Steam locomotives of Ireland explained

A wide variety of steam locomotives have been used on Ireland's railways. This page lists most if not all those that have been used in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Irish railways generally followed British practice in locomotive design.

The list that follows is roughly geographic (north to south) order.

Northern Ireland

The Ulster Transport Authority, which controlled the railways in Northern Ireland between 1948 and 1966, replaced steam haulage on passenger trains with diesel multiple units, but had only two diesel shunting locomotives, which meant a continued role for steam on freight work. Twenty-three locomotives passed to Northern Ireland Railways in 1967, but most were not used again and all had been withdrawn by 1971.

Belfast and County Down Railway

The Belfast and County Down Railway was founded in 1848. It absorbed the Belfast, Hollywood and Bangor Railway in 1884 and continued operating until it was nationalised in its centenary year into the Ulster Transport Authority as a result of the Ireland Act 1949.

Type	Fleet numbers	Quantity built	Manufacturer	Dates built	Dates withdrawn	Notes ^[1]
		4		1848	1858–1865	align=left	No. 2 renumbered 8 and rebuilt as 0–4–2; withdrawn 1890s
		2		1850–1851	1867–1877	align=left	Renumbered 4 and 5 in 1859
		2		1857–1858	1894–1894	align=left	No. 5 renumbered 7 in 1859
		1		1859	1880s	align=left
		2		1859	1886–1887	align=left
		5+2		1864–67	1890–1909	align=left	12–13 sold to BH&BR 1–2 in 1870; renumbered 15–16, along with two identical locos bought new by BH&BR (3 & 6) → BCDR 17, 20
		1		1867	1909	align=left	rebuilt as 0–4–2 in 1884
		2		1868	1888–1904?	align=left
		1		1875	1904	align=left
		1		1878	1922	align=left
		1		1880	1937	align=left	rebuilt as 0-4-2T in 1902
		1	BCDR Queens Quay Works, Belfast	1881	1897	align=left
		2		1870	1891	align=left	ex BH&BR 4 & 5
		4		1886–1890	1914–1949	align=left	rebuilt as 0–4–2T (1900–1902); 9 renumbered 28 in 1945
		4		1891	1920	align=left	Compounds; rebuilt as 4-4-2T in late 1890s
		3		1892	1921	align=left	Compounds
		1		1892	1950	align=left
		1		1894	1956	align=left
		6		1896–1897	1923–1950	align=left
		12		1901–1921	1956–1962	align=left	UTA renumbered by adding 200
		1		1904	1954	align=left	Renumbered 214 by UTA
		3		1905–1906	1924	align=left	Carriage portions saw further use
		2		1914–1921	1956	align=left	4 renumbered 204 by UTA
		4		1920	1956	align=left	Renumbered 222–225 by UTA
		1		1923	1956	align=left	Renumbered 229 by UTA
		3		1924–1945	1956	align=left	UTA renumbered by adding 200
C d		1		1933		align=left	Renumbered 2 in 1937
(1A)(A1)d		1		1937		align=left	Renumbered 28 in 1937

Belfast and Northern Counties Railway (1848–1903) & Northern Counties Committee (1903–1949)

The Belfast and Northern Counties Railway (BNCR), was a railway that served the north-east of Ireland. It had its origins in the Belfast and Ballymena Railway that opened to traffic on 11 April 1848. The Northern Counties Committee came into existence on 1 July 1903 as the result of the Midland Railway taking over the BNCR. At the 1923 Grouping the Committee became part of the London Midland & Scottish Railway (LMS); with the nationalisation of the railways in Britain in 1948 the line passed to the British Transport Commission and in the following year, 1949, it was sold to the Ulster Transport Authority (UTA) as a result of the Ireland Act 1949.

Belfast and Ballymena Railway (1848–1860) and other constituentsThe early locomotives of the constituent companies were to assorted designs from a number of manufacturers. The first locomotives for the Belfast and Ballymena Railway were purchased from Bury, Curtis and Kennedy. These were four 2-2-2 singles and one 0-4-2 goods engine. Later, four more 2-2-2s were ordered but this time from Sharp Brothers. Fairbairn 2-2-2s were to be found on the Ballymena Ballymena, Ballymoney, Coleraine and Portrush Junction Railway but this company also favoured Sharp locomotives which were double framed 2-4-0s.

Belfast and Northern Counties Railway (1860–1903)

The BNCR introduced class letters for its locomotive stock in 1897. The MR (NCC) and later the LMS (NCC) continued to use the system adding new classes as required.

