Northern Ireland’s Downpatrick and County Down Railway has issued an update on its 80 Class power car 69.

Work on the case has progressed quickly over the last month.

When the Railway prepared for the arrival of the Moyexit locomotives by carrying out some shunting, the opportunity arose to use the Gallery platforms to get 69’s recently-refurbished side door back into place, a better option than struggling to lift it using trestles.

Project Manager Robert, with help from Chris Johnston, manoeuvred the door into place, enabling it to swing nicely on its hinges.

This was a “huge relief” to the project team, as they had been concerned that the hinges might not line up properly. During the body refurbishment work, it was necessary to remove the hinges. Even using the original holes would not guarantee that the hinges would line up, but fortunately, they did.

Over the following days, the new doorposts were fettled down with the purpose of allowing what the Railway calls “a satisfying SLAM”. The doorposts had been manufactured by MJM Marine.

Robert has also reinstated the end dome over the vestibule and refitted all four passenger saloon windows on the ASDA side. He used sheets to prevent dust from getting inside the carriage.

With the help of Niall, Robert has also continued applying and smoothing filler. The Railway describes this as a “tedious but necessary” task, which will ensure that the bodywork is finished to an optimum standard when the time arrives for final painting.

While there is still quite a lot of work to do, the Railway believes that 69 “is starting to look like a carriage again”.

Downpatrick and County Down Railway welcomes new volunteers to help with getting the work on this 80 class finished. Anyone who is interested in doing this can contact the Railway via its online volunteering page, where more information is available.

The Railway, which suffered extensive flood damage in 2023, hosted a car rally earlier this year.

The Railway also welcome any donations, small or large.