Locomotives

The TBLR livery is black or dark maroon for steam locomotives and dark grey for internal combustion locos. Locos and passenger vehicles carry the company crest on their sides.

Loco No. 1

Tram Loco No.2

0-6-0 Live Steam Tank Loco TBLR No.1 'Stephanie'
 This Roundhouse Engineering Silver Lady (SL) class live steam locomotive, was first produced in 2007 to commemorate the company's 25th anniversary and is still in production in 2018. It is not a model of any particular prototype, but it is a special edition of their popular and long running Lady Anne model.
 I purchased the loco second hand in November 2014 when it was just one year old and had been little used, and was therefore in almost new condition.  The loco is fitted with 2.4 gHz radio control on regulator, valve gear and simulated drain cocks.
 The loco is named Stephanie after my late wife.  The loco is a superb runner.

0-4-0 Tram Loco  TBLR No.2 'Errigal'

 This loco was inspired by the  0-4-2T locos that ran on the Clogher Valley Railway. It was the TBLR's original loco and ran all services during the first year of the line's operation.
 The model is made mostly from wood on a Playmobil chassis and is battery powered. It was built for me by Ken Kingham in 1992. 
 In 2016, after 23 years service, the gears of the worm drive to the rear axle were stripped. I made the decision not to source replacement parts and removed the motor: the loco is now a dummy and, like railcar No. 2, it is pushed along by van No.9 - with the diesel sound switched off!

Tram Loco No.3

Ballymena & Larne Rly 2-4-0T (TBLR No.4)

0-4-0 Tram Loco TBLR No.3

Castlederg and Victoria Bridge Tramway 0-4-0 Tram Engine No.3. Built by Kitson & Co. Leeds in 1891. It is a 'Heavy Improved Class' tram loco; a slightly more powerful version than the standard Kitson tram engine, without the usual enclosed bodywork. The loco was scrapped in 1928.

The battery powered model was scratch built on a LGB 'Stainz' chassis. Follow the link to see pictures of the loco's construction.

Beyer Peacock 2-4-0 Tank Loco TBLR No.4 'Culdaff' (ex Ballymena and Larne Railway)
 Beyer Peacock & Co. in Manchester built two locos for the Ballymena and Larne Railway to a generic design, which was also used for locos in Norway and the Isle of Man. BLR No.1 was built in 1877 and No.4 in 1878; following the line's take over by the Belfast and Northern Counties Railway, they were renumbered 63/64, and later 104/105. No.4, was sold to the Castlederg and Victoria Bridge Tramway in 1928 as a replacement for CVBT No.3 (see above).
  I created the loco by converting an Accucraft electric model of Isle of Man No.6 Peveril; there were detail differences between BLR 1 and 4, and my model is a pastiche of the two. The loco is powered by radio control van No.3. See the workshop blog for more details. 

Kerr Stuart Diesel No. 5

0-6-0 Diesel Loco TBLR No.5

 In 1928 Kerr Stuart built a prototype 0-6-0 Diesel Loco which was loaned to the Castlederg & Victoria Bridge Tramway for trial between December 1929 and May 1930, making it the first diesel loco to run in Ireland. In my alternative history it was purchased by the TBLR following the CVBT trial.

 The model was built from scratch and was completed in May 2011. It is fitted with batteries and radio control and powered by a LGB Toy Train chassis. Follow this link to read more about this loco and to see how it was built.

Loco No. 6

Loco No. 8

Penrhyn loco 'Charles' (TBLR No.9)

0-4-0 Live Steam Tank Loco TBLR No.6

 This loco was delivered to the TBLR on Christmas Day 2010. It is one of the 'Millie' class basic series locos made by Roundhouse Engineering of Doncaster.  The boiler is externally gas fired and feeds a pair of standard Roundhouse cylinders. I have made a number of modifications including adding a full cab and a repaint in satin black. The modifications are fully described in the workshop blog. I have always had a liking for simple pot boiler locos. As there is no flue in the boiler it holds plenty of water and she will steam for 40 minutes on one filling. She will run continuously if using the water top up system and re-gassing as required.

0-4-0 Live Steam Saddle Tank Loco TBLR No.8 'Jan'
 This is a rebuild of the original tram loco No.8 - see Withdrawn Locomotives page. The withdrawn tram loco's gas fired Roundhouse 'Bertie' class boiler and chassis have been retained; the loco was rebuilt with a 'Bertie' body and several detail enhancements, including cylinder slide bars and crossheads, cylinder covers, dummy leaf springs, sand boxes, lubricators etc. See the Workshop Blog for March 2018 for further details.
 The 'Bertie' class is another Roundhouse Engineering basic series loco with slip eccentric valve gear, but unlike the 'Millie' class - see number 6 above - it is fitted with an internally  gas fired boiler.

0-4-0 Live Steam Saddle Tank Loco - Penrhyn Railway 'Charles' (TBLR No.9)
 This loco is a Roundhouse Engineering live steam model of 'Charles', named after Charles Douglas-Pennant (1877-1914). The saddle tank locomotive was built by the Hunslet Engine Co. Leeds in 1882 for the Penrhyn Quarry Railway in Wales.
 The model is internally gas fired and manually controlled. The loco was originally purchased as a go anywhere loco that I could take to garden railway events at other 16mm Association members' lines, the majority of whom run on the narrower gauge of 32mm. 'Charles' however, can be quickly re-gauged to 45mm; as the management have now relaxed the rules of historical accuracy (it's my railway and I'll do what I like!) the loco has been brought into the TBLR fold and given the number 9. 

OEG Tram loco No.102 (TBLR No.10)

Glyn Valley Tramway No.1 (TBLR No.11)

 0-4-0 Tram Loco OEG Number 102 (TBLR No.10)
  This is a non-Irish tram loco; it was number 102 of the metre gauge German tramway the OEG (Oberrheinische Eisenbahn Gesellschaft) which translated is Upper Rhine Railway Company. The loco was built in 1891 by Henschel & Sohn of Cassel. The original loco survives in preservation.
 The model is a product of LGB and has been around since the early days of the brand, I obtained this one on EBay and this version appears to date from the 1970s. The formerly bright green loco was repainted into TBLR loco black with brick red skirts; it is a bit too small to allow installation of batteries without sacrificing some of the interior detail, so it has been fitted with a power plug and like locos 3 and 4, it derives its power from the radio control van No.3.

0-4-2 Live Steam Tram Loco GVT No.1 (TBLR No.11)
 Another foreign tram engine: this loco ran on the Glyn Valley Tramway in Wales. I have always liked these cute looking engines, although I think CVBT No.3 just wins in the cuteness stakes. Many years ago a Gosling model of this loco passed through my hands and I always hankered after one. When Anything Narrow Gauge and GRS announced they had commissioned a model of this loco from Accucraft, I had to order one.
 The loco is gas fired and is fitted with radio control on the reverser. The bodywork lifts off in one piece for servicing.
 The loco, built in 1888 by Beyer Peacock in Manchester, was named after Sir Theodore Martin, chairman of the GVT company for many years; it never displayed its designated number.