One of Ireland's oldest trains was back on track today after undergoing a £85,000 overhaul.
Steam engine no.186, designed by Sharp Stewart in Manchester for the Great Southern and Western Railway in Dublin, and originally built in 1879 will operate special tourist excursions throughout the country.
Railway preservation enthusiasts spent four years restoring the 125-year-old locomotive, which had been out of action since 1980.
With the first of Northern Ireland's new state-of-the-art trains due to be introduced later this year, the steam engine from a bygone era was up and running again at Whitehead, Co Antrim, where the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland (RPSI) is based.
At a relaunch ceremony, Mr Keith Moffatt, the chief executive of transport company Translink, said: "While we prepare for a new era in rail transport with the introduction of our latest C3K diesel trains, it is important that we do not forget our rich railway heritage and the RSPI certainly helps to keep this alive."
RSPI president Lord O'Neill added: "She has always been a very special engine to us. Because of her light axle load she can operate on lines throughout Ireland which means she is a valuable asset to the society."
Chairman Norman Foster said the engine was a valuable part of the RSPI's train collection. He said: "We are now drawing up a programme of special trips which will see no. 186 visiting many far-flung parts of the Irish rail network, north and south."
PA