Former NIR ‘Thumper’ railcars gain welcome attention in the spotlight at Downpatrick

THE Downpatrick & County Down Railway (DCDR) has taken advantage of its ongoing temporary closure by using the down time to progress the refurbishment of its exNorthern Ireland Railways (NIR) 80 Class ‘Thumper’ unit. In late September, Driving Trailer No. 749 was drawn out of the workshop and into the open air the first time since 2019, marking the completion of an extensive refurbishment that has seen it return to almost-1978 appearance. The two 80 Class power cars, Nos. 90 and 69, were used to perform the shunt, which resulted in No. 69 taking No. 749’s place in the workshop for attention to its roof. Volunteers have been painstakingly removing the old and flaking roof paint, which when finished will allow the roof vents to be sealed to prevent any further water ingress. Meanwhile the DCDR’s 450 Class Railcar No. 458 was out on the line during the autumn for driver training and crew familiarisation, in doing so making its first runs to Inch Abbey under its own power. No. 458 is no stranger to the station at Inch Abbey, having previously served as the line’s buffet train there. However, owing to a maintenance backlog the Railcar was unable to take itself there, instead it had to be propelled by a separate locomotive. Since then, No. 458 has been returned to operational condition, enabling it to make its first independent runs since December 2014. In doing so it became the first train to traverse the line since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. At the time of writing the DCDR was finalising its plans to reopen in time to run a series of pre-Christmas festive specials – details to be announced.