Category Archives: Co. Antrim

The Story of Irish Narrow Gauge. … Its Growth and Decay …

The featured image for this article was taken on the Cavan and Leitrim Railway’s Ballinamore to Arigna branch by James P. O’Dea. on 14th March 1959. This photograph is National Library of Ireland ref.: ODEA 11/30 (www.nli.ie) and is avaiable as (c) Public Domain. [44]

1st February 1961 was a significant date in the history of Irish Railways. It marked the closure of the West Clare Railway, the last survivor of the narrow-gauge lines.

The afternoon train from Ennis to Kilrush is made up of diesel Railcar No. 3388 and a trailer and van. Here it sits at Milton Malbay, on the West Clare section of Coras Impair Eireann on 27th July 1960. Closure of the West Clare section occurred on 1st February 1961, © E. M. Patterson. [1: facing page iv]

The Railway Magazine of February 1961 noted that, “The construction of many of these railways was facilitated by special legislation, designed to relieve the depressed state of large areas of that country some eighty years ago. Although several schemes failed to mature, more than 500 miles of 3 ft-gauge line were built, and over 30 miles of 5 ft. 3 in. gauge were narrowed. To this total must be added the nine miles of so-called “monorail,” on the Lartigue system, from Listowel to Ballybunion. The decline of the narrow gauge began with the advent of motorbus services in rural areas, and its extinction [was] now complete.” [1: p74]

Trains of two gauges at Ennis Railway Station on 22nd September 1960. On the right, diesel mechanical locomotive No. F502 waits to depart for West Clare from the bay platform, while across the platform, a CIE main line train heading to Limerick arrives in the station, © R. N. Joanes and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [2: p75]

The first part of an article on this considerable proportion of the railway mileage of Ireland appeared in the February 1961 issue of The Railway Magazine. [2: p75-83]

This map shows the relative positions of the Irish Narrow Gauge lines. [2: p76]

Patterson says that, “In the Irish railway framework, the narrow-gauge lines formed an integral part. In no sense freaks, they used a gauge of 3 ft. 0 in. which, though it lacked the Parliamentary blessing of the standard Irish 5 ft. 3 in. gauge, was entitled by usage and by total mileage to be regarded as a secondary standard. Only 9.5 miles of Lartigue monorail in County Kerry was an exception to the rule, and its short existence of 36 years likewise singled it out from the others. The 18 other narrow-gauge systems worked away in self-contained independence, with rolling stock that was nearly as commodious as on the standard gauge.” [2: p77]

Mixed 5ft 3in gauge and 3ft gauge tracks at Larne Harbour in 1948, © R. E. Tustin. [2: p77]

Patterson continues: “Fittingly enough, the cradle of the Irish narrow gauge was rocked by the mining industry. In the peat-shrouded plateau of County Antrim, the basalt rocks north-east of Ballymena had been shown by geological survey to contain extensive beds of iron ore, and associated with them, accumulations of bauxite. The latter, mined for its aluminium content, was of no interest in the 1870s but iron ore that could be trucked out on to the hillsides was of immediate use to the cross-channel ironmasters. Roads in Antrim were primitive then, and in many of the glens the slipe or slide cart was more often to be seen than wheeled vehicles. Then the boom in iron-ore mining began, and in 1873 the first 3 ft gauge line was made down Glenariff to the sea, linking mines high on the terraced east face of the glen with a pier at the White Arch. It was no fault of the railway that the mines never paid; locally poor-grade ore, and high royalties to the landowner smothered the line, but though it never carried passengers, it was the pioneer.” [2: p77-78]

Apparently, “The first 3 ft gauge railway in Ireland to be authorised by Parliament followed close behind the Glenariff line, as the Ballymena, Cushendall & Red Bay Railway, (BC&RBR). opened in 1875. It ran alongside the 5 ft. 3 in.gauge Belfast & Northern Counties [Railway](B&NCR) main line at Ballymena and was to have conveyed ore to a pier at Red Bay. The descent from the uplands to the coast would have entailed a drop of 1,000 ft. in 5 miles. Probably because of the severe grade this part was never built and the line terminated near its summit level, the station being fittingly named Retreat and situated on moorland honeycombed with iron ore workings. Down at Ballymena, the broad gauge took the ore away for some years, until the Ballymena & Larne came in from Larne Harbour in 1878, and joined the BC&RBR in 1880. The broad gauge B&NCR took the pair of them over in 1884 and 1889.” [2: p78]

“Once the fashion was started by these three narrow-gauge lines in Antrim, similar systems progressed apace. 1877, the Ballycastle Railway Company obtained its Act and made a line from the B&NCR. at Ballymoney to what was then a small fishing port on the rocky northern coast of County Antrim. The line skirted the great flat of the Garry Bog and, after a gentle ascent towards the rounded hills, it started down the Tow Valley to the sea. It never had any prospect of mineral traffic, for it crossed country devoid of ore deposits, but the promoters’ hopes of its developing Ballycastle as a tourist resort were reasonably well fulfilled. With its opening in 1880, the start of a rapid expansion of narrow-gauge mileage had begun.” [2: p78]

