Irish Traction Group

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Córas Iompair Éireann 001 Class locomotive.

The Irish Traction Group is a railway preservation society dedicated to preserving diesel locomotives from Irish Railways. It was formed in 1989, with the intention of attempting to preserve at least one example of every type of diesel locomotive to have operated on Irish Rail.

History

The Irish Traction Group was founded on 4 June 1989 with the intentions to preserve one locomotive of each class of diesel locomotives to have been operated on the Irish railway system.[1] However, they were unable to initially purchase any locomotives from Iarnród Éireann, who wanted the ITG to have a home for their locomotives before they would consider selling any locomotives to the group. Initially the group was offered the old Portarlington goods shed in December 1990, but were unable to procure the building when IE decided to redevelop the property in March 1991.

The group was later offered the old Carrick-on-Suir goods shed, which they had previously considered but decided against it due to its poor condition, removal of its siding, and its distance from Dublin. However, with few other sites available, the group reluctantly agreed to lease the shed in May 1992, with a one-year rent-free period for the shed to be rebuilt as a workshop.[2] Subsequently, IE began the process of selling diesel locomotive C226 to the group; this was the first locomotive to arrive at Carrick-on-Suir on 6 December 1992 for restoration.

Locomotives

The ITG owns thirteen locomotives and has previously owned another three locomotives:

Locomotives currently owned by the ITG

Locomotives formerly owned by the ITG

  • NIR 1 Class: 1, 2 and 3. Purchased from NIR as their DH class in 1994, the ITG sold locomotives DH 2 and DH 3 to Beaver Power Ltd in 2005 for work in Sri Lanka, and were subsequently overhauled at Beaver's Merthyr Tydfil workshops, the work including regauging to 5' 6" and the fitting of a new diesel engine. In 2010, the ITG sold locomotive DH 1 to Beaver for eventual overhaul (it had been moved with DH 2 and DH 3 in 2005 for use initially as a source of spare parts) and reuse in Sri Lanka; today, DH 2 and 3 are operable at a Holcim cement plant in Sri Lanka while DH 1, stripped for parts during the rebuilding of the other two, remains stored at Merthyr Tydfil.

Location

The ITG are based in the former Carrick-on-Suir goods shed in Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary,Current campaigns include fundraising to secure an example of the 141(B) Class locomotives.[3] In addition to the Carrick on Suir goods shed, which serves as the group's main restoration base, some of its locos are located at Moyasta Junction on the preserved West Clare Railway, Co. Clare, where the ITG are building a museum. Locomotives A39, 146, G611 and G617 are on loan to the Downpatrick & County Down Railway, where they are used to haul regular heritage services.

Restoration

At present, the ITG have four locomotives at their Carrick-on-Suir site, mainline locomotives C226 and B103, and shunting locomotives G616 and G601. Present work is focused on restoring C226, while B103 and G601 are stored outside under protective steel covers. G616 is currently stored inside the shed in a partially dismantled state, the results of an overhaul started in 1993 but stopped in 1996 due to a lack of volunteers to continue work on the locomotive. Work resumed on this locomotive in early 2012. The engine was started for the first time in some 26 years on 29 September 2012.

The group is also building a museum at Moyasta on the West Clare Railway to hold some of their locomotives. At present five locomotives, A3R, 124, 152, 190, and C231 have been moved to Moyasta. Only four are at this stage to be put in the new museum, as locomotive 190 is nominally at the WCR for storage only.[4] This is in relation to the fact that the locomotive was undergoing repairs to its brake valves and cabs when it was sold to the ITG in 2010, and could be brought back to operating condition in the future if required. The other locomotives are all cosmetically in good order, but have either been in storage for long periods of time (124) or were part-way through overhauls that have since been stopped (A3R, C231). The only exception to this is ex-Inchicore works pilot 190, which was trucked directly from Inchicore to Moyasta in November 2009. This locomotive may be nominally operable, though the ITG does not state on its website.

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.irishtractiongroup.com/history.htm
  2. ↑ http://www.irishtractiongroup.com/itg_operating_base.htm
  3. ↑ "001 (A) Class, 121 (B) Class and 141/181 (B) Class Appeals". Irish Traction Group. Retrieved 14 January 2009. 
  4. ↑ http://www.irishtractiongroup.com/ITG_locos/loco_152.htm

Further reading

  • The Irish Mail. Irish Traction Group. 

External links

  • Heritage Railways: Northern Ireland
  • Republic of Ireland
Railtour operating companies in the United Kingdom
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