Riley in Ireland, A Photographic Odyssey

Riley in Ireland A Photographic Odyssey

Compiled by Michael McMahon

© Images and design: R C Riley / The Transport Treasury 2020. Text Michael McMahon ISBN 978-1-913893-01-9 First Published in 2020 by Transport Treasury Publishing Ltd. 16 Highworth Close, High Wycombe, HP13 7PJ Totem Publishing, an imprint of Transport Treasury Publishing.

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‘Riley in Ireland’ is one of a series of books on specialist transport subjects published in strictly limited numbers and produced under the Totem Publishing imprint using material only available at The Transport Treasury.

Front cover (1) T2 Class 4-4-2T No 5 has departed Dundalk Junction Station (telegraphic code DKJ) with a Dublin-bound train on the GNR main line and clatters over the crossing beside Square Crossing Dundalk signal cabin. (Dundalk Central signal cabin is visible through the road bridge, roughly opposite the end of the train.) The east-west crossing line connected Quay Street station on the Dundalk, Newry & Greenore Railway with Dundalk West Junction on the old Irish North Western route to Clones. A curve westwards from DKJ made a trailing connection at Dundalk West Junction; all services to and from Greenore had to make a reversing movement over this loop to connect with the main Dundalk station. (The Irish equivalent of manoeuvres necessary for the Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway to connect at Templecombe.) Returning to the main line, the large building on the right was the GNR’s general store with offices above. The bay window on the building housed the office of a senior official who from this vantage point could keep an eye out for illicit activity in the works yard. The stub siding on the left which ended hard against the east-west line is holding No 85 (see image No 23.) Parked on the stores siding are two vans, the right hand of which is a 6-wheel passenger brake van adapted for departmental use. The wheels and axles to the far right are outside the wagon shop which is out of view. RCR 2199 to 3948 (129) Frontispiece (2) Queen’s Quay-Bangor was the busiest route of the Belfast & County Down Railway (12 miles with a dozen stops between termini).

The fleet’s backbone were the 4-4-2T “Bogie Tanks”, introduced in 1901 which worked until 1953. They had replaced 2-4-2Ts which were then cascaded to rural duties. Beyer Peacock Nos 17 and 21 (the UTA quickly added “200”) stand at the Queen’s Quay turntable; No 217 is in new lined black livery while its companion retains its handsome BCDR green. The latter was soon repainted, before withdrawal the same year. Sister No 30 is preserved in the Irish Railway Gallery at the Ulster Folk & Transport Museum. RCR 2199 to 3948 (65) Rear Cover (82) Dundalk, Newry & Greenore Railway 0-6-0ST No 4 Newry (supplied by Crewe in January 1876 for the Greenore-Newry extension) is believed to have been destined for Greenore in this view (most photographic sources show the brake van at the Dundalk end). From the 1870s, the DNGR was pure LNWR in design and livery of locomotives and coaches. Unfortunately the angle prevents confirmation that this rake is in chocolate and off-white. This was another case of lucky timing for Dick Riley as the DNGR, which had been managed by the GNR since 1 July 1933, closed completely on 31 December 1951. RCR 2199 to 3948 (119)

Riley in Ireland - A photographic Odyssey ere is something different from the photographic collection of H Dick Riley whose work drew so much upon railway activities in his native South London and from annual summer holidays often spent in the West Country. In May 1950 he spent around a week in Ireland, from Dublin northwards on what was a rare, possibly unique, photographic journey outside Britain.

This must have been a busy visit. He covered a quite compact geographic area that was home to an unusually diverse range of companies, motive power and rolling stock. The timing was perfect as modernisation was about to set foot and rationalisation would soon deny the land of so many railway oddities and idiosyncrasies. By 1950, changes in ownership had been effected but these had yet to take much effect on physical and moveable assets. The well-hackneyed phrase “time warp” was certainly appropriate for much that Dick Riley witnessed with

(3) Ulster Transport Authority No 208 storms away from Belfast Queen’s Quay with a train of sixwheelers. The running shed can just be seen on the left. The coaling tower, built as late as 1946, on the right lasted into the 1990s. The distinctive “Bridge of Signals” that controlled the station approaches is in the background. Nos 8 & 16 were delivered in kit form in 1924 and known as “the Big Tanks”. Following assembly at Queen’s Quay, the civil engineer’s concerns over weight resulted in limiting the amount of water they could carry, and they were confined to Bangor line services. A third (No 9) arrived in early 1945 and all performed well until withdrawal in 1953. RCR 2199 to 3948 (62)

some scenes largely unchanged from the 1920s and even earlier. He was fortunate in being accompanied by other photographers who were probably better versed in the Irish scene than he – HC Casserley, Tom Middlemass, and HS Brighty. Any notes, beyond a smattering of dates, that Dick Riley may have made about his visit have not survived so local knowledge has been engaged to identify locations, locomotives and rolling stock. Description of the services captured on film has perforce relied on deduction and informed speculation.

Summing up the systems visited and in the their order in a few words is a challenge but here is a brief summary that serves also as an index to the photographs: Belfast (Queen's Quay/ York Road/ Adelaide), Ballyclare, Greenore, Dundalk, Dublin (Amiens Street/ Westland Row/ Broadstone/ Inchicore) Bray, Mullingar, Dromod, Belturbet, Clones , Enniskillen, Sligo (return to

(4) Most of the “Bridge of Signals” (unfortunately Dick managed to loose the top from some of the dolls) at Queen’s Quay station was constructed together with “Belfast yard cabin” in 1911-2 when the station was totally remodelled. The carriage wash shed was on the extreme left, the concrete base of which was adapted to clean railcars when Northern Ireland Railways used this site as their Central Service Depot from 1976 to 1995. Another gantry near the platforms has starting signals that show the variety of routes that could be taken. The UTA rationalised the signalling in 1966, opening a new cabin to cover the section as far as erstwhile Ballymacarrett Junction, half a mile away. RCR 2199 to 3948 (55)

Enniskillen by SLNCR) Fintona Junction & Fintona, Omagh, Strabane, Stranorlar, Derry (Victoria Road/ Pennyburn/ Waterside) Coleraine, Ballymoney, Ballycastle, return to Belfast.