Patterson continues, “The decade 1880-90 witnessed the number of Irish narrow-gauge systems increase from three to 16. This growth was the result both of private enterprise and of state assistance under the Tramways & Public Companies (Ireland) Act of 25th August 1883. Private enterprise put six systems in motion, both steam and electrically hauled.” [2: p78] There were four of the former:

The West Donegal Railway – which became part of a much larger network.
The Portstewart Tramway, in Co. Derry.
The Castlederg & Victoria Bridge Railway, in Co. Tyrone.
The Dublin & Lucan Railway, west of the capital.

The two electric lines were:

The Giant’s Causeway & Portrush Tramway, in Co. Antrim.
The Bessbrook & Newry Tramway , in Co. Armagh.

Unique in design, and steam hauled, was the Listowel & Ballybunion, already mentioned as Britain and Ireland’s sole Lartigue monorail. More about the Lartigue can be discovered here. [3]

A sketch of the Lartigue locomotive, © Public Domain. [16]

The passing loop at Lisselton, © Public Domain. [16]

The 1883 Tramways Act resulted in six further lines:

The Cavan & Leitrim Railway – there is a series of articles on this blog about the lines operated by this company – these can be found here, [4] here, [5] here, [6] here, [7] here, [8] here, [9] here, [10] here, [11] here, [12] and here. [13]
The Clogher Valley Railway.
The Cork & Muskerry Light Railway.
The Schull & Skibbereen Railway.
The Tralee & Dingle Light Railway – an introductory article about two books about the line can be found here. [17]
The West Clare Railway – a series of articles on this blog about the lines operated by this company – can be found here, [18] here, [19] here, [20] here, [21] here, [22] here, [23] here, [24] and here. [25]

The Act also permitted the West Donegal to complete its line from the unsatisfactory original terminus at Druminnin to Donegal Town. But, the West Donegal struggled financially and in 1892 it amalgamated with the adjacent 5ft 3in gauge Finn Valley Railway (FVR). The merger created the County Donegal Railway Company and within a year or so, the FVR was converted to 3ft gauge.

Similarly the Londonderry & Lough Swilly Railway (L&LSR) was a 5ft 3in gauge railway which also worked a privately sponsored 3ft gauge line – the Letterkenny Railway opened in 1883. By 1885, the decision had been taken to convert the L&LSR to 3ft gauge.

Later expansion came about more slowly. “Sir John Allport’s Royal Commission of 1886 recommended the development of the Irish railways by the furtherance of light railways. The 1889 Light Railways (Ireland) Act was the outcome, and it authorised further state assistance. As a result, the Donegal Railway benefited by the addition of the Donegal-Killybegs and Stranorlar-Glenties sections, totalling 43.5 miles and opened in 1893 and 1894 respectively.” [2: p81]

The 6.5 mile Cork, Blackrock & Passage Railway (CB&PR) replaced its broad-gauge track by 3ft-gauge in October 1900. Under severe competition from the Cork Electric Tramway, the CB&PR extended its lines 9.5 miles, in stages, to Crosshaven (August 1902 to June 1904).

Remaining expansion centred predominantly in County Donegal. A 14.5 line from Strabane down the East side of the valley of the River Foyle gave access to the city and port of Derry. It opened in 1900.

A 15.5 mile branch from Donegal town to Ballyshannon was opened in 1905. In 1906 the Donegal was “bought out by the combined efforts of the GNR(I) and the Midland Railway (Northern Counties Committee) and was thereafter administered by a joint committee,” [2: p81] (the CDRJC).

The 19.5 mile line of the Strabane & Letterkenny Railway Company linked the two towns in 1909. It allowed some freight traffic to be transferred between the two narrow gauge systems in County Donegal.

More about the railways of County Donegal can be found in a series of other articles on this blog. These can be found here, [26] here, [27] here, [28] here, [29] here, [30] here, [31] here, [32] here, [33] here, [34] here, [35] here, [36] here [37] here, [38] here, [39] here, [40] here, [42] here, [43] and here. [44]

Patterson tells us that, “With the opening of the Strabane & Letterkenny line, the construction of passenger-carrying narrow-gauge lines in Ireland was complete, though the fact that the public had not lost interest was evidenced from time to time when local bodies advocated the extension of existing lines.” [2: p82-83] He cited as an example, the deaf ear turned by the CDRJC to local entreaties to extend the Glenties line to Ardara.

