On the annual May Railtour (three days of steam to various parts of Ireland), we use a combination of our own carriages as far as possible, aided and abetted by Irish Rail carriages hired for steam haulage.

We generally keep a set of carriages to make up a full train in Dublin, and another at Whitehead. Restoration of carriages is carried out at both our Mullingar and Whitehead sites.

More recently, in association with FAS, the employment and training agency, and in co-operation with IE, the RPSI embarked upon a most ambitious restoration programme, that of GSWR built Irish State carriage no 351.  The restored vehicle was the Overall Winner (Supreme Champion) in the Heritage Railway Association bi-annual Carriage and Wagon competition.  For this, the RPSI  will hold the "Railway Magazine Lamp" for the years of 2001 and 2002. In addition we received a commemorative plate in the style of a carriage builder's plate. This plate was produced by Swindon Historic Castings, a joint venture between HRA and the local authority. The awards were collected by David Humphries, the RPSI's then Honorary Business Development Officer. The judges commented: "This vehicle is in a class of its own. It was built for Edward VII as an opulent clerestory roofed, single gangwayed saloon. In due course it became the Irish State Coach. After withdrawal in 1970 it survived a fire in Inchicore works, suffered from various forms of rot, and has now been restored by RPSI. The restoration features appropriate furnishings, panelling in the style of Francis I, light fittings in Waterford crystal and wash basins in Connemara marble."

Several unrestored vehicles await attention  - funds and manpower needed!

A full list of our carriage stock is as follows:

Notes re. builders:
Virtually all GNR(I) carriages, including all those listed above, were built by the GNR(I) in their Dundalk works.

Ex- NCC carriages nos 68, 238 and 241 were built by the London, Midland & Scottish Railway at Derby, England. Shipped over to Ireland in 1940s.

Inchicore Works in Dublin produced all the surviving GSWR, GSR and CIE carriage stock listed above.

The MGWR six wheeler, No. 62M, was unusual.  The MGWR built almost all its carriage stock at Broadstone, Dublin, but No. 62M was one of a few examples sub-contracted out to the Ashbury Railway Carriage & Wagon Co., at a time when Broadstone was working to full capacity.

Wagons

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