Fancy a 'sup? Keg Wagons Are Back!
A pint of plain is your only man. Never a truer word spoken!
After massive demand, our keg wagons are back, featuring an all new line up with new running numbers, upgraded bogies with brass bearings for smoother (and less squeaky running) and a REDUCED price!
What's not to like?
While the conveyance of Guinness and other beers dates back to the days of steam, it was the emergence of ISO intermodal standards in the early 1970s which allowed breweries to maximise the potential of rail transport. Córas Iompair Éireann’s new fleet of 42ft bogie flat wagons were particularly suitable, as their capacity enabled large quantities of kegged beer to be transported efficiently.
Although brands such as Harp and Heineken were also transported at various times, it is The Black Stuff which became synonymous with this traffic, with CIÉ constructing an additional batch of bogie wagons in 1978 specifically to meet the demands of transporting Guinness. The goods yard at Dublin’s Heuston Station became the focal point for this operation, with kegs being brought the short distance from the St James’s Gate brewery by road and transferred to 42ft wagons for distribution to depots located right across the CIÉ/Irish Rail and Northern Ireland Railways networks.
These wagons were often mixed with other traffic, such as containers, bulk and bagged cement, and oil, but demand frequently called for dedicated trainloads, too. Initially carried in transport cages with kegs stacked two-high, trains stopped at signals in certain areas became a target for thieves, who could sneak aboard and remove kegs with relative ease.
Keg trains were a common sight on the network for almost four decades. However, changes to the Irish railway environment in the mid-2000s resulted in the loss of several freight flows, with keg traffic being one of the high profile casualties, finally coming to an end in 2006.
Our new run of keg wagons features all new running numbers, complimenting run one, while also catering for those who missed out. After all, run one sold out before arriving in stock. We predict a fierce thirst for these too, and with decorated samples already in hand production is now well under way. We envisage that delivery will be towards the end of this year alongside the new run of fert wagons.
Priced at just €89.95 per twin pack, with 10% off when you buy two packs or more, and free postage and packaging across Ireland and the UK, they also offer unbeatable value. Hop up to the bar and get your round in, with four different packs available to pre-order right here.