The Co. Donegal Railways

[rogerfarnworth]

My wife and I were due to spend a couple of weeks walking in Co. Donegal in April and May 2020. Instead, we remained at home in Ashton-under-Lyne and continuing to do the jobs we love! I would have been writing a blog about our journeys and walks but instead I have started a series about the 3ft-gauge Co. Donegal Railways. .....

 

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2020/05/27/co-donegal-railways-ireland-part-1-the-glenties-branch-stranorlar-to-ballinamore

[rogerfarnworth]

I am working on a post about the next length of the Glenties Branch but wanted to have a look at some of the railmotors/Railcars on the Co. Donegal Railways. This post covers the petrol-powered railmotors which were used on the network in the early part of the 20th century. ....

 

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2020/06/12/co-donegal-railways-ireland-part-3-petrol-railmotors

[rogerfarnworth]

This post covers the remaining length of the Glenties Branch. I have been unable to find early photographs of the locations along the line.

 

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2020/06/22/co-donegal-railways-ireland-part-2-the-glenties-branch-ballinamore-to-glenties

[rogerfarnworth]

After completing the first two artciles in the series, covering the Glenties Branch, I was put in touch with Kerry Doherty who lives in Co. Donegal and he provided a few images of the branch. I have updated the two linked articles with a total of four photographs, three of which come from Kerry Doherty and the fourth from the Co. Donegal Railway Heritage Centre. ....

 

Foe ease of access I have repeated the two links here. ....

 

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2020/05/27/co-donegal-railways-ireland-part-1-the-glenties-branch-stranorlar-to-ballinamore

 

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2020/06/22/co-donegal-railways-ireland-part-2-the-glenties-branch-ballinamore-to-glenties/

 

The Glenties Branch ran through a very rural part of Co. Donegal and seemingly stopped short of what could be considered a 'sensible' destination - the Atlantic Coast. Indeed it seems as though there were quite a few people in Ardara on the coast who thought that way. There was a concerted campaign over many years to get a short extension built between Glenties and Ardara.

[rogerfarnworth]

This next post about the Co. Donegal Railways is the first looking at the Strabane to Letterkenny Railway. It begins at Strabane and runs as far as the town of Raphoe which was an ancient seat of temporal and spiritual power. ....

 

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2020/07/27/co-donegal-railways-ireland-part-4-strabane-to-letterkenny-part-a-strabane-to-raphoe

 

The first railway station in Letterkenny opened on 30th June 1883. The line out of Londonderry started out as the Londonderry and Buncrana Railway and was absorbed into the L&LSR in 1887. [9] That line is not the subject of this article but it is important to note that Letterkenny had been rail-served for many years before the branch from Strabane arrived in the town.

[Georgeconna]

Very interesting Read there Roger, Looks to be a massive amount of work done by yourself.

 

It is amazing  Ballinamore County Donegal Railway Station is still there!

 

[rogerfarnworth]

Thanks George, .....

 

My last post above was uploaded yesterday (27th July 2020). Immediately after having sent it, I got a further email from Kerry Doherty who lives in Ballindrait close to the line. He sent me a number of additional photographs of the line, both historic and taken very recently. It seemed good to alter the article to include these pictures. If you read the article on Monday 27th July, it is worth another look. My thanks to Kerry Doherty for the additional images referenced [45] throughout the article.

[rogerfarnworth]

This next post is the second in a series about the Strabane and Letterkenny Railway Line. There will be a further post in due course.

 

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2020/10/05/co-donegal-railways-ireland-part-5-strabane-to-letterkenny-part-b-raphoe-to-convoy

[rogerfarnworth]

Within 24 hours of posting about the Strabane and Letterkenny Railway between Raphoe and Convoy, Kerry Doherty got in touch to say that he would try to gain access to the Lime Kiln and an associated bridge just to the East of Convoy. He kindly then sent me a series of photographs of the formation of the line, the bridge and the Lime Kiln itself. The link below now allows access to the amended post about this length of the line.

 

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2020/10/05/co-donegal-railways-ireland-part-5-strabane-to-letterkenny-part-b-raphoe-to-convoy

[rogerfarnworth]

This next post completes the length of the Strabane and Letterkenny Railway

 

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2020/10/29/co-donegal-railways-ireland-part-6-strabane-to-letterkenny-part-c-convoy-to-letterkenny

 

Quote

 A Journey Along the Line - Strabane to Letterkenny - Part C - Convoy to Letterkenny

We return to Convoy Railway Station which sits to the East of the Village. While we are waiting for our train, a railcar from Letterkenny stops at the station.

 

Edited October 29, 2020 by rogerfarnworth

[rogerfarnworth]

This is the next post in a series about the railways of Co. Donegal. It focusses on one viaduct on the Londonderry & Lough Swilly Railway (L&LSR) - the Owencarrow Viaduct - and specifically on an accident which occurred there in 1925

 

https://rogerfarnworth.com/2021/05/30/the-owencarrow-viaduct-accident-in-1925

 

In the February 1963 edition of The Railway Magazine there was a letter from L. Hudlass which said: "The accident on the Owencarrow Viaduct, on the Letterkenny & Burtonport line, Ireland, of January 30, 1925, involved a westbound train running from Londonderry to Burtonport, on the Burtonport extension of the Londonderry and Lough Swilly Railway. The 380 yd.-long viaduct, sited between Kilmacrenan and Creeslough in County Tirconaill is in wild and open country and, on the day in question, a gale of 100mph caught the train broadside on and one carriage plunged through the parapet, pulling another with it. The couplings held and neither of the vehicles fell into the valley, but roof destruction caused several passengers to be thrown out, three people being killed outright.