GS&WR Class 101

The Great Southern and Western Railway Class 101, classified J15 by the Great Southern Railways, was a class of 0-6-0 steam locomotives designed for goods traffic, though quite capable of branch and secondary passenger work. It was by far the most numerous class of locomotive, diesel or steam, ever to run in Ireland, with 111 built between 1866 and 1903. The great majority were built at the railway's Inchicore Works, with some contracted out to Beyer, Peacock and Company, which built twelve, and Sharp, Stewart and Company, which built eight. The design is attributed to Alexander McDonnell, although evidence points to him developing it from drawings supplied by Beyer, Peacock. Later locomotive superintendents rebuilt many with larger boilers and the class kept to its former territory after 1925.