Ulster Transport Authority:- Railway companies in Northern Ireland had enjoyed a “good war”, sustaining comparatively little material damage (except for extensive air raid damage at Belfast York Road) while reaping the benefits of fuel restrictions that rendered large increases in passenger numbers and freight tonnages. With the restoration of peace it was recognised that

public transport faced an uncertain future. Passage of the Transport Act 1948 brought several undertakings into single ownership under the UTA; the already publicly owned Northern Ireland Road Transport Board (buses and road freight services) became, ominously, the dominant participant followed by the ailing Belfast & County Down Railway on 1 October 1948. The erstwhile London Midland & Scottish Railway (Northern Counties Committee), which had been embraced within the newly-formed British Railways, was sold to the UTA on 1 April 1949. Nine years later the GNR (I), by then operating as the Great Northern

Railway Board, was broken up with the northern physical assets coming under UTA control. The locomotives and rolling stock were divided equally between the two new owners. Not long after Dick Riley’s visit, the Ulster Transport Authority revealed its true colours in heavily favouring road transport investment. To the railway enthusiast fraternity, UTA stands for “Ulster’s Terrible Affliction”.

Belfast & County Down Railway:- No title better described the territory a railway served. The BCDR catered for commuter needs to the east and south of Belfast and ran a modest network of rural routes within the county. Mired in debt and burdened with the financial consequences of an accident at Ballymacarrett in January 1945 when there were 22 fatalities. The trains clearly reflected styles and practices of a long past era.

Northern Counties Committee:- While some locomotives and rolling stock displayed antique characteristics, the LMS had introduced modernisation with two locomotive classes (2-6-0 and 2-6-4T) based on English counterparts, and with provision of LMS Period III-style passenger stock.

The International Railways:- The partition of Ireland stimulated ownership re-organisation of railways that operated solely within the Irish Republic with formation of the Great Southern Railways in 1925. The Ulster Transport Authority was created through a programme of consolidation in 1949. Cross-Border operations bestowed international status upon five railways thereby unusually preserving their independent status.

Sligo, Leitrim & Northern Counties Railway:- This company operated over 48 miles between Enniskillen in Northern Ireland and Sligo in the Republic, the last six miles over Corás Iompair Eireann metals. Since inception the SLNCR had operated 20 steam locomotives, of which half were 0-6-4Ts built by Beyer, Peacock and all engines were identified only by name. The last two were supplied in 1949 but the SLNCR could not afford to pay so they were leased by BP, who insisted on their carrying prominent brass plates to denote ownership.

Dundalk, Newry & Greenore Railway:- Connecting the points described in its title and 26 miles long, this company was

purchased by the London & North Western Railway in 1873.

When the LMS passed operational control to the Great Northern Railway in 1933, the DNGR was still pure Premier Line in locomotives, coaches and liveries. The port at Greenore (which is still a working harbour) and the related township remain well preserved examples of LNWR architecture.

Great Northern Railway (Ireland):- Ireland’s most important railway worked the trunk route between the two largest cities.

Progressive, well-managed, innovative, this was the last major railway in these islands to retain independence. By 1953 it was swimming against the tide and control was passed to the Great Northern Railway Board which comprised directors from north and south. This interim measure lasted until 1st October 1958 when the GNR(B) was broken up and the two parts were absorbed into the Ulster Transport Authority and Corás Iompair Eireann.

County Donegal Railway Joint Committee (three foot gauge):- Jointly owned by the LMS and the GNR(I), this organisation was proudly and competently managed in independent fashion. Based in Stranorlar, at its peak the railway operated 121 miles of route, mostly in Co Donegal although 14 miles were over the Border in Co Derry.

Londonderry & Lough Swilly Railway (three foot gauge):Another extensive narrow gauge system (99 miles) that served Ireland’s far north-west, this concern had grown largely and somewhat wastefully on public funding. The Swilly never enjoyed the rightful respect accorded its far more vigorous neighbour.

The two concerns co-existed in an uneasy and sometimes truculent relationship.

Corás Iompair Eireann:- Formed through nationalisation of the Great Southern Railways in 1944, this organisation controlled all broad and narrow gauge public systems in the Republic except for the international railways. The GSR had been short of funds since its creation so much of the locomotives and rolling stock on the broad gauge, and on the narrow gauge Cavan & Leitrim section, was even older than counterparts north of the Border.

(5) By 1915, requests for larger locomotives led to Beyer Peacock supplying four Baltic tanks, against their recommended 2-6-4T. Delivered in 1920, Nos 22-25 were the largest locomotives operated by any NI company, and as the last standard gauge 4-6-4Ts introduced in these islands, they were unquestionably the worst of the genre. BP was well-versed in building large locomotives but BCDR management meddled in the design process. The civil engineer confined them to the Bangor line on grounds of weight. Sluggish performance and voracious appetite derived from poor valve design which, probably uniquely, featured negative lead. UTA No 222, which worked until 1953, was receiving attention in Queen’s Quay yard. RCR 2199 to 3948 (56)

(6) BCDR coaches were most politely described as “vintage”. The first bogie stock arrived in the late 19th Century while the company continued to build six-wheelers up until 1923. Rural route closures in early 1950 rendered many redundant and most were soon scrapped although some were stored for occasional use. Prominent here is 22-seat Saloon No 53, built by Oldbury (1889), which had been rebuilt internally several times, the last in 1939. It was employed on Bangor business commuter trains until late 1953. On the right is six-wheeler No 101, built in 1913 at Queen’s Quay with six spartan compartments for 60 passengers. RCR 2199 to 3948 (66)

(7) The passenger-orientated BCDR had just six 0-6-0s of which four survived into UTA days. Beyer Peacock No 14 of 1904 worked the nightly Queen’s Quay-Newcastle goods, replacing a Vulcan-built 0-6-0 of 1875 that had carried the same number. With concerns over cost, the original No 14’s tender was retained and £163 saved by ordering a locomotive only! As UTA No 214, the old BCDR coat of arms can just be discerned where the dirt has been rubbed away. Final duties were on the tightly-curved Belfast Harbour lines, for which the long wheelbase made it quite unsuited. RCR 2199 to 3948 (60)

(8) Both Beyer Peacock products, BCDR 2-4-0 No 6 (1894) and 0-6-0 No 26 (1892) stand out of steam in Queen’s Quay yard. By then their outlook was bleak as the main line to Newcastle had been closed in January 1950, yielding a surplus of locomotives. No 6 had been stored in 1940 but wartime demands led to reinstatement in 1943. It was last used on 16 January 1950 and scrapped in 1956. No 26, withdrawn in January 1950, had latterly provided stand-by power for the Ballynahinch branch diesel when it was away for servicing or due to failure. RCR 2199 to 3948 (108)

(9) The BCDR pursued diesel traction with one locomotive from Harland & Wolff before No 28, built 1937. A test bed for H&W, it returned to the builders in 1944 for attention followed by trials on the NCC from 1945. After more builders’ attention in 1952, it was hired by the GNR(I). In October 1958, it moved to the UTA which finally bought the locomotive in 1962. The BCDR number was retained throughout before scrapping by Northern Ireland Railways in 1973. Behind No 28 stands the NCC/ UTA railcar No 1 of January 1933, the result of a joint venture between the NCC and Leyland Motors. RCR 2199 to 3948 (75)

