NIR 101 Class
Encyclopedia
With the return to the working of the Belfast - Dublin "Enterprise" service with coaching stock instead of augmented diesel railcar sets Northern Ireland Railways
(NIR) found itself with no suitable main line diesel locomotives. The Class 101 (DL) became the answer to the immediate problem working in conjunction with the newly acquired ex – BR Mk. 2
coaches.
s designed for use with the Enterprise passenger services between Belfast
and Dublin. The intention was to reduce the time for the 180 km (112 3/4-mile) journey to two hours. The design of the superstructure and bogies was carried out by the Hunslet Engine Company
of Leeds with English Electric
/ AEI
being responsible for the electrical traction. The contract stipulated a ten month delivery period but with Hunslet's workshops already committed, the superstructure and assembly was contracted out to (BREL
), Doncaster
, Hunslet providing the bogies. They were of Bo-Bo wheel arrangement
and fitted with CSVT Mk. II 1350 hp engines. The locomotives were fitted with buckeye couplers as standard and had air brake capability for operation with the Mk.2 coaches.
They were visually, mechanically & electrically very similar to the metre-gauge KTMB class 22 (Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad - Malaysian Railways) locomotives built by English Electric at around the same time, however these had had a Co-Co arrangement and an uprated power unit. A small number are still operated.
The press launch of the new "Enterprise" was held on 3 July 1970 when a special train, carrying invited guests, ran from Great Victoria Street, Belfast to Dublin with two locomotives working the train, one at each end. This was generally well received, however comments were made regarding the train "hunting" due to the second locomotive pushing from the rear.
All three re-use names previously used by the Great Northern Railway (Ireland)
Class V
locomotives, as follows:
All three locomotives have since been withdrawn from service, the first having been stored in 1989 (103) and the last in 1998 (102). It was expected that 102 would be re-instated in 2002, but after only one outing it was stopped once more. No. 103 was scrapped in 1997, but 101 and 102 are now owned by the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland
, based at their site at Whitehead, County Antrim
.
No. 102 is currently in the process of being restored to working order (as of 9/10/05) while 101 is being cannibalised
for spare parts.
Northern Ireland Railways
NI Railways, also known as Northern Ireland Railways and for a brief period of time, Ulster Transport Railways , is the railway operator in Northern Ireland...
(NIR) found itself with no suitable main line diesel locomotives. The Class 101 (DL) became the answer to the immediate problem working in conjunction with the newly acquired ex – BR Mk. 2
British Rail Mark 2
The Mark 2 family of railway carriages were British Rail's second design of carriages. They were built by British Rail workshops between 1964 and 1975...
coaches.
History.
The 101 Class of NIR consisted of three mainline diesel-electric locomotiveLocomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
s designed for use with the Enterprise passenger services between Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
and Dublin. The intention was to reduce the time for the 180 km (112 3/4-mile) journey to two hours. The design of the superstructure and bogies was carried out by the Hunslet Engine Company
Hunslet Engine Company
The Hunslet Engine Company is a British locomotive-building company founded in 1864 at Jack Lane, Hunslet, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England by John Towlerton Leather, a civil engineering contractor, who appointed James Campbell as his Works Manager.In 1871, James Campbell bought the company for...
of Leeds with English Electric
English Electric
English Electric was a British industrial manufacturer. Founded in 1918, it initially specialised in industrial electric motors and transformers...
/ AEI
British Thomson-Houston
British Thomson-Houston was a British engineering and heavy industrial company, based at Rugby, Warwickshire, England. They were known primarily for their electrical systems and steam turbines. They were merged with the similar Metropolitan-Vickers company in 1928, but the two maintained their own...
being responsible for the electrical traction. The contract stipulated a ten month delivery period but with Hunslet's workshops already committed, the superstructure and assembly was contracted out to (BREL
BREL
British Rail Engineering Limited , was the railway systems engineering division of British Rail, until the design and building of trains in the UK was privatised in 1993. On 31 October 1969, the company was incorporated as British Rail Engineering Limited.-Main products:The vast majority of BREL's...
), Doncaster
Doncaster
Doncaster is a town in South Yorkshire, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The town is about from Sheffield and is popularly referred to as "Donny"...
, Hunslet providing the bogies. They were of Bo-Bo wheel arrangement
UIC classification
The UIC classification of locomotive axle arrangements describes the wheel arrangement of locomotives, multiple units and trams. It is set out in the International Union of Railways "Leaflet 650 - Standard designation of axle arrangement on locomotives and multiple-unit sets". It is used in much...
and fitted with CSVT Mk. II 1350 hp engines. The locomotives were fitted with buckeye couplers as standard and had air brake capability for operation with the Mk.2 coaches.
They were visually, mechanically & electrically very similar to the metre-gauge KTMB class 22 (Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad - Malaysian Railways) locomotives built by English Electric at around the same time, however these had had a Co-Co arrangement and an uprated power unit. A small number are still operated.
The press launch of the new "Enterprise" was held on 3 July 1970 when a special train, carrying invited guests, ran from Great Victoria Street, Belfast to Dublin with two locomotives working the train, one at each end. This was generally well received, however comments were made regarding the train "hunting" due to the second locomotive pushing from the rear.
All three re-use names previously used by the Great Northern Railway (Ireland)
Great Northern Railway (Ireland)
The Great Northern Railway was an Irish gauge railway company in Ireland.The Great Northern was formed in 1876 by a merger of the Irish North Western Railway , Northern Railway of Ireland, and Ulster Railway. The Ulster Railway was the GNRI's oldest constituent, having opened between Belfast and...
Class V
GNRI Class V
The Great Northern Railway V class steam locomotives were 3-cylinder compound locomotives of 4-4-0 wheel arrangement built in 1932 by Beyer, Peacock and Company.-Design:...
locomotives, as follows:
| No. | Name | Builders Details. | Date Completed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 101 | Eagle | Works No. 7197 | 8.5.70 |
| 102 | Falcon | Works No. 7198 | 22.5.70 |
| 103 | Merlin | Works No. 7199 | 8.6.70 |
Replacement
Towards the end of the 1970s, although only 10 years old the class were suffering regular failures and they were displaced from the principal passenger workings by the arrival of the NIR 111 Class locomotives. The '101's' were cascaded to lesser duties.All three locomotives have since been withdrawn from service, the first having been stored in 1989 (103) and the last in 1998 (102). It was expected that 102 would be re-instated in 2002, but after only one outing it was stopped once more. No. 103 was scrapped in 1997, but 101 and 102 are now owned by the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland
Railway Preservation Society of Ireland
The Railway Preservation Society of Ireland is an Irish railway preservation group operating in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1964. The Society has its headquarters at Whitehead, County Antrim, Northern Ireland and a base at Mullingar, County Westmeath...
, based at their site at Whitehead, County Antrim
Whitehead, County Antrim
Whitehead is a small seaside town on the east coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland, lying almost midway between the towns of Carrickfergus and Larne. It lies within the civil parishes of Island Magee and Templecorran, the barony of Belfast Lower, and is part of Carrickfergus Borough Council...
.
No. 102 is currently in the process of being restored to working order (as of 9/10/05) while 101 is being cannibalised
Cannibalization of machine parts
Cannibalization of machine parts, in maintenance of mechanical or electronic systems with interchangeable parts, refers to the practice of removing parts or subsystems necessary for repair from another similar device, rather than from inventory, usually when resources become limited...
for spare parts.