the LMS in Ireland. Railway Reflections [No. 46]. Backtrack, 1998, 12, 564-72.
Includes information about the W type which Rutherford considers may have been the fastest locomotives ever to work in Ireland. NCC tended to be an improvement upon Derby practice: notably the magnificent 2-6-0s. Includes biographical information about Malcolm

0-6-0

V: 1923: Wallace

SUPERHEATER locomotives for the London, Midland and Scottish Ry., Northern Counties Committee. Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1924, 30, 40-1. 2 illus., Addenda p. 102.

Retrospective

Radford, J.B. Derby Works and Midland locomotives. 1971. page 163.
Order O/5649 was for three 0-6-0 superheated goods tender engines of the V class, for the NCC numbered 71-73 and quickly renumbered 13-15. They had 5ft 2½in diameter driving wheels at 7ft 5in + 7ft 10in centres and inside cylinders 19in diameter by 24in stroke, inclined at 1 in 9 to the horizontal, driven by 8in diameter piston valves. Working pressure was 170psi, and the heating surface was originally 1,1,58.5ft². The grate area was 18.6ft². A six wheeled tender of 2,090gal water capacity and 6 tons coal capacity was provided, with outside springing above the footplate.

4-4-0

Two-cylinder compounds: Derby: 1905

Radford noted four 4-4-0 two-cylinder compound tender locomotives, Nos 63-6, built at Derby to orders 2833 and 2834 (tenders) in July, 1904. The driving wheels were 6ft diameter. The boiler had 1,054 ft² heating surface, firebox 112 ft² totalling 1166ft² and was pressed to 190psi. The two inside cylinders were 18 x 24in (high pressure) and 26 x 24in (low pressure).

U class: 1914
Radford (page 150) noted that Nos 69 and 70 were built to O/4369 (engines) and O/4370 (tenders). These had 6ft diameter driving wheels. The inside cylinders were 19in diameter x 24in stroke and were driven by 8in diameter piston valves operated through inside Walschaerts valve gear. The boiler pressed to 170psi and was superheated.

U2: 1924:
This class, which was based on Fowler's modernized 2P class, originally consisted of ten new locomotives. These were constructed at Derby, but the class was supplemented by a number of earlier locomotives modified to conform with the new design.

NEW express engines, L.M.S.R.-Northem Counties Committee. Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1924, 30, 295-6. illus., diagr. (s. el.)
NEW 4-4-0 locomotive, L.M.S.R. (Northern Counties Section), Ireland. Rly Mag., 1924, 55, 314. illus.

1926: U class No. 70 rebuilt as a U2 type.

REBUILT passenger engine, L.M. & S. Ry. (Northern Counties Committee). Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1926, 32, 383. illus.

4-4-0: modifications to earlier designs

B3:1925 :
Nos. 24, 60 and 61 were rebuilt with Ul boilers.

REBUILT express locomotives: L.M. & S. Ry., Northern Counties Committee. Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1925, 31, 243-6. 4 illus., 4 diagrs. (s. els.)

Ul : 1925 :
No. 1, formerly a 2-cylinder compound, was rebuilt as a simple engine. It was also fitted with an LMS G7 boiler.

REBUILT express locomotives: L.M. & S. Ry., Northern Counties Committee. Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1925, 31, 243-6.4 illus., 4 diagrs. (s. els.)

Tank engines

2-6-4T

WT:1946:
This was a tank engine version of the W 2-6-0 class. They were the last steam locomotives to operate in normal service in any part of Ireland.

NEW locomotives for L.M.S.R. (N.C.C.). Rly Mag., 1947, 93, 33. illus., diagr. (s. el.)
NEW locomotives for L.M.S.R. (N.C.C.): 2-6-4 tank engines, recently delivered from Derby Works. Rly Gaz., 1946, 85, 472. illus., diagr. (s. el.)
NEW locomotives for N.C.C.. Rly pict., 1946/47, 1, (1), 62-3. 2 illus., diagr. (s. & f. els.)
NEW 2-6-4 tanks for the Northern Counties Committee (L.M.S). Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1946, 52, 162-3. 2 illus., diagr. (s. & f. els.)
2-6-4 tank locomotive for Northern Ireland. Engineering, 1946, 162, 403. illus.

