| GNR(I) class S | |
|---|---|
| Power type | Steam |
| Builder | Beyer, Peacock |
| Configuration | 4-4-0 |
| UIC classification | 2'B |
| Gauge | 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) |
| Cylinders | Two, inside |
| Career | GNR, CIÉ, UTA |
| Preserved | No. 171 |
| Disposition | One preserved, remainder scrapped |
The Great Northern Railway (Ireland) class S was a class of 4-4-0 steam locomotive that the Great Northern Railway introduced in 1913 to haul Belfast – Dublin express passenger trains.
A preserved example exists, No. 171 Slieve Gullion,[1] which spent more than 40 years on various parts of the GNR system on the main line and secondary duties along with the other four members of her class. In preservation it has covered most of the Irish railway system, including many non-GNR(I) lines.
Beyer, Peacock and Company of Gorton Foundry, Manchester built 171 in 1913 (Works No.5629). The GNR renewed the locomotive in Dundalk in 1938 and the Ulster Transport Authority withdrew it from service in 1965. 171 is currently stored at the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland's centre at Whitehead, County Antrim. 171 was operational until 2002 when it was withdrawn for a boiler overhaul. It will begin to be restored with a view to returning to service for the RPSI's 50th anniversary in 2014, and an fundraising appeal has been launched to raise the funds needed for its restoration.[2]
After much of the GNR network was closed in 1957 and the remaining system was split between Córas Iompair Éireann and the Ulster Transport Authority (UTA) in 1958, 171 was allocated to CIÉ. CIÉ soon replaced its remaining steam locomotives with diesels and sold some of its former GNR steam locomotives to the UTA. This included 171, which the UTA bought in 1963. The UTA based 171 in Belfast and used it to haul trains on the Belfast – Portadown main line and Portadown – Derry "Derry Road".
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