To the delight of many, in recent years, a steam train been running over a short stretch of the old Dingle line. What is more incredible is the steam loco is a genuine survivor of the Tralee and Dingle Railway. The Hunslet-built 2-6-2T no 5 is back on the line it was built for, despite being moved away to the Cavan and Leitrim Railway upon closure of the home line. When the Cavan line closed, no 5 was acquired for the Steamtown museum in the United States and was shipped across the Atlantic. On display for many years, the fairy tale continued when the loco made the return journey to Kerry, was restored to full working order and in 1993 re-commenced duties on the relayed Tralee to Blennerville section. More recently, the delay in the heavy overhaul of No 5T has caused partial or total closure of train services.

Please note this website has no connection whatsoever with the present railway operators. We advise folks to contact the Tralee Tourist Office on 066 7121288.

It is always best to check operating dates and train times - try ringing the Tourist Office at the Ashe Hall, Tralee on 066 7121288...

• Recent news...

22 April 2008 News from the new owners of the Railway suggests the train service may not operate in 2008. The boiler of No 5T needs extensive overhaul and there is a crack in the original 1891 built forged-steel collar that joins the firebox and boiler. This will also need repair. Meantime, the plan to hire a diesel loco for the season has fallen through due the the target loco being assigned to a job elsewhere.

March 2008 The Tralee Blog at blog.tralee.org provides us with an excellent update on the present railway: "After the successful restoration of the rail tracks between Tralee and Blennerville the Tralee & Dingle Railway had been one of the major attractions of Tralee for years. Unfortunately it has now been out of service since the end of the 2006 season. So I wondered whether we could hope for the steam train to be back on track in 2008. After reading a report (which I found here by the way) stating that the 5T-engine has been stripped down for inspection last year and that there was work to do on the railtracks I was very keen to see with my own eyes what progress had been made since then. Today I finally had the chance to do so...". Read the full story at The Tralee Blog. "