The County Donegal Railways today
The old 3 foot gauge route, now a pathway, between Stranorlar and Meenglas. Source: Twitter.
The old line at the Barnesmore Gap. Source: Twitter.
Aerial view of the Barnesmore Gap looking west with the old railway alignment quite visible. Source: Twitter.
Lovely station name board from Strabane. Names include the Lough Swilly Railway’s Burtonport extension. The northernmost and southernmost terminus of this once vast 235 mile long Irish narrow gauge system are absent – Ballyshannon and Carndonagh. Source: Twitter.
Drumboe some years ago after partial restoration. Source: Twitter.
Meenglas on a rail wagon at the RPSI Whitehead base before partial restoration. Source: Twitter.
Meenglas at the Foyle Valley museum in Derry after its cosmetic restoration. November 2019. Source: Flickr.
Bus 273 from Derry passing the CDRJC’s former Victoria Road station. Source: Twitter.
The CDRJC’s 1908 built Letterkenny station’s still in use – as a bus terminus. Picture from 2017. Source: Google Streets
Walking along the old railway between Derry & Strabane. Source: Twitter.
There have been several attempts to restore the old railway. The most successful has to be the Fintown operation. Then there’s the museum at Donegal. This was established as part of the drive by the South Donegal Ralway Society to restore part of the line, and their first focus was to restore the section through the Barnesmore Gap. However that fell though and eventually they acquired the former station buildings and land at Donegal. There’s also the Foyle Valley Railway in Derry. Its been closed to the public for some time however there are plans to reopen it.
The Glenties branch was partially restored as the 3 mile long Fintown Railway – a very picturesque line. Source: Twitter.
Nice view along the Fintown Railway. Source: Twitter.
News about the 60th anniversary of the CDRJC’s closure and a special badge. Source: Facebook.
In October 2021 Drumboe was taken by low loader from the Railways Preservation Society of Ireland’s workshops to Donegal Town where the locomotive forms the centrepiece of a new exhibition on the CDRJC. Drumboe is seen here in the Barnesmore Gap with the former railway alignment visible on the hillside in the background. Source: Twitter.
The very first copy of The Phoenix magazine, 1991 (from author’s collection.)
Donegal Railway Heritage Centre
The County Donegal Railways #1