After a 24 year stay in Downpatrick, former NIR Leyland Railbus RB3 has been transferred to the ownership of the Gwendraeth Valley Railway in Wales. This heritage line has a restricted loading gauge caused by some low bridges, meaning that most mainline rolling stock isn’t able to traverse the line. However, RB3 will be perfect, and we are sure it is going to a good home, alongside the ‘cut-down class 08s and the Leyland prototype hauled coach; it will certainly be in good company.
Apart from regauging, work required will include a mechanical overhaul, minor body repairs as well as a repaint and a refurb inside. Many of its body components are shared with the Leyland National Bus design, so support should be possible from the bus preservation community in Great Britain. It’s also a good location for access to the right people and components for regauging, with many components common to the BR Class 142-144 ‘Pacers’.
We reviewed our rolling stock collection in 2023 with a view to seeing if anything could be disposed of, and what the chances were of restoring each unused vehicle. Given its lack of accessibility for wheelchairs, prams, etc, not mention its relatively low capacity, this railbus was never going to be a priority for us and was likely to sit in a siding in our yard for many years. We offered it for transfer to other railway groups and museums in Ireland but there were no takers, so we advertised more widely. Our preference was that the railbus go to a railway or museum where the railbus would be accessible to the public, at least as a static exhibit, but preferably as a working train (eventually).
The Gwendraeth Valley Railway were one of the first to get in touch with us, leaping at the chance of acquiring this historically important vehicle for use on their line, and they ticked all the boxes for our requirements to get as good a home as possible for RB3.
On Saturday 7th June, Stuart Thomas from the Gwendraeth Valley Railway was welcomed to our railway prior to the railbus’ departure the following day. He left with a crate of drawings and documentation for the railbus, along with some spare glass for side windows. In addition, we some seating moquette and two spare windscreen glass panels into the railbus as well. We’re not sure if Stuart has recovered from the local delicacy of a ‘filled soda’ for lunch or not!
The operation to ship RB3 to a facility in England for storage ahead of the restoration work was pretty involved, literally a year in the planning. Tying in with the transfer of Irish Traction Group locomotives from Moyasta to Downpatrick meant that both parties could save a bit of money, with the railbus going as a ‘back load’ on what would have been an otherwise empty lorry trailer on the ferry.
On Sunday 8th June 2025, after the ITG’s GM loco 152 was offloaded, G611 had the pleasure of propelling RB3 through the Carriage Gallery and workshop one last time, before it was winched onto the road trailer and headed off on its journey.
We wish our friends at the Gwendraeth Valley Railway good luck with this project, and we will be watching any progress with interest.
