Castlerea Railway Museum

Railway museum in Castlerea, Ireland

Museum exterior Signage at the Hells Kitchen Bar

Castlerea Railway Museum, formerly known as Hells Kitchen Railway Museum, is a private railway museum on Main Street, Castlerea, County Roscommon in Ireland.[1][2]

## History

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This small, privately-run, museum displays the collection of railway enthusiast Sean Browne, who began to collate railway memorabilia in the 1950s: Exhibits include signals, lamps, bells and tokens over warning plaques, posters, timetables and station boards. The first centrepiece of the museum was a Metropolitan-Vickers A Class locomotive, introduced in 1955 by Córas Iompair Éireann (CIÉ) as part of the "dieselisation" programme that helped eliminate steam on Irish railways by April 1963, and was acquired in 1994.

Browne purchased CIE 001 Class diesel locomotive no. 055 (earlier called A55), withdrawn as a result of the introduction of Iarnród Éireann 201 Class locomotives. As this locomotive is 51 ft (15.50 m) long and 14 ft (4.25 m) high and weighs 61 tonnes, it required major re-construction to bring this into the building.[3][4] The locomotive, which would have cost £100,000 at the time of construction, was acquired from CIÉ by Sean Browne, as the only bidder, for a scrap value of £1,600. On 7 July 1998, the locomotive went on its last trip from Dublin to Castlerea, before it was installed in the Hell's Kitchen bar.[2][5] At the time of its installation it was the "only pub of its kind in Ireland to uniquely feature a full-scale train within the bar".[2]

One of the exhibits is the junction staff of the railway line from Ballaghaderreen to Kilfree Junction, the last piece of track on which steam locomotives were used, until it was closed in 1963.[6]

On 10 January 1992, Seán Doherty, TD gave a television interview in the adjacent pub, which ultimately lead to the resignation of Taoiseach Charles Haughey.[7]

As of 2012, the pub and bar on the site was reportedly closed.[3]

## References

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1. ^ "Castlerea Railway Museum". Visit Roscommon. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
2. ^ a b c "About Us". hellskitchenmuseum.com. Castlerea Railway Museum. Retrieved 3 June 2023. "The Museum is located adjacent to the now closed Hell's Kitchen Bar in Castlerea, Co Roscommon. The Bar once formed part of the Museum, and famously was the only pub of its kind in Ireland to uniquely feature a full-scale train within the bar"
3. ^ a b "Council urged to turn Hell's Kitchen into a County museum". Roscommon Herald. 20 November 2012. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
4. ^ "Places to Visit » Museums » Hell's Kitchen Railway Museum". Dochara's Irish Blog. 29 November 2008.
5. ^ "Keep on Track: A55 arrives in Hell's Kitchen". keepontrack.scoilnet.ie. Archived from the original on 13 March 2014.
6. ^ "Hells Kitchen Bar and Railway Museum". visitroscommon.com. Archived from the original on 5 April 2019.
7. ^ Plaque on the wall of the building in Castlerea, County Roscommon – via Wikimedia Commons

## External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Castlerea Railway Museum.

* Castlerea Railway Museum website

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Heritage railways, museums and preservation societies in the Republic of Ireland

* Castlerea Railway Museum
* Cavan and Leitrim Railway
* Connemara Railway
* Donegal Railway Heritage Centre
* Fintown Railway
* Irish Traction Group
* Lartigue Monorail
* Railway Preservation Society of Ireland
* Stradbally Woodland Railway (Irish Steam Preservation Society)
* Táilte Tours
* Waterford Suir Valley Railway
* West Clare Railway

* Heritage railways: Northern Ireland
* Republic of Ireland

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Museums and galleries in the Republic of Ireland by province

Connacht|

* 126 Artist-run Gallery
* Arigna Mining Experience
* Battle of Aughrim Visitor Centre
* Castlerea Railway Museum
* Cavan and Leitrim Railway
* Connemara Heritage and History Centre
* Custom House Studios and Gallery
* Clew Bay Heritage Centre
* Galway City Museum
* Glengowla Mines
* Hamilton Gallery
* James Mitchell Geology Museum
* The Model, Sligo
* National Famine Museum & Strokestown Park
* National Museum of Ireland – Country Life
* Roscommon County Museum
* Sligo County Museum

Munster|

* Allihies Copper Mine Museum
* Clare Museum
* Cobh Heritage Centre
* Cobh Museum
* Cork Butter Museum
* Cork Public Museum
* Craggaunowen
* Crawford Art Gallery
* Garda College Museum and Visitor Centre
* Hunt Museum
* Jameson Experience, Midleton
* Kerry County Museum
* Lewis Glucksman Gallery
* Limerick City Museum
* Ormston House
* The People's Museum of Limerick
* Tipperary Museum of Hidden History
* Waterford County Museum
* Waterford Treasures

Leinster|

| Dublin|

* 14 Henrietta Street
* Casino Model Railway Museum
* Chester Beatty Library
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* The Custom House
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* The Museum Flat (Iveagh Trust)
* James Joyce Centre
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* Jameson Distillery Bow St.
* Kerlin Gallery
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* Little Museum of Dublin
* Marsh's Library
* Museum of Literature Ireland
* National Gallery of Ireland
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* National Library of Ireland
* National Maritime Museum of Ireland
* National Museum of Ireland (Archaeology · Decorative Arts and History · Natural History)
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* Number Twenty Nine: Georgian House Museum
* Olivier Cornet Gallery
* Oriel Gallery
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* Science Gallery
* Taylor Galleries
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* Trinity College Dublin Zoological Museum
* Ye Olde Hurdy Gurdy Museum of Vintage Radio

|

* Arklow Maritime Museum
* Avondale House
* Ballyknockan Quarries Heritage Museum
* Battle of the Boyne Visitor Centre
* Brú na Bóinne
* Carlow County Museum
* County Carlow Military Museum
* County Museum Dundalk
* Curragh Military Museum
* Dunamaise Arts Centre
* Dwyer–McAllister Cottage
* Enniscorthy Castle
* Highlanes Gallery
* Horse Museum (Irish National Stud)
* Irish Agricultural Museum
* Irish National Heritage Park
* Luan Gallery
* Museum of Style Icons
* National 1798 Rebellion Centre
* National Science Museum at Maynooth
* Russborough House
* The Steam Museum
* Wicklow Gaol

Ulster|

* Cavan County Museum
* Donegal County Museum
* Donegal Railway Heritage Centre
* Monaghan County Museum

53°46′11″N 8°29′41″W﻿ / ﻿53.7698°N 8.4948°W﻿ / 53.7698; -8.4948
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