Railway is venue for display of tar boiler exhibition

Railway is venue for display of tar boiler exhibition

16 November 2016

A RESTORED horse drawn tar boiler is to go on display at the Downpatrick and Co Down Railway’s exhibition gallery.

The boiler was put on public display ahead of its arrival at the exhibition gallery during an event at Ballydugan Mill last week where one of the first to view it was Stormont Infrastructure Minister Chris Hazzard.

The boiler was made by the Lancashire firm of Municipal Appliance & Company and supplied to the old Down County Council’s County Surveyors Department in the 1920s.

The unique boiler has been lovingly restored by Patsy Connolly Engineering Ltd based in Monaghan for McCreath Taylor (NI) Ltd, which specialises in environmental and municipal equipment.

The tar boiler was used in rural areas for road repairs, with the former council’s county surveyor  hiring a horse from Joseph Perry from Drumcaw near Seaforde to pull it along. 

The driver of the boiler was Joe’s son Day who steered it around the district to patch and surface dress roads. Tar for the boiler was supplied in 40 gallon drums or timber barrels allowing a three-man squad to carry out road repairs. 

Mr Hazzard said he was delighted to see the restored 1920’s horse drawn tar boiler before it was transferred from Ballydugan Mill to the railway museum.

“In the early part of the 20th century this horse drawn boiler would have been one of many items of plant used to seal and retexture the existing road surface to help prevent its disintegration,” the minister explained.

Mr Hazzard added: “This horse drawn tar boiler was uncovered in the Department for Infrastructure Castlenavan depot back in 2011. It was originally supplied by McCreath Taylor of Lisburn who are still in business today and I congratulate them for arranging to restore this unique item to its former glory. This will preserve a key part of our industrial heritage for current and future generations.”