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Great Southern Railways

Page last updated on 19th March 2023

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Portraying the smart red and ivory livery of the GSR bus fleet are these photos of scale models. The Titan represents number 804 of the first batch of deckers, new in 1931, and produced as an EFE diecast, while the single decker depicts number 736, a 1934 Leyland Lion LT6 built and painted by John Keenan.

The Great Southern Railway was formed on November 12th 1924, by amalgamating three railway companies in what was then known as the Irish Free State. These were the Great Southern and Western Railway, the Midland Great Western Railway and the Cork, Bandon and South Coast Railway. The M. G. W. R. served the Dublin to Galway mainline, and additional routes to counties Mayo and Sligo, the G. S. W. R. had the routes to Limerick, Cork and Kerry, while the C. B. and S. C. R. linked the southern coastal area of Cork with the city. On January 1st 1925, the G. S. R. was was merged with the Dublin and South Eastern Railway, linking Dublin and Wexford (which incorporated the Dublin and Kingstown line - Ireland's first railway, opened in 1834), and also took over all remaining branch lines and light railways in the state, changing its title to Great Southern Railways.

The very start of what was to become the G. S. R.'s bus fleet actually predates the company itself by five years, and the history of that is covered on the Irish Omnibus Company page on this site. By the end of 1933 the Irish Omnibus Company was no more, becoming the G. S. R.'s Omnibus Department from New Years Day in 1934, at which time the fleet stood at 116 vehicles.

Most of these, if not all, were petrol engined, and the G. S. R. was to prove to be a slow convert to diesel powered buses. One of the 1934 Tigers was thus fitted, followed by four more Tigers and five Lions in 1935. Diesel powered buses continued to be bought thereafter, but in very small numbers. It should be recalled that the G. S. R.'s railway business was also virtually all steam hauled, although a small number of battery powered railcars had been built in the 1930s.

A batch of 17 Tigers, which entered service in 1936 and 1937, was fitted with four-cylinder engines, the reason for this being unclear. Deliveries of new vehicles began to slow towards the end of the 1930s, and virtually ceased altogether in 1940. Even at this stage the company was still specifying petrol engines for its new deliveries of Lions and Tigers, although the last ten Titans in 1940 were diesels.

22 Leyland TS11 Tiger chassis were delivered to the G. S. R. in 1942, but because of wartime shortages of materials, only three of them were bodied at that time. Conversely, the Dublin United Transport Company had stockpiled body parts, but then found themselves unable to get chassis to fit these to. So in 1944 four of these TS11s were acquired by the D. U. T. C. and used to construct four double deckers, with the remainder passing to the newly formed Coras Iompair Eireann in 1945 when the D. U. T. C and the G. S. R. were merged. A total of 305 buses and coaches were taken over by C. I. E. from the G. S. R., of which just 29 were diesel powered. This over dependence on petrol engines meant that the ex G. S. R buses were ousted from the C. I. E. fleet too early for the preservation movement to get their hands on any of them. So today's enthusiasts have been denied the chance to ever see those fine vehicles in their red, black and ivory livery.

Thanks to Peter Rowledge for additional data received in April 2014.

Fleet list

1934 -- fleet taken over from Irish Omnibus Company

1934

1935

1936

Two of the GSR fleet of touring coaches, number 214 in front with a Queen Mary behind. The picture was taken outside Keenan's Hotel in Roundwood, Co. Wicklow. This premises is now known as The Coach House, and dates back to the 1820s. Presumably the two uniformed gents in front of 214 are the coach drivers, and the view was probably taken sometime in the late 1930s. Photographer unknown.

Four of the G. S. R. 's fleet of tour coaches followed the general 1930s trend of streamlining, and while the high set headlamps and full-width single windscreen provided a distinctive look, it can hardly have been very practical from the maintenance viewpoint. Forward vision for the passengers doesn't seem to have been too high on the priority list either.... Photographer unknown.

Photographed in Patrick Street, Cork in the 1950s is the former 822, which was new in 1936. This batch of four vehicles were both the last GSR lowbridge buses, and the first deckers with diesel engines. Photo by Roy Marshall.

1937

1938

1939

C. I. E.'s NP68 was new in 1939 as G. S .R. 934, a Leyland Lion LT9 with GSR 32 seat bodywork. It was withdrawn in 1954, after a 15 year life. Photographer unknown.

1940

1942

Total fleet owned = 309 with NO survivors.

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