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DSER 15 and 16

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Dublin & South Eastern Railway 15 and 16
GSR 461 Class
CIÉ K2 Class
GSR 461 at MacDonagh station, Kilkenny, in March 2015.
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
DesignerG. H. Wild
BuilderBeyer, Peacock & Co.
Order number02160
Serial number6112–6113
Build date1922
Total produced2
Specifications
Configuration:
 • Whyte2-6-0
 • UIC1'C h2
Gauge5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm)
Leading dia.3 ft 0 in (0.914 m)
Driver dia.5 ft 1 in (1.549 m)
Axle load15 long tons 1 cwt (33,700 lb or 15.3 t)
Adhesive weight43 long tons 9 cwt (97,300 lb or 44.1 t)
Loco weight50 long tons 1 cwt (112,100 lb or 50.9 t)
Tender weight32 long tons 10 cwt (72,800 lb or 33 t)
Fuel typeCoal
Fuel capacity5 long tons 0 cwt (11,200 lb or 5.1 t)
Water cap.2,600 imperial gallons (12,000 L; 3,100 US gal)
Firebox:
 • Grate area20 sq ft (1.9 m2)
Boiler pressure175 lbf/in2 (1.21 MPa)
Heating surface:
 • Firebox134 sq ft (12.4 m2)
 • Tubes and flues952 sq ft (88.4 m2)
Superheater:
 • Heating area164 sq ft (15.2 m2)
CylindersTwo, inside
Cylinder size19 in × 26 in (483 mm × 660 mm)
Valve type8 in (203 mm) piston valves
Performance figures
Tractive effort22,890 lbf (101.82 kN)
Career
Operators
Class
  • DSR: None
  • GSR/CIÉ: 461 or K2
Numbers
  • DSER: 15–16
  • GSR: 461–462
Withdrawn1963–1965
PreservedOne: No. 15 / 461
Restored1990, 2012
Current ownerRailway Preservation Society of Ireland
DispositionOne preserved, one scrapped

The Dublin and South Eastern Railway 15 and 16 were a pair of 2-6-0 steam locomotives which were built for the heavy goods (freight) traffic on the Dublin to Wexford main line of the Dublin and South Eastern Railway (DSER). The two locomotives were built by Beyer, Peacock and Company at their Gorton Foundry in Manchester.

On account of the risk of damage when new (during the Irish Civil War period of 1921–1922), both examples were initially sent to Belfast for safekeeping. They were stored by the Great Northern Railway (Ireland) at Adelaide yard until 1923, when they were returned to the DSER. The locos were withdrawn in the early 1960s.[1]

In 1925, the DSER was absorbed into the Great Southern Railways and the two locomotives were renumbered 461 and 462, and placed in Class 461 or Class K2.

Livery

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Originally said to have been painted green, although the DSER's standard livery was lined black, on becoming part of the GSR, they were painted in the standard livery of unlined dark battleship grey which they retained until withdrawal.

Following withdrawal, 461 was repainted into a livery based on lined DSER black for display, while still owned by CIÉ. Under the RPSI, she was initially painted plain black with a 'flying snail', but more recently she has been outshopped in an unprototypical CIÉ lined green livery upon completion of her overhaul in 2011.

Preservation

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461 at Bangor in 2013

Locomotive No. 461 was initially preserved by CIÉ in 1967, one of several engines to be put on display at various railway stations around Ireland following an appeal by the Irish Railway Record Society. Other locomotives put on display by CIÉ included ex-GNR 131 and ex-GSWR No. 90.

After being moved several times following display, 461 was presented by CIÉ to the RPSI in 1977.[2] An extensive overhaul followed at Whitehead and the locomotive returned to traffic in late 1990. The locomotive completed an overhaul in 2011 at the RPSI's Whitehead base, and was operation in the Dublin area until 2018. She has also been used on some northern operations including one to Portrush and also some to Bangor. The locomotive is currently in store in Whitehead since late 2018, awaiting overhaul.

461 has appeared in theatrical film releases such as Michael Collins, Nora, and Angela's Ashes.[3] She can be seen in an episode of Foyle's War.

While she did have some initial steaming problems after the last overhaul, it was later discovered this was due to incorrect firebar spacing at Whitehead (which a Dublin volunteer had previously corrected in its previous service period in the 1990s[4]). Once rectified in Dublin, her performance improved dramatically. No. 461 is the only surviving DSER locomotive.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "DUBLIN & SOUTH EASTERN RAILWAY K2 (GSR CLASSIFICATION) 2-6-0 No. 461". Railway Preservation Society of Ireland. Archived from the original on 11 February 2007. Retrieved 15 January 2009.
  2. ^ "The Railway Preservation Society of Ireland". Archived from the original on 11 February 2007. Retrieved 4 May 2006.
  3. ^ "FILM CONTRACTS". Railway Preservation Society of Ireland. Retrieved 14 January 2009.
  4. ^ "Five Foot Three" (PDF). RPSI. 1993. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
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