Class	Type	Fleet numbers	Quantity built	Manufacturer	Dates built	Dates withdrawn	Notes
		3–5, 9, 17, 20, 34, 63–68	13	York Road Works (7) Derby Works (6)	1901–1908	1929–1936	align=left	Heavy compound locomotives
		24, 59–62	5		1897–1898	1924–1932	align=left	Light compound locomotives
		21, 33, 50–52, 56–57	7		1890–1895	1926–1942	align=left	Light compound locomotives; 50 renumbered 58
		50, 55	2		1895	1944–1946	align=left	Heavy compound locomotives; named Jubilee and Parkmount; rebuilt as 4-4-0 in 1897
		53–54	2		1892	1934–1944	align=left	Compound goods locomotives
		45–46, 23	3		1880–1885	1938–1942	align=left
		6, 8, 10–11, 22, 27, 29, 40–41	9	Sharp, Stewart & Company (7) Beyer, Peacock & Company (2)	1872–1878	1925–1933	align=left
		12–17	6		1856	1908–1924	align=left
		40–41	2		1868	1924	align=left	Renumbered 1–2
		25, 47–49	4		1883	1932–1934	align=left	Rebuilt as saddle tanks
		7, 28, 30–32, 38–39, 43–44	9	Sharp, Stewart & Company (7) Beyer, Peacock & Company (2)	1867–1880	1925–1947	align=left
		18–19, 35	3		1857–1861	1925–1933	align=left
		36–37	2		1863	1928–1932	align=left
		26	1		1873	1925	align=left
		42	1		1875	1925	align=left
		60–62	3		1874–1875	1911–1923	align=left	Narrow gauge locomotives; ex Ballymena, Cushendall and Red Bay Railway 1–3; renumbered 101–103
		63–64	2		1877–1878	1920–1928	align=left	Narrow gauge locomotives; ex Ballymena and Larne Railway 1 & 4; renumbered 104–105
		65–67	3		1877–1882	1931–1933	align=left	Narrow gauge locomotives; ex Ballymena & Larne Railway 2, 3 & 6; renumbered 106–108
		68	1		1880	1934	align=left	Narrow gauge locomotive; ex Ballymena & Larne Railway 5; renumbered 109
		69–70	2		1882	1946–1954	align=left	Narrow gauge compound locomotives; renumbered 110–111

Northern Counties Committee (1903–1949)

Class	Type	Fleet numbers	Quantity built	Manufacturer	Dates built	Dates withdrawn	Notes
		3, 4, 9, 17, 34, 64–66, 68	9		(1927–34)	1947–1954	align=left	Simple rebuilds of class A
		60, 61	3		(1921)	(1932)	align=left	Rebuilds of class B
		24	1		(1925)	(1928)	align=left	Simple rebuilds of class B
		21, 24, 28, 60, 61	5		(1927–32)	1938–1947	align=left	Simple rebuilds of classes B1, B2, C and C1
		21, 51, 52, 57	4		(1926–31)	1931–1947	align=left	Rebuilds of class C
		50	1		(1926)	1946	align=left	Rebuild of class D
		53–54	2		(1907–11)	1934–1944	align=left	Rebuilds of class E
		46	1		(1928)	1938	align=left	Rebuild of class F
		6, 10, 27	3		(1910–13)	1931–1933	align=left	Rebuilds of class G
		30, 32, 38–39, 43–44	6		(1909–22)	1927–1938	align=left	Rebuilds of class K
		112–113, 103–104	4		1908–1920	1938–1954	align=left	Narrow gauge compound locomotives; 112–113 renumbered 102–101
		101–102	2		(1928–1930)	1942	align=left	Narrow gauge compound locomotives; rebuilds of class S; renumbered 41–42
		110	1		(1931)	1946	align=left	Narrow gauge compound locomotive; rebuild of class S
		90–91	2		1905	1913	align=left	Railmotor units
		113–114	2		1908	1940–1942	align=left	Narrow gauge locomotives; ex Ballycastle Railway 3 & 4
		16	1		1914	1951	align=left
		14–15, 69–70	4		1914–1922	1924–1937	align=left	Renumbered 70–73; rebuilt as class U2
		1–4	4		1924–1931	1946–1949	align=left	Named after Glens
		70–87	18	North British Locomotive Company (7) York Road Works (7+4)	1924–1936	1956–1963	align=left
		71–73	3		1923	1961–1964	align=left	"renumbered" X–Z; then 13–15
—	?	91	1		1925	1932	align=left
		90–104	15	Derby Works (4) York Road Works (11)	1933–1942	1956–1965	align=left	Most named
		1–10, 50–57	18		1946–1950	1968–1971	align=left	Nicknamed "Jeeps"
		18–19	2	WG Bagnall (1) Hunslet Engine Company (1)	1926–1928	1956–1963	align=left	Re-gauged LMS Fowler Class 3F; arrived 1944

Cross-Border Lines

Following the division of Ireland in 1921 into two administrations, a number of railways now found themselves operating on both sides of the newly created boundary between Northern Ireland and the Irish Free State (later Republic of Ireland).

West Donegal Railway

The 30NaN0 West Donegal Railway became the Donegal Railway in 1892; and the County Donegal Railways Joint Committee after being jointly acquired in 1906 by the Great Northern Railway and the Midland Railway's Northern Counties Committee.

