Tag Archives: Londonderry

The L&LSR once again – a perspective from the 19th century! – The Railway Magazine, November 1899.

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The November 1899 edition of The Railway Magazine carried a short article about the L&LSR which was not heavy on technical detail. It mostly reads as though it were a holiday brochure rather than an article in a railway journal. None-the-less, the article is still of interest, particularly for the fact that it was written during the period when the L&LSR was expanding.

A map of the L&LS Railway in 1899, before its significant expansion. I was particularly drawn to this map as my wife and I spent our main holiday this year in Rathmullan directly across Lough Scilly from Buncrana. I have still to complete a series of articles about the L&LSR between Derry and Cardonagh. [1: p461]

Chisholm starts his article: the L&LSR “is one of those excellent little lines constructed on the narrow gange principle, which are to be found in all parts of Ireland. The country has the benefit of light rail ways It is with one of these lines that the present article is intended to deal. It is to be hoped that the following notes respecting the L&LSR will prove interesting to readers.” [1: p461-464]

Chisholm then spends a number of paragraphs explaining how best a traveller from the mainland to Derry.

I found his outline of the route from London interesting as it highlighted the number of railway companies whose rails the journey would cross. “Leaving London (Euston or St. Pancras) the passenger is taken to Carlisle, the ‘Clapham Junction of the North’. The journey is continued to Stranraer on the Portpatrick and Wigtownshire Joint Railway, owned by the London & North Western, Midland, Caledonian, Glasgow & South Western, Companies. The steamers run alongside the harbour station, Stran raer. The boats are well built, and are fitted with the latest improvements, The joint companies are financially interested in this steam boat service, as is also the Belfast and Northern Counties Railway. The time occupied in crossing is approximately two hours. Larne harbour station also adjoins the steamer pler, …  A narrow gauge train awaits the arrival of the boat, and by this train the traveller is taken to Ballymena, It is necessary to change here into the broad gauge ‘Londonderry Express’, which speedily runs to the city on the banks of the Foyle.” [1: p464-465] 

At that time, Derry “consist[ed] of two towns, one on each side of the River Foyle. The waterside station of the Belfast and Northern Counties Rail- way is on the eastern bank. The river is spanned by the stately Carlisle Bridge, a fine structure, which can truly be termed ‘[Derry’s  landmark’. … The [L&LSR’s] station was on the western bank of the river. On entering it and viewing for the first time the rolling stock therein, the Londoner’s thoughts [would] immediately fly to the London and South Western Railway. The carriages before him [were] painted almost exactly after the style of that Company’s coaching stock. In addition to this, [the L&LSR] Company paint their engines a bright grass green – another prominent ‘South Western’ feature.”

The featured image for this article shows L&LSR Locomotive No.1 J.T. Macky which was built by Black, Hawthorn & Co., of Gateshead in 1883. At the time of Chisholm’s article this locomotive was only around 6 years old. In a surprising digression from the more general nature of his article, Chisholm provides quite some detail about this locomotive. “It was named after the then Chairman of the Company. Mr. Fred. Dawson, the … General Manager of the Company, … supplied the [Chisholm] with the leading dimensions of ‘J.T. Macky’. It [was an 0-6-2T loco], a six-coupled engine with a two-wheeled pony truck at the rear. The diameter of the coupled wheels [was] 3 ft. 6 in., the diameter of the trailing wheels being 2 ft. 2 in. The gauge of the line [was] 3 ft 0 in. ‘J. T. Macky’ [had] cylinders 13 in. by 19 in.; a total heating surface of 592 square feet. …(112 tubes); a steam pressure of 140 lbs. per square inch, and a total length over the buffers of 27 ft. The total weight of the engine in working order [was] 23 tons 3 cwt.” [1: p462]

L&LSR Locomotive No. 1 ‘J.T. Macky’. [1: p463]

It is clear that Chisholm was quite taken by this locomotive: “The locomotive is extremely handsome, being painted … brought green picked out with black and white stripes. A bright brass dome is mounted on the top of the barrel.” [1: p462]

In 1899, Chisholm claimed that the L&LSR owned ten locomotives the first four named, respectively, J.T. Macky, Londonderry, Donegal and Inneshowen. The remaining engines bore numbers only. J.T. Macky, Londonderry, and Donegal were numbered ‘1’ to ‘3’ and were all 0-6-2T locomotives supplied by Black, Hawthorn & Co. Inneshowen was numbered ‘4’, supplied by the same company it was an 0-6-0T. I have only found evidence of a further four locomotives having been supplied to the L&LSR by 1899: No. 5(A) and No. 6(A), both supplied by Robert Stephenson & Co. in 1873, both 2-4-0T locomotives; and No. 5 and No. 6, both supplied by Hudswell Clarke in 1889, both 4-6-2T locomotives. [3]

Chisholm continues: The L&LSR consisted of “two branches. … The longer branch extend[ed] to Letterkenny, and the shorter to Buncrana. [At that time] the company work[ed] and own[ed] 14.5 miles of line.” [1: p462-463]

