At a glance:
Builder: Great Southern & Western Railway (Inchicore Works)
Build date: 1902
Original company: Great Southern & Western Railway
Withdrawal date: 1968
Final company: Córas Iompair Éireann
Arrived at DCDR: 1986
Current status: Stored
Current owner: DCDR

DCDR has two of these ballast hoppers, 8314 and 8411. They were built at Inchicore in 1902 by the Great Southern & Western Railway, and throughout their working lives were to be found all across the Irish railway network. Unlike modern ballast hoppers, they simply deposit stone into the middle of the track, whilst a plough van (an example of which we also have in our collection) would travel behind the spread it out.

The two hoppers were withdrawn by CIÉ some time in the late 1960s, and by 1986 had wound up in Mullingar, where they were purchased by us. In August that year they were lifted onto a lorry and taken to Downpatrick, and would later be pressed into use as we laid our line to Inch Abbey. Following the opening of the Inch Abbey lines the hoppers were taken out of service in need of overhaul, though neither time nor funding has permitted this to date.

One hopper was scrapped in March 2023 as it was beyond repair, and the arrival of ballast hoppers and a plough van from Iarnród Éireann meant there was no further need for it.  The other hopper is retained for eventual restoration for in a freight vehicle display.