Class	Type	Fleet numbers	Quantity built	Manufacturer	Dates built	Dates withdrawn	Notes
		1–3	3		1881	1909–1926	align=left
		4–9	6		1893	1931–1937	align=left
		10–11	2		1902	1933	align=left
		12–15	4		1904	1953–1959	align=left	Renumbered 9–12 in 1937
		16–20	5		1907	1940–1950	align=left	Renumbered 4–8 in 1937
		21, 2A, 3A	3		1912	1959	align=left	Renumbered 1–3 in 1937

Great Northern Railway

The Great Northern Railway (GNR) was formed in 1876 acquiring a variety of locomotives. Nos 1 to 23 were from Dublin and Drogheda Railway; Nos. 24 to 41 from the Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway; Nos. 43 to circa 78 from the Irish North Western Railway and Londonderry and Enniskillen Railway; Numbers in the eighties from the Newry and Armagh Railway and nos. 100 to 141 from the Ulster Railway. Later acquisitions in the 1880s from the Newry, Warrenpoint, and Rostrevor and the Belfast Central Railway were numbered in the Nineties. The GNR straddled the border between the Republic and Northern Ireland (after 1921), and so was not incorporated in either the CIÉ or Ulster Transport Authority. However, mounting losses saw the network purchased jointly by the Irish and British governments on 1 September 1953. It was run as a joint board, independent of the CIÉ and UTA, until 30 September 1958 when it was dissolved and the remaining stock split equally between the two railways.

? (1877–1881)

Class	Type	Fleet numbers	Quantity built	Manufacturer	Dates built	Dates withdrawn	Notes
		6, 26–27, 34, 62–63, 65–67	9		1877–1880	1925–1938	align=left
		24–25, 46–47, 59, 80	6		1877–1883	1913–1921	align=left	Several renumbered
		84–87	4		1880–1881	1931–1932	align=left

James Crawford Park (1881–1895)

Class	Type	Fleet numbers	Quantity built	Manufacturer	Dates built	1958 CIÉ	1958 UTA	Dates withdrawn	Notes
		28, 31, 33, 79–83, 60–61, 64, 145–146, 149–150	15	Beyer, Peacock & Company (13) Dundalk Works (2)	1882–1891	3	0	1937–1961	align=left	Several renumbered; three sold to SL&NCR
		2–8, 91–92, 97–100	13	Beyer, Peacock & Company (3) Dundalk Works (10)	1885–1893	—	—	1910–1935	align=left	Several renumbered
		17–21, 45, 48, 115–119	12		1885–1889	—	—	1921–1934	align=left	45/48 renumbered 15/16; two sold to SL&NCR
		88–89	2		1885	—	—	1904	align=left	Named Victoria and Albert
		51–54, 72–73, 82–83	8		1892–1895	3	0	1950–1959	align=left	Rebuilt with superheaters as class Ps
		29, 32, 36, 55–59, 151–153	11	Beyer, Peacock & Company (7) Dundalk Works (4)	1893–1896	6	2	1957–1961	align=left	151/152 renumbered 141/140
		90, 93–94, 95, 13–14	6		1895–1902	1	0	1955–1963	align=left	13/14 renumbered 91/92

Charles Clifford (1895–1912)

Class	Type	Fleet numbers	Quantity built	Manufacturer	Dates built	1958 CIÉ	1958 UTA	Dates withdrawn	Notes
		12, 25, 42–46, 50, 70–71, 74–77, 106–107, 129	17	Beyer, Peacock & Company (15) Dundalk Works (2)	1896–1911	5	7	1957–1963	align=left	Rebuilt with superheaters as class PPs
		10–11, 78, 100–103	7	Neilson, Reid & Company (3) Dundalk Works (4)	1899–1904	0	7	1960–1964	align=left	Rebuilt with superheaters as class PGs
		120–125, 130–136	13	Neilson, Reid & Company (9) North British Locomotive Company (2) Beyer, Peacock & Company (2)	1899–1904	5	4	1951–1963	align=left	Rebuilt with superheaters as class Qs
		152–155	4		1903–1904	4	0	1962–1963	align=left	Rebuilt with superheaters as class QGs
		88–89, 104–105	4		1904–1906	1	0	1956–1960	align=left	Rebuilt with superheaters as class Ps
		24, 113–114, 126–128, 156–157	8	North British Locomotive Company (7) Beyer, Peacock & Company (1)	1904–1910	0	3	1932–1960	align=left	Rebuilt with superheaters as class QLs
		98–99	2		1905	1	0	1957–1960	align=left	Rebuilt with superheaters as class QGTs
		78, 108, 110–111, 158–164	11	North British Locomotive Company (9) Dundalk Works (2)	1906–1908	6	5	1958–1963	align=left	Rebuilt with superheated as class LQGs
		22–23, 166–167	4		1908–1911	0	4	1958–1963
		9, 38–39, 109, 112	5		1911	2	3	1958–1963	align=left	Four rebuilt with superheaters as class NQGs; one rebuilt to class LQGs
		165	1		1911	0	1	1961	align=left	Rebuilt to class LQGs
		168–169	2		1911	—	—	1957	align=left
		170–174	5		1913	3	2	1964–1965	align=left	Named after mountains; CIÉ locos to UTA in 1963
		37, 40–41, 137–138	5		1913	3	2	1961–1965	align=left