Chisholm goes on to write about the L&LSR’s expansion plans. Looking forward from the end of 1899, he says: “It aspires to greater things, … there are now being made extensions of great importance. The first of these is a line from Letterkenny to Burtonport, 49.5 miles. An extension from Buncrana northwards to Carndonagh (see map) is also now being undertaken. The latter will be 18.5 miles long. It will be seen that when these extensions are completed, the Lough Swilly Railway will be a comparatively big concern.” [1: p463]

From this point in his article, Chisholm sells the area around the L&LSR as a holiday destination. “The scenery in and around … County Donegal is exceptionally fine. … Buncrana has truly been described as a lovely spot. It is an ideal holiday resort. A fine building – the Lough Swilly Hotel – has been erected, where tourists will find excellent accommodation. The Lough Swilly Railway is fully alive to the fact that the district served by its line is essentially a resort for the tourist. With this view, [the Company] has introduced a number of facilities for holiday makers. For example, cheap tickets are issued daily between Londonderry and Buncrana – the fare for the double journey being only one shilling. The tickets are available by all trains. The passenger has not to get up at an unearthly hour in the morning to catch a special train. … There has also been introduced, …  passengers proceed by rail from Londonderry to Buncrana, thence to Fahan, by steamer from Fahan to Rathmullan, by coach from Rathmullan to Rosapenna, Dunfanaghy, Gweedore, Dungloe, Glenties, Ardara, Carrick, Killybegs, thence by rail to [Derry]. ” [1: p463]

A train from Derry arrives at Buncrana. The Locomotive is L&LSR No. 4, ‘Innishowen’. [1: p464]

In Chisholm’s concluding remarks, he comments that “the railway is a thoroughly up-to-date concern. … The management is …  thoroughly enterprising. The railway … is an interesting  and well-managed line; the scenery in the district it serves can truly be described as amongst the grandest in the British Isles.” [1: p464]

References

  1. A J. Chisholm; The Londonderry & Lough Swilly Railway; in The Railway Magazine, London, November 1899, p461-464.
  2. My completed articles about the L&LSR can be found on this blog on the following links:
  3. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Londonderry_and_Lough_Swilly_Railway, accessed on 14th September 2024.

The Modern Tramway – Part 4 –  Touring Ireland’s Light Railways in June 1953.

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The featured image above shows one of the last tram journeys in Belfast. This tram is travelling along Castle Place on 27th February 1954, heading for Ardoyne Depot. [7]

In ‘The Modern Tramway’ of August 1953, [1] there was a report of an expedition by members of the Light Railway Transport League in June 1953 which toured a number of Ireland’s Light Railways. [1: p150-155] The visits included:

In 1953, this represented all the remaining Irish narrow gauge railways and tramways, with the exception of the derelict Schull and Skibbereen and Ballycastle lines and certain industrial lines (Guinness Brewery, British Aluminium Company, several Irish Turf Board lines and a few others) The Lough Swilly and Tralee and Dingle railways were both to close in the summer of 1953.

The tour commenced in Belfast on Saturday, 6th June and the morning was spent on the Belfast Bangor section of UTA, which was served by 3-car diesel trains. In the afternoon, a tour of Belfast  Corporation Tramways ran from the Mountpottinger Depot in an old tram (No. 340). It was noted that tramcars and track on the Belfast network were in a very poor state. Belfast had just purchased 100 surplus London buses which would hasten the closure of the tramway network.

A visit to the Hill of Howth Tramway consumed much of the next day.

The tour party at Sutton Depot with Tram No. 9 which provided transport for the journey along the full length of the line, © J.H. Price. [1: p151]

On the Cavan and Leitrim, the tour party travelled behind 2-4-2T No. 12L. The train consisted “two open platform coaches and a sting of vans, some of which were detached and shunted at Mohill.” [1: p152] The description of the time on the Cavan & Leitrim continued: “At Ballinamore our coach was transferred to another, smaller train behind 4-4-0 tank locomotive No. 31, complete with cowcatcher for the roadside journey, to Arigna. This line is the last roadside steam tramway with passenger service in the whole of the British Isles, and is kept open by reason of the fact that it serves the Arigna coal mines. The speed is quite brisk, despite some really abrupt curves and switchback gradients, but the journey was cut short by an encounter with a road vehicle at Mahanagh (Shannon Crossing), through no fault of the train crew.” [1: p152]

After a short hiatus while a policeman from Drumshambo took everyone’s particulars the tour continued to Manorhamilton and then to Enniskillen and Fintona Junction where they enjoyed a short return journey on the newly reconditioned Fintona horse tram (G.N.R. No. 381), continuing later to Omagh and then Derry (Londonderry).