Retrospective and critical
Arnold, R.M. The N.C.C. 2-6-4 tanks. Rly Wld, 1964, 25, 504+. 4 illus.
Includes performance.
Radford, J.B. Derby Works and Midland locomotives. 1971. page 200
Ivaft's first design was a batch of ten 2-6-4 tank engines, for the NCC. Two orders were built at Derby during 1946-7: O/669: locomotive Nos NCC 5-8 and O/1674 numbers: 1-4, 9 and 10. These were a development of the LMS 2-6-4T engines, but with 6ft driving wheels, and were Classified WT by the NCC. The two outside cylinders were 19in x 26in stroke and weight in working order was 87.5 tons. The boilers provided were generally standard with the 2-6-0 tender locomotives built previously, somewhat modified by the addition of a self cleaning smokebox, rocking firegrate and self emptying ashpan. The boiler also incorporated top feed apparatus, unusual on the LMS for a parallel boiler, as was the circular handwheel in the centre of the smokebox door, a relic of BNCR locomotive practice. The livery, as turned out, was black with straw lining and maroon edging, and the number was displayed on a cast plate on the bunker sides, the side tanks carrying the letters "NCC". To despatch these from Derby the completed locomotives had to be partially dismantled, the boiler side-tanks and bunker went in three wagons and the main frames went on a special flat vehicle. Upon arrival in Ireland the main frames were placed on,the leading and trailing driving wheels and hauled to the NCC shops for the remainder, of the locomotive to be re-assembled. The first was delivered to Belfast on 6 August 1946: the remainder following at fortnightly intervals.

0-6-0T

Currie, J.R.L. The Northern Counties Railway. Newton Abbot: David & Charles, 1973/4. 2 vols.
On p. 188 notes that two LMS 3F shunting locomotives modified and sent across in 1944.

Narrow gauge lines (which became part of NCC excluding CDJR)
Middlemass covers all of these as does Patterson: Middlemass lists the following individual lines: Ballymena, Cushendall & Red Bay Railway; the Ballymena & Larne Railway (opened on 24 August 1878 and lasted until 1950). and the Ballycastle Railway (opened 18 October 1880, absorbed into LMS (NCC) in 1924 and also lated until 1950). There was also the Portstewart Tramway.

Patterson, E.M. The Ballycastle Railway a history of the narrow-gauge railways of North east Ireland. Part I. Dawlish (Devon), David & Charles, 1965. 154 p. + col. front. & 20 plates. 41 illus., 6 diagrs., 19 tables, 8 maps, map. Bibliog.
Patterson, E.M.The Ballymena lines : a history of the narrow gauge railways of North East Ireland. Part 2. Newton Abbot (Devon), David & Charles, 1968. 200 p. + col. front. + 16 plates. 40 illus. (incl. 4 ports.), 10 diagrs., 32 tables, 21 plans, 4 maps. Bibliog.
Colourpoint edition now available

Ballycastle Railway
Following locomotives listed by Middlemass

Ballymena, Cushendall & Red Bay Railway
Opened on 8 October 1876 to convey iron ore and later modified to carry passenger traffic: closed to all traffic in 1937. Three 0-4-2ST locomotives: Black Hawthorn: WN 301-3 of 1874. Running numbers 1-3. No. 3 as BNCR No. 103 withdrawn in 1911: other two, by then 101A and 102A, withdrawn in 1922, following their use on the Agrigna Vallery extension of the Cavan & Leitrim Railway where they proved very popular. Later worked by other NCC 3ft gauge locomotives listed by Middlemass.