(10) Beyer Peacock’s belief that the BCDR’s Bangor route would best be served by 2-6-4Ts was fulfilled with the UTA’s allocation of members of exLMS Northern Counties Committee Class WT. No 10 undertook trials in 1948 and this was followed by transfer of No 53 to the Bangor line September 1949-May 1951. Last of a batch of four built at Derby in 1949, it was still in NCC livery at Queen’s Quay. It later worked the Belfast York RoadLondonderry route until displaced by dieselisation in 1958, followed by a spell on the former Great Northern Railway (Ireland) whose Northern Ireland routes by then were under UTA control. RCR 2199 to 3948 (68)

(11) The identities of NCC locomotives was a potential minefield! This 4-4-0 was built as Class A No 34 Queen Alexandra at Belfast York Road works in 1901. On renewal as Class A1 in 1928, its nameplates were transferred to Class A No 63; these nameplates were moved yet again in 1936 to Class U2 No 87. Following its 1928 rebuild at York Road, No 34 ran unnamed until November 1932 when it acquired the name Knocklayd (a mountain in Co. Antrim). Withdrawn in September 1949, No 34 was standing on the scrap line at York Road. RCR 2199 to 3948 (72)

(12) NCC Mogul Class W No 98 was built at York Road, Belfast, workshops in February 1937 and named King Edward VIII, despite the abdication on 10 December 1936! It was pictured at York Road with the “cenotaph” type coaling plant in the background and the running shed to the right.

Resplendent in UTA black livery with straw and red lining, the fluted rods were picked out in red. The “UT” on the tender was later replaced with the UTA roundel. After years working the busy and challenging single line routes to Derry and Portrush, No 98 was withdrawn in November 1963. RCR 2199 to 3948 (83)

Above (13) NCC Class U2 4-4-0 No 70 was on the turntable at York Road, near where it was rebuilt in 1924 from Class U No 70 (Derby, 1914). It stopped work in 1951 having run 1,177,500 miles, the highest of its class. There were eighteen members of the U Class, the design having derived from the (English) Midland Railway Class 2P, albeit with 6’ 0” diameter driving wheels. Eleven were built at York Road and seven by North British in Glasgow leading to the nickname of “Scotch Engines”. No 74 Dunluce Castle is in the Irish Railway Gallery at the Transport Museum. RCR 2199 to 3948 (76) Opposite (14) NCC 0-4-0ST No 16, with one round and one square buffer, sits near York Road running shed. Nicknamed “The Donkey”, designed by Bowman Malcolm (NCC Locomotive Superintendent from 1876 to 1922!), it was built at York Road in 1914 as a copy of an earlier No 42 built in 1875.

No 16 spent its life shunting the Belfast Harbour lines north of the River Lagan and could cope with heavy loads. The 20-ton vehicle behind was a generator van used with diesel No 28 to provide steam heating. RCR 2199 to 3948 (97)

(15) Standing on the York Road turntable was NCC Railcar No 4, built 1938. Accommodation was seating for twelve 1st class passengers in two compartments and sixty 3rd class passengers in an open saloon. The driver was crammed into the “turret” style cab. No 4 was permitted to propel a low roofed trailer, but the driver’s line of sight must have been limited. Following an accident, the trailer could only be hauled and not propelled. No 4 lasted in service until 1966 and was destroyed by arson in 1969. RCR 2199 to 3948 (103)

(16) Two 3F 0-6-0s were transferred by the LMS to their NCC section in 1944 to help out with extra shunting demands. LMS numbers 7456 (Bagnall No 16539 of 1926) and 7553 (Hunslet No 16632 of 1928) became NCC Nos 18 & 19 respectively. No 19 was shunting at York Road in company with diesel No 28. Although intended primarily for dock shunting, the Jinties occasionally ventured out on short passenger workings to Carrickfergus. No 19 was withdrawn in 1963. RCR 2199 to 3948 (86)

(17) At the GNR’s Adelaide yard, UG Class 0-6-0 No 78 (1937) was engaged in shunting. Five were built at Dundalk works for goods traffic but they were also used on passenger and excursion trains. Beyer Peacock built five more in 1948, the last standard gauge 0-6-0s built in these islands. The second wagon carries bread containers branded “Inglis”, a Belfast bakery whose products were sent westwards on nightly goods trains. RCR 2199 to 3948 (89)

(18) VS Class 4-4-0 No 207 Boyne (1948) was being shunted at Adelaide yard by S2 Class No 191 Croagh Patrick (1915). Both were in the handsome sky blue express passenger livery. They became Corás Iompair Eireann property on break-up of the Great Northern Railway Board in 1958. No 191 was scrapped in 1960 while No 207 was purchased by the UTA from CIE in 1963, surviving until 1965 and just missing out on preservation. RCR 2199 to 3948 (92)

(20) The 4-4-2T type was popular in Ireland for suburban passenger work and Beyer Peacock built five as Class T in 1913. Twenty more followed between 1921 and 1930 as Class T2. No 187 was from the first batch, withdrawn by UTA in 1964. RT Class No 22 (an 0-6-4T built by Beyer Peacock, 1908) is standing behind No 187 while S2 Class No 192 Slievenamon (1915) is in the distance on the left. RCR 2199 to 3948 (96)

(21) With the Mourne Mountains as a backdrop, GNR 2-4-2T JT Class No 91 (No 13 Tulip until 1920) was shunting at Greenore. Six of this useful type were built 1895-1902 for Dublin suburban services and later cascaded to branch duties. They were ideal for working the 26-mile cross-Border route of the Dundalk, Newry & Greenore Railway. This example was withdrawn by CIE in 1963. RCR 2199 to 3948 (120)

(22) An impressive line-up at Dundalk running shed, reading from the left: 0-6-0 SG3 Class No 40 (1921) [No 201 prior to 1948]; 4-4-0 U Class No 203 Armagh, built as recently as 1948; 4-4-0 U Class No 196 Lough Gill (1915); 0-6-0 LQG Class No 163 (with smokebox door open); to the far right stands an unidentified 0-6-0 of possibly Class SG or NQG Class. No 203 was part of a modernisation programme that introduced five each of 4-4-0 VS Class, 4-4-0 U Class and 0-6-0 UG Class built by Beyer Peacock in 1948. The GNR’s loyalty to the 4-4-0 wheel arrangement was partly due to physical limitations in Dundalk works. RCR 2199 to 3948 (138)

(23) Compound V Class No 85 Merlin (1932) was freshly out of the Dundalk paint shops, which were immediately behind the locomotive. This 5-strong class was built for accelerated Belfast-Dublin services and originally had round-topped boilers plus lined black livery. The colour change was first applied for publicity purposes in the mid-1930s while No 85’s new Belpaire boiler was installed at Dundalk in May 1950 i.e. just before this photograph. This engine is preserved in running order by the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland. RCR 2199 to 3948 (126)

(24) Built by Hawthorn (1928), 0-6-0 crane tank No 31 could be seen almost everywhere around Dundalk works. It remained in original condition until April 1951 when it was fitted with a larger bunker. The machine shop, built in the GNR’s distinctive two-tone brick colours, is behind the engine.

