A history of the Woolwich locomotives: 100 Years on

2025 marks the 100th Anniversary of the introduction of the first 'Woolwich', or K1 class, steam locomotives on the Great Southern Railways in Ireland.

Throughout the 1930s to 1950s, and just about into the very early 1960s, a class of 26 medium-sized 2-6-0 locomotives were to be seen all over the GSR / CIÉ system. The first was designated as class D2 by the Midland Great Western Railway (MGWR) and later (with variations among them) as classes K1 and K1a by the GSR and CIÉ.

In 1915, Britain’s South Eastern & Chatham Railway ordered ten 2-6-0 express locomotives of this type. Deemed to be very successful, further sets of parts were constructed, but due to a number of circumstances related to Britain’s efforts to try to find work for redundant munitions factories after the First World War, twelve “kits of parts” were on the market for bargain prices by 1923. At the time, the MGWR was suffering from a shortage of mainline locomotives and consequently negotiated to purchase these from the manufacturers, the Woolwich Arsenal in London. They arrived in Ireland in spring 1923.

In the early days of the Woolwich locos, one is seen heading along the Royal Canal with the Up Mail from Galway to Dublin. Thought to be have been taken in the 1930s or possibly late 1920s. Photo: HCA Beaumont.

At this time, the railways in Ireland were about to undergo a huge change, with almost all companies whose lines were wholly within the Irish Free State heading towards an amalgamation into the Great Southern Railways in 1925. By the time the first of these locomotives, MGWR No. 49, had entered traffic, the GSR had taken over, and as a result, these locomotives entered traffic as GSR locomotives.

Even as the first one was entering traffic, the new GSR board was considering ordering more, and consequently, a further fifteen sets of parts were delivered, all but one of the latter being assembled at the former GSWR’s Inchicore Works. The final set of parts were retained as spares.

The twelve built at Broadstone were numbered 372-383, and were completed between 1925 and 1927. The remained were turned out at Inchicore between January 1928 and December 1930. All but the last six had driving wheels of 5’6” diameter, but Nos. 393-398 had 6’0” drivers. Thus, the two types were referred to as the K1 or 372 class and the K1a or 393 class. Collectively, the railwaymen knew them as the “Woolwiches” on account of the place of manufacture of their sets of parts.

Class leader, 372, at Kilfree Junction on the Sligo line with a goods train. Photo courtesy Ernie's Railway Archive, 27th August 1954.

In design, the class shared many of the visual characteristics with their English cousins, by now Southern Railway classes N and U. By degrees, most lost their English-style chimneys, having them replaced by standard Inchicore types, and smokebox doors were replaced to resemble those of local origin.

When the MGWR had ordered their initial twelve, main line services between Broadstone and Galway, and Broadstone and Sligo, were in their sights. However, between these and the later order, the GSR now saw use for them further afield on both passenger and goods services and they became regular on the main line from Kingsbridge to Cork as well as being associated with the undulating Mallow – Waterford – Rosslare route on which they would be seen for several decades. They also worked goods trains between Limerick and Waterford, and Waterford to Dublin. Their original route to Galway retained them as regulars for years, and they also saw service on the Mallow – Tralee section.

They were used from time to time on pilgrimage trains, and fair day cattle specials on main lines, as well as mail trains – a truly versatile locomotive which some crews maintained had saved many a route (especially in the west of Ireland) from collapse.

Crews had mixed views of them. They were deemed to be rough riding and uncomfortable to work on, but were powerful and free-steaming, provided they had decent coal. Of two former drivers this writer knew, one considered them to be one of the best engines he had fired, while the other was much less complimentary about comfort… one matter, though, which most agreed on was that on heavy goods trains, their braking was poor. Sadly, this came to a head in 1955 when one plunged into the River Suir at Cahir, Co Tipperary, following a runaway. Both the driver and the fireman were tragically killed.

During the fuel crisis in the late 1940s, all but four of them were converted to oil-firing, but later converted back to coal-firing.

During the 1950s, CIÉ invested heavily in dieselisation, with a large fleet of mainline railcars entering service in the early 1950s, thus displacing steam from many mainline rosters. Between 1955 and 1958 over 100 new diesel locomotives of classes A, B101 and C entered traffic, hastening the eventual displacement of all steam traction on CIÉ in early 1963. Until almost the end, work was still to be found for a few of the “Woolwich” classes. Until the late 1950s, they were still in use on the Cork – Rosslare boat trains, one being specially repainted in a non-standard lined black livery for this service in 1956. As late as 1954, it was decided that 20 of the class would be given a heavy repair, though only 7 were so treated in the end.

The first to be withdrawn was No. 393 in 1954, at only 24 years old – the shortest lived of them by far. No. 398 followed in 1955. Another four followed in 1957, with the rest gradually withdrawn between 1959 and 1962. The very last two in traffic were 376, withdrawn in 1961, and No. 388, which lasted until 1962. Both were from the original batch.

388 shunts the goods store at Millstreet on the Tralee line inJune 1960. This locomotive was the last of the class to be scrapped. Walking towards the camera is Millstreet Stationmaster Willie Roche, while Driver Jackie Maher is on the footplate. Photo by Joe Lane, courtesy ofJames Lane.

As mentioned, the first (No. 372) had been completed just after the MGWR became part of the GSR. As such, the number 49 in the MGWR series had been selected for it to carry. However, because the GSR had now taken over, it was renumbered before entering traffic. Initially, its new number was 410, but following a reallocation of a block of numbers to the class, it actually started life with its third number before it had turned a wheel!

The MGWR men had also been keen to bow out with style, so it was initially completed as MGWR No. 49 turned out in that company’s lined black livery; only to promptly be repainted in photographic works grey for its official portrait, before re-entering the paint shop again to have the GSR’s plain dark grey livery applied.

All ran with this livery (unrelieved by any lining, initials or ornamentation of any kind) until after the CIÉ takeover in 1945. From 1946, most of the class gradually reappeared in a smart green livery, lined in black and white, and with the old cast numberplates removed and a pale green painted number on the cabside instead, and the familiar CIÉ “flying snail” logo on the tender. Photographic evidence suggests that at least a few retained the grey livery much later and possibly until withdrawal, by which time the survivors had unfortunately become very run down indeed, both mechanically and cosmetically.

Following the scrapping of No. 388 in 1962, this very useful and versatile class became extinct. However, preserved examples of the basically similar “N” class of the Southern Railway in England survive to give a new generation an idea of what they were like.

New build GSR example, anyone?