THE Connemara Railway at Maam Cross received the first items of 5ft 3in rolling stock on August 11, with the delivery of its first coach and a few wagons. A redundant Iarnród Éireann ballast plough and ballast hopper was delivered, making them the first items of 5ft 3in to arrive at the station since it closed in 1935. A few days later, a further two ballast hoppers and two oil wagons were delivered. The former will be used for the relaying and maintenance of the reinstated broad gauge track.
On August 19, former Great Southern & Western Railway third class corridor No. 813 arrived on site for restoration from the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland’s (RPSI) former Mullingar base. The coach, which is on long-term loan to the project, was built in Inchicore Works Dublin in 1903 – and ran all over the South and West of Ireland during its long life.