G. T. Glover (1912–1933)

Class	Type	Fleet numbers	Quantity built	Manufacturer	Dates built	1958 CIÉ	1958 UTA	Dates withdrawn	Notes
		185–189	5		1913	1	4	1959–1964	align=left	Rebuilt with superheaters as class T1
		180–184	5		1915	3	2	1961–1963	align=left
		190–192	3		1915	1	2	1960–65	align=left
		196–200	5		1915	3	2	1959–1963	align=left	Named after Loughs
		6–8, 13–14, 20, 47–49, 96–97, 117–118, 201–202	15		1920–1921	7	8	1960–1967	align=left	201–202 renumbered 40–41
		1–5	5		1921	2	3	1959–1964	align=left
		21, 30, 115–116, 139, 142–144, 147–148	10		1924	6	4	1958–1963	align=left	147–148 renumbered 67 and 69
		15–19	5		1924–1926	2	3	1959–1965	align=left
Crane		31	1		1928	0	0	1963	align=left	to Dundalk Engineering Co. (as part of Dundalk Works) in 1958; to CIÉ in 1960
		62–66	5		1929–1930	3	2	1959–1960	align=left
		83–87	5		1932	2	3	1959–1963	align=left	Three-cylinder compound; named after birds of prey

G. B. Howden (1933–1939)

H. R. McIntosh (1939–1953)

Class	Type	Fleet numbers	Quantity made	Manufacturer	Dates built	1958 CIÉ	1958 UTA	Dates withdrawn	Notes
		145–149	5		1948	3	2	1960–1968	align=left
		201–205	5		1948	2	3	1962–1965	align=left	Named after counties
		206–210	5		1948	3	2	1960–1965	align=left	Three-cylinder simple; named after rivers

Londonderry and Lough Swilly Railway

Broad gauge locomotives (1862–1882)

Type	Fleet numbers	Quantity built	Manufacturer	Dates built	Dates withdrawn	Notes
		2	G&W	1862	1883–1885	align=left	No. 2 renumbered 3; No. 1 sold to Londonderry Port and Harbour Commissioners
		2		1864	1869–1882	align=left	No. 4 renumbered 2; Sold to Londonderry Port and Harbour Commissioners
		2		1876–1879	1885	align=left	Sold to Cork and Bandon Railway as their Nos. 14–15

Narrow gauge locomotives (1882–1954)

Type	Fleet numbers	Quantity built	Manufacturer	Dates built	Dates withdrawn	Notes
		1		1882	1911	align=left	Sold to a contractor
		2		1883	1912–1913	align=left
		1		1885	1940	align=left	renumbered 17 in 1913
		2		1874	1899	align=left	Ex Glenariff Iron Ore and Harbour Company, acquired 1885; renumbered 5A and 6A in 1899
		4		1899–1902	1940–1954	align=left	5 and 6 renumbered 15 and 16 in 1913
		4		1902	1940–1954	align=left	Owned by the Letterkenny and Burtonport Extension Railway
		2		1904	1928–1954	align=left
		2		1905	1933–1954	align=left
		2		1910	1940–1943	align=left	to Letterkenny and Burtonport Extension Railway in exchange for L&BER 5 and 6
		2		1912	1954	align=left	Owned by the Letterkenny and Burtonport Extension Railway; to L&LSR in exchange for 13 and 14.

Sligo, Leitrim and Northern Counties Railway

The Sligo, Leitrim and Northern Counties Railway was a small cross-border railway that closed in 1957. Its locomotive fleet never carried numbers, only names.

Class	Type	Names	Quantity built	Manufacturer	Dates built	Dates withdrawn	Notes
		Pioneer Sligo	2		1877	1921	align=left
		Fermanagh Leitrim Lurganboy Lissadell Hazlewood	5		1882–1899	1947–1957	align=left	also known as Fermanagh class
		Erne	1		1883	1910	align=left	rebuilt as 4-4-2T in 1885
		Faugh-a-Ballagh	1		1878	?	align=left	Acquired 1897: ex contractors' locomotive
		Waterford	1		1893	?	align=left	Acquired 1897: ex contractors' locomotive
		Sir Henry Enniskillen Lough Gill	3		1904–1917	1957	align=left
		Blacklion Glencar	(2)		1885–87	1928–1931	align=left	Acquired 1921: ex GNRI Class J nos. 118 (Blacklion) and 119 (Glencar)
		Glencar ‘A’ Sligo Sligo	(3)		1882–1890	1940–1949	align=left	Acquired 1927–1940: ex GNRI Class A nos. 31 (Glencar) and 149 (Sligo); latter swapped for GNRI 69 in 1940
		Lough Melvin Lough Erne	2		1949	1957	align=left	to UTA in 1959 as nos. 26–27, UTA class Z; withdrawn 1968–1970

Irish Free State and Republic of Ireland

The railways wholly in the Irish Free State were merged into one private company — Great Southern Railways — in 1925. The GSR renumbered all the broad gauge locomotives into one series with the former Great Southern and Western Railway locomotives retaining their old number. The GSR had two parallel classification systems – a numerical system which was the lowest number of a locomotive in that class, and an alpha-numerical which used a letter to indicate the wheel arrangement, and a number, with the lowest number given to the most powerful class with that wheel arrangement. The latter system was only used by Inchicore Works for accounting purposes, while the former was used by locomotive crews and the drawing office at Inchicore Works.