One final extension was to be built. 3 miles from the Cavan & Leitrim’s railhead at Arigna (just inside County Roscommon) adits were driven into coal deposits and, as the operation grew, a 4.5 mile extension from Arigna to Dereenavoggy and Aughabehy was opened in June 1920. That extension was, 10 years later cut back to a length of only 1.5 miles. For more about the extension please look here. [4]

During WW1, the British government took control of all Irish railways (December 1916 to August 1921). During those years wages rose by 250%! Fares were raised, doubling in stages. Patterson tells us that, “The slim profits of pre-war days vanished and a combination of higher rail fares, and higher rail freight charges, drove potential customers on to the roads. There, the expanding motor industry was ready to provide vehicles for both public and private transport. The position was the same in Great Britain, but in Ireland the rate of change was restrained by the lack of suitable roads to carry the new traffic.” [2: p83]

Patterson continues: “In the remoter parts of Ireland, where the narrow-gauge lines were situated, and where they had been built by reason of the physical and economic geography, road improvements came slowly. Surfaces in the 1930s were shockingly bad by present day standards, but in spite of the limited amount of money that the county councils had to spend, change was working.” [2: p83]

Politics also intervened: rebellion against British rule broke out in 1916. “By mid-1920, some engine crews were refusing to work trains which carried British troops or munitions and, in the December, this had virtually paralysed rail services in County Donegal and in other parts of the west. The formation of the 26-county Free State in December, 1921, did not end the unrest, for almost two years of civil war followed, during which there was wide-spread damage to rail systems, and train services ceased in Kerry and Cork.” [2: p83]

The new international border which was formed in 1921 and the accompanying customs tariffs adversely affected traffic and trade to the West of Derry.

Patterson continues: “The two companies faced the new situation quite differently. Henry Forbes, managing for the CDRJC, introduced petrol and then diesel railcars, and thereby obtained striking economies in operating costs. By stopping his trains almost anywhere to pick up passengers in the sparsely-peopled country, he gained an unequalled degree of public support. On the Londonderry & Lough Swilly, H. Hunt, and later James Whyte, decided that the future was on the roads and an expanding fleet of omnibuses and lorries began to trade over the north of the county. The contrasted policies were undoubtedly linked with the different ownerships. Behind the CDRJC., the LMS and the GNR (I) were essentially railway minded. The locally owned L&LSR was less traditional and more-over was working a line with stations often miles from the villages.” [2: p96]

After WW1, closures of Ireland’s narrow gauge railways began.

Patterson tells us that, “Three concerns came to an end in the decade between 1920 and 1930. First to go was the monorail between Listowel and Ballybunion. The company had been bankrupt since 1897, damage had been suffered during the ‘Troubles’, and the line had not been included in the Great Southern Railways merger. The concern lacked a profitable future and it was closed in mid-October 1924. … The Dublin & Lucan, altered from 3 ft. to 3 ft. 6 in. gauge in 1896 and electrified about ten years later, went down under bus competition at the end of 1924. It was resurrected by the Dublin United Tramways three years later, but it ceased to be narrow gauge and became linked to the city’s 5 ft. 3 in.-gauge tram system. It lasted thus until 1940.” [14: p169]

Patterson continues: “The Portstewart Tramway Company had only managed to remain solvent from 1882 until 1897. Ownership then went to the Belfast & Northern Counties Railway, passing to the Midland Railway (Northern Counties Committee) in 1903 and the LMS (NCC) in 1923. It functioned merely as a link between the seaside town and the railway station, and it was easily and economically replaced by substitute road services in January 1926.

“Some fifteen miles east of Portstewart, ill fortune had overtaken the Ballycastle Railway Company by 1924, and it closed the line down on 4th April. After some uncertainty, and a summer without trains, the line was taken over by the LMS (NCC) and was reopened in August 1924. Under the new regime, coordination with the neighbouring narrow-gauge lines at Ballymena became possible and some exchange of locomotive and coaching stock resulted. … During the 1930s the old Ballymena, Cushendall & Red Bay section of the NCC ground to a stop. The iron-ore traffic which had started it was finished, as it had become cheaper to import a higher-quality ore from overseas. Passenger traffic ended in October 1930. The line from Rathkenny to Retreat was closed completely in 1937, and the Ballymena to Rathkenny portion three years later.” [14: p169-170]

The formation of the Great Southern Railways incorporated two narrow-gauge lines which served Cork city. “Neither of them went far enough to serve a wide community and they were particularly subject to pressure from road services. The only double-track Irish narrow-gauge section, that from Cork to Blackrock, was singled in 1927 and the system was shut down in two stages during 1933. Two years later it was followed into the shadows by the Cork & Muskerry section, a line remarkable in that it survived the competing electric tramway by three years. … In Tyrone, the Castlederg & Victoria Bridge line had been fortunate in making contact with the Great Northern’s Omagh-Londonderry line. Its roadside position made it a target for its successors, and the end was defined by the 1933 railway strike, for the company never resumed operations after it.” [14: p170]

