The Cavan and Leitrim Railway in the Irish village of Dromod has revealed that its ongoing project to restore a Tralee and Dingle Light Railway carriage has reached a major milestone.

The Bristol Wagon and Carriage Company built it in 1890 as a third class carriage number 7, for the opening of the Tralee and Dingle Railway in County Kerry.

It ran in service from the opening of the railway until it stopped running passenger trains in 1939, when it moved to the West Clare section of the Great Southern Railway working from Ennis to Kilrush and Kilkee until the mid 1950s.

The carriage’s chassis and original bogies were sent to John Fowler and Co. in Cumbria to be fully restored in several phases. The company completely restored and rebuilt the bogies, with the funding coming from donations. Ireland‘s Heritage Council supported the restoration of an original bogie in 2020.

The second phase involved restoring the original chassis, replacing some of the wooden headstocks and inner timbers, and restoring the steel solebars,and tie rods. The chassis has a sandwich construction, with steel solebars linked with an inner timber. The first Cavan and Leitrim carriages were also constructed in this style.

The restoration project received funding from the Heritage Council 2023 Community Grant Scheme, and as a result, has been about to fully restore the chassis. With its restored rolling chassis, the carriage is around halfway to completing its rebuild. The next phase of the project involves work on the body.

When fully restored, it will be the only original narrow gauge carriage operating on the island of Ireland, and will offer what the Railway describes as “an immersive experience” for visitors.

The Cavan and Leitrim Railway encourages those who wish to get involved in or support the project to get in touch.

Project manager Darragh Connolly said “The workmanship provided by Fowler and Co has been superb, we now have reached a huge milestone in the carriages restoration”, adding that, “it is a huge testament to the original builders in that the original iron work and much of the inner timber sections have been retained as fit to be re-used”.