Letter	Wheel Arrangement	Letter	Wheel Arrangement	Letter	Wheel Arrangement
A		F		K	2-6-0
B		G		L	0-4-2
C		H		M	0-4-0
D		I		N	2-2-2
E		J		P	2-6-2

Note that narrow gauge locomotive classes included the letter N after the prefix letter, letter C was also used for Bo-Bo diesels, and that letters B, C, D, F, J, and K were used for the same wheel arrangements by the London and North Eastern Railway, while E and G changed places.

In 1945, the GSR became part of Córas Iompair Éireann (CIÉ), which amalgamated the railway, road transport and canal functions of the State. CIÉ was nationalised in 1950 and settled on a policy of replacing steam with diesel locomotives, a process that was completed in 1962.

Midland Great Western Railway (1847–1924)

M. Atock (1872–1901)

• MGWR Class D – GSR Class 530 or Class D16
• MGWR Class E – GSR Class 551 or Class J26
• MGWR Class H – GSR Class 619 or Class J6
• MGWR Class K – GSR Class 650 or Class G2
• MGWR Classes L and Lm – GSR Classes 573 and 594, Classes J18 and J19
• MGWR Class Ln – GSR Class 563 or Class J16
• MGWR Class P – GSR Class 614 or Class J10
• MGWR Class W – GSR Class 234 or Class J17

E. Cusack (1901–1915)

• MGWR Classes A, As and A1 – GSR class 545 or Class D5
• MGWR Class B – GSR Class 646 or Class J2
• MGWR Classes C and Cs – GSR Class 536 or Class D7
• MGWR Classes C and C1 – GSR Class 540 or Class D6

W. H. Morton (1915–1924)

• MGWR Classes F, Fa, and Fb – GSR Class 623 or Class J5

Great Southern and Western Railway (1845–1924)

Alexander McDonnell (1864–1883)

• GS&WR Class 2 – GSR Class 2 or Class D19
• GS&WR Class 21 – GSR Class 21 or Class G4
• GS&WR Class 47 – GSR Class 47 or Class E3
• GS&WR Class 90 – GSR Class 90 or Class J30
• GS&WR Class 91 – GSR Class 91 or Class J29
• GS&WR Class 92 – GSR Class 92 or Class H2
• GS&WR Class 101 – GSR Class 101 or Class J15
• GS&WR Class 203 – GSR Class 203 or Class H1
• GS&WR Class 204 – GSR Class 204 or Class J12
• GS&WR Class Sprite – GSR Class Sprite or Classes L4 and L5

John Aspinall (1883–1886)

• GS&WR Class 52 – GSR Class 52 or Class D17
• GS&WR Class 60 – GSR Class 60 or Class D14

Henry Ivatt (1886–1896)

• GS&WR Class 33 – GSR Class 33 or Class F6
• GS&WR Class 37 – GSR Class 37 or Class C7
• GS&WR Class 201 – GSR Class 201 or Class J11
• GS&WR Jumbo – GSR Class Jumbo or Class J13

Robert Coey (1896–1911)

• GS&WR Class 27 – GSR Class 27 or Class C4
• GS&WR Class 211 – GSR Class 211 or Class J3
• GS&WR Class 213 – GSR Class 213 or Class I1
• GS&WR Class 301 – GSR Class 301 or Class D11
• GS&WR Class 305 – GSR Class 305 or Class D12
• GS&WR Class 309 – GSR Class 309 or Classes D3 and D10
• GS&WR Class 321 – GSR Class 321 or Classes D2, D3, and D4
• GS&WR Class 333 – GSR Class 333 or Classes D2, D3, D4, and D4a
• GS&WR Class 341 – GSR Class 341 or Class D1
• GS&WR Class 351 – GSR Class 351 or Class J9
• GS&WR Class 355 – GSR Class 355 or Class K3
• GS&WR Class 362 – GSR Class 362 or Class B3 – "Long Toms"
• GS&WR Class 368 – GSR Class 368 or Class K4

Richard Maunsell (1911–1913)

• GS&WR Class 257 – GSR Class 257 or Class J4
• GS&WR Sambo – GSR Class Sambo or Class L2

E. A. Watson (1913–1922)

• GS&WR Class 900 – GSR Class 900 or Class A1
• GS&WR 400 Class – GSR Class 400 or Classes B2 & B2a

J. R. Bazin (1922–1924)

• GS&WR Class 500 – GSR Class 500 or Class B1

Waterford & Limerick Railway

The Waterford and Limerick Railway changed its name to Waterford, Limerick and Western Railway in 1896. It was acquired by the Great Southern and Western Railway in 1900; by which time all but one of its locomotive fleet had been designed by Robinson.