Following works closure in 1958 No 31 was acquired by Dundalk Engineering Works Ltd and resold to CIE in 1960, becoming their No 365a in April 1961. It was scrapped at Inchicore in 1965. RCR 2199 to 3948 (131)

(25) The eight-strong 4-4-0 S/ S2 Class was regarded as the best type in the GNR’s passenger fleet. S Class Nos 170-4, introduced 1913, worked main line trains with ease and were joined by S2 Class Nos 190-192 in 1915. All were renewed at Dundalk in 1938/ 9 and given sky blue livery. Both classes were named after Irish mountains (the S2s were so treated on renewal). They were tried on the Derry Road via Portadown and Omagh but the 4-4-0 Q Class was preferred over that curvaceous route. No 172 Slieve Donard was standing between the weighbridge house and turntable at Dundalk. RCR 2199 to 3948 (115)

(26) On the scrap line in Dundalk works yard, from the left were GNR 0-6-2T QGT2 Class No 168 (Robert Stephenson, 1911); ex-DNGR 0-6-0ST Nos 6 Holyhead (1899) and 2 Greenore (1873). Owned by the London & North Western, this railway relied on six Crewe-built 0-6-0STs (Nos 1-6) that resembled Special Tanks but with 5’ 2½” diameter wheels. They were apparently similar to the 0-6-0 Class Dx and No 6, supplied in 1899, used components from No 900 of that class, built in 1867. RCR 2199 to 3948 (133)

(27) A smoky atmosphere surrounds V Class No 86 Peregrine outside the GNR’s Dublin Amiens Street shed. This engine was fitted with its new Belpaire firebox and repainted in November 1948 but has acquired plenty of grime since. These 3-cylinder compounds were introduced in 1932 for the new summer timetable which introduced heavier, faster Belfast-Dublin trains. Initially they suffered problems with hot bearings and high maintenance costs due to 250 lb/ sq in pressure (reduced to 200 lbs in 1934). No 86 passed to the UTA in 1958 but not taken into capital stock; it was withdrawn in 1961. RCR 2199 to 3948 (145)

(28) The GNR’s southern terminus was Dublin Amiens Street, skirted on the western side by the Loop Line to Westland Row station of the Dublin & South Eastern Railway, south of the River Liffey. Three platforms at Amiens Street serve this line and CIE 2-4-2T No 437 was standing with a southbound service for Bray or Greystones. Built at DSER Grand Canal Street works in 1906 as No 29 St Mantan, this engine was acquired by the Great Southern Railways in January 1925, remaining in original livery until renumbered in 1927. Used exclusively on Dublin suburban services, it was withdrawn in 1951. RCR 2199 to 3848 (150)

Left (29) The GSR twice attempted to modernise Dublin suburban services motive power, the second being with five 0-6-2Ts introduced in 1933.

Considered adequate performers, four survived until 1959 and the last was withdrawn in 1962, once reliability issues with diesel locomotives had been sorted out. No 673, standing in Amiens Street (at what is now platform 7) on a southbound working, was unique in having rivetted tanks following the discovery of cracks in the original welds. All passenger stock in view were ageing timber-bodied coaches. RCR 2199 to 3848 (149) Above (30) For the nightly Dublin-Wexford goods service, the DSER ordered two large 0-6-0s from Beyer Peacock in 1922. Converted to moguls during construction, No 462 was based at Dublin, and No 461 at Wexford, making a single journey every night. Whichever was at either end during the day assisted on local suburban services. No 461 after withdrawal became a stationary boiler at Inchicore Works. It was eventually preserved by the RPSI. No 462 was captured outside Westland Row station; the pipework from the lower section of the smokebox was an ash chute. RCR 2199 to 3848 (153)

To order a copy of a photograph from this book simply quote either the image number or the ‘RCR’ reference number at the end of the caption.

(31) 2-4-0T No 425 (formerly No 47 Stillorgan of 1889) was the first ex-DSER locomotive to be renumbered by the GSR in August 1925, also receiving drab all-over grey livery. Pictured shunting at Westland Row, the Wexford line Travelling Post Office, complete with mail exchange net and resplendent in its CIE “Flying Snail” livery, is next to the engine. The mail train left Westland Row at 7.25 am calling at every station and halt between Bray and Wexford and arriving back in Westland Row at 7.15 pm. No 425 was withdrawn in 1953. RCR 2199 to 3848 (157)

(32) Standing at the down platform at Bray after a suburban working from Amiens Street, GSR No 671 displays its large tank-side numerals. These 0-6-2Ts were the first locomotives without cast number plates and originally huge numbers were painted on but were later replaced with slightly smaller transfers. This engine was one of several on Dublin suburban services to receive lined green livery. Coach No 1903 was a 64-foot second class bogie brake seating 56 passengers, built at Inchicore in 1936. RCR 2199 to 3848 (158)

Above (33) 2-4-0 No 651 rests between turns in the seaside sunlight at Bray shed. One of a 20-strong class built 1893-8 by the Midland Great Western Railway at their Dublin Broadstone works, this was originally No 16 Rob Roy. These popular engines were regarded by many as the best MGWR design and the nineteen that survived into the 1930s were fitted with superheaters making them possibly the only 2-4-0s anywhere to be so equipped. Boiler changes were common with this class and No 651 received a new round topped superheated boiler in 1951. It worked until 1959.

