The GNRI Class VS 4-4-0 three-cylinder simple expansion steam locomotive No. 208 "Lagan" was built by Beyer Peacock Locomotive Works, Manchester-Gorton in 1948 under works number 6963.
The locomotives of class VS, designed by Mcintosh, were very similar to the compound locomotives of GNRI Class V, built in 1932 by Beyer, Peacock and Company. Unlike the latter, however, they had only simple expansion steam engines with Walschaerts valve gear. Their wheel arrangement was due to the restricted space in the Dundalk workshops. Class VS used the same Belpaire boilers as class V with an evaporation surface of 1,235 square feet (114.7 m2) and a superheating surface of 295 square feet (27.4 m2), and other parts were also interchangeable. The locomotives were equipped with smoke deflectors, rocking grates, hopper ashpans, and self-cleaning fireboxes with a grate area of 25 square feet (2.3 m2), and were fitted with 4,000 imperial gallons (18 m3) Stanier type tenders.
Five locomotives of this type were built. Their works numbers were 6961 to 6965 and their running numbers were 206 to 210. They were all named after the rivers Liffey, Boyne, Lagan, Foyle, and Erne, The VS class were procured by the GNR in order to work on the heaviest and fastest expresses on the main line along with Class V Compounds such as the Enterprise non-stop express services between Dublin and Belfast. They were the last series of steam engines ordered by the company.
In 1958 with the split up of the cross border GNRI, Nos. 206, 207, and 209 went to CIÉ whilst acquiring a suffix of N. At the same time Nos. 208 and 210 became 58 and 59 under the Ulster Transport Authority (UTA).
All five were taken out of service by 1965, Neither No. 208 or any of it's four siblings survived into preservation.