A short mixed train on the Clogher Valley Railway (CVR). The locomotive is CVR No. 6 ‘Erne’, an 0-4-2T built in 1887 by Sharp Stewart & Co., (Works No. 337). It was withdrawn in 1942, © Public Domain. [15]

Patterson tells us that, “The end of the Clogher Valley Railway had been in sight for twenty years before it closed. A 1927 Government enquiry, instituted because of the burden which the CVR was placing on the rates, resulted in the line being placed under a committee of management. The presence of Henry Forbes from the CDRJC produced a temporary rejuvenation, but with the formation of the Northern Ireland Road Transport Board in 1935 bus and lorry competition increased. The end was in sight and the Government ordered the closure at the end of December, 1941.” [14: p170]

On the Ballymena & Larne section of the NCC, passenger services, which included the express boat trains, had been throttled by the strike of 1933. In 1942 working ended on the Ballyboley Junction-Ballymena section and two years later the Ballyclare to Doagh section was lifted. An infrequent service of goods trains continued to operate between Larne and the Ballyclare Paper Mill until July 1950. [14: p170]

This trend of closure continued: the CDRJC lost the Glenties Branch in 1949. The Strabane to Letterkenny line closed at the end of 1954 with the rest of the network gone by 1959. Under the CIE, the Tralee & Dingle and the Cavan & Leitrim were allowed to deteriorate. The Tralee & Dingle had a period when it saw only one good train a month (in connection with Dingle Cattle Fair), but that finally ceased in June 1953. Coal trains from Arigna kept the C&LR branch active until 1959. In the last years of the C&LR, its depot at Ballinamore became a gathering place for narrow-gauge locomotives and rolling stock.

1960 saw a demolition train stripping the rails from the Barnesmore Gap in the heat of summer. The West Clare was struggling on. Patterson goes on to relate, succinctly, the history of the West Clare section which eventually fell as result of the May 1957, 259-page report from a committee of inquiry which stressed the population movement away from rural areas. The report suggested that all Ireland needed “was the main-line skeleton radiating from Dublin, and a cross-country line from Limerick to Rosslare. Clearly, the branches on the 5 ft. 3 in. gauge and what was left of the narrow gauge were redundant.” [14: p175]

In November 1960, “it became known that C.I.E. proposed to close in early 1961, among other minor lines, the West Clare. The announcement was greeted with regret rather than with surprise, for all things considered, it was a little remarkable that the West Clare survived as long as it did. With it [went] the Irish narrow gauge, evolving during nearly ninety years from the little mineral line in Glenariff to a total of around 570 miles of track and then degenerating step by step as social changes and mechanical developments created new conditions which had no use for it.” [14: p175]

References

The Carnlough Limestone Railway and Harbour – Carnlough, Co. Antrim

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A scene from Carnlough Harbour in the early 20th century. 0-4-0 Locomotive ‘Otter’ is shunting a train from Tullyoughter, © Public Domain. This image was shared by Galteemore on the Irish Railway Models Forum on 30th September 2021. [6]

Carnlough Harbour and Whiting Mill as they appear on the 6″ Ordnance Survey revised in 1931 and published in 1933. [12]

Limestone had been shipped from Carnlough for some time, but the trade was small, and declining. It was for this purpose that Gibbons [7] built a pier. Jimmy Irvine tells us that, at Carnlough, “There had been a ‘hurry’, or gravitational inclined plane at the quarry to assist in bringing down stone to the head of the Croft or Gortin Road as it was then called. From there it came on to the pier by cart. Of the pier, Lieut. John Chaytor wrote in 1832, ‘There is a quay at the north east end of the town which has been for some yeans in a state of dilapidation. Small craft from 15 to 20 tons can come in here,’ and he added, ‘Some are in the habit of shipping limestone to Scotland where they barter it for coal . . . but not to such an extent as in the town and neighbourhood of Glenarm. [8] Vessels calling at Glenarm, however, had to stand out in the bay and be loaded by lighter. The new projected Carnlough Harbour would allow ships to enter a basin which would not only offer them protection in times of storm, but would permit their being loaded direct from trucks, thereby ensuring a speedy turnaround.” [9]

A mineral railway and enlarged harbour were constructed in 1853/1854 with a first significant cargo of limestone leaving the Carnlough harbour for Scotland in mid-August 1854.

Jimmy Irvine continues: “Exactly nine months after the work first began Wilson [10] wrote, ‘I have this day loaded a vessel of Limestone from the end of the new quay. I had the stone brought down from the quarries by carts, but it will not pay to do so.’ (8.8.1854). The shipping of this load brought an immediate order from the recipients. Messrs. Tennent of Glasgow for 10,000 tons of stone.” [9]

Wilson encountered serious problems in constructing the harbour. A significant band of harder rock was encountered at what was to be the harbour entrance. It was some years before larger shops were able to enter the harbour. During that time only smaller ships could be loaded efficiently at the harbour walls. The larger ships had to be served by lighters taking limestone out to deeper water.