The reconditioned Fintona horse tram at Fintona Town Station, © J.H. Price. [1: p151]

From Derry, the tour party travelled to the border behind 4-6-2T No  15. This loco was replaced by 4-6-2T No. 10 for the remainder of the outward journey to Buncrana. The article continues: “The return journey from Buncrana was run as a mixed train. At Pennyburn sheds were locomotives Nos. 2, 4, 5, 6 and 8 – Nos. 5 and 6 are 4-8-4 tanks, the most powerful locomotives ever built for the Irish narrow gauge.” [1: p152]

The article reported that at the time of the visit, Derry had “four quite separate railway termini, each served by a different company and linked only by mixed gauge tracks laid along the quays and across the lower deck of the Craigavon Bridge. One railway, the 3 ft. gauge Londonderry and Lough Swilly, is to close down very shortly, and the special 3-coach passenger train provided on 9th June to take the L.R.T.L.-I.RR.S. party to Buncrana and back is likely to be the last; regular passenger service ceased in 1948.” [1: p152]

After a morning spent on the Lough Swilly, the party travelled to Strabane to explore parts of the  Co. Donegal Railways system. They were taken from Strabane to Stranorlar in Railcar No. 19 and toured the company’s workshop. They noted what at the time was “probably the oldest surviving railcar in the British Isles, a small 8-seater built as an inspection car in 1906 and fitted latterly with a Ford engine for use in pass- enger service; it [was] still in working order, and … stored at Stranorlar together with the Directors’ Saloon, which [was] still used once per year for an annual inspection by representatives of the Joint Committee. The locomotive shed housed two locomotives in startling brick-red livery as [were] the coaches and railcars.” [1: p153]

Co. Donegal Railways Railcar No. 19, © C. L. Fry. [1: p151]

From Stranorlar, Railcar No. 19 took the party non-stop through Barnesmore Gap to Donegal town, where it coupled with Railcar No. 10 and ran on to Killybegs. Returning to Donegal town the party transferred to a train of “Railbus No. 14, observation saloon No. 30 and trailer No. 1 for the last section to Ballyshannon, which ran fast to Rossnowlagh Friary halt and there picked up about 70 churchgoers from the Tuesday evening service at the Fransiscan Friary, some of whom were subsequently set down at their cottages along the line.” [1: p153]

Wednesday, 10th June started with a long cross-country journey to Ennis for a visit to the West Clare section. In 1952, the section had received 4 new railcars and a demonstration run between Ennis and Kilkee was provided for the tour group.

The following day saw the group travelling on the Tralee and Dingle Railway. By this date only monthly trains timed for the Dingle Fair were timetabled. The visit was on a Thursday and a special train was provided. 2-6-0T No. 8 took charge of two bogie vans fitted with new wooden benches and a few from the station platforms. The journey to Dingle took more than three hours and was followed by a return journey which also lasted longer than three hours and included a marvellous view of the sun setting over Tralee Bay.

Other visits followed before the tour returned to Dublin. None of which quite measured up to their experiences on the Tralee and Dingle!

Associated news carried by The Modern Tramway in the same issue of the journal included:

The end of the Londonderry and Lough Swilly

“The Londonderry and Lough Swilly Railway, a light railway, which together with the Burtonport Extension, was once Ireland’s largest narrow gauge railway (99 miles of route) closed finally on 1st August. At its fullest extent, the line once extended from Londonderry to Burtonport with a long branch to Cardonagh. The Company, unlike its railcar-minded neighbour, the County Donegal Railway, decided that its future lay on the roads, and in 1929 began to operate buses, closing the railway between Buncrana and Carndonagh six years later. The Gweedore Burtonport section was closed on 3rd June, 1940 and the Letterkenny-Gweedore section in 1949. Occasional passenger trains during the holiday season, to relieve double-deck buses, ran to Buncrana until August, 1951.” [1: p159]

Belfast

“The General Manager stated recently that in conformity with the policy of abandoning tramcar operation at the earliest possible date, tramway repairs and maintenance have been reduced to the minimum consistent with safety. The Queen’s Road tramway will not be replaced by trolleybuses but by motorbuses as the movement of large pieces of machinery to and from the shipyard is inconvenienced by overhead wires (in the past the tramway wires have occasionally been temporarily removed to allow “out-of-gauge” loads to pass along this way). During June and July the following tramcars were withdrawn and scrapped: [300, 301, 320, 337, 338, 340, 341, 369, 392, 394, 400, 413, 415, 419, 428].” [1: 159-160]

Late News from Ireland

“Two steam-worked light railways visited during the Irish Tour have just been finally closed. On the Tralee and Dingle Railway, the last train ran on Wednesday 22nd July, to collect wagons from Dingle station yard. On the Londonderry and Lough Swilly Railway, the last goods train was due to run on 10th August.” [1: p160]

References

  1. The Modern Tramway Volume 16 No. 188.
  2. https://rogerfarnworth.com/2023/05/14/the-hill-of-howth-tramway/
  3. https://rogerfarnworth.com/2022/06/01/the-fintona-line/
  4. https://rogerfarnworth.com/category/railways-and-tramways-blog/ireland/west-clare/
  5. https://rogerfarnworth.com/category/railways-and-tramways-blog/ireland/co-donegal/
  6. https://rogerfarnworth.com/category/railways-and-tramways-blog/ireland/cavan-and-leitrim/
  7. https://www.belfastlive.co.uk/news/history/gallery/belfast-trams-origin-end-12044457, accessed on 12th June 2023.