Railway Preservation Society of Ireland

The Railway Preservation Society of Ireland (RPSI) is an Irish railway preservation group operating throughout Ireland. It was founded in 1964. The society has its headquarters at Whitehead, County Antrim, and a base at Mullingar, County Westmeath. Restoration work is also carried out in the Dublin area.

The Society runs mainline trains on the Irish railway network using steam traction and vintage carriages. It also owns a small fleet of vintage diesel locomotives. Its longest running and most famous train, the Portrush Flyer, takes day trippers from Belfast to Portrush during the summer. Out of Dublin, several trains are operated over the scenic Rosslare line to Greystones and Wicklow over the course of the summer.

RPSI excursions could be any of:

Each year the society organises a major weekend event, operating usually from Dublin in May and covering major routes in Ireland at a leisurely pace. Many visitors return year after year from homes as far flung as New Jersey and Berlin. The 2008 tour operated to Waterford and the 2009 tour to Westport. The May 2014 tour, the Saint Canice, operated in the Dublin area.

Excursion trains run throughout the year, primarily at weekends, from both Dublin and Belfast. An operational set of vintage carriages is kept both at Whitehead and in Dublin for these purposes. These trains are frequently packed to capacity, and advance booking is recommended.

An RPSI steam locomotive has on two occasions been used for permanent way work by subcontractors for Northern Ireland Railways. In 2000, R. H. Smyth was employed to pull ballast dropping wagons on the Bleach Green to Antrim line, and in 2005 the engine performed a similar role on the Bleach Green to Whitehead route.

On many occasions the RPSI has provided trains for films and television dramas, notably The First Great Train Robbery in 1979.

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