The
Córas Iompair Éireann 101 Class
locomotive
A locomotive is a rail transport, rail vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. Traditionally, locomotives pulled trains from the front. However, Push–pull train, push–pull operation has become common, and in the pursuit for ...
s, numbered B101-B112, were built in 1956 by the
Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company
The Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company (BRC&W) was a railway locomotive and carriage builder, founded in Birmingham, England and, for most of its existence, located at nearby Smethwick, with the factory divided by the boundary betw ...
. They were fitted with Sulzer 6LDA28 engines of , with four
Metropolitan-Vickers
Metropolitan-Vickers, Metrovick, or Metrovicks, was a British heavy electrical engineering company of the early-to-mid 20th century formerly known as British Westinghouse. Highly diversified, it was particularly well known for its industrial el ...
MV137 traction motors. They were of A1A-A1A
wheel arrangement
In rail transport, a wheel arrangement or wheel configuration is a system of classifying the way in which wheels are distributed under a locomotive. Several notations exist to describe the wheel assemblies of a locomotive by type, position, and c ...
, weighed 75 tonnes and had a maximum speed of .
History
With their design, size and axle loading, they were intended for mixed traffic duties, hauling both freight and passenger trains. They found regular use primarily on the
Waterford
Waterford ( ) is a City status in Ireland, city in County Waterford in the South-East Region, Ireland, south-east of Ireland. It is located within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford H ...
-
Mallow-Tralee line and also on the
Tralee-Newcastle West-Limerick line. Given that they were the first main group of diesel locos used in Ireland, they proved very successful and quickly gained a reputation for comfort and reliability by contrast to the poor cab conditions and suspension rocking of the
113 Class and the interminable breakdowns of the
A Class and
C Class locomotives. However, during the 1960s many of the secondary lines that they were used on were closed and following the arrival of the
181 Class, the 101s were relegated to goods, permanent way and pilot duties.
The first withdrawal took place in 1969 (B111), and the last in February 1978 (B106). A proposal to re-engine them in the light of similar refurbishments of the Class 001 and Class 201 came to nothing, and the decision was taken to order new locomotives in the form of the
071 Class instead.
After withdrawal, the entire class was lined up together with the two 113 Class locomotives to form a sound barrier around Inchicore Works. Official withdrawal of the class came in April 1984, and the majority were scrapped between December 1986 and March 1987.
Preservation
One locomotive, No. 103 survived and has been preserved by the
Irish Traction Group
The Irish Traction Group is a railway preservation society dedicated to preserving diesel locomotives from Iarnród Éireann, Irish railways. It was founded on 4 June 1989 with the intention of attempting to preserve at least one example of eve ...
, and is currently in storage at
Carrick-on-Suir railway station
Carrick-on-Suir railway station serves the town of Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary in Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the ...
. It was purchased by the group in 1993 directly from
Iarnród Éireann
Iarnród Éireann, () or Irish Rail, is the operator of the national Rail transport in Ireland, railway network of Ireland. Established on 2 February 1987, it is a subsidiary of CIÉ, Córas Iompair Éireann (CIÉ). It operates all internal I ...
and is awaiting eventual restoration.
Model
A resin
OO gauge
OO gauge or OO scale (also, 00 gauge and 00 scale) is the most popular standard gauge model railway standard in the United Kingdom, outside of which it is virtually unknown. OO gauge is one of several 4 mm-scale standards (4 mm to , or 1: ...
model kit is available fro
Studio Scale Models with etched brass/whitemetal detailing and a selection of decals to cover various liveries.
See also
*
British Rail Class 24
The British Rail Class 24 diesel locomotives, originally known as the Sulzer Type 2, were built from 1958 to 1961. 151 were built at Derby, Crewe
Crewe () is a railway town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Ches ...
(fitted with the same engine)
References
*
External links
Eiretrains - Irish Locomotives
*Sulzer engines from around the world
{{Ireland Diesel Locomotives
Iarnród Éireann locomotives
BRCW locomotives
A1A-A1A locomotives
5 ft 3 in gauge locomotives
Railway locomotives introduced in 1956
Diesel–electric locomotives of Ireland