BUILT BY : NEILSON REID, GLASGOW (WORKS NO. 5727)
YEAR BUILT : FEBRUARY 1901
WITHDRAWN : OCTOBER 1963 

The Railway Preservation Society of Ireland took delivery of a new resident to its Whitehead Engineering Base on the 31st May 2003.  The resident in question was ‘Q’ class 4-4-0 No.131.
No.131 was built in February 1901 as part of a class of 13, 4-4-0, mixed traffic locomotives for the Great Northern Railway (Ireland).  The 4-4-0 tender locomotive was built by Neilson Reid in Glasgow as works number NR5757.  No.131 was designed under the auspices of Charles Glifford and initially named Uranus (the name was removed in 1914).  She was rebuilt with a superheated boiler, under George T. Glover (then Chief Locomotive Designer of the GNR(I)) in Dundalk works in 1920.

No.131, seen here beside an 071 class GM.  Photo B.Pickup.

She was used mainly on the routes from Belfast to Clones and Belfast to Londonderry and throughout her GNR(I) life was rarely seen south of Dundalk.  She was overhauled again in 1958 at Dundalk and in October 1958 when the Great Northern Railway board split between the Ulster Transport Authority and Coras Iompair Eireann, the locomotive passed into the hands of CIE for operation until withdrawal in October 1963.  Between 1963 and 1965 she lay unused along with (now, also preserved at the RPSI’s Whitehead base) J15 0-6-0 No.184 and K2 2-6-0 No.461.  No.131 always carried GNR(I) black livery whilst in operation, but for a short time, whilst on display, she carried GNR(I) sky-blue.  In the late 1970’s the locomotive was repainted and placed on a plinth at Dundalk station (the spiritual home of the GNR(I)).  In June 1984 No.131 and her tender, were moved to Mallow as the main locomotive of the Great Southern Railway Preservation Society.  Unfortunately this venture did not bear fruition and the locomotive (partially stripped down and with the boiler and firebox out of the frames) was moved back to Inchicore Railway Works in the late 1990’s. 
The running frames were moved to Whitehead on 31st May 2003 and unloaded with the help of the RPSI’s trusted Ruston Hornsby diesel shunter.  The locomotive is currently the focus of a number of funding attempts, none of which have yet borne fruition.  Slightly smaller than RPSI icon ‘S’ class, No.171 Slieve Gullion, she would nonetheless be a very useful addition to the Irish mainline steam scene, easily powerful enough to handle the 7+ coach trains which the RPSI enjoy. 

 
 
 

	131's chassis in store at Whitehead, 2006. Although currently in several pieces, the engine could eventually be restored to main line condition given sufficient funding.  The main steam pipes emerging from the top of the cylinder block have been blocked with rags, since any debris entering the cylinders could cause considerable damage when the pistons move. Photo by M S Walsh.
	131's boiler in store at Whitehead, 2006, with temporary paintwork to keep the rust at bay.  Note the flap in the firehole door, a typical feature of GNR[I] main line locomotives. Using the long handle, the fireman would adjust the flap to control the flow of air over the fire.  Photo M S Walsh.