The Co. Donegal Railways: Ireland

[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 articles 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. ....

For 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.

[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]

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