The story of the project to completely restore the ex-County Donegal diesel railcars is a well-told one.  Suffice to say that having exceeded their initial budget considerably the project was shelved in 1999 under the tenure of David Howard's management of the railways, and the incomplete vehicles placed in storage in the then-new carriage shed at Douglas Station with no intention of being completed.  Despite a large degree of work having already been completed, including the complete overhaul of each of the Gardiner diesel engines, the project remains unfinished and at various times since, the possibility of their return to Ireland has been mooted.

Happily, though, they remain on the railway with no progress having been completed in over a decade in part-dismantled form.  Our photograph shows the extent of the work already completed on No. 20 (the southern end vehicle) and the extent of work on each of the passenger units is also evident.  Many of the smaller component parts such as seat frames, replacement light fittings (which, remarkably were obtained from the same company that originally supplied them in 1959, sourced by the late Colin Goldsmith after research!) and internal fixtures are in store in the "Empress Van" F.28, itself in a poor state of repair, and the engine units are in store at the old bus depot in Upper Douglas (a story in itself!) but no further work has ever been contemplated.

Despite there having been several questions raised in the Tynwald Chamber (the island's government) over the years, the project has never moved on; there was hope that some action may occur when the railway first announced it would be operating commuter trains in connection with the T.T. centenary (2007) to reduce the pressure on the island's roads, on what proved to be an incredibly busy two weeks.  Alas, the opportunity was not seized despite suggestions of the Supporters' Association and the "old chestnut" of the cost being excessive was levelled at any critics.  It was generally accepted that the completion figure quoted was one dreamed up during David Howard's administration, and he was never a fan of the project, and that the figure was much more excessive than need be.  There had been some enlightenment following his departure in 2006, but to date the project has not re-started.

And so the Supporters' Association commissioned a feasibility study to ascertain the actual cost of returning the railcars to service, based on their condition at that time and at a cost of some £1,000.00 Alan Keef Limited of Oxfordshire were brought in to produce this report.  The findings make interesting reading, showing the completion total to be considerably less than the previous figure that had been quoted.  The finished report was presented to the Minister for Tourism and Leisure, and his head of railways but alas to date no further outcome has been reached.  Needless to say that since that time, the dreaded "credit crunch" has made a quick decision even less likely in the current financial climate.  However the railways do still consider the possibility of commuter trains and have since seriously considered the use of the railcars on this service.

The report is to be published in a future edition of Manx Steam Railway News and thereafter aspects of it will be available for viewing on this site.  Although we are the Steam Railway Supporters', it is felt by the committee that these railcars are an integral part of the line's charm and should be restored to service.  We always look forward to hearing the opinions of our members and website visitors on this subject and would direct you to the contacts page of this website if you have any feedback.