IrelandRailway Preservation Society of Ireland
Chairman: Dr Peter Rigney
Company Secretary: Paul McCann
European Representative: Jim Sheridan E: [email protected]
F: www.facebook.com/steamtrainsireland
Whitehead telephone: + 44 28 9358 6200
Dublin telephone: + 353 1480 0553
The Railway Preservation Society of Ireland, which was founded in 1964, is the sole operator of mainline steam in Ireland. The Society’s headquarters are at Whitehead, and it also has a base in Dublin. The Society is dedicated to preserving and restoring railway heritage throughout Ireland. Mainline steam trains which are open to the public run several times a year from Dublin to destinations such as Maynooth, Dundalk, Wicklow and Rosslare. At Whitehead the Society operates Steam Train Rides most weekends during the summer.
In 2017 the RPSI opened the award-winning Whitehead Railway Museum which boasts five galleries packed with railway interest. The galleries range from a signal box where visitors can pull the levers to a walk-through display of historic railway carriages, including the Great Northern Railway (Ireland) Directors Saloon from 1911. Not to be missed is the Guinness Grain Van which used to transport kegs of stout around the country.
Whitehead Railway Museum provides an opportunity to rub shoulders with the giants of steam. It also tells the story of how the railways transformed society in Ireland during the 19thcentury. The museum, which is open every week from Thursday to Saturday, is wrapped around the RPSI’s workshops so visitors can observe from a gallery as restoration takes place below them. An extra attraction is Platform 3 Café where refreshments and lunches are served in a railway setting.
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