Carnlough Harbour as it appears on the 6″ Ordnance Survey of 1903, published in 1906. Two bridges carried the railway over Harbour Road and High Street. [13]

The harbour in 2026. [Google Maps, April 2026]

An aerial view of the route of the railway into the harbour area, looking Southwest over the harbour. From the bridge over Harbour Road, the line curves round to run at high level adjacent to the harbour wall where ‘drops’ were operated to load shipping with limestone, (c) Gareth Rowan, 2020. [Google Maps, April 2026]

A view of the high level ‘plateau’ which house rail sidings, ‘drops and later, tippers. This photograph looks Southeast across the harbour from Harbour Road. [Google Maps, April 2026]

Carnlough Harbour seen from the Northeast in the early 20th century, (c) Public Domain. [14]

The story of the harbour is a litany of different problems: [9]

The band of rock already noted;
A 2 year period to get the limestone ‘drops’ working effectively;
A sand bar developing which further restricted access to the harbour;
15 months wait for a dredger;
“In February 1860, part of the South Pier carrying the railway and one of the shoots, collapsed into the water. There was a difference of some 30 feet between the top of the pier and the floor of the basin, where the foundations had given way. Watson took charge of the repairs and by October, With the help of divers, he had rebuilt the fallen masonry and cleared the basin of debris.” [9]
In April 1862, Wilson that “the harbour has filled up nearly two feet since the dredger was at work and we are now obliged to have resource to the old system of shipping outside in lighters.” [9]
Another long wait occurred until a dredger could be permanently allocated to the harbour.

Problems were also encountered with the rail inclines. Only on the upper part of the railway could the loaded trucks pull up the empties, so that horse-drawing was still necessary on the lower. Robert Watson, an engineer from Seaham was brought in to see what he could do. He arrived in March 1856, and two months later Wilson wrote, “I am happy to say Watson has succeeded admirably in making it self acting, superseding the use of Horse work in drawing up the empty wagons.” (9.5.1856). [9]

Wilson sought to diversify to increase income. He began to burn lime in the small kiln (17.12.1855). By keeping careful accounts he soon found that he could sell at a profit. Armed with this knowledge, he urged the building of lime kilns as part of the development scheme. These were authorised at a cost of £600 and the railway to them at another £577. “Watson thought of a plan whereby trucks would be hoisted up to feed the kiln instead of running on an incline, thus saving almost £300.” [9]

McGuigan wrote that, “kilns for burning the limestone, and a mill for manufacturing whiting, were erected.” [1: p792] In fact, the project was so successful that once lime burning began in August, 1857, in a short time a further two kilns had to be built, making five in all. [9]

McGuigan tells us that the kilns “flourished until the second decade of the [20th] century, when the general industrial depression, coupled with the decrease in the use of lime mortar for building and the decline of the iron smelting industry on the west coast of Great Britain, caused the demand for limestone and burnt lime to drop. The kilns ceased operating, but fortunately there arose a demand for crushed lime for agricultural purposes and this kept the undertaking going during the lean years.” [1: p792] In 1954, that product still formed the major portion of the works output, and McGuigan reported that recently the demand for raw limestone had increased. …

The bridge carrying the railway from the quarries to the harbour over the Antrim Coast Road (Harbour Road) through Carnlough. The view looks North through the bridge, © J. H. McGuigan. [1: p793]

A postcard image showing the same bridge but from the opposite side, with ‘Otter’ crossing the bridge heading away from the harbour, © Public Domain. [9]

A more recent photograph of the same bridge (14th May 2007), © Albert Bridge and licenced for reproduction under a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [4]

An even more recent view of the same bridge, this time from 2023. [Google Streetview, May 2023]

A view over the same bridge looking towards the quarries. The bridge now carries a public footpath, © Albert Bridge and licenced for reproduction under a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [5]

The bridge which carried the railway over High Street. [Google Streetview, August 2022]

The lines running over these bridges were dual gauge, accommodating both narrow-gauge and standard-gauge traffic. The narrow-gauge line to Tullyoughter Quarry is dealt with later in this article.

The line to Gortin Quarry and Creggan Quarry

J. H. McGuigan tells us that “The original railway was of single track, about a mile in length, running inland on a gradient of 1 in 25 from the harbour to Gortin Quarry. This line [was] still in use [in 1954], except for the final 150 yd. or so, which was abandoned when the quarry became worked out [in around 1929/1939].” [1: p782]

The original railway extended from the harbour, through the site of Whiting Mill and on to Gortin Quarry. This is an extract from the 6″ Ordnance Survey of 1903, published in 1906. [13]

The line continues Northwest and up a steep incline towards Gortin Quarry. [13]

The line continued uphill and to the Northwest. [13]

Very close now to Gortin Quarry, the track arrangements at the top of the incline are evident in the top-right corner of this image. The line to Creggan Quarry leaves at 90° to the line from Carnlough and exits this map extract at the top. [13]

