Plaque unveiled in Raheny to honour local railway engineer

Dublin People 15 Mar 2019

Colin Hedderly (left) with Peter Smyth, Chief Mechanical Engineer at Iarnrod Eireann, at the unveiling of a plaque to Richard Maunsell in Raheny DART Station. PHOTO: DARREN KINSELLA

A PLAQUE in honour of a distinguished Irish railway engineer was unveiled at Raheny Train Station recently to mark the 75th anniversary of his death.

Richard Maunsell was born in Raheny in 1868.

The plaque was the idea of local resident Colin Hedderly, who is also an engineer and works for Iarnród Éireann.

Mr Hedderly told Northside People: “Maunsell is a notable Irish engineer and I am pleased that Iarnród Éireann and in particular its Chief Mechanical Engineer, Mr Peter Smyth, has seen fit to honour his memory in Raheny in this way.

“The plaque is a great way to celebrate the engineering profession and railways in the area and to bring it to the attention of younger generations.”

Maunsell started his railway career with a three-year apprenticeship at the Great Southern & Western Railways (GS&WR) works in Inchicore.

Following this, in 1886, Maunsell worked in the Drawing Office of Horwich Works, then became a Locomotive Foreman for the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway.

In 1894 he moved to India to become the Locomotive Superintendent of the East India Railway.

After two years, he returned to the Great Southern & Western Railways (GSWR) works in Inchicore where he became works manager and during his tenure rearranged and did much to modernise the works and to improve efficiency.

Fifteen years later he was promoted to the Locomotive Superintendent.

In 1913 Maunsell moved to England and was made the Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the South Eastern & Chatham Railway (SE&CR) where his skill and ability as a locomotive engineer and as an administrator came to the fore.

In 1923 SE&CR became part of the Southern Railway and the newly formed company appointed Maunsell their first CME which was a position he held until retirement in 1937.

It was during the period under Southern Railway that Maunsell designed his most well known creations, the ‘Lord Nelson’ class and the ‘Schools’ class locomotives.

Maunsell was President of the Institution of Locomotive Engineers in 1916 and again in 1928 and he was Vice-President of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in 1932.

Maunsell died on March 7 1944 at the age of 75.