Letting off steam in Ennis

THE glory days of steam returned to Ennis at the weekend when the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland pulled into the town’s railway station in their steam-hauled train.

The society visited Ennis as part of the 43rd Irish Railway Heritage Weekend. Around 200 railway enthusiasts from all over Ireland, England and further afield joined together for the annual rail tour, which stayed overnight in Ennis for the first time.
They set off from Dublin through Galway and then on to Ennis in a train pulled by a steam engine built more than 100 years ago.
Society chairman David Heuston said, “The steam engine that hauled the carriages was built in 1879 and has been restored, it hauls trains around the country as part of the society’s events. The carriages date from the 1960s, they are retired from Irish Rail and have been restored.
“The train carried around 200 people for our annual tour. We go to different destinations every year and this was the first time we stayed in Ennis overnight. We were very well looked after and we hope to come back some time in the future. It was great that we got to run on the re-opened line from Athenry.”
He went on, “Rail cars usually run on oil now but our steam train is the old technology with burning coal, it’s certainly different to what normally passes through Ennis station.”
He described the society’s restoration of old steam engines and carriages as “a very expensive hobby”.
“When you drive your car into a garage you can get spare parts but with a steam engine you have to get parts specially made.
“We’ve always looking for money, every engine costs around a quarter of a million euros to restore to service and they have to be fully overhauled every 10 years.  Irish Rail employees volunteer to work with the steam engine for us when we have these tours. We have two at the moment and it’s quite a unique experience,” he said.