All aboard as the Portrush Flyer takes on a new life (July 2002)

The tank engine, first unveiled in 1947, is set to make a high-profile comeback at the head of the Portrush Flyer’s excursion train this month when railway enthusiasts will get the chance to climb aboard.

The engine, which had never been named and was known only as No 4, was back on the tracks at the Whitehead-based Railway Preservation Society of Ireland, after a £150,000 rebuild and ten years out of service.

The locomotive was the sole survivor of the 18-strong WT class of steam engines, built in Derby but assembled at York Road rail works in Belfast.

She operated on the lines from York Road to Larne harbour, Portrush and Londonderry.

The rebirth of the engine was part of the society's successful history of preservation and follows the appearance of some of its trains in films such as Michael Collins, Angela's Ashes and The First Great Train Robbery.

Marking the occasion, Joan Smyth, chairwoman of the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company, drove the locomotive through red tape.

She paid tribute to the society, which had carried out, and indeed continues to do so today, valuable work in preserving Northern Ireland’s railway heritage.

Dr Smyth said: “The society’s members give up countless hours of their free time in order to keep magnificent machines such as No 4 in operation.

“We at Translink are pleased to be able to facilitate the activities of the society, which give such pleasure to so many people. The RPSI s special trains carry hundreds of passengers every year and help to highlight the attractions of rail travel.”

President of the RPSI, Lord O’Neill, said: “In years gone by the society would have entrusted such overhauls to an external engine works but such facilities are no longer available.

“Over the past 30 years, however, the society has developed its own facilities and has built up considerable expertise on its own account. It now has the equipment and knowhow to tackle large engineering jobs at Whitehead.

“The return to service of No 4 has been eagerly awaited by the society’s 1,000 members and we are delighted to see the locomotive back in traffic, looking and sounding better than ever,” he said.

Fifty guests at the ceremony which was held at the end of July 2002 enjoyed the engine’s first official trip for 11 years, on a brief journey from Whitehead to Carrickfergus.

The engine was withdrawn in 1971 when NIR ended steam operation but was purchased by the RPSI for £1,275 after money was rai through an appeal its membership.

Up until 1991, No 4 had clocked up thousands of miles on RPSI trains and has visited most parts of the Irish rail system.