GREAT
NORTHERN RAILWAY (IRELAND)
"S"
CLASS 4-4-0 No. 171 "SLIEVE GULLION"
BUILT BY: BEYER, PEACOCK
& CO., MANCHESTER (WORKS NO. 5629)
YEAR BUILT: 1913
RENEWED: G N R (I), DUNDALK
WORKS, 1938 (WORKS NO. 42)
WITHDRAWN:1965
LAST MAJOR OVERHAUL COMPLETED:
1993
On the 17th of September
1994, No.171 piloted No.85 on the Atlantic Coast Express - the first and
probably the only time these locomotives were allowed to double head over
the NCC route to the maiden city. Photo by C P Friel
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171 is in store pending overhaul. Every
now and again she is oiled and moved to prevent static bearing damage.
On November 29th 2008, she moved outside the engine shed during a shunt
to assemble the Santa Special train.
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Built for the Belfast - Dublin
express trains, No. 171 spent over 40 years on various parts of the GNR
system on the main line and secondary duties along with the other 4 members
of her class. After the greater part of the GNR was closed in 1957,
and the remainder split between CIE and UTA in 1958, she was allocated
to CIE before being sold to the UTA in 1963. Her last few years in
traffic until 1965 were spent based in Belfast for use on Belfast - Portadown
and Derry trains.
171 subsequently became the
RPSI's first main line locomotive and has been used on many excursions
since. Original livery was lined green, changing to unlined black in the
late 1910's, and the familiar blue was carried from 1932 onwards. The RPSI
has maintained this livery generally, though the engine carried the earlier
unlined black from 1996 to 2000, having been repainted thus for a film
contract.
The loco is currently in
store at Whitehead. |
