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NIR (DH) locomotive No. 1 was one
of three identical locomotives purchased by the ITG from
Northern Ireland Railways (NIR) in September 1994, the other two
locomotives being numbered No. 2 and No. 3. When purchased, all
three locomotives had had their engines and transmissions
removed, No. 1 was also missing its final drive unit. The
locomotives were then moved south to Carrick-On-Suir in January
1995 for storage. Over the next 10 years at Carrick-On-Suir they
were repeatedly attacked by vandals, despite our best efforts to
make them secure.
During their long period in store
at Carrick-On-Suir, the Group had received several enquiries
from various engineering companies with a view to them possibly
acquiring one or more of these locomotives for industrial use.
However, nothing ever came of these enquiries, mainly due to the
high cost of replacing the engines and transmissions, around £
70,000 Sterling being quoted to put just one locomotive back in
running order.
However, in May 2005, the ITG was
contacted by Beaver Power Limited, enquiring if the Group would
be prepared to sell all three locomotives to them for re-use in
Sri Lanka. After much deliberation it was agreed to sell two
locomotives to Beaver Power Limited, Nos. 2 and 3, and retain
locomotive No. 1. The two locomotives were sold to Beaver Power
Limited on 13th June 2005 and they were collected
from Carrick-On-Suir on Thursday 7th July 2005 and
moved to their workshops at Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales, for
overhaul.
On Wednesday 23rd
November 2005 DH locomotive No. 1 departed Carrick-On-Suir by
Allely’s low-loader, also destined for the premises of Beaver
Power Limited at Merthyr Tydfil. This was done in
order for Beaver Power Limited to recover certain parts from
this locomotive to assist in the overhaul of sister locomotives
Nos. 2 and 3. In May 2006
locomotives Nos. 2 and 3 were exported to Sri Lanka for use at a
cement factory in the Puttalam area, around 200 Km north of
Colombo. The two locomotives were re-gauged to 5’ 6” gauge and
fitted with Rolls Royce CV12 engines of 750 hp, coupled to a
Twin-Disc 13800 MS230 torque converter.
Subsequently, it was decided to
offer DH locomotive No. 1 for sale. Prior to this decision being
taken, consideration was given to cosmetically restoring No. 1,
but in the absence of a suitable location at which to display
the locomotive, it was not considered worthwhile. As at February
2007 the locomotive is still the property of the Irish Traction
Group and is currently stored at the premises of Beaver Power
Limited in Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales.
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DH1 at Carrick on Suir.

DH3
following refurbishment at Merthyr Tydfil prior to shipment
to Sri Lanka.
Mike Collins. |