RCR 2199 to 3848 (159) Right (34) No 11 was one of Aspinall’s renowned 4-4-0 Class 52 built at Inchicore 1883-1890 for express passenger work. It was the only class member to retain its original boiler with Great Southern & Western Railway-pattern “oven” smokebox doors until withdrawal in 1949. Broken up in 1952, it doubtless provided parts for re-use in the best Inchicore tradition. The frame on the right is from St. Molaga, a Hunslet 0-4-2T built 1890 for the Timoleague & Courtmacsherry Light Railway, withdrawn in 1949. Prior to the T&CLR’s absorption into the GSR, St. Molaga represented 50% of that company’s locomotive fleet. RCR 2199 to 3848 (173)

(35) Much has been written about Watson’s Class 400 over their chequered 45 years in service. The prototype was built at Inchicore in 1916 and nine more were introduced by the GSWR in 1921-22. No 405 (built by Armstrong Whitworth, 1922) was converted from four to two cylinders in August 1933. Front frame modifications followed in July 1937 when it received a larger superheated K Class boiler. Pictured here at Inchicore in final CIE green livery, this engine was withdrawn in September 1955. RCR 2199 to 3848 (184)

(36) This is the second locomotive to be named Sambo, the traditional name for the Inchicore works shunter. The first was rebuilt from 1856-vintage Fairbairn 0-4-2 No 75 (later 116) in 1876 and lasted until 1913. This Sambo was designed by Richard Maunsell and reputedly built from spare parts in 1914. The 6’ coupled wheelbase enabled negotiation of tight curves. It later moved to the Broadstone as wagon shop pilot and was scrapped in 1962.

The ever-present shunters pole with its pig-tail hook can be seen resting on the running plate at the cab side. RCR 2199 to 3848 (179)

(37) Surrounded by blast pipes and chimneys (including one from Cork Bandon & South Coast Railway 4-6-0T No 463), ex-GSWR Nos 90, 402 and 133 await works attention at Inchicore. No 90 was built in 1875 as an 0-6-4T combined engine and carriage for branch work and rebuilt as an 0-6-0T in the form depicted in 1915, working until October 1959. No 402, considered the best of the Class 400s, worked until 1961. No 133 was a member of Class 101 (J15) built 1885, Ireland’s most numerous type. No 90 survives at Downpatrick. RCR 2199 to 3848 (175)

(38) Woolwich mogul, Class K1 No 387, restarts its train down “the gullet” following a check at Inchicore signal cabin, whose castellated roof can be seen above the 9th wagon. The British Government, concerned that after the Great War workers at the Woolwich Arsenal would have no work, in 1919 ordered 100 locomotives based on the South Eastern & Chatham Railway Class N (design attributed to Dublin-born Richard Maunsell). Sales were slow and the first order (for twelve as kits) came from the MGWR in 1923. The GSR acquired fifteen more in 1927. RCR 2199 to 3848 (169)

(39) The 4-6-0T “Bandon” tanks were the best known type in the CBSCR’s fleet. Beyer Peacock built eight of these versatile locomotives between 1906 and 1920. The GSR and later CIE used them on Dublin suburban services where they were highly regarded by their crews. No 466 was based at Bray shed between 1942 and 1956, then moving to Grand Canal Street until withdrawal in 1961. It appeared to be out of steam near the down line at Inchicore, perhaps awaiting works attention. RCR 2199 to 3848 (183)

(40) Class K1 No 379 on the turntable at the Broadstone, near where it was assembled in December 1926. It is coaled up and ready to work a passenger or freight service to the west. This class’s axle loading of 17 tons 4 cwt enabled access to most main line routes except between KillarneyTralee, Bray-Rosslare Strand, and beyond Cork. The staff exchange apparatus for the ex-MGWR section can be seen on the tender, as can the ladder at the rear, a reminder of when No 379 was equipped for oil burning in 1947-48. RCR 2199 to 3848 (190)

(41) Ex-MGWR No 89, GSR/ CIE Class J5 0-6-0 No 626, was a goods type able to work passenger specials, livestock trains and night mails. Highly regarded, the class had steam sanders, a combination brake, and what was considered an excellent tender which in this case is a reminder of the fuel situation of the 1940s. Up to 1947, the GSR/ CIE, facing chronic coal shortages, maintained a skeleton service by burning poor quality material; the situation during 1947-9 was relieved by conversion to oil-burning. The timber side extensions increased solid fuel capacity while the ladder was acquired as an oil burner. RCR 2199 to 3848 (187)

(42) The GSR absorbed six 3’ gauge routes in 1924 but only three remained working in 1950 (Tralee & Dingle, West Clare, Cavan & Leitrim). Dick Riley travelled the 34-mile Cavan & Leitrim Railway main line from Dromod (on the ex-MGWR route to Sligo) to Belturbet on the GNR’s branch from Ballyhaise. From 1934, locomotives redundant elsewhere congregated on the CLR, starting with four Cork Blackrock & Passage 2-4-2Ts. Nos 13L (on the left) and 10L are crossing at Mohill loop. With 4’ 6” driving wheels, they were unsuitable for the Arigna tramway section but proved effective on the main line. RCR 2199 to 3848 (204)

(43) Ballinamore shed hosted ex-Tralee & Dingle Light Railway 2-6-0T No 4T, one of a pair built by Kerr, Stuart in 1902/ 3. Originally No 8, it was renumbered 4 in 1908 and transferred to the CLR in 1941 following closure of the Castlegregory branch. They were little used by the TDLR as their braking power was considered inadequate for that hilly route. Once CLR personnel got used to the awkwardly placed inside Stephenson’s Link Motion and the small firebox, No 4T was used intensively on passenger trains and survived to work demolition trains in 1960. RCR 2199 to 3848 (207)

(44) Opened in 1887, the CLR had eight 4-4-0T locomotives built by Robert Stephenson. All were named after directors’ daughters, except No 8 (Queen Victoria), and worked about 60 years. No 8 is up on blocks in Ballinamore workshops, presumably with the wheels away at Inchicore for tyre turning. The cut away rear cab sheet was for working the roadside Arigna tramway. Nos 1-4 had regular rear cab sheets while Nos 5-8 were as pictured here. No 8 lost its name around 1921, and the GSR removed all the other nameplates from 1925 onwards. RCR 2199 to 3848 (213)

Above (45) No 13L was backing on to its train at Ballinamore with safety valves lifting, prior to continuing on to Belturbet. Ballinamore was the CLR’s headquarters and the few station buildings elsewhere on the line were in the same attractive two-tone brick style. The system’s only footbridge can be seen above the first coach. The tramway branch and the line to Dromod ran parallel for about half a mile westwards before diverging. The Arigna tramway was 15 miles long, and the steeply graded 4-mile extension to the coal mining sites at Derreenavoggy and Aughabehy opened in June 1920.

RCR 2199 to 3848 (211) Right (46) Judging by its lifting safety valves, GNR JT 2-4-2T Class No 95 (built Dundalk, 1898) is ready to depart Belturbet for the four-mile run to Ballyhaise. Sister No 93 is in the Irish Railway Gallery at the Transport Museum, Cultra. The CLR shared Belturbet station with the GNR, and a cross platform connection would be possible if the short GNR train was further back along the platform. Presumably No 95 was not welcome under the overall roof! Out of view to the left were the CLR carriage and engine sheds, turntable, plus transhipment shed and sidings for the break-of-gauge.

