Cavan and Leitrim Railway

Defunct narrow-gauge railway in northwest Ireland

The Cavan & Leitrim Railway in 1906

The Cavan and Leitrim Railway was a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow-gauge railway that operated in the south of County Leitrim and the north-west of County Cavan on the northern edge of the Midlands in Ireland; it ran from 1887 until 1959.[1][2] Unusually for Ireland, this 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge line survived on coal traffic, from the mine at Arigna, although the original main line was constructed principally for traffic in cattle. It outlived most of the other Irish narrow-gauge lines, giving a further lease of life to some of their redundant engines.

## Development

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The line had the support of Henry King-Tenison, 8th Earl of Kingston of Kilronan Castle, Ballyfarnon, who wanted to bring prosperity to this part of Ireland. In September 1883, a public meeting in Ballinamore declared that a light railway and tramway would open up the coal and iron districts of Arigna and Lough Allen. The Cavan, Leitrim & Roscommon Light Railway & Tramway Company was set up with a guaranteed capital of £202,000 in 40,400 shares of £5 each. Chairman of the board was The Rt. Hon. The Earl of Kingston, D.L., Kilronan Castle.[3][verification needed] [4][page needed]

## Route

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The 54 km (34 mi) main line was built between Dromod and Belturbet with a 24 km (15 mi) branch from Ballinamore to Arigna.

The Belturbet to Dromod part of the Cavan and Leitrim Railway ran from Belturbet through Tomkin Road, Ballyconnell, Bellaheady, Bawnboy Road, Killyran, Garadice, Ballinamore, Lawderdale, Fenagh, Adoon, Rosharry, Mohill and Dereen to Dromod.[4][page needed]

The Belturbet to Arigna part of the line ran from Belturbet to Ballinamore and from there through Ballyduff, Cornabrone, Annadale, Kiltubrid, Creagh and Drumshanbo to Arigna.[4][page needed]

## Later years

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In 1925, the company was amalgamated into the Great Southern Railways.[4][page needed] All lines were closed in 1959.

## Locomotives

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Preserved C&LR 4-4-0T 2 "Kathleen" at Cultra

When the line opened, there were eight 4-4-0T locomotives, numbered 1 to 8, supplied by Robert Stephenson and Company. A ninth locomotive, No. 9, an 0-6-4T came from the same supplier in 1904. CLR numbers 2, 3, 4 and 8 were renumbered by adding an L suffix after the railway became part of the GSR. In 1933, after the closure of the Cork, Blackrock and Passage Railway, the GSR transferred its four Neilson Reid 2-4-2T locomotives to the C&L line, renumbering them 10L to 13L.[5] Four locomotives from the Tralee and Dingle Light Railway were transferred, after the end of passenger services in 1939 and freight in 1953, to the C&L between 1941 and 1958 numbered 3T to 6T. Locomotive 3T was a Hunslet Engine Company 2-6-0T of 1889, 4T was a Kerr Stuart 2-6-0T of 1903, 5T was a 2-6-2T built by Hunslet in 1892, and 6T was the same type as 3T but built in 1898.[6]

## Preservation

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C & L Railway Station, Dromod

The privately owned Cavan & Leitrim Railway is based in the former Dromod Station, in Co. Leitrim. There is a transport museum, with narrow-gauge trains of several gauges, buses, planes, fire engines and artillery guns from World War I and World War II. It was originally intended to rebuild the line to Mohill but this is now most unlikely to happen. With the help of volunteers, trains are running on a short section of the line. The Avonside 0-6-0T steam locomotive "Nancy" was rebuilt at Alan Keef in Wales where it first steamed on 23 March 2019 after twenty years of restoration work.[7] The locomotive was shipped to Dromod, where it now resides. The line's first steam locomotive since preservation is 'Dromod' a Kerr Stuart Brazil class 0-4-2T, which as of May 2021 was out of service[8] awaiting its ten-year overhaul.[citation needed] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the heritage operation was unable to open for the 2020 season, and expects to remain shut also for 2021 to protect its volunteers.[9] Despite being too small an organisation to qualify for grant aid in Ireland the railway has managed to continue maintenance tasks in this period with the railway saying two-thirds of its track has been relaid to a high standard and progress continuing on capital projects.[10]

