County Donegal Railways Joint Committee
The County Donegal Railways Joint Committee, operated in north-west Ireland during the 20th century. It was incorporated by Act of Parliament in 1906, to authorise the purchase jointly by the Great Northern of Ireland Railway and the Midland Railway (England) of the then Donegal Railways.
History of the Donegal Railways
The lines controlled by the Joint Committee were:
- the Finn Valley Railway (FVR): the first railway in County Donegal length 14 miles (22km); broad gauge, from Strabane on Londonderry and Enniskillen Railway (L&ER) (later part of Great Northern Railway of Ireland) to Stranorlar; opened 7 September 1863. L&ER supplied the rolling stock.
- the West Donegal Railway: a narrow gauge extension to the FVR 18 miles (29km) in length: narrow gauge (3ft: 914mm), from Stranorlar to Donegal
In 1892 the two railways were combined as the Donegal Railway Company, and the broad gauge section converted to narrow gauge. Further extensions followed, when a Government grant allowed the Company to build lines between:
- Stranorlar and Glenties 24 miles (38km) opened 1895
- Donegal to Killibegs 19 miles (30km) opened 1893
and the following extensions were built subsequently:
- Strabane to Londonderry 14 miles (22km) opened 1901
- Donegal to Ballyshannon 16 miles (26km) opened 1903
The total mileage was now 105 miles (168km); on 1 May 1906, the Joint Committee was set up. With the addition of a new line from Strabane to Letterkenny, 19 miles (30km), opened on 1 January 1909, the final total mileage was 111 miles (178km).
Statistics
Details on this, and those above, taken from Railway Year Book 1912 (Railway Publishing Company)
- Locomotives and rolling stock: 21 locomotives; 56 passenger vehicles; 304 goods vehicles
- Head offices, locomotive works etc at Stranorlar
Closure
Much of the railway was closed completely on 16 February 1960. The Donegal Railway Heritage Centre is being set up to contain historic details and artefacts of the CDRJC.