RCR 2199 to 3848 (214)

(47) At Clones, GNR 0-6-0 AL Class No 57 had just arrived on a goods train from either the Portadown or Dundalk direction. Clones was a railway crossroads in Co. Monaghan where the Belfast to Cavan via Armagh route met that from Dundalk to Londonderry via Enniskillen. Situated close to the Border with Northern Ireland, customs procedures after 1922 had a considerable effect on traffic and train working. RCR 2199 to 3948 (215)

(48) Following the last view, No 57 has left its train at the platform and is now in the distance to the right, shunting wagons to and from the Ulster Yard. To the left stands the concrete roundhouse style shed built in 1925, just pre-dating a similar facility at Portadown. GNR Q Class 4-4-0 No 125 blows off impatiently in the yard and to its left is the turntable with an unidentified locomotive beyond. The coal stage ramp is visible between Nos 125 and 57. RCR 2199 to 3948 (140)

(49) Enniskillen station looking north towards Bundoran Junction with what appears to be an AL Class 0-6-0 at the platform. The centre of the three roads between the platforms was a siding or lay over road, similar to that at Drogheda. The “back of the wall siding“ on the right had the tightest curve on the GNR system and speed was strictly limited to 5 mph. The platform to the extreme left served as the terminus for the 43-mile Sligo, Leitrim & Northern Counties route from here to Carrignagat Junction near Collooney followed by five miles on the ex-Midland Great Western Railway MullingarSligo route. RCR 2199 to 3948 (221)

(50) The cleaners have been busy with GNR 4-4-0 PP Class No 42 standing outside Enniskillen shed. The tender is stacked with briquettes manufactured in the plant at Dundalk. These were a blend of coal dust, turf and pitch compacted into a combustible block. The briquetting plant produced 60 or 70 tons per day for distribution to locomotive sheds system-wide. In the background is a grounded coach that served as a dormitory for visiting crews. On the siding beyond No 42 stands a departmental van branded “Loco. Dept. Clones”. RCR 2199 to 3948 (222)

(51) At Enniskillen, 0-6-4T Enniskillen (SLNCR steam engines were never numbered) was shunting outside the company’s tin-roofed head office building, somewhat dwarfed by the GNR’s South signal cabin behind. This cabin stood beside the GNR line to Clones with windows on three sides allowing a commanding view over the yard and station. The stone-built GNR locomotive shed is in the left background. Enniskillen was built by Beyer Peacock (1905), one of three known as the “Sir Henry Class”; the others were Sir Henry (1904) and Lough Gill (1917). They survived until closure in 1957 and were sold for scrap in 1958/9. RCR 2199 to 3948 (226)

(52) The SLNCR had three classes of 0-6-4T locomotives totalling ten built by Beyer Peacock between 1882 and 1949. The earliest was the “Leitrim Class” of which the first of the five members was Fermanagh. The design was similar to South Australian Railways’ Class K by the same manufacturer. By May 1950, Fermanagh was stored out of use at Enniskillen station. The chimney was sealed with a bin lid, secured by stones. It would be soon withdrawn and it was sold for scrap and cut up on site in January 1952. RCR 2199 to 3948 (229)

(53) Sir Henry was seen at Manorhamilton on a train from Sligo to Enniskillen. It was named after Sir Henry Gore-Booth, the SLNCR chairman who lived at Lissadell House near Sligo. When introduced, this was the first SLNCR engine to have a Belpaire boiler. The standard GNR pattern chimney that replaced the Beyer chimney was perhaps the only change to the appearance of this class. Sir Henry was so treated in 1950, the others following in 1951 and 1953. Railcar “B” can just be glimpsed at the extreme left on an Enniskillen-Sligo working. RCR 2199 to 3948 (230)

(54) Manorhamilton was 25 miles from Enniskillen and 22 miles from Sligo, making it almost midway along the SLNCR route. The engineering offices and repair shops were located there, opening in 1888. Running repairs on locomotives, carriages and wagons were carried out at Manorhamilton while heavier boiler work was undertaken by the GNR at Dundalk. In this rural setting for the works and yard, railcar “B” can be seen to the right, standing at the station. RCR 2199 to 3948 (233)

(55) Built by Walker Brothers of Wigan in 1947 at a cost of £10,522, railcar “B” was the SLNCR’s most modern vehicle. The power unit was always at the Enniskillen end so together with the tail board dangling from the right hand buffer, this is clearly a Sligo-bound working. The two-tone livery was regent green below the waistband and olive green above, surmounted by a white roof. The SLNCR closed on 1st October 1957 and a year later, CIE purchased railcar “B”. As No 2509 it worked briefly on the Nenagh line and between Waterford and Kilmokea. It is currently a preservation project at Downpatrick. RCR 2199 to 3948 (234)

(56) One of the few captioned and dated images in the Riley archive was taken at Dromahair on Thursday 18th May 1950. Railbus 2A arrived on the SLNCR from the GNR, Dundalk, in April 1938. It had been a GNR AEC road bus that was converted for railway use, fitted with Howden-Meredith patent steel wheels and a rear platform for access. The 4-wheel, 2-ton luggage trailer (another Dundalk product) was previously used by railcar A but transferred to 2A in March 1939 after an accident. This was rebuilt in the 1940s with raised sides and hinged doors. RCR 2199 to 3948 (238)

(57) Ex-GSWR 4-4-0 No 93, having been serviced at Sligo, is backing towards the main departure platform for the return service to Limerick, its home shed. One of the 15-strong Class 60, it was built in 1885 and lasted until 1960. Used as a guinea pig for unsuccessful compound experiments from 1894, it reverted to normal condition in 1901. The locomotive area and turntable are on the right, the sharply graded branch down to Sligo Quay diverges to the left behind the signal cabin. The train in the background is being shunted by 2-4-0 No 656 (see next).RCR 2199 to 3848 (244)

(58) A fine study of 2-4-0 No 656 at Sligo, previously MGWR No 30 Active, built 1898. Despite their 5’ 8” driving wheels, they were speedy machines.

Free steaming, light on coal and water, sure-footed on a greasy rail, they were popular with loco crews wherever they went. No 656 lost its distinctive, flamboyant Atock “flyaway” cab in 1936, to be replaced with the rather basic structure seen here. CIE was not yet done with No 656 as soon after this picture was taken, a replacement Belpaire type “Y” boiler was fitted. No 656 was withdrawn in 1957. RCR 2199 to 3848 (248)

(60) At Omagh, 4-4-0 Q Class No 123 passes light engine northwards through the station. This Class comprised 13 engines built between September 1899 and May 1904 by Neilson Reid (9), Beyer Peacock (2) and North British (2). All were named after characters in Greek mythology (123 was Lucifer until 1914). Following bridge reconstruction in 1912, their weight allowed their use on to the “Derry Road” and they dominated Belfast-Derry workings until around 1945. In the background, PP Class No 107 is on the line to Portadown via Dungannon (the line to the right leads to Dundalk via Enniskillen and Clones). RCR 2199 to 3948 (255)

Top (61) PP Class 4-4-0 No 107 has collected carriages (one was just visible in the previous image) from the bay platform at Omagh and is ready to depart for Londonderry Foyle Road.

