Tralee and Dingle Light Railway 5 is a locomotive manufactured by the
Hunslet Engine Company
The Hunslet Engine Company is a locomotive-building company, founded in 1864 in Hunslet, England. It manufactured steam locomotives for over 100 years and currently manufactures diesel shunting locomotives. The company is part of Ed Murray & So ...
in 1892 for the
Tralee and Dingle Light Railway
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The Tralee and Dingle Light Railway and Tramway was a , narrow gauge railway running between Tralee and Dingle, with a branch from Castlegregory Junction to Castlegregory, in County Kerry on the west coast of Ireland. It operated bet ...
.
It is difficult to understand why the Tralee and Dingle acquired this particular locomotive. Perhaps they were looking for a locomotive more suited to passenger work, the pony truck should give a better ride for the crews over lightly laid track, perhaps the extra truck was needed to keep the axle-weight down as No. 5 was some 9 tons heavier than the other, earlier Hunslets or, as it was fitted for oil-burning from new it could be that Hunslets, in looking for a narrow gauge railway on which to demonstrate their product, gave a good deal on the price, and railways were always looking for a good deal to help their finances. Regardless of which No. 5 arrived in 1892 and on the 1925 amalgamation became the sole representative of GSR Class 5T or Class PN2.
History
Tralee and Dingle locomotive No. 5 was delivered from its builders, The Hunslet Engine Company, of Leeds as their works number 555 in 1892, ready fitted for oil-burning. It is believed that this was a prototype and Hunslet were looking for a railway to demonstrate its product, one of the first for narrow gauge. The T&D also purchased two oil-burning units for fitting to its other locomotives but they were never used. No.5 was converted to burn coal after only a short career as an oil-burner.
Like the earlier Hunslet products No. 5 was delivered ready for “tramway” operation, fitted with “skirts” to cover the motion, a boiler mounted bell and headlights. As with the other locomotives the “skirts” had a short life and were removed to facilitate easy access to the motion oiling points etc.
A new boiler was fitted in 1906 and, being a favourite of the engine crews, it saw many miles under its belt before being stopped in 1948 and taken to
Inchicore Works
Inchicore railway works, also known locally as 'Inchicore' or 'The Works', was founded by the Great Southern and Western Railway in 1846 and emerged to become the major engineering centre for railways in Ireland. Located west of Dublin city ...
. It was outshopped in 1949 and, with no work on its home line, sent to the
Cavan and Leitrim Railway where it served until final withdrawal from service in 1959. It was always said that this locomotive covered the most miles of all the T&D fleet it was so well liked by the crews, however this was put beyond doubt when it crossed the Atlantic in 1959 to return in 1988 to run again on its home metals.
Livery
Tralee and Dingle locomotive livery was a dark green lined out red between two cream lines.
Buffer beam
A headstock of a rail vehicle is a transverse structural member located at the extreme end of the vehicle's underframe. The headstock supports the coupling at that end of the vehicle, and may also support buffers, in which case it may also be ...
s were red. Following the 1925 amalgamation the livery followed that of the GSR in that locomotives were painted plain grey with red buffer beams. It carried this livery, in common with other TDLR locos, on into CIÉ days, retaining it (though in filthy condition!) to the end.
Preservation
![Irl-TraleeDingleRailTrain](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Irl-TraleeDingleRailTrain.jpg)
Locomotive No.5 was withdrawn from service in 1959 and bought by
American millionaire
F. Nelson Blount and was sent to the
Steamtown Museum in
Bellows Falls, Vermont
Bellows Falls is an incorporated village located in the town of Rockingham in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,747 at the 2020 census. Bellows Falls is home to the Green Mountain Railroad, a heritage railroad; the ...
, where it was cosmetically restored to TDLR condition and placed on static display. In 1988, No. 5 returned to Tralee where, after 5 years, it was restored to working order for duties on the 1½ miles reopened section of the TDLR between Tralee and Blennerville.
The locomotive is out of service after failing a boiler certificate and the whole project has ground to a halt as a result. With the line closed again, a decision on its future depends on funding. 5 now lies dismantled in its shed.
References
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External links
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Tralee & Dingle Light Railway news*
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{{Ireland Steam Locomotives, state=collapsed
2-6-2T locomotives
Steam locomotives of Ireland
Hunslet narrow gauge locomotives
Railway locomotives introduced in 1892
Individual locomotives of Ireland
3 ft gauge locomotives