The Downpatrick and County Down Railway welcomed another new vehicle to the railway last week.
Ex-Iarnród Éireann “cement bubble” No. 25199, previously seen for over 30 years on cement trains in Ireland, is now part of the railway.
In 2009, cement traffic ended, and all of the ‘bubbles’ were withdrawn and all of which were thought to be scrapped.
One bubble was spared, and a dedicated enthusiast moved it to a secret collection, where it remained undiscovered for 16 years, and it was assumed that this piece of heritage was lost.
The owner approached the railway last month and offered it to join their collection, and while they don’t have much use for its intended purpose, they hope that visitors and enthusiasts who remember the wagons will enjoy being able to see one.
The railway began fundraising to cover the costs of transporting the wagon, which was very successful, seeing a sponsorship arrangement with Accurascale UK/Irish Railway Models that has seen a model created of the wagon in 00 gauge.
The wagon was safely delivered on the 3rd October, and shunted to the Cathedral Siding by No.124 and will remain visible to visitors from the platform.
Following an inspection and clean-up, they aim to have it out on demonstration freight trains.
Responses
This is a lucky day for this little wagon, it has come a long way since its retirement from carrying cement on the rail. I hope to visit the Downpatrick Railway some day to see that wagon for myself because I actually remember seeing those wagons in action once just outside Paulstown.