Thanks to a generous preservationist, DCDR has been presented with the opportunity to preserve the last surviving CIÉ cement ‘bubble’ wagon, No.25199, but we need your help.
As you can imagine, transporting a rail vehicle, even a small one, is not cheap, with £1700-1800 being the ballpark figure we need to raise for transport alone. Some of our volunteers have already pledged donations, but we need YOUR help to get us over the line and make this happen.
Apart from the major cost of moving the vehicle, we will also need to spend money prepping this wagon for display.
This opportunity won’t present itself again, and any donation, small or large, will be very much appreciated. If successful, we would envisage that the wagon will go on display at Downpatrick, and, hopefully, will take part in demonstration freight trains for special events (our ballast hoppers have already proved quite popular at our diesel days).
This is the ONLY chance to ensure the preservation of this historically important, iconic wagon – if we miss it, it’s gone forever. Please support our appeal and help us ensure that this bubble doesn’t end up burst.
You can donate online here, and make a note in the comment/notes section stating that you would like it to go towards the cement wagon.
In addition, our friends at Irish Railway Models have pledged to donate £5 from the sale of each of their cement bubble model packs between now and the end of September 2025. You can order yours here.
Thank you for your support.