This map extract shows the arrangement of the track work at the entrance to Gortin Quarry. [13]

“In the meantime, quarrying had extended northwards, and a second line, about half a mile in length, was constructed on a 1 in 7 gradient at a right angle to, and as an extension of, the original line. This also continue[d] in use [in 1954], giving a total of about one-and-a-half miles [then] working. The gauge [was] 4 ft. 8.5 in., rather unusual in Ireland.” [1: p782]

The line was originally operated by gravity and horse power but this was later replaced by cables with a winding house over at least part of the route. [2]

The line to Creggan Quarry left the lower incline at 90°, running Northeast. [13]

Gortin Quarry was served by a short internal railway. [13]

McGuigan noted, in 1954, that the first section of about 750 yards, “from the harbour to a point about 500 yd. above the mill, [was] worked by a single cable and winding engine, the loaded trucks descending to the harbour by gravity but

attached to the haulage cable and therefore under the control of the engine driver. Empty trucks at the harbour [were] then coupled to the cable in place of the loaded ones and hauled up by the winder. Until the middle of 1952, the winding engine was steam-operated, and strongly resembled a ship’s winch. It had two cylinders, each 6 in. dia. by 11 in. stroke; the drum was 34 in. dia., with a brake drum 48 in. dia. on the same shaft, and was manufactured by Alexander Chapman & Company of Glasgow. Steam was supplied by a vertical cross-tube boiler 10 ft. high and 4 ft. dia. In 1952, the unit was electrified by the s

imple expedient of removing both connecting-rods, fitting a vee-belt pulley in place of one crank, and installing a 35-h.p. three-phase electric motor with vee-belt drive.” [1: p792-793]

Trucks on the standard-gauge track attached to the cable from the winding engine. The cable passed overhead to an idling drum before returning to ground level. [1: p794]

Above the powered rope-worked incline another 650 yard self-acting rope-worked incline operated with the weight of descending wagons lifting empties. That incline was “single track with a passing loop at the middle. The haulage cable passe[d] round a drum 8 ft. 6 in. dia. in a pit at the top of the incline. The drum rotate[d] about a roughly vertical axle and [was] provided with a hand-operated band-brake by which the speed of the trucks [was] controlled. To avoid the two portions of the cable becoming crossed, the ascending rake of trucks [had] to travel on the same side of the passing loop as that used by the previous descending rake, and this entail[ed] throwing the points at each end of the loop after every run. A man [travelled] on the rear truck of each rake, and as these approach[ed] the passing loop the brakeman reduce[d] speed. Each man then dismount[ed] as his rake enter[ed] the loop, [threw] the points when the last truck of the entering rake [had] passed, and board[ed] the last vehicle of the emerging rake on which he return[ed] to his base.” [1: p793]

At the top of the incline, the next section, left at an angle of about 90°, the connection was made by means of a turntable, a square crossing and a cut-off line. McGuigan said in 1954: “Loaded trucks from the upper incline travel via the cut-off line to a dead end, from which they reverse on to the lower incline. Empty trucks from the lower line are turned on the turntable and enter the upper incline over the square crossing with the track used by loaded vehicles.” [1: p793]

This shows the turntable, square crossing and cut off line mentioned above. The wagon on the right is waiting to descend to the Harbour or the Whiting Works. Note the disc signal. The winch operator was in a pulpit cabin about a third of the way down the main incline. This photograph was shared by Alan Young (from his own collection) on the Irish Railways Present and Past and Other Interesting Railways Facebook Group on 21st October 2025, © Carl Marsden. This image is used with kind permission. [3]

McGuigan continued his narrative: “From this point to the terminus (approximately half a mile) the line is worked as two consecutive gravity inclines, similar to that just described, a siding and a turntable adjacent to the brake-drum of the lower incline giving access to the working face of the neighbouring Creggan Quarry via a fan of tracks along which the trucks are manhandled.” [1: p793]

“Some 100 yd. above this point, the second incline enter[ed] a cutting about 100 ft. deep in which [was] the passing loop, and then passe[d] through a concrete-lined tunnel about 100 yd. long from which it emerge[d] to the upper quarry.” [1: p795]

McGuigan continued, in his article, to talk through the signalling arrangements in use on the line. One of the disc signals mentioned can be seen in the monochrome image above. “Disc signals, each consisting of a board about 3 ft. 6 in. square, painted black with a white disc on one side, and mounted on a wooden post arranged to turn about a vertical axis, [were] provided at the top and bottom of each incline. The heights of the posts [varied] from about 4 ft. to 25 ft., according to position. The normal aspect of the signal [was] with the board parallel to the track, that is with the disc invisible to a person on the track. When a rake of trucks, usually six vehicles, [was] ready to depart from one end of an incline the operator there turn[ed] his signal to exhibit its disc to the operator at the other end. When the latter [had] ascertained that the rake at his end [was] ready, he turn[ed] his signal and exhibit[ed] its disc in acknowledgment. The brakeman or engine man, as the case may be, then release[d] the brake and allow[ed] the run to take place.” [1: p795]

