An update about our Christmas Santa trains from Dublin.
Dear Supporters,
We have a very important update for our upcoming Santa Specials this year.
Unfortunately, our steam locomotive No.171 "Slieve Gullion" will not be available for these trains. As a result they will all be hauled by a diesel locomotive.
We understand the disappointment that this will cause many of our hopeful passengers for this special Christmas event. Please be assured that we have worked night and day for this not to happen, but unfortunately it has not been possible to guarantee the locomotive is fit for traffic.
Technical Info: After our recent trip to Dundalk, it became apparent that No.171 had a hot big end - this is a critical bearing inside the steam locomotive. These bearings have to be replace, involving very technical, skillful and time-consuming work to replace. On completion of this work, the locomotive must have a slow build up of running-in to bring it back to hauling a passenger train.
Our Santa trains are the heaviest duty for our steam locomotives, so we have to be certain everything will run smoothly as we operate out of the busiest station in the country. This will not be completed in time for this year's special trains - working with a 113 year old locomotive is no easy task, trust us!
The good news is that all of our Santa Specials will operate as normal. The on-board magic and Christmas cheer and joy will be the exact same. Santa, mulled wine, musicians, selection boxes, bar car, mince pies, Christmas decorations and jumpers will all be exactly the same.
We apologise for the disappointment, and hope you can still support us and enjoy our famous Christmas welcome.
Thank you in advance for your support.