Whitehead Railway Museum

I thought I would post a few pics from a visit to the new WRM on Saturday (4/3/17).



An overview of the site layout as you approach the station building:


The new cafe:


Looking towards the sheds. Carriage shed on left, lifting sheerlegs in centre with water tower behind, Dunleath workshop behind water tower, original NCC loco shed centre right, RPSI loco shed extension on right.


The new build station building, based on the Lanyon designed original at Whiteabbey. This contains the cafe previously shown, along with its associated kitchen, RPSI offices, visitor toilets (M/F/disabled) and a meeting room upstairs:


The NCC style signal cabin (fully accessible for disabled visitors):


No3BG 'Guinness' (HC 1152/1919) doing a bit of shunting with the NCC hand crane:


Inside the new visitor centre in the old stables block. The area on the right (with the model train) will be used for temporary displays. There is a similar sized room at the other end of the building which will be used as a classroom for school visits. There are also toilets (M/F/disabled) in this building :


The visitor entrance to the loco sheds. This is the right hand side of the RPSI loco shed extension as seen in photo 5. The newly installed 60ft turntable (ex Belfast Central Services Depot) is seen to the right.

 

Entering the loco shed there is a small display room showing how steam and diesel locos work and also some cutaway objects such as injectors and safety valves:



Looking through the viewing area into the RPSI extension loco shed with the Carlow diesel, GNR(I) No171 'Slieve Gullion' and LMS NCC No4 on display (apologies for the poor picture):


Climbing the stairs and looking down into the original NCC loco shed with GNR(I) No131 and GNR(I) No85 'Merlin' on display:


Also in this area is the cutaway loco built at Dundalk and used as a training aid. It was on display at Amiens Street (Dublin) and Great Victoria Street (Belfast) stations, electrically driven when a penny was inserted into a slot. Damaged in a bomb attack on Great Victoria Street station, it has been restored by the RPSI (although it is now a static display):


The wheeldrop shed:


The wheeldrop shed has exhibition displays alonog the wall showing various workshop processes and railway tools/parts:


Looking down on the Dunleath workshop from the new viewing gallery with 171's tender prominent:


The new foundry:


Crossing the yard towards the extended carriage shed. NCC Camping Carriage 26 (ex-BR MK3) on the right as RPSI overnight accomodation:

 

On entering the carriage shed there is an open area with GWSR No186 on display:


The carriage restoration shed complete with well appointed woodworking area. There is a carriage paint shed beyond this (you can just see the plastic strips to separate the areas):


The main carriage display area behind No186. MGWR 6-wheeler on left, Irish Shell oil tanker on right:


LMS NCC 'Brown Van' No697 as restored by offenders at Hydebank prison:


LMS NCC North Atlantic brake third No91 on left, LMS NCC Compo on No68 on right:



GNRI Directors Saloon No50:

CIE dining car 2422:


MS NCC North Atlantic brake third No91:


SLNCR 'Lough Erne' with the main carriage storage shed to the left:


I hope these pictures are of interest and they might encourage some people to visit the very impressive facility. I can thoroughly recommend it!


Keith

 

What a change! Well done to all who put in the hard work to make that happen. I still remember dragging the girlfriend of the time around the old works in totally inappropriate footwear and being forced to buy her a new pair of shoes following the damage.. Heels and railway yards do not mix but I suppose I should have warned her!

 

Brill, thanks for the photos.

Dave

 

Can't wait for my visit

 

Keith

Great pictures, they give a real sense of the museum and its content. Really good to see the balance between the rolling stock, the level of interpretation and the investment that has gone in to facilities to improve restoration work in the future. Glad to see the station platform seems to have had a full tarmac between the new signal box and the station building. There was a rather unsightly trench covered in tarmac the last time I saw pictures, and this makes a big improvement.

 

Looks fantastic, my only concern is that the writing on the interpretation boards seems a little on the small size?