Type	Fleet numbers	Quantity built	Manufacturer	Dates built	GSWR Class	GSWR Nos.	GSR Class	Inchicore Class	Dates withdrawn	Notes
		6		1847	—	—	—	—	1860–1862	style=text-align:left
		1	?	?	—	—	—	—	1871	style=text-align:left	Acquired secondhand from William Dargan in 1853; origin unknown
		3		1848–49	—	—	—	—	1880–88	style=text-align:left	Acquired secondhand from William Dargan in 1850–52; né Newry, Warrenpoint and Rostrevor Railway 1 to 3 (not in order)
		7		1853–55	264	264	—	—	1872–1903	style=text-align:left
		4		1853–54	—	—	—	—	1891–96	style=text-align:left
		3		1862–64	223	223	—	—	1890–1901	style=text-align:left
		1		1864	280	280	—	—	1902	style=text-align:left
		1		1865	228	228	228	—	1925	style=text-align:left
		2		1876	—	—	—	—	1888–92	style=text-align:left
		10		1874–82	281	277, 281–283, 261, 285–289	—	—	1902–11	style=text-align:left
		4		1876	278	272, 278, 284	—	—	1899–1910	style=text-align:left
		1	?	?	229	229	—	—	1901	style=text-align:left	Acquired secondhand in 1878
		2		1883	230	230–231	—	—	1909–10	style=text-align:left
		1		1862	232	232	—	—	1901	style=text-align:left	Acquired secondhand in 1883; ex Neath & Brecon Railway No. 3; né Anglesey Central Railway
		1		1879	221	221	—	—	1909	style=text-align:left	Acquired second-hand in 1884; rebuilt as 0-6-0ST in 1899
		1		1886	262	262	—	—	1912	style=text-align:left
		1		1886	265	265	—	—	1907	style=text-align:left
		1		1886	227	227	—	—	1910	style=text-align:left

J. G. Robinson (1888–1900)^[2]

Type	Fleet numbers	Quantity built	Manufacturer	Dates built	GSWR Class	GSWR Nos.	GSR Class	Inchicore Class	Dates withdrawn	Notes
		3		1888–93	224	224 to 226	—	—	1905–1909	style=text-align:left
		8		1889–94	276	263, 275, 273, 276, 290 to 293	276	G3	1907–1959	style=text-align:left
		2		1891	266	226 and 227	267 491	F4 F5	1933–1935	style=text-align:left	226 sold to CMDR 6 in 1913; to GSR 491 in 1925
		1		1892	260	260	—	—	1912	style=text-align:left
		4		1893–95	233	233 to 236	235	J22	1911–1951	style=text-align:left
		1		1894	268	268	—	—	1912
		2		1895	294	294 and 295	295	E2	1910–1954
		4		1896–97	269	269 to 271, 274	269	C5	1949–1957
		3		1896–97	296	296 to 298	296	D15	1928–1949
		3		1897	237	237 to 239	222	J25	1934–1951
		1		1899	279	279	279	E1	1953
		3		1900	222	222,	222	J25	1929–1950	style=text-align:left	4 and 11 sold before delivery to MGWR 141 and 142

Dublin and Kingstown Railway

Type	Class lead	Quantity built	Manufacturer	Dates built	GSR Class	Inchicore Class	GSR Nos.	Dates withdrawn	Notes
		3		1834	—	—	—	—	align=left
		3		1834	—	—	—	1842	align=left	Hibernia, Britania, Manchester
		1		1836	—	—	—	—	align=left	Star^[5]
		2		1836	—	—	—	—	align=left	Victoria & Comet - first tank locomotives in public service subsequently converted to 2-2-2T
		5		1841	—	—	—	—	align=left	Princess, Belleisle, Shamrock, Erin, Albert
		4		1845	—	—	—	—	align=left	Burgoyne, Cyclops, Vulcan, Jupiter (increased wheelbase)

Dublin and South Eastern Railway (1853–1924)

The Dublin and South Eastern Railway started out in 1846 as the Waterford, Wexford, Wicklow and Dublin Railway Company. In 1853 it was renamed the Dublin and Wicklow Railway Company, and in 1860 it was renamed the Dublin, Wicklow and Wexford Railway Company and on 31 December 1906 it was renamed again as the Dublin and South Eastern.

Frederick Pemberton (1854–1856)

S. W. Haughton (1856–1864)

William Meikle (1856–1864)

Type	Fleet numbers	Quantity built	Manufacturer	Dates built	GSR Class	Inchicore Class	GSR Nos.	Dates withdrawn	Notes
		2		1853	—	—	—	1892–1901	align=left	No. 2 renumbered 45 in 1885
		1		1853	—	—	—	1898	align=left	Rebuilt as 2-4-0T in 1884
		2		1853	—	—	—	1872–1900	align=left	No. 5 renumbered 5A in 1897
		4		1854–55	—	—	—	1902–03	align=left	Renumbered 6A, 7A, 10A, 11 between 1894 and 1896
		2		1855	—	—	—	1890–1903	align=left	Rebuilt as 2-4-0T
		3		1860	—	—	—	1902–23	align=left
		2		1860	—	—	—	1922–25	align=left
		7		1864	—	—	—	1899–1925	align=left	No. 21 rebuilt as 0-4-2T in 1904

