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6111, covered with tarpaulins, being delivered to Downpatrick
6111, covered with tarpaulins, being delivered to Downpatrick

Stored

Vehicle status: Stored

CIÉ AEC 6111

6111, covered with tarpaulins, being delivered to Downpatrick

6111 began life as one of 60 powered railcar vehicles built for CIÉ by Park Royal using traction equipment provided by the Associated Equipment Company (AEC) in May 1953. Originally, our example was numbered 2624 and was powered by underfloor engines – costing the equivalent of £500,000 each, the AEC railcars played a key role […]

GSWR 1097

Carriage 1097 seen as part of a train on the north line to Inch Abbey

Although its early history is unclear, it is believed that 1097 was originally constructed in the 1910s and rebuilt after being damaged during the Irish Civil War. In its current form, it was among the last vehicles built by the Great Southern and Western Railway, and probably entered service under the ownership of its successor, […]

CIÉ Buffet Carriage 2419

Diner carriage 2419 in service at Downpatrick in our early days

2419 was built at Inchicore in 1956 as one of four buffet carriages. It had seating for 39 second class passengers, split across two saloons at each end of the carriage with the buffet counter in the middle. Initially it ran as part of an AEC railcar set, with a cocktail bar and trolley service. […]

Wickham Railcar 712

A sorry looking 712 outside the old loco shed at Downpatrick.

712 is one of five inspection trolleys built in 1962 for CIÉ by Wickham of Ware. Designed to the Type 40 MkIIZ specification, it was equipped with a Ford Zephyr engine, and was used by CIÉ track gangs on inspections of the permanent way. 712 was withdrawn in 1997 and preserved by the Irish Traction […]

SLNCR Railcar B

Railcar B in happier days in service, long before arriving at Downpatrick.

Railcar B was built by Walker Brothers of Wigan for the Sligo, Leitrim and Northern Counties Railway (SLNCR) in 1947. Costing £10,500 (£400,000 in today’s money), this Walker railcar was acquired to reduce the operating costs the SLNCR incurred for its low levels of passenger traffic; a purchase inspired by the Great Northern Railway’s railcars […]

CIÉ E432

E432 stored in the loco yard at Downpatrick.

CIÉ constructed E432 in 1963 at their Inchicore Works. Part of the 14-strong ‘E Class’, the loco carries a Mayback power unit. The E Class worked as shunters, mainly in the Dublin area but also in Cork and Limerick. Originally,  CIÉ intended to run the E Class at 60mph on mixed traffic branch line trains. […]

CIÉ G611

G611 next to a restored carriage in the locomotive yard.

G611 is one of the five diesel locomotives at Downpatrick owned by our good friends, the Irish Traction Group. Built by Deutz of Cologne, West Germany in 1962 for CIÉ, the G Class to which G611 belongs was intended for light branch line work and shunting- with that in mind it isn’t hard to work […]

CIÉ G613

G613 leads a train out of Downpatrick station.

G613 is a G611 class diesel-hydraulic locomotive built by Deutz of Cologne, West Germany, in 1962 for Córas Iompair Éireann. The G611s were an upgraded verion of their G601 predecessors – slightly more powerful, heavier, and fitted with a pair of vacuum exhausters, they were intended for light branch line work and shunting. With that in […]

CIÉ C231

C231 on a test run through Downpatrick platform.

C231 is one of the five Irish Traction Group-owned locomotives at DCDR. It was built in 1956 by Metropolitan Vickers at their works in Dukinfield, near Manchester for CIÉ. C231 was part of an order of 34 ‘C Class’ locomotives, built alongside 60 ‘A Class’ locomotives which were larger versions of the same design. The […]