Schull & Skibbereen Light Railway 4-4-0 Locomotives in Ireland

Class Erin (Locobase 10581)

Data from "Schull & Skibbereen Light Railway" The Locomotive Magazine, Vol XII (15 September 1906), p.151. Works number was 342. See also Steamindex, [], last accessed 26 June 2009.

This little bogie tank owned the distinction to be the first locomotive in Ireland to use a Belpaire boiler. It rolled over the 45-lb/yard (22.5 kg/metre) rail that connected Skibbereen, which lay on the Cork, Brandon & South Coast, to Schull, a fishing village some 15 1/2 miles (25 km) away. Erin was the largest locomotive on the railway until it bought a slightly larger 4-4-0T -- "Gabriel" --from Peckett & Company in 1906. See Locobase 10582.

Steamindex's author claims that although the later Peckett was certainly stronger, its shorter wheelbase made for a rougher ride and Erin's valve motion was easier to get to for maintenance.

Like many light railways, the S&S ran alongside the local road for about half its length and some of its locomotives had extensive shrouding over the running gear to avoid conflict with pedestrians or farm animals. Some of the grades were severely adverse (4% in some cases) and the line curved very sharply in some places. "[A]s a matter of fact," said the LM report in 1906,"there is hardly a level stretch on the whole line, gradients of 1 in 30 [3.3%] being quite common." Naturally, such an alignment resulted in low average speed, a typical run that included 6 stops took 1 hour and 20 minutes to cover the distance - an average of 11 1/2 mph (18.5 kph).

For this and other reasons, the S&S did not attract much business: "the traffic is extremely small and, needless to say, doesn't even pay working expenses," said the report,"two mixed trains in either direction on weekdays and one on Sundays amply sufficing for the needs of the district."

Class Gabriel (Locobase 10582)

Data from "Four-Coupled Tank Locomotive", Engineer, Volume 103 (8 February 1907), p 144. See also "Schull & Skibbereen Light Railway" The Locomotive Magazine, Volume XII (15 September 1906), p.151. Works number was 1085.

After 20 years of operating just one passenger engine (Erin, Locobase 10581), the S&S went to Peckett's to procure a stablemate. Although Steamindex notes a preference for the earlier for its smoother ride and easier access to the valve motion, in no sense did Gabriel prove other than satisfactory. Only when its boiler failed inspection in 1936 was the engine withdrawn and scrapped.

Engine #3, originally named Conciliation, but renamed Kent after Thomas Kent was executed by the British at Cork Gaol, was very similar to Gabriel, but was shorter. This resulted in a smaller boiler (514 sq ft heating surface) and grate (7.58 sq ft)