There were seven variations among the 17 members of this class including cylinder sizes, boiler pressures, heating surfaces, superheaters, and extended smokeboxes.

Numbering was chaotic between 12 and 129.

Variations aside, an authority stated that the PPs were “one of the most outstanding designs ever to emerge from Dundalk”. RCR 2199 to 3948 (254) Bottom (62) The Riley party changed trains from the GNR at Strabane to travel to Stranorlar by the County Donegal Railway Joint Committee and then returned via Strabane to Londonderry Victoria Road. GNR 4-4-0 PP Class No 106 rolls into Strabane past the North signal cabin with a light train from Foyle Road, Londonderry. A member of the PP Class was built by Beyer Peacock in 1906 and named Tornado until 1914, working mainly on Belfast to Derry mail trains because of the light axle load. Once the bridges were strengthened in 1912, they were displaced by the Q class. CIE received 106 in 1958 and it was withdrawn in October 1960.

RCR 2199 to 3948 (270) Right (63) Class 5A 2-6-4T No 3 Lydia was running round its train at Strabane. There were several cases of renaming and renumbering County Donegal Railway locomotives; Lydia (the 4th Viscount Lifford’s second wife) had been used on a 2-4-0T built in 1881. The wicket fence on the platform just visible between the locomotive chimney and dome was the area where customs officials performed their “rummaging” in passengers’ luggage. To the right of the locomotive chimney, a sign under the station canopy directs passengers to the “Donegal and Glenties line”; the 24-mile Stranorlar-Glenties branch had closed to passengers on 15 December 1947. RCR 2199 to 3948 (269)

(64) CDR 2-6-4T No 4 Meenglass shunts its train at Strabane with the NCC-style signal box in the background. This was another CDR locomotive that carried a nameplate from an earlier engine. The original Meenglass was a Neilson 4-6-0T withdrawn in 1935. The name was transferred to 2-6-4T Class 5 No 16 built by Nasmyth Wilson in 1907. No 16 had originally been named Donegal but was renumbered 4 and named Meenglass in 1937. It was one of the four locomotives purchased by Dr Cox for use in the USA, but the project did not come to fruition. The Brake 3rd next to the engine is No 28, built 1893 by Oldbury. It had a van section in the middle with third class compartments each seating ten passengers at either end.

This coach is preserved at the Donegal Railway Heritage Centre. RCR 2199 to 3948 (258)

Top (65) Riley’s party travelled from Strabane to Stranorlar in railcar No 19 and sought the crew’s permission to take photographs along the way.

This allowed a pause at Clady Halt on the former Finn Valley line, just inside the Republic of Ireland, the Border being very close along the River Urney to the east. The pair of railcars 19 & 20 were the final development of the versatile railcar fleet.

Introduced 1950/51, they were similar to four supplied to the CIE West Clare section in 1952.

Nos 19 & 20 were sold to the Isle of Man Railway in 1960.

RCR 2199 to 3948 (267) Bottom (66) A panoramic view of the yard and locomotive department at Stranorlar. From left to right, the east signal cabin (with the siding leading to the goods store, loading dock and cattle bank) beside the line to Strabane, railcar No 19 on the 36’ turntable, the smithy shop, machine shop, motor repair shop, locomotive repair shop and water tower. On the right side is the engine shed with CDR Class 5 2-6-4T No 8 Foyle outside in steam. Stranorlar was the administrative centre and also the base for the railway’s engineering facilities. RCR 2199 to 3948 (263)

(67) Simmering outside the locomotive shed at Stranorlar was Class 5A 2-6-4T No 2 Blanche (originally No 2A Strabane) built by Nasmyth Wilson in 1912. Blanche worked until closure on 31 December 1959 and is preserved in the Museum at Cultra. Wagon No 253 on the right was one of six built by the GNR at Dundalk in 1908, originally as a flat open but later converted to a covered wagon. RCR 2199 to 3948 (271)

(68) Built in 1906 by Allday & Onions as an open-topped inspection car, this was Ireland’s first internal combustion engined rail vehicle, seen at Stranorlar. In 1920, it became an enclosed saloon, seating a driver and six passengers. Over a 50-year career there were several mechanical changes. The wheels were standardised at 2’ 2” in the 1930s and in 1949 railcar No 9 donated its front end following withdrawal. Originally known as the “inspection car”, it became No 1 in 1926 with arrival of railcars Nos 2 & 3. Used on the lightly trafficked Glenties line, it apparently inspired further railcar investment, and is now in the Transport Museum at Cultra. RCR 2199 to 3948 (261)

(69) Trailer No 5 was built in 1928 by O’Doherty of Strabane who mounted a body by Knutsford Motors on a chassis. The vehicle weighed 3.2 tons and seated 28 passengers. Luggage was carried in the roof rack but raising the body in 1938 for use in a conventional train made this feature redundant as the luggage could foul the loading gauge. The trailer lasted until closure, then becoming a cash office at Donegal Town FC and latterly a holiday chalet at Rossnowlagh. It is currently a restoration project. RCR 2199 to 3948 (272)

(70) Stranorlar station from the Strabane direction with Phoenix on the right shunting carriages. At the head of the rake at the platform stands Saloon No 1, built in 1881 by the Railway Carriage & Wagon Co for 1st and 3rd Class passengers (all 1st from 1910). The carriage and wagon shops are on the left, and the station buildings with their distinctive tower and extensive platform canopy are in the centre distance. A tractor with CDR trailer stands against the boundary wall and the cattle dock entrance is on the extreme right. RCR 2199 to 3948 (264)

(71) No 11 Phoenix shunts the rake of carriages headed by Saloon No 1 past Stranorlar East signal cabin. Phoenix was built in 1929 for the Clogher Valley Railway by Atkinson-Walker of Preston as a 4-wheel steam tractor on the premise that if unsuitable it could be returned. It proved unsuccessful and was sold to the CDR in 1932, after the GNR at Dundalk fitted a Gardner 6L2 diesel engine. Originally simply No 11, the name was added in recognition of its resurrection. Phoenix and saloon No 1 are now in the Irish Railway Gallery at Cultra, Co. Down. RCR 2199 to 3948 (265)

