MGWR Class D16

The MGWR Class D16 were a failed experiment in rebuilding tried and tested 2-4-0 steam locomotives as a 4-4-0 class for main line duties on the Midland Great Western Railway of Ireland. Poor steaming and lack of power condemned the locomotives to branch line work where they were able to make their mark

History

The D16 class were originally built as 2-4-0s between 1880 and 1887. Four were built by Kitson & Co. of Leeds, six by Beyer, Peacock and Company, Manchester, and the other at the MGWR's Broadstone Works in Dublin. The reason that ten were subcontracted to English firms was due to Broadstone working to capacity at the time.

In 1900/01, and being impressed with the bogie engies introduced by the Great Southern and Western Railway, the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the MGWR, Martin Atcock, decided on a similar experiment. Six of the 2-4-0s were converted to 4-4-0s, and redesignated D-bogie class. They were originally planned for use on the Mullingar - Sligo mail trains, however they were poor steamers and proved to be underpowered for this work being transferred soon afterwards to the Westport - Achill branch line in western County Mayo - a highly scenic line which passed through the small town of Newport and the village of Mallaranny before reaching the western seaboard at Achill Sound.

The six locomotives converted were the Beyer, Peacock models, Nos. 2, 3, 25, 26, 36 and 37. These locomotives became such regular performers on this line that they were nicknamed the "Achill Bogies". Following the absorption of the MGWR into the Great Southern Railways in 1925, they were renumbered 534, 535, 531, 532, 530 and 533, in the same order as the original numbers shown above. The first four dated from 1880, in their original form, and the last two 1881. It was the intention that these conversions would replace the G2, 2-4-0 locomotives but with their steaming problems the G2s were still in service long after the last D16 had been relegated to minor duties or even the scrapheap. Following the closure of the Achill line in 1937, there was little work for them to do, but one served on the Claremorris to Ballina branch for a time, another was occasionally used between Portarlington and Athlone and a third member of the class ended its days as a stationary boiler at Broadstone depot.The others seem to have found their way by degrees to Athlone and Broadstone. The 531 was withdrawn in 1945, all the rest apart from 533 in 1949, and 533 itself managed to survive until 1953, though it lay out of use for much of this time.

Livery

Redesignated as the D16 class by the GSR, and repainted overall dull battleship grey instead of the lined green livery they carried in MGWR days, they served the Achill line reliably to the last. A full description of the locomotives, a line drawing and many illustrations may be seen in the book "Rails to Achill" (a history of the Achill line) by Jonathan Beaumont, published in 2002 by the Oakwood Press, Usk, Monmouthshire.

ee also

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