RailPictures.Net Photo: 123 Great Northern Railway of Ireland Q Class 4-4-0 at Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom by Steve Armitage
The steam railways of Ireland as they entered the 50s appeared as if caught in a time warp. Ancient rolling stock, sleepy archaic backwaters and a bewildering variety of gauges were just some of the delights offered by the island. For some unaccountable reason 5ft 3" was chosen as the standard gauge, Irish locomotives with few exceptions, differed in appearance from their mainland counterparts. This Class Q inside-cylindered 4-4-0 of reasonably modern appearance by Irish standards, was one of a class of 13 built in 1899 for the Great Northern Railway of Ireland. Fortunately, one survives in preservation. Less fortunate is Omagh, the county town of Co.Tyrone as it no longer has a railway. In 1950 Omagh was an important junction and on a sunny spring afternoon, an unknown photographer captured this fine image of No.123. She is breezing into the town from the direction of Enniskillen with a very motley rake of elderly coaching stock.
