The Co. Donegal Railways

Discussion in 'Historic & Abandoned Railways' started by Roger Farnworth, May 29, 2020.

  1. Roger Farnworth

    Roger Farnworth Full Member

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    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, 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/2020/05/2...the-glenties-branch-stranorlar-to-ballinamore
     
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  2. Roger Farnworth

    Roger Farnworth Full Member

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  3. Roger Farnworth

    Roger Farnworth Full Member

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  4. Roger Farnworth

    Roger Farnworth Full Member

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    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/2020/05/2...the-glenties-branch-stranorlar-to-ballinamore

    http://rogerfarnworth.com/2020/06/2...2-the-glenties-branch-ballinamore-to-glenties

     
  5. Roger Farnworth

    Roger Farnworth Full Member

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    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/2020/07/2...bane-to-letterkenny-part-a-strabane-to-raphoe

     
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  6. Roger Farnworth

    Roger Farnworth Full Member

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    The 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 27th July, it is worth another look. My thanks to Kerry Doherty for the additional images referenced [45] throughout the article.
     
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  7. Roger Farnworth

    Roger Farnworth Full Member

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  8. Roger Farnworth

    Roger Farnworth Full Member

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    Within 24 hours of completing a post 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 a 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 allows access to the amended post about this length of the line.

    http://rogerfarnworth.com/2020/10/0...rabane-to-letterkenny-part-b-raphoe-to-convoy
     
  9. Roger Farnworth

    Roger Farnworth Full Member

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  10. Roger Farnworth

    Roger Farnworth Full Member

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    This next post 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.
     

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