CIÉ constructed hundreds of covered goods wagons throughout the 1950s and 60s to replace their ageing and non-standard fleet of GSWR, MGWR and DSER wagons. 18864 is one such van. O.V.S Bullied deisgned a common triangular frame for goods wagons. These vans had this uniform design with four wheels and three-link instanter couplings. Staff knew 18864 and its classmates as ‘H Vans’.
CIÉ built this H-Van in Inchicore in 1953. It operated on goods trains all cross Ireland over its career, from Derry to Cork, Galway to Belfast and anywhere in between. As well as goods use, the vans also ran in permanent way trains as mobile tool stores. CIÉ withdrew 18864 from service some time in the late 1980s.
Many H vans survive today as grounded bodies on farms across the country. We believe that ours is the only preserved example in railway use. We acquired it in 1990 along with a former GSWR ballast plough van. For much of their DCDR careers, we have often paired the two up. We installed 18864 with a generator in the mid-2000s to power the Halloween display at Magnus Grave. It soon earned the nickname ‘Roaring Meg’ as a result.
In 2024, we decided to refurbish the CIE H van for use as a static generator for special events at locations such as the Loop Platform where no mains electricity is available.