Ballymena & Larne Railway
Following locomotives listed by Middlemass: the locomotives did not receive names, yet in some cases were renumbered three times: by the Belfast & Northern Counties Railway and then by the NCC. Each of these companies alos built locomotives for the line: in the case of the last they were actually built at the York Road Works in Belfast. The first locomotive is also of interest in being identical to those supplied by Beyer Peacock to the Isle of Man Railway. All the orginal locomotives were supplied by Beyer Peacock:

The B&NCR locomotives were both supplied by Beyer Peacock in 1892 (WN 3463-4): they were 2-4-2Ts and rceived running numbers 69 and 70 (NCC 110/111): both were Malcolm Bowman two-cylinder compounds: class S. They were withdrawn in 1946 and 1950: the latter ran over a million miles. Four further two-cylinder compounds were built for the NCC at York Road Works: Nos. 112 and 113 in 1908/9 (class S1); and 103/4 in 1919/20 (class S). With the exception of No. 103 (withdrawn in 1938) these lasted until the end of the railway. Van Riemsdijk p. 18 noted that they were "very successful".

4-4-2T (narrow gauge)

T:
The two locomotives, which formed this class (NCC Nos. 113 and 114), were constructed for the Ballycastle Railway. In 1924 the NCC absorbed the Ballycastle Railway and in 1929 the T class was rebuilt to conform with the NCC loading gauge.

REBUILT narrow gauge side tank locomotive, L.M. & S. Ry. (Northern Counties Committee). Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1929, 35, 352-3. illus., diagr. (s. el.)

Retrospective and critical

Boyd, J.I.C. The Ballycastle Railway. Rly Mag., 1952, 98, 338-43; 322-3. 7 illus., map.
Macnab, I. Narrow gauge locomotives, No. 2 4-4-2 tank No. 114 of the Northern Counties Committee (LM.S.R.). Railways, 1943, 4, 126. 4 illus. (incl. 3 line drawings s. els.)
Patterson, E.M. The Ballycastle Railway a history of the narrow-gauge railways of North east Ireland. Part I. 1965.
Includes detailed notes on the locomotives.

2-4-4T (narrow gauge)

S:1932 :
One 2-cylinder compound tank engine was rebuilt with a larger boiler. At the same time it was converted from a 2-4-2T into a 2-4-4T.

REBUILT narrow gauge compound tank locomotive, L.M. & S. Ry. — Northern Counties Committee. Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1932, 38, 382. diagr. (s. el.)

Steam railcars

Radford p.127: In 1905 (Order 2915), Derby constructed two steam motor-coaches numbered 90 and 91 with J1 class boilers but with shorter barrel and a firebox 3ft 7½ x 3ft 73/8in. The driving wheels were 3ft 7¼in diameter. The outside cylinders were 9 x 15in and boiler pressure was 160psi. Accommodation was provided for six first-class passengers, 16 third-class non-smoking and 24 'smoking" third-class passengers. Radford illustrated one of these cars on Plate 70,.

Belfast & North Counties Railway

Malcolm 2-4-0 No. 58

Failure of firebox near Antrim: led to increase in number of boiler examinations. (Currie)

Belfast and County Down Railway:
With the exception of the surburban line from Belfast to Bangor, the system was closed in 1950, shortly after its absorption by the Ulster Transport Authority. It was a small railway, but some post-1923 locomotive development took place. Its locomotive history was interesting in that it extended back to the Bury period. A complication in its history was the existence of a separate Belfast, Holywood & Bangor Railway which obtained locomotives from the BCDR and returned them, plus others to th BCDR in 1884.

Fayle, H. Belfast & County Down Rly., and its locomotives. Loco. Rly Carr. Wagon Rev., 1941, 47, 215-17; 239-41; 262-5: 1942, 48, 12-14; 37-40. 27 illus. (incl. line drawing s.el.), map.
The LAST days of the Belfast & County Down Railway. Rly Mag., 1950, 96, 267-9. 2 illus.
McNeill, D.B. The Belfast and County Down Railway. Rly Obsr, 1935, 7, 216-17. table.
Parkes, G.D. Exit steam on the Belfast & County Down. Rly Wld, 1955, 16, 59-60. 4 illus.
Patterson, E.M. The Belfast & County Down Railway. Lingfield (Surrey), Oakwood Press, 1958. liii , 51 p. + 8 plates. 22 illus., diagr., 2 tables, 2 maps. (Oakwood library of railway history. No. 15).
Includes a chapter on locomotive development and gives a complete listing reproduced below.
Reed, K.H. Locomotives of the B.C.D.R.. Rly Mag., 1939, 84, 416-22.15 illus., table.
Mainly illustrations and tabulated technical data.