J. Wakefield (1865–1882)

Type	Fleet numbers	Quantity built	Manufacturer	Dates built	GSR Class	Inchicore Class	GSR Nos.	Dates withdrawn	Notes
		5		1864–73	422	G7	422	1928	align=left	No. 26 rebuilt as 2-4-0T in 1900
		7		1865	—	—	—	1886–94	align=left	Ariel, Elfin, Kate Kearney, Kelpie, Oberon, Titania, Banshee.^[6] Four sold to contractors
		2		1869	—	—	—	1887	align=left
		9	Grand Canal Street (7) Neilson & Company (2)	1871–1887	—	—	—	1902–23	align=left	4 renumbered 30 in 1902
		3		1876	—	—	—	1923–25	align=left
		1		1882	—	—	—	1925	align=left	rebuilt as 2-4-0T in 1903

W. Wakefield (1882–1894)

Type	Fleet numbers	Quantity built	Manufacturer	Dates built	GSR Class	Inchicore Class	GSR Nos.	Dates withdrawn	Notes
		3		1883	—	—	—	1925	align=left
		11		1885–96	423	G1	423–426	1925–55	align=left	10, 28, 45, 46 rebuilt as 2-4-2T between 1900 and 1910
		2		1896–98	428,430	F2	428	1953	align=left
		(4)		(1900–10)	428	F2	429–433	1925–57	align=left	rebuilt from 2-4-0T
		2		1891	447	J7	447	1925–30	align=left
		3		1893	458	C3	458–460	1953–1960	align=left

T. Grierson (1894–1897)

R. Cronin (1897–1917)

Type	Fleet numbers	Quantity built	Manufacturer	Dates built	GSR Class	Inchicore Class	GSR Nos.	Dates withdrawn	Notes
		2		1897	448	J1	448–449	1940–50	align=left	rebuilt as 0-6-0 in 1908
		1		1899	440	J20	440	1929	align=left
		1		1899	—	—	—	1913	align=left
		1		1900	441	J14	441	1934	align=left
		6		1901–09	434	F1	434–439	1950–53	align=left
		6		1883–96	427		427	1916–36	align=left	ex London & North Western Railway 4-ft 6-in Tanks, acquired 1902 and regauged
		5	Grand Canal Street (3) Beyer, Peacock & Company (2)	1905	442	J8	442–446	1930–1957	align=left
		2		1905	454	D8	454	1925–1949	align=left
		2		1906	—	—	—	(1907)	align=left	Rebuilt 1907 as separate 0-4-0T and coach; locos numbered 69–70
		2		(1907)	Imp	M1	Elf Imp	1928–31	align=left	Rebuilt from railmotors 1 and 2; later Class M2
		3	Grand Canal Street (1) Beyer, Peacock & Company (2)	1911–1924	455	C2	455–457	1955–59	align=left

G. H. Wild (1917–1924)

Cork, Bandon and South Coast Railway (to 1924)

Type	Fleet numbers	Quantity built	Manufacturer	Dates built	GSR Class	Inchicore Class	GSR Nos.	Dates withdrawn	Notes
		2		1849	—	—	—	1867	align=left
		2		1849–1851	—	—	—	1889–1890	align=left
		2		1852	—	—	—	1879–1887	align=left
		5		1874–1887	482	G6	477, 482	1919–1930	align=left
		2		1865	—	—	—	1893–1895	align=left	ex West Cork Railways 1 and 2, acquired 1880
		1		1877	—	—	—	1904	align=left	ex West Cork Railways 3, acquired 1880
		5		1891–1894	472 474 475	J24 J23 J21	–	1925–40	align=left
		2		1876–1879	—	—	—	1908–1910	align=left	ex Londonderry & Lough Swilly Railway 4 and 5, acquired 1885 rebuilt as 4-4-0T between 1893 and 1898
		4	Dübs & Company (2) Neilson & Company (2)	1891–1894	471 479	C6	471 479–481	1930–1936	align=left	most rebuilt as 4–4–2T between 1898 and 1902; No. 10 rebuilt as 4-6-0T in 1906
		2		1900	—	—	—	1912–1914	align=left
		1	Cork Works	1901	478		478	1934	align=left
		8		1906–1920	463	B4	463–470	1945–1961	align=left

Minor broad gauge railways

Waterford & Tramore Railway

• WTR Nos. 1 and 2 – GSR Class 483 or N1
• WTR No. 3 – GSR Class 485 or L3
• WTR No. 4 – GSR Class 486 or L1

Cork & Macroom Direct Railway

• CMDR Nos. 2–4 – GSR Class 487 or G5
• CMDR No. 5 – GSR Class 490 or I2
• CMDR No. 6 – GSR Class 491 or F5

Timoleague & Courtmacsherry Light Railway

• TCLR Argadeen – GSR Class K5
• TCLR St. Molaga – GSR Class L6

Narrow gauge railways

Cavan & Leitrim Railway (to 1924)

• CLR 1 to 8 — GSR Class 1L or Class DN2
• CLR 9 – GSR Class 9L or HN1

Cork, Blackrock & Passage Railway (to 1924)

• CBPR 1 to 3 – Broad gauge 2-2-2WT
• CBPR 4 to 7 – GSR Class 4P or Class FN1, later Class 10L

Cork & Muskerry Light Railway (to 1924)

