Irish Railway Record Society

Journal 172

Our member Henry C. A. Beaumont of Lisburn has provided some fascinating memories of journeys and features from days now recalled by a mere handful of our more senior colleagues.

In the Summer of 1940, Henry left Amiens St. Station, now Connolly (since 1966), by the 09.30 Belfast service of the GNR(I). After the clattering entry to Dundalk over the Square Crossing, Henry’s first traverse of that unique feature, lifted in the 1950s, and a change to a connecting train, the journey continued via the “Irish North” to Enniskillen. Departure was from the bay platform on the down side, at the south end of Dundalk’s main island platform.

The train left within a few minutes and travelled via Clones and Newtownbutler, at each of which there were tedious delays, so that arrival at Enniskillen was about 13.30. The next stage brought Henry to Strabane via Omagh, for his first encounter with the 3’0” gauge railways of County Donegal, in the form of the Strabane and Letterkenny section of the CDRJC.

The “train” onwards to Letterkenny was one of the Donegal’s railcars, where arrival was in time to provide a connection to the evening train of the Londonderry and Lough Swilly for Burtonport. This was steam-hauled with two passenger carriages and a “tail” of mainly covered vans. The locomotive was a large tank, the number unfortunately not recalled.

Henry had been granted a footplate pass by the LL&SR and duly climbed aboard the loco. Although narrow gauge, it seemed to have plenty of room in the cab. Among Henry’s most vivid memories are the way in which the short-wheel base wagons “hunted” (oscillated) during the crossing of the Owencarrow viaduct, and chasing sheep near Creeslough, the loco in hot pursuit as the sheep ran ahead along the track, which was hemmed in between a roadside stone wall and field fences.

The train arrived at last in Burtonport about 21.00, after an epic almost 12-hour journey from Dublin. A short walk brought Henry to the local hotel, where the night was passed.

The following morning, Henry was in good time to join the train to Derry, which was already at the platform when he reached the station. He had the very good fortune to travel that day with No. 12, one of the two 4-8-0 tender locomotives of the Swilly, the only narrow-gauge tender locomotives on any Irish line. By 1940, only No. 12 survived, No. 11 having been broken up a year or two earlier.

At 08:30, the train departed for Derry, which was reached about midday. It again consisted of two passenger vehicles and a rake of covered goods vans. From Derry it was back to the broad gauge, first the walk to the Foyle Road Station of the GNR(I), and then, in the early afternoon, onwards to Omagh and Portadown, where the late afternoon express to Dublin returned Henry to his starting point at Amiens St. by tea time, completing a journey that had entailed eight changes of train!  An epic trip, shortly to become impossible.

Copyright © 2010 by Irish Railway Record Society Limited
Revised: January 04, 2016 .