Dundalk Railway Works

Dundalk Railway Works
Steam crane, with the GNR's Dundalk works in the background, in 1955
Interactive map of Dundalk Railway Works
Location
LocationArdee Road, Dundalk, County Louth
Coordinates53°59′45″N 6°24′43″W / 53.9959°N 6.4119°W / 53.9959; -6.4119
Characteristics
TypeLocomotive, Steam, Diesel, DMU, Carriage, Freight
Routes servedDublin-Belfast Line
History
OpenedOctober 1881
Closed1958
OriginalGreat Northern Railway

Dundalk railway works, also known as the Great Northern Railway Locomotive Carriage and Wagon Works,[1] was a railway maintenance facility operated initially by the Great Northern Railway (GNR) in Dundalk, County Louth, Ireland. The GNR works at Dundalk was responsible for the company's fleet of road and rail vehicles, carriages, buses, locomotives and wagons.[2] The railway works, which was established in October 1881, closed on 1 October 1958.[3] It was located just south of Dundalk Clarke Railway Station.

History

The Great Northern Railway (GNR) was formed in 1876. Dundalk, which is located almost halfway along the Dublin to Belfast mainline, was chosen by the GNR as the location for its railway works. Opened in October 1881,[3] a number of the site's buildings were designed by the GNR chief engineer William Hemingway Mills.[1][4]

The works was involved in the maintenance, overhaul and rebuild of the GNR's fleet of road and rail vehicles, including railway carriages, locomotives, buses and wagons.[2] Among the vehicles developed at the works was the Howden–Meredith railbus, developed by works managers George Howden and R. W. Meredith.[2]

Under leadership of James Park, two 32-ton freight locomotives "Class A" were built in 1882.[5] Between 1885 and 1893, ten 4-4-0 "Class J" locomotives were built.[5] Charles Clifford took over management of the works in 1895. He oversaw the production of six 2-4-2T "JT Class" locomotives, named Sutton, Howth, Aster, Crow, Viola and Tulip.[5] "Class S" locomotives was Clifford's final design.[5] "VS Class" locomotives were the last steam engines produced in the works. These were numbered 206-210, and named Boyne, Erne, Foyle, Lagan and Liffey.[5] In 1938, "Class S" and "S2" were rebuilt and renewed.[5] The works also produces many road vehicles including fifty-three Gardiner buses from 1937 to 1942, and nine Regent buses in 1953. [5]

In 1950, GNR introduced twenty new Diesel-Mechanical AEC railcars. [6] These railcars could operate with up to two unpowered intermediate coaches, which were built in GNR Dundalk Works.[6] In 1954, the GNR Board placed an order for twenty-six railcars, and the contract was given to British United Traction (BUT).[6] The underframes, and structural elements were delivered to Ireland and construction took place in 1957 at Dundalk works for the BUT Railcars.[6]

Decline

By the 1950s, GNR was in financial decline and it had a £1,900,000 deficit by 1952. In 1958, the GNR was dissolved and its assets were divided between the two state railway companies, Coras Iompar Eireann and Ulster Transport Authority.[7] Despite a large protest of over one thousand GNR workers in 1957, the railway works at Dundalk closed in 1958.[8]

Legacy

The works continued to be used for engineering after the GNR's closure. The Irish government helped to establish Dundalk Engineering Works (DEW) and other companies were also set up, including Frank Bosner & Co. and Heinkel Cabin Scooters Ltd.[9] DEW was contracted to build generator "Dutch" vans for CIE from 1969 to 1970.[3]

In 1958 this company was also involved in producing Heinkel bubble three-wheelers.[2] Over 6000 Kabine scooters were manufactured in the works.[10] Due to issues with quality control, workshops having dirt floors, and leaving the axles outside, the scooter licence was withdrawn from DEW.[11]

An example of a Heinkel bubble car

DEW also built many narrow gauge locomotives(LM375, LM354-LM373) for Bord na Mona.[3]

In 1985, DEW's US-based parent company S&S Engineering gave notice that DEW would be shutdown.[12][13]

Dundalk South junction in 1983 with GNR works in right background. The junction allowed trains to reach the Barrack St branch and the adjacent yard associated with the GNR works.[14]

As of the 21st century, a number of buildings associated with the Dundalk works still stand and are used as a garage and offices.[1][4][15] The bus garage is used by Bus Éireann.[2]

Preservation

No.171 Slieve Gullion

No.171 Slieve Gullion

No.171 was rebuilt in Dundalk in 1938, and remains in preservation as part of the RPSI collection. Although called a "rebuild", so many of the major parts were replaced that it was virtually a new engine.[16]

462 Dutch Van

462 Dutch Van, built in the former GNR works site by the Dundalk Engineering Works company is still in preservation at RPSI's Whitehead museum.[17]

"The Works" Exhibition

In July 2025, the Dundalk Railway Heritage Society, in collaboration with the Model Railway Society of Ireland, presented a model railway exhibition showcasing a scale model of the G.N.R.(I) Railway Works in Dundalk.[18]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Great Northern Railway (Ireland) Locomotive Carriage and Wagon Works, Ardee Road, Parnell Park, Dundalk, Louth (13900712)". buildingsofireland.ie. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Kelly, Niall (24 April 2024). "175 Years of Railways in Dundalk". Táilte Tours. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Across the Tracks. Belfast: Dundalk Railway Heritage Society, Railway Preservation Society of Ireland. December 2012. pp. 216, 218, 219, 220. Retrieved 13 July 2026.
  4. 1 2 "Great Northern Railway (Ireland) Locomotive Carriage and Wagon Works, Ardee Road, Parnell Park, Dundalk, Louth (13900711)". buildingsofireland.ie. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Great Northern Railway, Engineering Pride". Cross Border Archives Project. Cross Border Archives Project. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Irish Railway Factsheet: Great Northern Railway (Ireland)" (PDF). Irish Railway Factsheet: Great Northern Railway (Ireland). Irish Railway Record Society. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
  7. ↑ "The legendary history of the Great Northern Railway in Dundalk". Dundalk Democrat. 1 August 2017. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
  8. ↑ Kavanagh, Peter (27 September 2018). "Remembering the 'end of the line' for Dundalk as a 'Railway Town'". Dundalk Democrat. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
  9. ↑ "Great Northern Railway, GNR and it's Workers". Cross Border Archives Project. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
  10. ↑ "Photographs emerge of futuristic bubble car once made in Dundalk". Retrieved 24 August 2026.
  11. ↑ "Bruce Weiner Microcar Museum: 1956 Heinkel Kabine". Microcarmuseum.com. Archived from the original on 3 October 2008. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
  12. ↑ Collins, E. (14 November 1985). "Adjournment Debate. - Dundalk Engineering Works". Dáil Éireann Debate. 361 (10). The house of the Oireachtas.
  13. ↑ Lynch, David. "Reunion planned for former staff of S&S Engineering Works in Dundalk". Louth Live. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
  14. ↑ O'Callaghan, Colm. "Dundalk South Junction". Eiretrains. Retrieved 19 July 2026.
  15. ↑ "Dundalk Railway Station, Ardee Road, Townparks (Upper Dundalk By.), Dundalk, Louth (13707052)". buildingsofireland.ie. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
  16. ↑ "No.171 "Slieve Gullion"". Railway Preservation Society of Ireland. RPSI. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
  17. ↑ "462 Dutch Van". Railway Preservation Society of Ireland. RPSI. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
  18. ↑ Rooney, Catriona (25 June 2025). "Dundalk Railway Heritage Society to Host "The Works" Exhibition in July 2025". LMFM. LMFM. Retrieved 19 July 2026.
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.