The chairman of a County Down heritage railway has said the team of volunteers are “heartbroken” after damage was caused to three vintage steam-hauled carriages.
The Downpatrick and County Down Railway (DCDR) runs vintage steam and diesel trains through the drumlin countryside of County Down over the River Quoile to Inch Abbey
They posted: “We are heartbroken to share that the Downpatrick and County Down Railway has been the target of a senseless act of vandalism, and we urgently need your help to bring those responsible to justice.
“Last Friday, at approximately 3:30 pm, a group of youths broke into our premises and headed towards the carriages used for our steam train trips.
“They filmed themselves hurling a brick through one of the carriage windows, before forcing their way inside by smashing down a door.”
The post added: “This callous behaviour resulted in damage to all three of our vintage steam-hauled carriages.
“The attack happened shortly after school hours, and it’s possible that the culprits have shared footage of the crime on social media platforms like TikTok or Snapchat.
Image of damage to the train.
“Our volunteers, who contribute so much to the Downpatrick community and have worked so hard to repair last year’s flood damage, are absolutely devastated that their hard work has again been set back by pointless destruction.”
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From 1985 to the present day, DCDR has grown from a small band of determined enthusiasts working in a field, to become the only full-sized mainline heritage railway anywhere in Ireland.
The Downpatrick & County Down Railway (DCDR) was set up in 1985 with the aim of restoring a portion of the former Belfast and County Down Railway as a working railway museum, incorporating the various aspects of Northern Ireland’s railway heritage.
The railway project is, to date, the only Irish Standard Gauge railway restoration project ever undertaken in Ireland (Irish standard gauge is five foot three inches as opposed to narrow gauge which is three foot and English standard gauge which is four feet eight and a half inches).
Damage caused to the train.
The only other example of a Irish standard gauge railway in Northern Ireland is Northern Ireland Railways.
The original line had been closed on the 15 January 1950 by the newly formed Ulster Transport Authority, which was a nationalised institution set up in 1948 to amalgamate the three independent railway companies – namely the London Midland and Scottish Railway (Northern Counties Committee), the Belfast and County Down Railway and later the Great Northern Railway of Ireland with the bus and freight operator the Northern Ireland Road Transport Board.