Factfile: CIÉ 121 Class

The Great Northern Railway (Ireland) jointly owned by Ulster Transport Authority and CIÉ, operated cross-border services until it went bankrupt in 1958; both parent organisations quickly took control of their respective lines. CIÉ had started to replace steam with diesel in the mid-1950s and now, faced with replacing steam locomotives for which it hadn’t budgeted for, it hurriedly placed an order with General Motors for 15 Bo-bo diesel electrics.

The result were typical North American ‘switchers’, with a long, narrow bonnet and a single cab, but with a top speed of 77mph. The body was modified to fit the smaller Irish loading gauge and the bogies were modified to suit Ireland’s lower axle loading. It was GM’S first European export order.

The ‘B Class’ machines later classified ‘121’ - entered 2

service in 1961. They were a vast improvement from CIÉ’S questionable British diesels. The only issue was the single cab (‘121s’ were regularly turned on turntables) so CIÉ ordered a twin-cab version (the ‘141’ Bo-bos) in 1962. Thus, all subsequent diesels were built by GM. The ‘121s’ became the prime motive power for CIÉ’S sixcoach push-pull outer suburban trains from 1984 until the 201 Class entered service in

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1994. Withdrawals started shortly afterwards, but the last two ‘121s’, 124 and 134, survived until 2008. They are the only survivors: 124 is owned by the Irish Traction Group and 134 is part of the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland’s collection and is under restoration at CIÉ’S Inchicore Works.

RECOMMENDED READING

◆ Locomotives Compendium Ireland by Colin Boocock (Ian Allan, 2009)

Some locomotives had their solebar louvres removed As originally delivered without multiple working sockets As originally delivered, without solebarmounted handrails

RAIL PHOTOPRINTS 2: ‘121s’ 124 and 122 stand at Limerick with a railtour on September 13 1986. Work had started to equip the ‘121s’ with 1,100hp engines. The solebar handrails are visible, as are the multiple working sockets just above the buffers. BERT WYNN/ 3: Iarnród Éireann started to refurbish the ‘121’ fleet in 2001/2002. 124 has lost its solebar louvres and has had two cab front windows plated over. Only 123, 124, 131 and 134 were refurbished before CIÉ decided to withdraw the ‘121s’ instead. COLIN BOOCOCK

COLOUR RAIL 1: B121 carries CIÉ’S grey/ yellow livery as it shunts Mullingar in June 1961, shortly after delivery from General Motors. The class were delivered with 950hp 8-567 engines and louvres on the solebar but no solebar handrails.