As some of you are probably aware, a few months ago the Downpatrick & County Down Railway started work on restoring GSWR 90 to operational condition. As the only rural branch line steam loco left in Ireland, and one of only four Irish-built steam locos remaining, 90 is a unique link to how industrialisation changed Ireland economically and culturally (eg move away from subsistence farming, depopulation of rural areas, and changes in use of the Irish language) in the 19th century. You can learn more about her history here.
The loco was assessed in April-May and moved into the engine shed at the end of June. Put very simply, 90 is to be taken apart, then the boiler will be removed and sent to a contractor for overhaul while we work on other parts of the loco at Downpatrick, and then when that’s done it’ll all be put back together.
Of course, this is going to take a lot of time, money, and manpower – we plan to launch a fundraiser over the next few weeks, which will hopefully include a surprise or two.
We haven’t done a huge amount of work since it was brought into the shed – our loco dept consists of a pretty small team of people, and everyone has been busy with our summer steam trains. Work has included disconnecting fittings in the cab, vacuum ejector, injectors etc. Major job at the moment is chiselling out the concrete at the bottom of the smokebox, which is somehow even more unpleasant than it sounds.
Excuse the lack of photos, I don’t want to bore you with pictures of random bolts and disconnected pipes just yet. Watch this space for more updates!
.png.c363cdf5c3fb7955cd92a55eb6dbbae0.png){kind=logo}
