The Boss and I just got back from a great vacation in Ireland and London. While we were in Dublin I experienced the best of both worlds...the Guinness Brewery...and railroads! Guinness actually had their own railway system for many years. By 1873 the Guinness Brewery had expanded to 63 acres. It became difficult to move materials to the various departments, such as the cooperage, the washing and filling sheds and warehouses. Guinness decided to build their own railway system on the brewery grounds. The engineer-in-chief, Samuel Geoghegan, oversaw it's construction.They had to design a track system that could navigate the narrow cobblestone roads throughout the brewery. They came up with a 22" narrow gauge track. They also had to link the upper and lower levels of property which had a difference in height of 50'. They initially built an elevator to lift the locomotive up and down, but it proved too slow. In 1875 they built a tunnel to bring the locomotives from the upper to the lower levels. The tunnel was spiral rather than straight, with a radius of 61'. The locomotives were used to pull malt wagons, spent grain, hops and cask cars. It was completed in 1877 with 8 miles of track. The engines were initially all steam powered. They eventually had 8 engines. Mr. Geoghegan then designed his own engine. Between 1887 and 1921, 17 were built. By the 1940's the steam fleet was obsolete. They eventually had 11 diesel locomotives built. The railway was used up until 1975. The historical photos were courtesy of the Guinness Brewery archives. Now that's a railroad story worth hoisting one for! 
Matt
Matt
Can't get enough of the stuff !
