0-4-0DM LM175 at Ferbane Power Station.

            LM175 was something of a "one off" with its specification dictated by Bord na Móna but built by Ruston & Hornsby. This locomotive marked a turning point in locomotive design for the Irish Turf Board in 1958. Since the company started in 1946 a large proportion of their loco fleet for the peat railways were obtained from Ruston & Hornsby of Lincoln. So BnM approached Ruston and several other manufacturers with a specification of their own design rather than buy off the the shelf as previously from the Ruston catalogue. Ruston's keen to secure a large order duly built the new prototype in 1958 to the BnM design which featured jack shaft drive to the wheels with coupling rods rather than chain drive. It was also heavier and more powerful than previous designs with an 8 ton gross weight and 75hp Ruston 6YC engine using hydraulic transmission.
After evaluation Bord na Móna sort a few refinements not least the engine used as the 75hp engine was a lot less fuel efficient having only previously been used in diggers and cranes. Using the initial BnM design and LM175 as the pattern BnM built a second prototype (LM176) in their own workshops. This is where BnM and Ruston & Hornsby parted company as BnM went for an 80hp Ford 590E engine and mechanical transmission but keeping the con rod design and 8 ton weight. Ruston being a diesel engine manufacturer were not about to build a loco with a rivals engine in it. This then led to the Hunslet Engine Co. being asked to build the "Wagonmaster" design which was to be the mainstay of the BnM loco fleet from the 1960's to the 1990's. So Ruston & Hornsby lost out to Hunslet but without LM175 the very successful Wagonmaster would probably never have appeared.
LM175 being a "one off" spent a lot of its latter career as the designated pilot engine at Ferbane Power Station working trains around the discharge loop from the BnM Exchange yard to the power station intake bunker. It is seen here on the Silver River bridge within the works coupled to a full train of peat tipplers on the power station discharge circuit. Ferbane was a 90MW peat fired station commissioned in 1957, it closed in 2003 and the site has since been cleared.
   

Taken in: Ireland / Leinster / Lumcloon Bridge (show map)

Taken on: May 24, 1995

Tags:

Ferbane Power Station

BnM

LM175

Ruston & Hornsby

RH 420042/1958 « less

Sets appears in: • The Peat Railways of Ireland.

Groups appears in: • Narrow-gauge railways • Ruston & Hornsby Locos

Camera: Plustek OpticFilm 8200i (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Plustek OpticFilm 8200i
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Imagenomic Noiseware
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