GS&WR Class J15

The Great Southern and Western Railway 101 Class, classified J15 by the Great Southern Railways was a class of 0-6-0 steam locomotives designed for working goods traffic although they did, and were quite capable of, working branch or even main line passenger trains.

The J15's were by far the most numerous class of locomotive (diesel or steam) ever to run in Ireland with 111 being built between 1866 and 1903 with only minor modifications between batches. The great majority were built by the GS&WR at Inchicore Works, though the construction of some examples was contracted out to Beyer, Peacock & Co., and Sharp, Stewart & Co., both famous Manchester based locomotive building firms.

The J15's survived long after many more modern steam locomotives were scrapped with nearly half their number still in traffic when the CIE abandoned steam haulage at the end of 1962.

pecification

The RPSI has an example, No.186
*Class: J15
*Wheels: 0-6-0
*Company: Great Southern & Western Railway
*Designer: McDonnell
*Builder: Sharp, Stewart & Co., Atlas Works, Manchester
*Dates: Built:1879; Withdrawn:1964
*Boiler: Z
*Boiler diameter: 5’ 1¾”
*Cylinders: 18” X 24”
*Tractive effort: 17,170 lbf
*Total weight (tons): 37.65
*Axle load (tons) 13.00

Preservation

Two have been preserved by the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland making them the most numerous class of preserved Irish steam locomotives. No. 186 is currently in working order [http://www.rpsi-online.org/locomotives/] , and is normally based at the society's Whitehead depot. This locomotive appears in the 2006 film, The Wind That Shakes the Barley.

* No. 186, a Sharp Stewart engine, has a superheated larger boiler with a Belpaire firebox and a larger 3345 gallon tender.

* No. 184 has a smaller saturated boiler with round-topped firebox, and was paired with the 1864 gallon outside-sprung tender. To give a larger water capacity, No. 184 has been paired with the larger tender when used on the Irish railway network.

External links

* [http://www.rpsi-online.org/locomotives/loco186.htm Number 186]
* [http://www.rpsi-online.org/locomotives/loco184.htm Number 184]