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Great Southern Railways Pullman coaches

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In answer to queries, I asked a few questions of those who were frequent visitors to Inchicore from the mid 1920s onwards; while this does not by any means constitute a detailed history of these coaches, I repeat some details I was told today which might not otherwise be known or obvious.

 

Unlike UK equivalents, they had normal gangway connections and were constructed to Irish loading gauge (width and height) rather than GB gauge. Naturally, their bogies were unlike those across the water, though I have no details.

 

There were 4 of them, and they operated mainly (if not exclusively) on the Broadstone - Galway and Kingsbridge - Cork routes. There would be one in each train as opposed to the system in GB of making up a whole train of them. He who I asked (who is 95) says he never saw them used otherwise. They were all THIRD class (albeit of a better standard than normal third class!). He does not recall second or first class, but would not rule out perhaps one being first; though he says he never saw a first class one. (That bit surprised me, I have to say!).

 

When delivered, they may have been in Pullman livery (brown and cream), but the GSR used a brown and cream livery themselves on main line stock, therefore it is his view that any sightings of them in that livery is far more likely to be GSR brown and cream, not British-style Pullman livery. They were eventually repainted GSR maroon, and then CIE green, though CIE withdrew them after only a few years. While in GSR maroon, they had a variation on the standard, in that (a) they did not carry GSR crests, and (b) they had the inscription "GREAT SOUTHERN PULLMAN" in gold letters, shaded; this was carried on the strip above window level where British Pullmans would have had "P U L L M A N".  The GSR in any case took over ownership of them entirely after 10 years in traffic (1926-36), and by 1959 all had been scrapped after quite a few years derelict.

 

I hope this is of interest.

Edited by jhb171achill

13 answers to this question

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Posted

Heirflick, there would have been the standard carriage number on one end as they normally did. Senior did not recall whether they had "flying snails" or not, as the lower panels were matchboarding, which is not conducive to the application of a large transfer which spans many panels! In CIE livery, however, they did not have Pullman lettering or branding as by that time (and long before) they had been acquired from the Pullman company and become "ordinary" stock.

 

In response to a query as to whether the interior seats were re-used elsewhere after they were broken up, it is very doubtful.

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Posted

Interesting that you say that there were six, as I was always under the impression that there were four nos 100-103. In some GSR stuff I have I can add the following

They were built in 1926

They were all third class sitting 46 each

They were electrically lit and had the luxury of hot and cold water in the lavatory

 

The photo of the bogies appear to be early pullman bogie design as photos of British pullmans would suggest this, though they later had a range of bogie types. As regards livery there is a photo of a rather 'weathered' pullman coach awaiting her fate at Naas in 'Irish Railways in Colour' by T Ferris on pg94 and has no sign of a flying snail.

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Posted

I had thought there were four as well, but senior is sure there were six! I will delve further; it is exceptional for him to be wrong.... If there WERE six, could another two have been in a different series? I don't know.

 

His collection also was that they were all third, and he nev saw more than one in any train.

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Posted

I questioned senior further about these carriages today. He said they were delivered complete apart from bogies, painted and furnished and all, having been built in England. The bogies were built in his father's time in Inchicore.

 

I asked him if someone from Inchicore went over there to be in involved with any aspects of their design for Irish loading gauge, livery, or any other details. Not so, apparently; they were given details by Inchicore right down to livery details and they just got on with it.

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Posted

At least some of the bogies survived for a long time after the coaches were scrapped. For many years after the Lisburn crash the remains of 010 sat on a pair of Pullman Bogies outside Diesel No 1 Inchacore.

 

An A Class on Pullman Bogies with one cab cut away would make an interesting model

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Posted
Anyone recommend where one might find photos of these coaches?

 

There are photos of Pullmans on P94 "Irish Railways in Colour from Steam to Diesel" Tom Ferris Midland Publishing ISBN 1-85780-000-1 and p 37 Irish Broad Gauge Carriages Des Coakham Ian Allen ISBN 1 857850-175 X

 

The photo in Irish Railways is of a withdrawn coach in early CIE dark green livery in poor condition with the peeling revealing cream upper panels between the windows.

 

The photo in Irish Broad Gauge carriages is of a coach at Kingsbridge in Pullman livery, the author notes that the coaches were fitted with tip up seats which were uncomfortable by the standards of the 1950s

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