Downpatrick & County Down Railway are on the look to give away Railbus RB3 to a good home after the vehicle has become surplus to requirement and is taking up space that could be used for other purposes.

The heritage railway has already advertised the sale in Ireland but is now looking further afield to see if the Railbus can be donated to a new home.

The BREL Railbus RB3 was built in Derby in 1981 and was moved to Northern Ireland Railways in 1982 to support capacity requirements on the Coleraine to Portrush line, but was unable to do so and was moved on to inspection duties before being withdrawn in 1992.

The Railbus then spent some time in the Transport Museum in Cultra ahead of making its way to the Downpatrick & County Down Railway in 2001, where it enjoyed a short spell running passenger services before going into storage.

The vehicle was also hauled as stock in 2012 on a few occasions in 2012 before returning to indoor storage before being stored outdoors in 2018.

The vehicle’s physical condition is reasonable both internally and externally, with expected wear and tear for its age. RB3 carries a few cosmetic issues including:

• A passenger saloon broken window
• Damage to fibreglass bumpers

The vehicle cabs are fully complete with all internal parts and also the passenger saloon, which also has a number of spare windows available.

Mechanically, RBS features:

• Leyland TL11 200hp diesel engine
• SCG gearboxes
• Gmeinder final drive to one axle

The vehicle’s mechanical make-up is very much like that of a Pacer to which RB3 is considered a predecessor.

Whilst running with Northern Ireland Railways and also at Downpatrick and County Down Railway underwent several mechanical and electrical issues and features a ‘lively’ ride quality.

Both British Rail and Northern Ireland Railway could keep the issues repaired and RB3 up and running however, Downpatrick and County Down Railway does not have the ability or the volunteer base with the expertise to repair the faults or make necessary modifications to support the vehicles running which is how it ended up being stored for so many years.

The issues ailing the Railbus include fuel starvation to the engine and the need for a major modification to the brakes, which were similarly carried out on Pacers.

Last started in 2012, RB3 could not move under its own power and the railway cannot ascertain whether it will start currently. When the railbus was last hauled as stock in 2012, its air systems were run via the train supply and were in normal working order.

Interested parties can contact [email protected] for more information.