Londonderry Port and Harbour Commissioners (LPHC) No. 3 ''R H Smyth'' is a preserved
Irish steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...
.
Built by
Avonside Engineering Company of
Bristol,
England works No. 2021 in 1928. A fairly typical built to the Irish broad gauge, it led a rather uneventful life shunting the dual gauge (5 ft 3 in and 3 ft) docks in
Derry
Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. The ...
on the west bank of the
River Foyle
The River Foyle () is a river in west Ulster in the northwest of the island of Ireland, which flows from the confluence of the rivers Finn and Mourne at the towns of Lifford in County Donegal, Republic of Ireland, and Strabane in County Ty ...
in
Northern Ireland. It was equipped with a single off-centre buffer and coupling at each end for shunting gauge stock, in addition to conventional buffers and drawhooks for 5 ft 3 in gauge. After withdrawal, it was bought privately in 1968 before being sold for £1 to the
Railway Preservation Society of Ireland at
Whitehead in 1972. The engine then acquired the nickname 'Harvey' in honour of showjumper
Harvey Smith.
In 2000, 30 years after the end of mainline steam in
Northern Ireland, No. 3 achieved something of a celebrity status when it was hired by Henry Boot Ltd to help engineering work on the relaying of the
Bleach Green Junction - Antrim railway line. This was followed in 2005 by another contract assisting the relaying of the
Carrickfergus - Whitehead railway line.
During 2006, the locomotive was placed on loan to the
Downpatrick and County Down Railway
The Downpatrick and County Down Railway (DCDR) is a five-foot, three-inch (1,600 mm) gauge heritage railway in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is operated by volunteers and runs passenger trains using steam and diesel locomotives, diese ...
In 2013 it was returned to Whitehead where it awaits Overhaul.
References
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External links
LONDONDERRY PORT & HARBOUR COMMISSIONERS 0-6-0ST No.3 "R.H. Smyth"
0-6-0ST locomotives
Individual locomotives of Ireland
Steam locomotives of Ireland
Steam locomotives of Northern Ireland
Avonside locomotives
Railway locomotives introduced in 1928
5 ft 3 in gauge locomotives