152 is one of 37 141 class locos, built by General Motors for CIÉ in 1962; this class also included 146. She was originally numbered B152, the locomotives were used all over the CIÉ and later Iarnród Éireann/Irish Rail network, both on their own and in multiple (both within class and with the 121 and 181 types). They were also frequent visitors to the Northern Ireland Railways system, regularly working the ‘Enterprise’ from Dublin to Belfast, in addition to cross border freight services.
The 141 Class locos proved to be highly versatile locomotives, performing on everything from Cork expresses to rural freight services. In their early years they managed to visit some parts of the Irish railway network that have since disappeared, such as the Sligo-Claremorris line, the Loughrea branch and they also got at least far as Omagh on the ‘Derry Road’ from Portadown. In the 1970s, CIÉ dispensed with the ‘letter’ classification system, and B152 simply became 152.
They were displaced from top-link services in the late 1970s by the larger GM 071 class locomotives, but 141s continued to work across the system and were the backdown of many secondary passenger services well into the early 1990s, and persisted on branchline and cross country workings into the 2000s. With the withdrawal of the last E class diesel shunters in the 1980s, the 141 class locomotives found a role on shunting and station pilot duties in terminal stations such as Connolly and Heuston, and also Dublin’s North Wall freight yards. They also handled a lot of freight traffic, and were favoured by the Permanent Way Department for use on infrastructure trains. On occasion the locomotives were also loaned to Northern Ireland Railways as needed.
With a handful of exceptions, most of the 141 class locos continued in service well into the new millennium, with a gradual withdrawal commencing from around 2007 onwards as freight traffic declined and newer Intercity Railcar units allowed enough 071 and 201 classes to take over their remaining duties. 152 was one of the last in mainline service, finishing up on ballast train duties in the west of Ireland before withdrawal in early 2010.
152 was then purchased by the Irish Traction Group. While the group already had another 141 class loco, 146, 152 was bought as a useful source of strategic spares (it’s as easy to buy a whole locomotive as to strip individual ones for spares). Many of these spares are also compatible with the group’s other ‘small GM’ locomotives, 124 and 190. In 2010 she was moved to the West Clare Railway at Moyasta Junction, Co Clare, for display in a museum project that unfortunately hasn’t proved possible yet. The Agreement was reached for the ITG to move its Moyasta-based locomotives to Downpatrick in 2024, with 152 moving to her new home in June 2025. While it’s not likely to run again, she is nonetheless a useful asset to the railway as a source of spares to keep her sister GM locos running.