STRADBALLY WOODLAND RAILWAY BOGIE CARRIAGE TYPE 7L The bogie carriage dates back to 1887. It was originally built by the Metropolitan Railway Carriage and Wagon Company, for the Cavan and Leitrim Railway. It worked on that companies lines from Ballinamore to Belturbet, Arigna and Dromod until closure of the system under CIE in 1959. As built it carried a clerestory type body and an enclosed interior something like this image of the interior of C&L carriage No.5 at the UF&TM at Cultra Northern Ireland. The carriage entered service at Stradbally in 1973, and remains in service to this day, being the oldest passenger carrying vehicle on an Irish Railway in 2013, at a mere 126 years old!
STRADBALLY WOOLAND RAILWAY LOCO NO 4 The Loco was built by Ruston and Hornsby in Lincoln UK in 1952 works number 326052, it is a 48DL type. It was purchased new by the Electricity Supply Board, for their Portarlington Power Station. Built new with a 4 cylinder Ruston 48HP engine by the 1980s, it was in poor repair, and in 1982, it, and several sister machines, were re-engined with Lister HR6 power units. This is the engine it carries to the present day, now delivering approx 60HP.
She came to Stradbally upon closure of ESB Portarlington in 1986, for passenger services and ballast and track material trains. From 2002-2009, she was the main locomotive on the railway, working all passenger services from October 2002-July 2009.
STRADBALLY WOODLAND RAILWAY LOCO NO 2 The Loco was built in Caledonia Works in Kilmarnock by Andrew Barclay in 1949, works number 2264 for Bord na Mona. Along with sister engines No.1 and No.3, it worked on the Clonsast Railway of Bord na Mona, near Portarlington hauling wagons of sod turf from bogs, into the Power Station, from new until withdrawn in April 1953. Replaced by more fuel efficent Ruston Diesels, its was however retained serviceable for many years, amid fears of disruption in oil supplies, after the Suez Crisis in 1956. By the start of the 1960s, the three Steam locos were forlorn abandoned at the steam sheds at Cushina, until it was preserved by the Irish Steam Preservation Society at Stradbally in 1969.
SIDE VIEW OF LOCO NO 2. Showing boiler and motion.
BUILDERS PLATE ON LOCO NO 2 Showing it´s serian No and where and when manufactured.
RETIRED DRIVER DREAMING BACK TO THE GOOD OLD DAYS My dear friend Jono Pim at the helm. Picture also showing reversing leaver and the business of the Boiler. The regulator handle can just be seen above the reversing leaver.
CLOSE UP OF LOCO NO 2 Picture showing Cylinder block and motion.
FIGHTING FACE OF LOCO NO 2 Picture also showing oil lamps and smoke box door.
INVITED TO TAKE THE HELM ON BOARD LOCO NO 2 There are lots of dreams in a mans life! To be at the helm of a Steam Loco is one of them.
THE NEW LOCO AND CAR SHED.
Stationmaster Clifton Flewitt testing the Switch to the siding leading to the new shed, not yet connected to the circuit.
The new embanktment for the connection to the new shed under construction.
FOWLER TRACTION ENGINE Built in Leeds, England in 1936. Showroom: Stradbally Steam Museum
MAKERS PLATE FOR THE FOWLER ENGINE Showing it´s serial No and where and when manufactured.
AVELING AND PORTER ROAD ROLLER Ex Louth County Council. Built in around 1920. Showroom: Stradbally Steam Museum
OVERHEAD VIEW To the left, the Fowler Traction Engine. To the right, painted green, a Blackstone Single Cylinder Oil Engine.