The following is based upon Patterson (some of the uncertainty is due to the loss of records during German bombing of Belfast during WW2):
Bury period:
2-2-2: 1848-
Believed to have been 2-2-2 supplied by Bury, Curtis & Kennedy; ordered 1846; delivered 1848. Numbered 1-4. No. 4 was sold in 1858; Nos. 1 and 3 in 1865, but No. 2 probably lasted until about 1883.

2-2-2WT: Fairbairn: 1850-1
Fayle suggested were 2-2-2WT: Numbered as 1 and 2 tank engines until 1859; thence as Nos. 4 and 5. Lasted until 1877 and 1867.

2-4-0T: Beattie patent: Beyer Peacock: 1857-9
Ordered in 1856 (WN 53/1857; 55/1858 and 104/1859). First two had 15 x 22in cylinders and 5ft 6in coupled wheels and last had 12 x 18in cylinders with 5ft coupled wheels. First two lasted until 1896 and 1894. The smaller locomotive may have been withdrawn in 1880: it is illustrated (photograph) in Fig. 8..

0-4-2: Fairbairn: 1859
Two freight engines numbered 8 and 9 which lasted until 1886/7

2-4-0ST: Vulcan Foundry: 1864-
Works numbers: 508/1864; 537-8/1865; 561/1866 and 590/1867 and 793/1876 and 797/1876 were either supplied directly to the BCDR, or in the case of the 1876 locomotives directly to the separate Belfast, Holywood & Bangor Railway. WN 537/8 became BHBR Nos. 1 and 2 in 1870, but returned to the BCDR in 1884 following the Company's absorption. Fig. 2 shows one of these locomotives at Ballynahinch in c1900. The two more recent locomotives remained in sdervice until 1909..

Further Belfast, Holywood & Bangor Railway locomotive
A Sharp 2-2-2 (formerly Ulster Railway, and BCDR, perhaps lasted only a few months on absorption; or it may have been ex-Ulster Railway Spitfire; altered to a 2-2-2WT and used on Belfast & Ballymena Railway from 1849 as Hawk; then rebuilt as 2-4-0T being sold to BHBR and used as a ballast engine for Bangor extension.

2-4-0ST: Yorkshire Engine Co.: 1870
WN 151-2 supplied to Belfast, Holywood & Bangor Railway and absorbed into BCDR stock: Withdrawn 1891.

Fowler tank locomotive: 1867
Ordered in 1866; withdrawn in 1882. Numbered as No. 1

2-4-0: Manning Wardle: 1868
WN 261/2: former rebuilt 1874 and 1883; latter in earlier year only. Originally had an American appearance with side window cabs. Running numbers 12 and 13: No. 12 lasted until 1904; No. 13 withdrawn 1888 and possibly cannibalized to keep No. 12 running.

0-6-0: Vulcan: 1875
WN 746. Goods engine, numbered 14; first on line to haul six-wheeled tender. Lasted until 1904.

0-6-0: Beyer, Peacock: 1878
WN 1789: engine was rather like the Vulcan goods; allocated number 4, vacant from scrapping of the original No. 1 tank engine. Lasted until 1922.

R.G. Miller period
First signs of standardisation became evident.

0-4-2 mixed traffic engines: Sharp, Stewart: 1880-1890
WN 2879/1880; 3358/1886; 3392/1887; 3432/1888 and 3615/1890. Running numbers: 2, 9, 10, 13 and 16. All were converted to tank engines in BCDR shops between 1900 and 1902 and thereafter were mainly on shunting and branch line work. No. 9 was in reserve stock from 1945; and was renumbered 28: withdrawn in 1949.

