‘Pounders’ shared most of the heavy main line work with the newer VS Class but, with the introduction of new British United Traction DMUs in 1957, the class was relieved of its main duties. Withdrawal from service In October 1958 the former GNR, by then the Great Northern Railway Board or GNRB, was split between Northern Ireland's Ulster Transport Authority (UTA) and the Republic's Coras Iompair Éireann (CIÉ). Nos. 83, 86 and 87 went to the UTA and Nos. 84 and 85 to CIÉ. The letters ‘UT’ or ‘CIE’ were stencilled on the front buffer beams. CIÉ withdrew steam traction in 1963 and subsequently all but No. 85 Merlin were scrapped. Preservation Merlin spent her final years as a spare in Dundalk works, occasionally hauling a Dublin train. The Ulster Folk and Transport Museum rescued her from the scrapyard in 1965, acquiring her (minus tender) for £600. She was stored variously at Inchicore, Amiens Street, Dundalk, Adelaide locomotive shed in Belfast and Lisburn before finally moving to the museum's gallery at Witham Street, Belfast, in 1969. Displayed here until 1976, she was moved to Harland and Wolff for a comprehensive overhaul organised by the Museum, the RPSI and Lord Dunleath. On completion in 1982 she was moved to the RPSI's Whitehead headquarters. Merlin was officially returned to traffic on 30 June 1986 heading an official Belfast – Dublin Enterprise that September. She repeated the trip on the 40th anniversary of the Enterprise the following August, hauling the same length train as in 1947 (seven bogie coaches) and matching the timings of the original run. Having received a further overhaul in the 1990s, Merlin continued to be leased by the RPSI and used on the main line until her boiler certificate expired in 2004. The locomotive has been overhauled since 2009 and returned to service early in 2014. Unfortunately, since returning to service in 2013, it has proven very unreliable, with several high-profile failures and has never managed to make it from Dublin to Rosslare and back without some sort of failure. This is unlike the other RPSI locos, 171, 4 or indeed 186 and 461. Model An 00 gauge model of No. 85 Merlin is currently available as an etched-brass kit from Studio Scale Models. It includes transfers, brass etches and cast white metal parts. References Sources and further reading External links Stamps with GNRI Class V 4-4-0 locomotives 5