Whiting Mill and its Rails

Whiting Mill as shown on the 6″ Ordnance Survey of 1903, published in 1906. Notice the array of tracks close to the mill, the line heading West-northwest ran to the base of the first incline. The line running South-southwest is the 3ft 6in-gauge line to the quarry at Tullyoughter which is discussed below. It is worth comparing this map extract with the one immediately below. [13]

Whiting Mill as shown on the 6″ Ordnance Survey of 1931, published in 1933. Notice that the buildings have been enlarged, that the track layout in the yard is more simple and that the line which used to serve the quarry at Tullyoughter has gone. [12]

The Narrow-gauge line to Tullyoughter Quarry

McGuigan continued: “About 1890, presumably because of a boom in the limestone business, a quarry was opened at Tullyaughter, about two miles south of Whiting Mill, and a 3 ft. 6 in. gauge, single-track railway was laid thence. The addition of a third rail to the existing line allowed trucks of limestone to pass directly from the quarry to the harbour. The new line crossed the Carnlough River on a timber trestle bridge, and then, about half a mile further on, crossed the Ballymena-Carnlough road on the level. Gates to close the ends of the railway when trains were not passing were provided there, and a man was employed to operate them and exhibit a red flag to road traffic when a train was approaching.” [1: p795]

The first length of the 3ft 6in-gauge line from Whiting Mill to the quarry at Tullyoughter bridged the Carnlough River and ran down the West side of Harphall House. [13]

The route of the line is shown on the satellite image on the right above as a red line. this applies along the route of this 3ft 6in line and to the satellite images below. [Google Maps, April 2026]

The next length of the line ran behind the properties which face out onto the A2, [13]

The line continues South at the rear of what were single properties facing the A2 but now replaced by small estates. [13]

The railway ran along the West bank of the Glencloy River. It passed to the West of Bay Cottage, [13]

The next extract from the NLS 6″ OS mapping takes us to the bottom of the OS sheet. … [13]

The line to the edge of the OS sheet. [13]

The next three sections of the line are shown on the next OS sheet. … [15]

The next length of the railway is on the next Ordnance Survey sheet. [15]

A very similar length of the line as shown on the adjacent OS mapping. [Google Maps, April 2026]

The length from the Level-Crossing to Tullyoughter. [15]

The next images show the last length of the line and its terminus in Tulluoughter Quarry. … [16]

The line terminates at Tullyoughter Quarry, [15]

McGuigan says: “The line from the mill to the quarry was on a rising gradient of about 1 in 50, and was worked by gravity and horses until a steam locomotive was acquired in 1898. This was a 0-4-0 side tank engine, named Otter, built in 1896 by Andrew Barclay, Sons & Company, of Kilmarnock, and had 7 in. by 14 in. outside cylinders, 2 ft. 1 in. wheels, and a wheelbase of 3 ft. 9 in. The heating surface was 145 sq. ft., the grate area 3.5 sq. ft., and the working pressure, 140 lb. per sq. in. The engine was provided with a cab, and the fuel bunker was in part of the right-hand tank. Otter hauled loads of about 20 trucks. Work at Tullyaughter Quarry ceased about 1922, and the line between it and the mill was lifted about 1924. Otter continued to work in the mill yard and at the harbour till about 1930, after which it lay derelict until it was sold for scrap and cut up in July, 1951.” [1: p795]

A photograph of Otter at work around the turn of the 20th century, © Public Domain. [1: p794]

Writing in 1954, McGuigan goes on to talk about rolling stock on the line: “Rolling stock at present consists of about 80 trucks for the 4 ft. 8 in. gauge. and 13 for the 3 ft. 6 in. gauge. The former have timber frames and steel bodies 7 ft. 8 in. long, 4 ft. wide, and 2 ft. 10 in. deep. The wheelbase is 3 it. 5 in., and wheel diameter in some cases 2 ft. 6 in., and in others 2 ft. The narrow-gauge vehicles consist of seven trucks with bodies and six flats, and are of all-wooden construction, except for wheels and fittings. Both broad-and narrow-gauge trucks are designed for end tipping, and have one end arranged to swing outwards on a hinge just above the top edge. The narrow-gauge stock is used exclusively for the transport of finely ground products from the mill to the harbour, the flats are used for bagged material. An agricultural tractor acts as locomotive between the harbour and the mill, and does shunting work. The track layout at the harbour is triangular, and includes sidings of each gauge, three-rail mixed-gauge sidings, and one four-rail mixed-gauge track leading to four turntables which serve the chutes down which the limestone is delivered into the holds of the steamers.” [1: p795]