• CMLR 1 to 3 – GSR Class 1K or Class DN6
• CMLR 4 and 5 – GSR Class 5K or Class EN1, later Class 6S
• CMLR 7 – GSR Class 7K or DN3
• CMLR 8 – GSR Class 8K or DN7

Schull & Skibbereen Railway (to 1924)

• SSLR 1 to 3 – GSR Class 2S or Class MN1
• SSLR 4 – GSR Class 4S or Class DN5
• SSLR 1 and 3 – GSR Class 1S or Class DN4

Tralee & Dingle Light Railway (to 1924)

• TDLR 1 to 3, 6, and 8 – GSR Class 1T or Class KN2
• TDLR 5 – GSR Class 5T or Class PN2 Currently preserved
• TDLR 7 and 8 – GSR Class 4T or Class KN1

West Clare Railway (to 1924)

• WCR 5 to 7 – GSR Class 5C or Class IN1. No 5 is preserved and operational at the West Clare preserved Railway
• WCR 2, 4, 8, and 9 – GSR Class 2C or Class PN1
• WCR 10 – GSR Class 10C or Class BN1
• WCR 11 – GSR Class 11C or Class BN2
• WCR 1 – GSR Class 1C or Class BN3
• WCR 3 and 7 – GSR Class 3C or Class BN4

Bord Na Mona

• BNM 1/3 WN 2263-2265 Originally numbered 1-3 Renumbered to LM43/45. Extensively upgraded and Modified E Class locomotives from WW1. All 3 survive in Preservation. 1 is now No 7^[7] on the Talyllyn. No 2 resides operational on the Stradbally Woodland Railway. No 3 "Shane" now preserved and awaiting overhaul on the Giants Causeway Line.

Great Southern Railways (1925–1944) and Córas Iompair Éireann (from 1945)

The GSR introduced just under sixty steam locomotives between 1925 and 1944,^[8] whilst CIÉ introduced one, the experimental Bulleid turf burner. CIÉ did however acquire 83 steam locomotives, which was precisely half of the Great Northern Railway stock, when that company was split between CIÉ and the Ulster Transport Authority after 30 September 1958.^[9]

J. R. Bazin (1925–1929)

• GSR Class 372 – also Class K1: Numbers 372–391 (R.E.L. Maunsell, imported in 1924)
• GSR Class 280 – also Class M1 (previous Class M1 became Class M2): numbers 280–281
• GSR Class 700 – also Class J15a: Numbers 700–704
• GSR Class 850 – also Class P1: Number 850

W. H. Morton (1929–1932)

• GSR Class 393 – also Class K1a: Numbers 393–398 (R.E.L. Maunsell, imported in 1924)
• GSR Class 495 – also Class M3: Number 495

A. W. Harty (1932–1937)

• GSR Class 670 – also Class I3: Numbers 670–674
• GSR Class 710 – also Class J15b: Numbers 710–719

Edgar Craven Bredin (1937–1942)

• GSR Class 800 – also Class B1a: Numbers 800–802

M. J. Ginnetty (1942–1944)

C. F. Tyndall (1944–1951)

O. V. S Bulleid (1951–1958)

• CIÉ No.CC1 Turf-burning locomotive

Preserved locomotives

• List of steam locomotives in Ireland

See also

• Diesel locomotives of Ireland
• Multiple units of Ireland
• Coaching stock of Ireland
• History of rail transport in Ireland
• Rail freight stock of Ireland

Sources

• Book: Ahrons, E. L.. Locomotive and train working in the latter part of the nineteenth century. W Heffer & Sons Ltd. six. L. L. Asher. 1954.
  • Book: Haresnape . Brian . Rowledge . Peter . 1982 . Robinson Locomotives, a pictorial history . Shepperton . . 0-7110-1151-6 .

External links

• Eiretrains - Irish Steam Locomotives
• Irish Railway Technology and Information -reporting on all aspects of Irish railways
• Guinness locomotives

Notes and References

1. Web site: Locomotives of the Belfast and County Down Railway . The Belfast & County Down Railway Museum Trust . 2013-06-04 . 17 August 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130817151200/http://countydownrailwaymuseum.org.uk/Locomotives%20of%20the%20BCDR.htm . live .
2. Haresnape & Rowledge (1982), pp. 17–27
3. Book: Kullman, Kurt. "The First Irish Railway: Westland Row to Kingstown". Rolling Stock. 978-0750987646. 28 May 2018. THP Ireland. 45.
4. Book: Murray, K. A.. 1981. Irish Railway Record Society. Ireland's First Railway. 0904078078. 10 — Locomotives.
5. Dublin Historical Record. Dublin's First Railway. 1. 2. 36−37. 30080094.
6. Book: Shepherd, Ernie. The Dublin & South Eastern Railway. 1 85780 082 6. Midland Publishing Ltd. 1988. 1988. 140,199,202.
7. Tom Rolt
8. Book: Locomotives of the GSR. 9781906578268. Clements. Jeremy. McMahon. Michael. 2008. Colourpoint Books.
9. Book: Baker, Michael H. C.. "Irish railways since 1916". Ian Allan Publishing. 0711002827. 1972.