(72) Still at Stranorlar, railcar No 10, trailer No 5 and a red van stand at the platform, the driver is ready to go! Walker Brothers of Wigan built the railcar and a rail lorry in 1932/ 3 for the Clogher Valley Railway. Both were purchased following the CVR’s closure in 1941. The railcar could seat 28 passengers and haul trailers as shown here. Purchase of the rail lorry was fortuitous as accident damage to No 10 in March 1946 was easily repaired by using the lorry’s cab. Railcar and trailer are preserved in the Irish Railway Gallery at Cultra, Co. Down. The Strabane-Stranorlar line was opened in 1863 by the 5’ 3” gauge Finn Valley Railway; conversion to 3’ 0” gauge in 1894 resulted in the generous platform spacing. RCR 2199 to 3948 (262)

(73) Dick Riley’s group returned from Stranorlar via Strabane to the CDR terminus at Londonderry Victoria Road. 2-6-4T No 6 Columbkille runs round its train having worked bunker first from Strabane. As usual there is a story about the reuse of nameplates. Columbkille was previously carried by Neilson 4-6-0T No 9 until its withdrawal in 1937. The name was then transferred to No 18 which had been named Killybegs, the engine was concurrently renumbered 6. Dr Cox purchased No 6 for his abortive USA project, but it is now preserved in Londonderry. RCR 2199 to 3948 (281)

(74) Crossing the River Foyle by foot over the Craigavon Bridge, the Londonderry & Lough Swilly Railway’s Pennyburn yard was reached where a little activity was witnessed. Nos 5 & 6 were built by Hudswell Clarke in 1912, for the Letterkenny & Burtonport Extension Railway, the only 4-8-4Ts in these islands. With tractive effort of 14,080 lbs, and weighing 55 tons, their 14.25-ton axle loading made them acceptable for poor quality narrow gauge track. In 1953 both were offered for sale, but no offers were received. Total closure came in July 1953, and No 5 was used on lifting trains.

This fine pair were cut up in mid-1954. RCR 2199 to 3948 (276)

(75) The LLSR favoured the 4-6-2T type with eight from three builders. The first two came from Hudswell Clarke in 1899 numbered 5 & 6. Ordered by the Board of Works for the soon to open Buncrana-Carndonagh line, they were little used there, leading to legal action from the Board! Renumbered 15 & 16 in 1913, No 15, being the favoured engine, received a Belpaire firebox after the Second World War. No 16 was little used and became a source of spares. No 15 worked the final train on 8 August 1953 and scrapping followed working the lifting trains in 1954. RCR 2199 to 3948 (279)

(76) Returning across the River Foyle to Waterside station, this picture was taken from the signal box of ex-NCC Class U2 No 77 arriving from the Coleraine direction. The fireman is leaning out to deliver up the single line tablet. The “brown van” next to the engine was a feature of many of the trains on the NCC, carrying everything from fish to bicycles. No 77 was the only unnamed member of the seven “Scotch” (North British Loco Co) engines, despite plans in 1931 to name it “Ballygalley Castle”. Last used in 1953, it was scrapped in September 1956. Note the ramp down to the waterside which was used by signalmen to retrieve tablets from the River Foyle when enginemen occasionally missed! RCR 2199 to 3948 (282)

(77) Class WT 2-6-4T No 52 awaits departure from Londonderry Waterside on the 5.30 pm “Belfast Express” which covered 93 miles in 2 hours 15 minutes with five station stops, plus four crossings of Down trains on the 62-mile single track Londonderry-Ballymena section. Eighteen were introduced 1946-1950 as a tank version of the Class W 2-6-0. Retaining the positive features of the Fowler 2-6-4T, they were nicknamed “Jeeps” for their go-anywhere versatility. They achieved fame as the last main line steam engines in ordinary service in these islands while engaged until May 1970 on the Magheramorne spoil contract, bringing stone to Belfast for the M2 motorway project. Regretfully the names of the individuals clearly posed for the camera is not confirmed. R3949-4941 (993)

(78) At Coleraine, the fireman looks back for any more passengers scuttling across the footbridge from the connecting train from Portrush as 2-6-0 No 90 Duke of Abercorn waits impatiently with safety valves lifting to depart for York Road. The Duke of Abercorn (Governor of Northern Ireland) performed the opening ceremony of the new Bleach Green Viaduct on 22 January 1934, and this engine worked the special train on that occasion (and was named at the event). Introduced in 1933 as the first of a batch of four, No 90 was the first of its class to be withdrawn in 1953. RCR 2199 to 3948 (284)

(79) NCC No 100 Queen Elizabeth heads a five-bogie train from York Road, at Ballymoney. Unlike No 90 in the previous photograph it has a “Stanier” tender (capacity 3,500 gallons, 7 tons). (William Stanier played no active role in the design which derived from the Fowler Type 4 2-6-4T of 1927.)

Four were built at Derby in 1933, and eleven at York Road between 1934 and 1942. Nos 100/ 101 were converted to oil burning in 1949 but the experiment did not yield any worthwhile advantage so both reverted to coal burning. RCR 2199 to 3948 (288)

(80) Ex-LMS NCC narrow gauge Class S 2-4-2T No 41 runs round its train at Ballymoney. This 2-cylinder compound design (high pressure cylinder on the near side) was built at York Road in 1909 as No 113, renumbered 101 in 1920, and rebuilt (frame extension and bunker enlargement) as Class S1 in 1928. Final renumbering as 41 in 1939 allowed for the new Class W No 101 Lord Massereene. No 41 achieved notoriety on 3 March 1947 becoming stuck in a snow drift overnight with a train containing 17 passengers between Armoy and Capecastle. RCR 2199 to 3948 (287)

(81) Dick Riley’s party visited Ballycastle one month before the closure notice was published. Here, 2-4-2T Nos 41 & 44 double-head the last train of the day to Ballymoney. The coaching stock was introduced to the Ballymena-Larne section for boat train duties in 1928. Three of those five coaches (Nos 318/ 352/ 3) were purchased by the County Donegal Railway in 1951/2, remaining in use until 1960. This photograph is virtually identical with those taken on the final day, 2 July 1950. The only difference then was a Christmas garland draped on the smokebox door of No 41. RCR 2199 to 3948 (290)

Richard Riley’s brief visit to Ireland in May 1950 was fortunately timed. He witnessed railway systems in Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic that in many respects were ‘’working museums’’ but by then were on the cusp of profound change. Locomotives and rolling stock that had changed little in many years would soon suffer the ravages of modernisation and route rationalisation. The process had already started with near total closure of the Belfast & County Down Railway. Within a sadly short period, many of the fascinating scenes recorded in this album would disappear forever.