One of the original locomotives, No. 2, and one of the original carriages, is preserved on display at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum. Locomotive No. 3 'Lady Edith' was exported to New Jersey, United States and is today displayed in the New Jersey Museum of Transportation though efforts are being made to purchase the locomotive and return it to Ireland.[citation needed] The chassis of a carriage formerly used by the railway is preserved at the Stradbally Woodland Railway.

## See also

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* List of heritage railways in the Republic of Ireland

## References

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### Footnotes

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1. ^ "Visit Cavan and Leitrim Railway with Discover Ireland". Discover Ireland. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
2. ^ "Cavan And Leitrim Railway". Family Fun. 6 July 2008. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
3. ^ Freemans' Journal. 6 May 1885. `{{cite magazine}}`: Missing or empty `|title=` (help)[full citation needed]
4. ^ a b c d Baker, Michael H.C. (1999). Irish Narrow Gauge Railways. A View from the Past. London: Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-2680-7.
5. ^ Clements & McMahon (2008), pp. 212–215.
6. ^ Flanagan (1972), pp. 113–115.
7. ^ "Industrial Notes and News". Bulletin. Vol. 1031\. Industrial Railway Society. May 2019. p. 13.
8. ^ Eden-Green (2021), 5m 5s.
9. ^ Eden-Green (2021), 5m 53s.
10. ^ Eden-Green (2021), 5m 10s.

### Sources

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* Eden-Green, Chris (21 May 2021). Here We Are & Here We Go. Gauge the Issue. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 30 May 2021 - via YouTube.
* Clements, Jeremy & McMahon, Michael (2008). Locomotives of the GSR. Newtownards: Colourpoint Books. ISBN 978-1-906578-26-8.
* Flanagan, Patrick J. (1972) [1966]. The Cavan & Leitrim Railway. David & Charles.
* Parks, David (May 1994). Cavan & Leitrim Railway Guide Book and Stock List (1st ed.).
* Parks, David (October 1994). Cavan & Leitrim Railway Guide Book and Stock List (2nd ed.).

## External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cavan and Leitrim Railway.

* Official preservation website
* Lady Edith Locomotive

* v
* t
* e

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)
* 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
* Commissioners of Irish Lights Museum (Baily Lighthouse)
* The Custom House
* Douglas Hyde Gallery
* Dublin Castle
* Dublin Fire Brigade Museum
* Dublinia
* Dublin Writers Museum
* EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum
* Garda Museum
* Glasnevin Cemetery
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* Guinness Storehouse
* Hugh Lane Gallery
* Irish Jewish Museum
* Irish Museum of Modern Art
* The Museum Flat (Iveagh Trust)
* James Joyce Centre
* James Joyce Tower and Museum
* Jameson Distillery Bow St.
* Kerlin Gallery
* Kilmainham Gaol
* Little Museum of Dublin
* Marsh's Library
* Museum of Literature Ireland
* National Gallery of Ireland
* National Leprechaun Museum
* National Library of Ireland
* National Maritime Museum of Ireland
* National Museum of Ireland (Archaeology · Decorative Arts and History · Natural History)
* National Photographic Archive
* National Print Museum
* National Transport Museum of Ireland
* National Wax Museum Plus
* Number Twenty Nine: Georgian House Museum
* Olivier Cornet Gallery
* Oriel Gallery
* Pallas Projects/Studios
* Pearse Museum
* PhotoIreland
* Project Arts Centre
* Revenue Museum (Dublin Castle)
* Richmond Barracks
* Royal Hibernian Academy
* Science Gallery
* Taylor Galleries
* Temple Bar Gallery and Studios
* 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
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