0-4-2: BCDR: 1881
At the Board meeting in February 1882 it was minuted that "A new engine and tender built in the company's workshops has been put upon the line. . " This was numbered 8, and very little data remains, but was probably built from bits and pieces, the main contributions coming from the original no. 2 Bury engine: its life was short.

0-4-2T: Fairbairn/Sharp Stewart
Two engines of chequered history were taken into stock in 1882 and 1883. They appear to have been built by Fairbairn, just before the closure of its works in 1863, and were then acquired by Sharp, Stewart. They were bought by the Newry & Armagh Railway in 1864 and became part of the GNR (I) stock in 1879, which disposed of them as No. 80 and 82, in 1883 and 1882 respectively. Details of their transfer to the BCDR are obscure, but they were considered in detail by H. C. Fayle in The Locomotive. They appear BCDR Nos. 1 and 8: No.8 was withdrawn in 1897, being cannibalised to repair No. 1, which ran until 1909.

2-4-2T: Beyer, Peacock 1891
In 1891 Miller ordered a class of four 2-4-2T engines with inside cylinders compounding on the Worsdell von Borries principle. They were characterised by high-pitched boilers, Walschaerts valve gear, small driving wheels, and short side tanks. They were WN 3358-61; running numbers 18-22. Fig. 9 shows No. 22 in its original state. They mainly worked to Bangor; but proved too rigid on the curves, and the single leading axles were replaced by outside-bearing bogies, becoming 4-4-2Ts in about 1893. Patterson stated that between 1903 and 1905 No. 21 was further altered, when the 18¼ in. by 24 in. "compound cylinders" were removed and temporarily replaced by 17 in. by 24 in. simples: this would seem to imply that the high pressure cylinder was replaced. All scrapped in 1920.

2-4-0: Beyer, Peacock: 1892
WN 3511-13: running numbers 23-5. Wordsdell von Borries compounds (2-cylinder type): cylinders were 16/23¼ in. by 24 in. They were mostly used for main-line working. In 1920 withdrawn and scrapped.

0-6-0: Beyer, Peacock: 1892
Beyer, Peacock supplied a second 0-6-0 engine, which was numbered 26. This engine saw much service on the Donaghadee branch, working both goods and passenger trains, until 1950.

2-4-0: Beyer, Peacock: 1892
The conversion to simples of the compound passenger class of 2-4-0 engines, built in 1892, was anticipated by the building in 1894 of a 2-4-0 simple with 6 ft. driving wheels. This engine far outlasted its fellows; although on the reserve list at the beginning of World War II it was reprieved and was given a Belpaire firebox in 1943, with a boiler identical with the then standard class of 4-4-2 tanks. It proved its worth on Newcastle trains, handling them with elan as late as January 1950. After the closure of the main line it never ran again, and for some years it lay under cover in the motor shed at Queen's Quay before being finally auctioned along with most of its younger brethren on 19 January 1956.

2-4-2T: Beyer, Peacock: 1896-7
Miller extended his standardisation policy in 1896-97 when six 2-4-2Ts were supplied by Beyer, Peacock: WN 3853-4/1896 (running numbers 5 and 7) followed by WN 3868-9/1897 running numbers: 8 and 27 and WN 3882-3 (28 and 29). Driving wheels were 5 ft 6 in. diameter, a standard size on later passenger engines. No. 29 was scrapped in 1923, 8 in 1925, and 28 in 1937. In 1928 Nos. 7 and 27 had their cylinders lined: these two, together with No. 5, worked through WW2. The first two engines of the class (5 and 7) had shorter side tanks than the 1897 versions; Patterson puzzingly stated that No. 27 retained its short side tanks until 1943; when it was brought into line with the other two still running. 5 and 7 went for scrap in 1949; 27 followed in October 1950.

0-6-0: Beyer, Peacock: 1904
A further 0-6-0 goods engine was supplied by Beyer, Peacock (WN 4594) to take over No. 14 from the old Vulcan 0-6-0. This was the first on the line to have a Belpaire firebox, and its total heating surface of 1305 ft² was the greatest of any engine owned by the company. Later the total heating surface was slightly reduced when a new boiler was fitted. The engine scrapped in 1954.

