Connemara's Lost Railway

[declan64]

Growing up in Galway near the old Corrib Viaduct, I've lamented the demise of the Galway-Clifden Railway for as long as I can remember. Having filmed large chunks of the route over the last few years I'm lamenting it even more now. Thankfully the team at Maam Cross are doing their bit to reclaim some small portion of what has been lost.

 

[Patrick Davey]

Lovely video - what an amazing railway journey that must have been.

[declan64]

Absolutely Patrick, it passed through some amazing terrain (very slowly apparently) but was built in an era when day tripping to Connemara was probably the least concern of most Irish people hence it's sad demise.

Edited July 4, 2022 by declan64

[jhb171achill]

If I may be forgiven an unashamed plug.......... "Rails Through Connemara" by self, still available. We did the book launch last year at Maam Cross - in the middle of Connemara, the pandemic, and a washout rainy day - outdoors!

Ping me privately for signed copies p;osted within Irealnd or the UK.

An amazing journey, yes - though built with government assistance as the MGWR wouldn't touch the project - they knew the inevitable, which was that (sadly) like so many other similar routes, it never came close to covering operational costs in a single year of its 40-year life. West of Maam Cross, especially, some of the most amazing railway wscenery to be had anywhere in Ireland.

But as emigrants from the west often said in post-famine times, "you can't eat scenery"!

[leslie10646]

Thanks for the link, Declan. I lead  five Great Railway Journeys tours round Connmemara, pointing out just how much of the line was still there.

If any of you boys need an excuse to visit, take the Missus to Moycullen (Connemara Crystal is on the station site) for a bit of cut glass then on to Jim's little, soon I hope BIG, line.

[Westcorkrailway]

19 minutes ago, leslie10646 said:

Thanks for the link, Declan. I lead  five Great Railway Journeys tours round Connmemara, pointing out just how much of the line was still there.

If any of you boys need an excuse to visit, take the Missus to Moycullen (Connemara Crystal is on the station site) for a bit of cut glass then on to Jim's little, soon I hope BIG, line.

If I’m not mistaken, much of the land was not worth re-claiming hence why it’s survived the years so well. 

[jhb171achill]

7 minutes ago, Westcorkrailway said:

If I’m not mistaken, much of the land was not worth re-claiming hence why it’s survived the years so well. 

Same as many former lines in the west, too......

[Galteemore]

Yes, most of the SLNC that’s gone is simply down to road realignment. Some remains very intact  and traceable indeed ! Then and now at Abohill….

Edited July 7, 2022 by Galteemore

[jhb171achill]

35 minutes ago, Galteemore said:

Yes, most of the SLNC that’s gone is simply down to road realignment. Some remains very intact  and traceable indeed ! Then and now at Abohill….

Take a vintage half-cab bus down that road, and it'll be like travelling in railbus 2A!

Any trace of the foundations of that platform to place exactly where it was?

 

[Westcorkrailway]

30 minutes ago, jhb171achill said:

Take a vintage half-cab bus down that road, and it'll be like travelling in railbus 2A!

Any trace of the foundations of that platform to place exactly where it was?

 

Presumably there must be something under that sign. As that seems to be the crossroads that was a crossing in the above picture

[Galteemore]

8 hours ago, jhb171achill said:

Take a vintage half-cab bus down that road, and it'll be like travelling in railbus 2A!

Any trace of the foundations of that platform to place exactly where it was?

 

Not sure JHB. I suspect the foundations would have been scant, and this was simply a knocked up sleeper affair, as other photos suggest (one photo in fact - pics here are rare). I suspect that Fermanagh CC swept all away when the resurfacing happened. The old road that crossed the line here has also been widened.

[minister_for_hardship]

Mound of earth and sleepers, topped with what looks like a tin shed. Likely nothing left.

[Galteemore]

Yep. Wasn’t much to it http://www.bryndyn.co.uk/photoSearchResultsDevSTEP1.php

 

Edited July 8, 2022 by Galteemore

[declan64]

Latest update following a visit to the site in August. My thanks to James Deegan for hosting us on the day and filling us in on some of the plans going forward.
A lot happening at the moment which is great to see but no more than our friends in Ukraine they need ongoing support to keep things moving.

 

 

[Mike Beckett]

Are you seriously saying they need help just as much as the people of Ukraine!? Much as I admire the project, I don’t think auld Jim is being shelled by Russia.

[declan64]

Not at all. Vastly different orders of magnitude and urgency of course but Jim and the team still need some support to keep things ticking over. 

[declan64]

Latest update on the Connemara Railway.

 

[ttc0169]

13 hours ago, declan64 said:

Latest update on the Connemara Railway.

 

Excellent video Declan,

it was lovely to meet you last weekend. 

[declan64]

Thanks. It was great to catch up with all the good work that's been going on and meeting some of the. Looking forward to how the project develops over the next few years.