Steam locomotives of Ireland

A wide variety of steam locomotives have been used on Ireland's railways. This page lists all those that have been used in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Irish railways generally followed British practice in locomotive design.

=Republic of Ireland=
Córas Iompair Éireann (CIE), which controlled the Republic's railways between 1945-86, settled on a policy of replacing steam with diesel locomotives, a process that was completed in 1962. Throughout this section, the classification and numbering systems applied by the GSR is given. This was based on a letter (representing the wheel arrangement of the locomotive followed by a unique number. Narrow gauge locomotive classes included the letter N after the prefix letter. The letters used were: A: 4-8-0. B: 4-6-0. C: 4-4-2 (Also Bo-Bo diesels). D: 4-4-0. E: 0-4-4. F: 2-4-2. G: 2-4-0. H: 0-6-4. I: 0-6-2. J: 0-6-0. K: 2-6-0. L: 0-4-2. M: 0-4-0. N: 2-2-2. P: 2-6-2.

Great Southern Railway (1925-1944) and Córas Iompair Éireann (from 1945)

J.R. Bazin (1925-1929)
* Class J15a: Numbers 700-704
* Class K1: Numbers 372-391
* Class P1: Number 850

W.H. Morton (1929-1932)
* Class K1a: Numbers 393-398
* Class M3: Number 495

A.W. Harty (1932-1937)
* Class I3: Numbers 670-674
* Class J15b Numbers 710-719

Edgar Craven Bredin(1937-1942)
* GSR Class B1a: Numbers 800-802

M.J. Ginnetty (1942-1944)

C.F. Tyndall (1944-1951)
* Class C2a: Numbers 1100/1101 (Mainline diesels)
* Class J1a: Numbers 1000-1004 (Diesel shunters)

O.V.S Bulleid (1951-1958)
* No.CC1 Turf burning locomotive

Cavan and Leitrim Railway (to 1924)

* Class DN2

Cork, Bandon and South Coast Railway( to 1924)

* Class B4

Timoleague and Courtmacsherry Railway

* Class K5
* Class L6

Cork, Blackrock and Passage Railway (to 1924)

* Class FN1

Cork and Muskerry Light Railway (to 1924)

* Class EN1

Dublin and South Eastern Railway (1854-1924)

W. Wakefield (1882-1894)
* Class C3
* Class F2
* Class G1

T. Grierson (1894-1897)

R. Cronin (1897-1917)
* Class C2
* Class D8
* Class F1
* Class J1
* Class J8

G.H. Wild (1917-1924)
* Class K2

Great Southern and Western Railway (1845-1924)

A. MacDonnell (1864-1883)
* Class D19
* Class J13
* Class J12
* Class J15
* Class J30

J.A.F. Aspinall (1883-1886)
* Class D14
* Class D17

H.A. Ivatt (1886-1896)
* Class C7
* Class F6
* Class J11

R. Coey (1896-1911)
* Class C4
* Class D2
* Class D3
* Class D4
* Class D10
* Class D11
* Class D12
* Class I1
* Class J3
* Class J4
* Class J9
* Class K3
* Class K4

R.E.L. Maunsell (1911-1913)
* Class L2

E.A. Watson (1913-1922)
* Class B2 & B2a: Numbers 400-409

J.R. Bazin (1922-1924)
* Class B1: Numbers 500-502

Waterford, Limerick and Western Railway (to 1900)

J.G. Robinson (1888-1900)
* Class C5
* Class D15
* Class E1
* Class E2
* Class G3
* Class J17
* Class J25

Midland Great Western Railway (1847-1924)

M. Atock (1872-1901)
* Class D16
* Class G2
* Class J6
* Class J10
* Class J16
* Class J18
* Class J19
* Class J26

E. Cusack (1901-1915)
* Class D5
* Class D6
* Class D7

W.H. Morton (1915-1924)
* Class J5

Schull and Skibbereen Railway (to 1924)

* Class DN4
* Class DN5

Tralee and Dingle Light Railway (to 1924)

* Class KN1
* Class KN2
* Class PN2

West Clare Railway (to 1924)

* Class BN1
* Class BN2
* Class BN3
* Class BN4
* Class IN1
* Class PN1

=Northern Ireland=The Ulster Transport Authority, which controlled the railways in Northern Ireland between 1948 and 1966, replaced steam haulage on passenger trains with diesel multiple units, but had only two diesel shunting locomotives, which meant a continued role for steam on freight work. Twenty-three locomotives passed to Northern Ireland Railways in 1967, but most were not used again and all had been withdrawn by 1970.