McGuigan then talks of planned modernisation of the railway with new sidings serving a new crushing plant, “the provision of an electrically operated wagon-tippler, and the electrification of the winding-engine all indicat[ing] that, unlike some public railways in Ireland which are in decline, the Carnlough Railway [was] entering its second century in a spirit of rejuvenation.” [1: p795]

An Aerial Ropeway for the The Sulphate of Ammonia Co. Ltd. (Carnlough)

Perhaps of additional interest is another industrial concern in the vicinity. In the early 1900s an American and a German, Messrs. H.C. Woltrick and G.W. Mottram, who had arrived in England in 1899 “to demonstrate the process for the production of white lead by electrolysis, … had ventured to [Co. Antrim] where they discovered … that the mountain behind Carnlough, in the townland of Harphall, was particularly rich in the type of peat from which ammonia could be extracted. Thus the venture began and a limited syndicate was formed to carry on the work.” [11]

“Early in 1904 the business was taken over by the Chemical Proprietory Co. Ltd. with a capital of £100,000. Woltrick and Mottram remained directors and it was not long before this new company … ran into difficulties. It was reconstructed as Chemicals Ltd. in late 1904.” [11]

The Company needed to transport peat, in an efficient manner, down the side of the mountain. Their chosen solution was an aerial ropeway. They negotiated an agreement with the local landowner and “early in 1905 a dining-room and huts for sleeping were erected [on] the mountain; and an office, staff house and retorts were built at the foot of the mountain at … the ‘Low Station’. The aerial ropeway, supported by 24 trestles in a straight line down the mountain side and over the Cranny River to the Low Station was also built.” [11]

“The aerial ropeway was to carry numerous buckets which were to circulate continuously in a clockwise direction up and down the mountain side. They would be loaded with peat at the top of the mountain and carry it down to the Low Station to be unloaded and burned in the large retorts. Tools such as stone hammers and peat knives were purchased to aid the workers cut the peat. Some 200 people were employed.” [11]

“Railway lines 7 feet wide resting on 12 foot sleepers were laid [across the bog on the mountain]. Side lines were laid in conjunction with the main line. The peats were stacked beside the lines and then loaded onto wagons on the main line which were drawn by an engine called ‘Moor Hen’ to the head of the aerial ropeway. Here they were transferred into buckets and taken by cable to the Low Station at Drumahoe … where they were emptied into the large retorts lined with lead and burned using sulphuric acid. From here the produce was loaded in granule form into trucks and sent down to the harbour for export.” [11]

After a few months, “Chemicals Ltd. went into liquidation for lack of capital. It was reconstructed as the Sulphate of Ammonia Company with a capital of £125,000 and for the next two years things went well without any hitches.” [11]

Early in 1908 production was almost at a standstill due to the decreasing ammonia content of the peat and the lack of further capital. The company ceased trading and “the aerial ropeway… was purchased by a Cumberland coal mining company. Under the direction of Hugh and Thomas Wilson it was re-erected at St. Bee’s Head.” [11]

References

J. H. McGuigan; Carnlough Limestone Railway and Harbour; in The Railway Magazine, Tothill Press, London, November 1954, p792-795.
https://www.causewaycoastalroute.com/carnlough-history, accessed on 3rd April 2026.
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Gq2XF7S82, accessed on 3rd April 2026.
https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/435591, accessed on 4th April 2026.
https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/435596, accessed on 4th April 2026.
https://irishrailwaymodeller.com/uploads/monthly_2021_09/930E0570-F053-4DC1-8936-C891361563D2.jpeg.ec550e3399411be053d9c70e7653cc60.jpeg, accessed on 4th April 2026.
Phillip Gibbons was master of a smack from Westport, Co.Sligo. Late in the eighteenth century he pulled in at Glenarm where, foresaking the sea, he married Anne, daughter of Nicholas Stewart, the Earl of Antrim’s agent. Through his marriage he became possessed of, amongst other properties, the townland of Carnlough North, where they resided. He was a sort of farmer-contractor, prepared to undertake any work for the betterment of the district. He died about 1815.
The Ordnance Survey Memoirs for the Parish of Ardclinis: see “The Glynns” Vol I, page 31.
A much fuller story of the construction of the harbour can be found on the Glens Of Antrim Historical Society website: https://antrimhistory.net/carnlough-harbour-development-scheme-18541864-by-jimmy-irvine, accessed on 4th April 2026.
The land agent in charge of the works was Richard Wilson. [9]
https://antrimhistory.net/the-sulphate-of-ammonia-co-ltd-carnlough-by-linda-mcneill, accessed on 4th April 2026.
https://maps.nls.uk/view/247678190, accessed on 4th April 2026.
https://maps.nls.uk/view/247665827, accessed on 4th April 2026.
https://www.oneirishrover.com/carnlough-bay, accessed on 4th April 2026.
https://maps.nls.uk/view/247665839, accessed on 5th April 2026.

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