• Secondary Door Locking
• Train Protection and Warning System
• On Train Monitoring and Recording System

The RPSI has been running such trains for over forty years and is committed to doing so for the forseeable future.  But if we are to do so we have to be prepared to make very costly essential alterations to our rolling stock to comply with new Safety Legislation.

As railway safety legislation changes, coaches and locomotives must have new and ever more complex safety devices fitted - a serious financial strain for the big railway companies, let alone a preservation Society.

In 2004, we had to buy a new rake of Mark 2 carriages and overhaul them at great expense following a ban on wooden-bodied vehicles in Northern Ireland.  The process is now being repeated in Dublin following the acquisition of Cravens carriages.  Your financial support for these enterprises has been essential.  If we had not met these targets it would have meant nothing less than the end of our main line passenger trains.

We now face a new challenge, and we need YOUR help again!

Once again we are facing the need for radical changes to our rolling stock if our trains are to continue operating. 

Since the beginning of 2008 new railway safety legislation has come into effect in Northern Ireland.  This requires our trains to be fitted with no fewer than three separate new electronic safety devices.  You can read the legislation in full here or an abridged version here.

The systems are:

• SECONDARY DOOR LOCKING for our Mark 2 coaches
• Carriage door locking is now fitted to the seven, currently operational, Mark 2 coaches of the Belfast Area running set, but we still need your donations to help offset the huge costs we have incurred in the process.
• TRAIN PROTECTION AND WARNING SYSTEM for our locomotives
• The fitting of TPWS is now mandatory on all passenger tains operating on the NIR system and if we want our trains to continue to operate on NIR,  we have to fit it.  The installation of TPWS will help resolve some of the issues relevant to easing speed restrictions.  As well as making our trips considerably more interesting for the enthusiast, this will solve many of the 'pathing' problems we currently face, allowing us much more versatility in deciding where we want to go and when.
• ON TRAIN MONITORING AND RECORDING for our locomotives

So, please consider donating to this appeal.  If you can set up a monthly standing order donation, that would help us even more.  If your work operates a Give As You Earn option, then that will benefit both of us.  Remember - although this is a NIR network issue at the minute, it affects all our operations on the island of Ireland as the main overhaul facilities are in Whitehead, and without access to Whitehead there will be no Dublin based trains.

How you can help
As you have read, large expenses are involved and we have targeted £50000 required to recover our costs.  You can help us by donating to this appeal.  Donating is easy:

• Step 1 - download our donations form, print it out and complete it.
• Step 2 - if you would like to Gift Aid your donation (and we would encourage you to do so if you are a UK taxpayer) then please print out and complete our Gift Aid form.
• Step 3 - post the form to RPSI Safety Compliance Appeal, 9 Kenilworth Avenue, Lisburn, BT28 3UG