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The Railway Preservation Society of Ireland (RPSI) is an Irish
Ireland

Ireland is the List of islands by area in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islet....
 railway preservation group founded in 1964. The Society has its headquarters at Whitehead, County Antrim
Whitehead, County Antrim

Whitehead is a seaside village on the east coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland, lying almost midway between Carrickfergus and Larne. Located at the base of Muldersleigh Hill, at the entrance to Belfast Lough, it lies in a small bay between the limestone cliffs of Whitehead and the black volcanic cliff of Blackhead, with the Blackhead Li...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland

conventional_long_name = Northern Ireland|native_name= Tuaisceart ?ireannNorlin Airlann|motto =|image_map = Europe location N-IRL2.png...
 and a base at Mullingar
Mullingar

Mullingar is the administrative centre of County Westmeath, Republic of Ireland and the seat of the Roman Catholic Roman Catholic Diocese of Meath....
, County Westmeath
County Westmeath

County Westmeath is popularly referred to as the "Lake County". It lies in western part of the province of Leinster in Republic of Ireland. The county was part of the ancient central province of Meath and later of County Meath....
. Restoration work is also carried out in the Dublin
Dublin

Dublin is both the largest city and capital of Republic of Ireland. It is located near the midpoint of Ireland's east coast, at the mouth of the River Liffey and at the centre of the Dublin Region....
 area.

The Society runs mainline trains on the Irish railway network
Rail transport in Ireland

Rail services in Ireland are provided by Iarnr?d ?ireann in the Republic of Ireland and by Northern Ireland Railways in Northern Ireland.The track gauge is Irish gauge....
 using steam traction
Steam locomotive

A steam locomotive is a locomotive powered by steam. The term usually refers to its use on railways, but can also refer to a "road locomotive" such as a traction engine or steamroller....
 and vintage carriages. It also owns a small fleet of vintage diesel locomotives. Its longest running and most famous train, the Portrush Flyer, takes day trippers from Belfast
Belfast

Belfast is the capital city of Northern Ireland and the seat of Devolution#United Kingdom Northern Ireland Executive and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly in Northern Ireland....
 to Portrush
Portrush

Portrush is a seaside resort town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, on the County Londonderry border. The main part of the old town, including the Portrush railway station as well as most hotels, restaurants and bars, is built on a mile–long peninsula, Ramore Head, pointing north-northwest....
 during the summer.






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The Railway Preservation Society of Ireland (RPSI) is an Irish
Ireland

Ireland is the List of islands by area in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islet....
 railway preservation group founded in 1964. The Society has its headquarters at Whitehead, County Antrim
Whitehead, County Antrim

Whitehead is a seaside village on the east coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland, lying almost midway between Carrickfergus and Larne. Located at the base of Muldersleigh Hill, at the entrance to Belfast Lough, it lies in a small bay between the limestone cliffs of Whitehead and the black volcanic cliff of Blackhead, with the Blackhead Li...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland

conventional_long_name = Northern Ireland|native_name= Tuaisceart ?ireannNorlin Airlann|motto =|image_map = Europe location N-IRL2.png...
 and a base at Mullingar
Mullingar

Mullingar is the administrative centre of County Westmeath, Republic of Ireland and the seat of the Roman Catholic Roman Catholic Diocese of Meath....
, County Westmeath
County Westmeath

County Westmeath is popularly referred to as the "Lake County". It lies in western part of the province of Leinster in Republic of Ireland. The county was part of the ancient central province of Meath and later of County Meath....
. Restoration work is also carried out in the Dublin
Dublin

Dublin is both the largest city and capital of Republic of Ireland. It is located near the midpoint of Ireland's east coast, at the mouth of the River Liffey and at the centre of the Dublin Region....
 area.

The Society runs mainline trains on the Irish railway network
Rail transport in Ireland

Rail services in Ireland are provided by Iarnr?d ?ireann in the Republic of Ireland and by Northern Ireland Railways in Northern Ireland.The track gauge is Irish gauge....
 using steam traction
Steam locomotive

A steam locomotive is a locomotive powered by steam. The term usually refers to its use on railways, but can also refer to a "road locomotive" such as a traction engine or steamroller....
 and vintage carriages. It also owns a small fleet of vintage diesel locomotives. Its longest running and most famous train, the Portrush Flyer, takes day trippers from Belfast
Belfast

Belfast is the capital city of Northern Ireland and the seat of Devolution#United Kingdom Northern Ireland Executive and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly in Northern Ireland....
 to Portrush
Portrush

Portrush is a seaside resort town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, on the County Londonderry border. The main part of the old town, including the Portrush railway station as well as most hotels, restaurants and bars, is built on a mile–long peninsula, Ramore Head, pointing north-northwest....
 during the summer. Out of Dublin, several "Sea Breeze" trains are operated over the scenic Rosslare line
Dublin-Rosslare railway line

The Dublin-Rosslare railway line is a main rail route between Dublin Connolly railway station station and Rosslare Europort, where it connects with ferry services to the United Kingdom and mainland Europe....
 to Wexford
Wexford

Wexford is the county town of County Wexford in Republic of Ireland. It is situated near the south-eastern tip of Ireland, close to Rosslare Europort....
 and Rosslare
Rosslare

The name Rosslare may refer to:*Rosslare Strand, a village in County Wexford, Ireland* Rosslare Harbour, a village in County Wexford, Ireland...
 over the course of the Summer.