Belfast and County Down Railway

* Class 1
* Class 2 (Diesel shunter)
* Class 4
* Class 5
* Class 6
* Class 8
* Class 9
* Class 14
* Class 22
* Class 26
* Class 28 (Diesel shunter)
* Class 29

Belfast and Northern Counties Railway (1848-1903) & Northern Counties Committee (1903-1949)

The Belfast and Northern Counties Railway (BNCR), was a railway that served the north-east of Ireland. It had its origins in the Belfast and Ballymena Railway that opened to traffic on 11 April 1848. The Northern Counties Committee came into existence on 1 July 1903 as the result of the Midland Railway taking over the BNCR. At the 1923 Grouping the Committee became part of the London Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS); with the nationalisation of the railways in Britain in 1948 the line passed to the British Transport Commission and in the following year, 1949, it was sold to the Ulster Transport Authority (UTA).

Belfast and Ballymena Railway (1848-1860) and other constituents

The early locomotives of the constituent companies were to assorted designs from a number of manufacturers. The first locomotives for the Belfast and Ballymena Railway were purchased from Bury, Curtis, and Kennedy. These were four 2-2-2 singles and one 0-4-2 goods engine. Later, four more 2-2-2s were ordered but this time from Sharp Brothers. Fairbairn 2-2-2s were to be found on the Ballymena Ballymena, Ballymoney, Coleraine and Portrush Junction Railway but this company also favoured Sharp locomotives which were double framed 2-4-0s.

Belfast and Northern Counties Railway (1860-1903)

The BNCR introduced class letters for its locomotive stock in 1897. The MR (NCC) and later the LMS (NCC) continued to use the system adding new classes as required.

* Class A Heavy compounds
* Class B Light compounds
* Class C Light compounds
* Class D Heavy compounds
* Class E Compound goods locomotives
* Class F
* Class G
* Class H
* Class I
* Class J
* Class K
* Class L
* Class M
* Class N
* Class O Narrow gauge locomotives
* Class P Narrow gauge locomotives
* Class Q Narrow gauge locomotives
* Class R Narrow gauge locomotive
* Class S Narrow gauge compound locomotives

Northern Counties Committee (1903-1949)
* Class A1
* Class B1 Compounds
* Class B2
* Class B3
* Class D1
* Class E1 Compound goods locomotives
* Class F1
* Class K1
* Class L1
* Class S1 Narrow gauge compound locomotives
* Class S2 Narrow gauge compound locomotive
* Class T Railmotor units
* Class T Narrow gauge locomotives
* Class U
* Class U1
* Class U2
* Class V
* Class W
* Class WT: Numbers 1-10, 50-57
* Class X (Diesel shunter)
* Class Y

=Cross-Border Lines=

County Donegal Railway

* Class 4
* Class 5
* Class 5a

Dundalk, Newry and Greenore Railway

* Numbers 1-6

Great Northern Railway

The Great Northern Railway (Ireland) straddled the border between the Republic and Northern Ireland, and so was not incorporated in either the CIE or UTA. However, mounting losses saw the network purchased jointly by the Irish and British governments on 1 September 1953. It was run as a joint board, independent of the CIE and UTA, until 30 September 1958 when it was dissolved and the remaining stock split equally between the two railways.

J.C. Park (1881-1895)
* Class A
* Class AL
* Class P

Charles Clifford (1895-1912)
* Class JT
* Class PG
* Class PP
* Class Q
* Class QG
* Class QGTs
* Class QGT2
* Class QL
* Class QLG
* Class QNG
* Class RT
* Class S and S2
* Class SG and SG2

G.T. Glover (1912-1933)
* Class SG3
* Class T1
* Class T2
* Class U: Numbers 196-205
* Class V: Numbers: 83-87

G.B. Howden (1933-1939)

H.R. McIntosh (1939-1953)
* Class UG: Numbers 78-82, 145-149
* Class VS: Numbers 206-210

Belfast Central Railway (to 1885)

* Class BT

Londonderry and Lough Swilly Railway

* Class 2
* Class 5
* Class 8
* Class 10
* Class 12
* Class 15

ligo, Leitrim and Northern Counties Railway

* Glencar Class
* Leitrim Class
* Lough Class
* Sir Henry Class

ee also

* Diesel Locomotives of Ireland
* Multiple Units of Ireland
* Coaching Stock of Ireland

External links

* [http://groups.msn.com/IrishRailwayTechnologyandinformation/_whatsnew.msnw Irish Railway Technology and Information -reporting on all aspects of irish railways]