A six-wheeled carriage believed to have been in the opening sequences to John Wayne’s 1952 romantic comedy film “Quiet Man” is being lovingly restored at the Downpatrick & County Down Railway.

The scene in the film featuring the carriage was shot at Ballyglunin Station in County Galway. The station itself has just finished its restoration by a local community from Galway village.

Built at Dublin’s Inchicore works in 1888 by the Great Southern & Western Railway, this six-wheeled coach originally had a birdcage-style roof similar to that on former SECR brake coaches to aid the visibility of the guard, though this was removed during 1923 when the coach was rebuilt.

The coach was the only six-wheeled vehicle in the country to have a corridor connection, though this was removed.

The coach is now privately owned and based at Downpatrick and County Down Railway. Recent work on its restoration has seen paint applied to the wooden body work externally.

While inside the coach, another layer of top coat and varnish will also need to be applied to the east saloon before completion.

Work on other historic rolling stock at Downpatrick includes the restoration of coach No. 33. Dating from 1862, this is the only vehicle in existence that survives from the Ulster Railway, the first railway in Northern Ireland.

Work on a new siding for a shed at the railway was completed in March this year. This will enable the railway to store more heritage vehicles undercover and out of the elements.