Each year the Society organises a major weekend event, operating usually from Dublin in May and covering major routes in Ireland at a leisurely pace. Many visitors return year after year from homes as far flung as New Jersey
New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north by New York, on the east by the Hudson River and the Atlantic Ocean, on the southwest by Delaware, and on the west by Pennsylvania....
 and Berlin
Berlin

Berlin is the Capital of Germany city and one of sixteen States of Germany of Germany. With a population of 3.4 million within its city limits, Berlin is the country's largest city....
. The 2008 tour operated to Waterford
Waterford

Waterford is the primary city of the South East region. Founded in 914 in Ireland AD, by the Vikings, it is Ireland's oldest city. It is the fifth largest city in the country of Republic of Ireland....
.

Excursion trains run throughout the year, primarily at weekends, from both Dublin and Belfast. A operational set of vintage carriages is kept both at Whitehead and in Dublin for these purposes. These trains are frequently packed to capacity, and advance booking is recommended.

The Society's founder members still perform regular maintenance tasks and undertake full engine restorations. They are joined regularly by new volunteers who assist in tasks from boiler repair to carriage painting. Volunteers are always welcome to visit and help at either of the engineering depots.

Its chief engineer and Locomotive Officer Peter Scott received an MBE
Order of the British Empire

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a United Kingdom order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom....
 for his services to the Railway Preservation Society in Northern Ireland in the Queen's Birthday Honours list, June 2006.

At present, the two operational mainline steam locomotives which are used by the society are former LMS(NCC)
Northern Counties Committee

The Northern Counties Committee was a railway that served the north-east of Ireland. Originally constructed to the Irish standard gauge of 5 ft 3 in , a number of 3 ft 0 in narrow gauge lines were acquired later....
 WT class
NCC Class WT

The Northern Counties Committee WT class is a class of 2-6-4T steam locomotives built by the NCC's parent company, the London, Midland and Scottish Railway for service in Northern Ireland....
 2-6-4T No.4, and former GSWR
Great Southern and Western Railway

The Great Southern and Western Railway was one of the main railway operations in Ireland in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The company was the largest of Ireland's "Big Four" railway operators, buying up smaller operations and expanding its route mileage for much of its existence....
 101 class 0-6-0 No.186. Normally, one loco is based in Dublin and one in Whitehead, with locos occasionally being swapped round to suit local requirements.

As of 2008, the society has in operation three distinct rakes of carriages. One is made up of a mixture of NIR and BR mk2 vehicles, based at Whitehead. In Dublin, there exists two further rakes of carriages. One, the "heritage set", is mainly made up of 1950s vintage CIÉ
Córas Iompair Éireann

C?ras Iompair ?ireann is a statutory corporation of the Republic of Ireland, answerable to the Irish Government and responsible for the provision of most public transport services in the Republic of Ireland and, jointly with its Northern Ireland counterpart, the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company, between the Republic and Northern I...
 Park Royal
Coaching Stock of Ireland

A wide variety of hauled Coach es have been used on the railways of Ireland. This page lists all those since 1945....
 and laminate
Coaching Stock of Ireland

A wide variety of hauled Coach es have been used on the railways of Ireland. This page lists all those since 1945....
 stock, along with some ex-GNR(I)
Great Northern Railway (Ireland)

The Great Northern Railway was an Ireland railway company formed in 1876 by a merger of the Irish North Western Railway , Northern Railway of Ireland, and Ulster Railway....
, GSR
Great Southern Railways

The Great Southern Railways Company was an Ireland company that from 1925 until 1945 owned and operated all railways that lay wholly within the Irish Free State ....
 and GSWR vehicles. The other is made up of ex- Irish Rail
Iarnród Éireann

Iarnr?d ?ireann is the national railway system operator of Republic of Ireland. Established on 2 February 1987, it is a subsidiary of C?ras Iompair ?ireann ....
 Cravens
Coaching Stock of Ireland

A wide variety of hauled Coach es have been used on the railways of Ireland. This page lists all those since 1945....
 coaches, along with a BR steam heating van.

See also

  • Irish Steam Preservation Society
    Irish Steam Preservation Society

    The Irish Steam Preservation Society was formed in 1965 in Stradbally, in Ireland. Under the auspices of Colonel Kidd, it held the first steam fair in Ireland on St Stephen's Day that year....
  • Irish Traction Group
    Irish Traction Group

    The Irish Traction Group is a railway preservation society dedicated to preserving diesel locomotives from Iarnr?d ?ireann. It was formed in 1989, with the intention of attempting to preserve at least one example of every type of diesel locomative to have operated on Irish Rail....


External links