0-6-0: Beyer, Peacock: 1914
WN 5842 (No. 10) had similar cylinder dimensions to No. 14, but had a larger boiler when new, working at 170 psi with a total heating surface of 1438 ft². Subsequent reboilering led to reduced working pressure of 160 psi. Scrapped in 1956.

0-6-0: Beyer, Peacock: 1921
A further 0-6-0 goods engine WN 6072/1921 came in 1921, becoming No. 4. It was similar to the 1914 locomotive, but the total heating surface was slightly reduced. It worked excursion trains of up to sixteen 6-wheelers to Newcastle. Withdrawn 1956.

Steam railcars (rail motors): Kitson:
Rowledge states that these were Kitson WN 4296-7/1905 and 4383/1906. Patterson's tabulated data state that were Beyer Peacock products, but text states Kitson. A growth in commuter traffic led to a rail motor service to Holywood from May 1905. Stopping trains ran frequently to Holywood and the Bangor trains were accelerated by omitting stops. Three rail motors came from Kitson: each consisted of a clerestory-roofed coach with a rear-end bogie, the front being rigidly fixed to a 0-4-0 tank engine which could be detached when necessary. The boiler operated at 160 psi and had a Belpaire firebox; total heating surface was 505 ft². These rail motors were separately numbered from the engine stock. The use of the rail motors was extended to the suburban traffic of east Belfast, and they ran as far as Dundonald. They had a short life being withdrawn after 1918, the engines being scrapped in 1924, but the coach portions were given ordinary bogies and ran until the end of steam workings.

4-4-2T: Beyer, Peacock: 1901-9
Beyer, Peacock built the the largest class of engines on the BCDR. These 4-4-2 tank engines were successfully used on all portions of the system. In spite of their modest tractive effort of 14,292 lbf, they coped with long trains of 6-wheeled carriages to and from Newcastle on Saturday excursions and at holiday times. WN 4231-3/1901 (30, 3 and 15) formed the first batch; WN 4585-6/1904 (11 and 12) followed. All had flush-topped fireboxes when built. Three further engines were added in 1909 (WN 5262-4) numbered 1, 17, and 20. These differed in having Belpaire fireboxes and boiler pressures raised to 175 psi from 160 psi, although later the lower figure was reverted to.

Crosthwait period

4-4-2T: Beyer, Peacock: 1921
Rehabilitation at the end of WW1 resulted in the scrapping of nearly a third of the stock. To replace them, Miller's successor, ordered a further four of the 4-4-2 tanks, and these were delivered in 1921 (WN 6073-4/6091/6098) becoming 13, 18, 19, and 21. Differences from the earlier engines included trailing Cartazzi axles, placed an inch further from the rear coupled wheels. Boiler pressure was 160 psi. Eventually all locomotives in the class were fitted with Belpaire fireboxes.

4-6-4T: Beyer, Peacock: 1920
The literature on the Miller/Crosthwait Baltic tanks is more extensive. Patterson stated that Beyer, Peacock delivered the four "massive" Baltic' tank engines WN 5999-6002 (22, 23, 24 and 25) in 1920. These were a characteristic feature of Bangor workings for over thirty years. The Baltics remained the heaviest tank engines on any Irish line until the introduction of the NCC 2-6-4 tanks from Derby in 1946. They had 19 x 26 in. outside cylinders and Walschaerts valve gear. They never became noted for sprightly performance, and in their latter years, competing with imported ex-NCC tanks, they appeared decidedly sluggish. At the same time their coal consumption became notorious, and a figure of 70 lb. per mile was attributed to them by harassed crews. The total heating surface was 1622 ft², and tractive effort 19,340 lbf. Water and coal capacity were 2000 gallons and 4 tons respectively, and the weight in working order was over 80 tons. They were scrapped in 1956. Owing to their weight they were kept to the Bangor line, but sho