The 8th and 9th of August saw the heritage railway take delivery of four ballast wagons from Iarnród Éireann (Irish Rail)

The delivery saw all hands on deck for the Downpatrick and County Down Railway, which only opened in July after two and a half years of closure due to covid restrictions. Once the wagons arrived, shunting took place prior to the public trains finishing on Saturday and throughout the day on Sunday.

The wagons will support the railway’s Permanent Way gang in maintaining the track standards, alongside helping to reinstate the mothballed ‘south line’ located after Magnus’s Grave.

The purchase of the wagons comes as part of Downpatrick and County Down Railway’s commitment to maintaining its track to the highest standards by supplying improved tools for maintenance as well as eventually being utilised in extending to Ballydugan.

Three of the wagons are ballast hoppers and can hold up to 20 tonnes of stone, before it is laid on the railway line to support track placement and provide a smooth ride after being tamped.

The fourth wagon is a special brake van which features an underfloor plough which spread the ballast where it is needed. The wagons will bring larger capacity than Daisy the trusty dumper or ballast regulator, although she will still have work to do with smaller and more focused jobs.

The hoppers were built by CIÉ and Parsons Ltd back in the 1970s and were used throughout the Irish Rail network, only being withdrawn in 2013.

Before heading to Downpatrick and County Down Railway the wagons had been parked in Dublin’s North Wall yard for 9 years when they were finally authorised to be scrapped and this is when the heritage railway seized the opportunity asking for the best to be kept for their use.

Iarnród Éireann Chief Executive Jim Meade said:

‘As custodians of the railway, we are acutely aware of the importance of rail heritage. We are fortunate on this island that we have a community of professional and dedicated organisations such as Downpatrick & County Down Railway who are committed to preserving our rail heritage. It was a pleasure to work with D&CDR who have now taken ownership of three ballast wagons and a ballast plough from ourselves, and we look forward to seeing their use by the team in Downpatrick for many years to come.’

The wagons were Delivered by Railway Support Services Ltd and will return the following week with more secret toys for the railway.

The condition of the wagons is impressive and will need just a small amount of work to ready them for service, and it is hoped that they will also serve as interesting exhibits as well as useful tools.

Downpatrick and County Down Railway wish to thank Irish Railway Models who supported the cost of transportation alongside a volunteer at the railway who funded the wagon’s purchase as well as Irish Rail and Railway Support Services.