Ulster & Connaught Heritage Railways
Rolling Stock
Locomotives
GSWR No.90
Orenstein and Koppel Industrial Tank Locomotives No. 1 and No. 3
Built in Germany by Orenstein and Koppel in the eary 1930’s. These locomotives were used by the Irish Sugar Company at their factories in Mallow, Thurles and Carlow up until 1960. Both locomotives were acquired by the DCDR in 1987 and No. 1 was fully restored to working order by the RPSI and No. 3 is currently nearing its own overhaul and restoration at the RPSI.
CIE Maybach Diesel Hydraulic Locomotives E432 and E421
E421 and E432 were built for Irish Rail in 1962 and 1963 respectively. They were used primarily for shunting duties until Irish Rail withdrew them from duty in 1983. Acquired by DCDR in 1986, E421 was restored to full working order by members and volunteers. E432 is currently awaiting its own overhaul and restoration.
CIE Diesel Hydraulic G-Class Locomotives
These locomotives G611, G613 and G617 werer three of seven locomotives purchased by Irish Rail for use on lightly used lines and for shunting. They were in service until the late 1970’s.
NIR Leyland-BREL Railbus RB3
Built in 1981 by Bristih Rail Engineering in Derby, England the Railbus was seen as a means of serving lightly trafficked branch lines. Acquired by Translink it was used on the Coleraine to Portruch branch line. However it did not have adequate capacity to handle passenger numbers on this line. It was therefore withdrawn from service and was on display in the Ulster Transport Museum at Cultra from 1990 until DCDR acquired it in 2001.
Sligo, Leitrim & Northern Counties Railcar B (later CIE 2509)
Railcar B was built in 1947 by Walker Bros. of Wigan Ltd. It was used in service on the SLNCR which linked Enniskillen and Sligo. Being economical to run, it was well suited to operating on this rural line. After the closure of the line in 1957 CIE bought Railcar B and it became Railcar 2509. It remained in service until 1971. At present it is stored at Downpatrick and funding for its complete restoration are being explored.
NIR Hedgecutter
Performs the important task of hedge control along the railway.
Wickham Inspection Vehicles
One of these vehicles is on loan from the Irish Traction Group. The other christened Rosie belongs to a DCDR volunteer and is undergoing an overhaul.
Carrriages & Wagons
Carriages
Belfast & Co. Down Railway Carriages
BCDR No. 39 - Six Wheel Brake Third
BCDR No. 2 - Holywood Railmotor
BCDR No. 148 - First/second Composite
BCDR No. 153 - Royal Saloon
BCDR No. 154 - Six Wheel Second
Coras Iompair Eireann/Irish Rail Carriages
CIE No. 1918 - 'Laminate' Brake Standard
CIE No. 2419 - Buffet Coach
CIE No. 3223 - Generating Steam Van
CIE No. 1944 - 'Park Royal' Brake Standard
CIE No. 2978 - Travelling Post Office
Great Northern Railway (Ireland) and Ulster Railway Carriages
GNR(I) Six Wheel Third (no. unknown)
Ulster Railway No. 33 - 4-wheel Family Saloon
Midland Great Western Railway Carriages
MGWR No. 25 - Six Wheel Second
MGWR No. 47 - Six Wheel Full Brake
MGWR No. 53 - Six Wheel Second
Great Southern and Western Railway Carriages
GSWR No. 69 - Six Wheel First Saloon
GSWR No. 836 - Third Open
GSWR No. 1097 - 1st/2nd/3rd Tri-Compo Side Corridor
GSWR No. 1287 - 1st/2nd/3rd Tri-Compo Side Corridor
Northern Ireland Railways Carriages
NIR RB3 - Railbus
NIR No. 728 - 70 Class Railcar Intermediate Trailer
Wagons
LMS (Northern Counties Committee) Steam Crane
CIE Closed Goods Van No. 18885
LMS (Northern Counties Committee) 25 Ton Brakevan No. 33 (UTA 2033)
LMS (Northern Counties Committee) Brown Vans
GSWR Ballast Plough Van No. 8452
GSWR Ballast Hoppers
NIR 'Walrus' Ballast Hopper No. C496
Open Wagon - Private Owner (Courthaulds)
UTA Open Wagon
Private Owner four-wheel Oil Tanker
UTA Six-wheel Oil Tanker
Buildings
Downpatrick Station
The original staion building in Market Street was demolished in 1972 as to make way for a supermarket development. The building in use as the Station Building is in actual fact a re-build of the Downpatrick’s Gasworks Managers House. A listed 19th century building it was moved from its original site just across the road and re-constructed.
The Loop Platform
The DCDR is the only preserved railway in the British Isles with a triangle of track - the Downpatrick Loop, a feature that gives us many potential variations in train routes.
LMS NCC Signal Cabin
This LMS (NCC) cabin was originally located at King's Bog level crossing on the Belfast-Ballyclare road. DCDR members and volunteers dismantled the cabin on its original site and reconstructed it in Downpatrick.
Maghera Goods Transhipment Shed
This Belfast & Northern Counties Railway goods transhipment shed, originally part of Maghera station complex located on the Derry Central Railway, was a listed building owned by the Dept of the Environment. When the site at Maghera, Co. Londonderry, was required for redevelopment the Dept of the Environment came to an arrangement with the DCDR whereby they dismantled and removed the shed to Downpatrick, and the DCDR successfully applied for a Heritage Lottery Fund grant to have it rebuilt. It now serves as a locomotive shed.
Rolling Stock Overhaul & Rebuilding Workshop
The general proportions of this building featuting a lightweight structure are based on those of the Goods Shed at the BCDR station in Newtownards. Indeed the DCDR was offered the original shed when it was to be demolished but such a stone built structure would have been too heavy and therefore unsuitable for the marshy ground at Downpatrick.
Kind Magnus’s Halt
A new halt was built in 1994 at the site of the burial mound of the Viking King, Magnus Barefoot.
