Dublin and Drogheda Railway
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Dublin and Drogheda Railway (D&D) was a railway company in Ireland which publicly opened its 31¾ mile main line between Dublin and Drogheda in May 1844. It was the third railway company in Ireland to operate passenger trains and the first to use the
Irish standard The National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) is the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) member body for the Republic of Ireland. The NSAI is also a member of the European Organisation for Technical Approvals. The NSAI wa ...
gauge. It later opened branches to Howth and Oldcastle. The opening of the
Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway Dublin and the Belfast Junction Railway (D&BJct, Irish: Iarnród Bhaile Átha Cliath agus Acomhal Bhéal Feirste) was an Irish gauge () railway in Ireland. The company was incorporated in 1845 and opened its line in stages between 1849 and 185 ...
(D&BJct) between the D&D at Drogheda and the
Ulster Railway The Ulster Railway was a railway company operating in Ulster, Ireland. The company was incorporated in 1836 and merged with two other railway companies in 1876 to form the Great Northern Railway (Ireland). History The Ulster Railway was auth ...
(UR) at Portadown in 1852 saw an almost continuous main line connection between Dublin and Belfast, which was resolved by the official opening of the
Boyne Viaduct , native_name_lang = , image = 02 Boyne Viaduct Drogheda 2007-10-5.JPG , image_size = , alt = , caption = , official_name = , other_name = , carries = Belfast-Dublin railway ...
in April 1855. Amalgamations between these and other companies in 1875 and 1876 saw the creation of the Great Northern Railway of Ireland GNR(I).


Origins

In 1836 the D&D presented the scheme to parliament to construct the railway line between
Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
and
Drogheda Drogheda ( , ; , meaning "bridge at the ford") is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, north of Dublin. It is located on the Dublin–Belfast corridor on the east coast of Ireland, mostly in County Louth ...
and it successfully received
royal assent Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in other ...
on 13 August 1836. Despite support of eminent engineers for the coastal route some opposing factions pressed for an inland route via
Navan Navan ( ; , meaning "the Cave") is the county town of County Meath, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In 2016, it had a population of 30,173, making it the List of urban areas in the Republic of Ireland by population, tenth largest settlement in ...
and some other speculative schemes resulted in litigations, delays and expense. Some savings in the project were possible when Rev Taylor of
Ardgillan Castle Ardgillan Castle is a country house near Balbriggan, County Dublin, Ireland. It is set in the Ardgillan Demesne, a public park in the jurisdiction of Fingal County Council. Features Featuring castellated embellishments, the building overlooks ...
near
Balbriggan Balbriggan (; , IPA: bˠalʲəˈbʲɾʲɪɟiːnʲ is a coastal town in Fingal, in the northern part of County Dublin, Ireland, approximately 34 km from Dublin City. The 2016 census population was 21,722 for Balbriggan and its environs. ...
permitted the railway to pass through the demesne allowing the railway to take a more favourable and less expensive course. An amended bill presented to parliament in February 1840 and assisted by the services of
Daniel O'Connell Daniel O'Connell (I) ( ga, Dónall Ó Conaill; 6 August 1775 – 15 May 1847), hailed in his time as The Liberator, was the acknowledged political leader of Ireland's Roman Catholic majority in the first half of the 19th century. His mobilizat ...
and eventually passed. John MacNeill in late 1839 as the line's engineer was ratified in May 1840. By October 1840 construction was underway. The line was proposed to be built to gauge on the grounds of lower costs. The two broader gauges were used nowhere else. Following complaints from the UR the
Board of Trade The Board of Trade is a British government body concerned with commerce and industry, currently within the Department for International Trade. Its full title is The Lords of the Committee of the Privy Council appointed for the consideration of ...
investigated the matter, and in 1843 decreed the use of . On 20 May 1844 Major General C. W. Pasley, the Inspector General of Railways inspected the D&D slowly in one direction and with a reverse run at speed highly commended the works and recommended to the Board of Trade they permit the line to be opened on 24 May 1844. At this point only one track was open but the second was expected within a month or so. The opening of the line occurred on 24 May 1844. Initially trains ran from
Drogheda Drogheda ( , ; , meaning "bridge at the ford") is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, north of Dublin. It is located on the Dublin–Belfast corridor on the east coast of Ireland, mostly in County Louth ...
(the Drogheda terminus of the D&D being 1/4 mile southeast of the current
Drogheda railway station Drogheda MacBride railway station ( ga, Stáisiún Droichead Átha Mac Giolla Bhríde) serves Drogheda in County Louth, Ireland. Description The present station is located on a sharp curve on the southern approach to the Boyne Viaduct. Forme ...
) to a temporary
Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
terminus at the
Royal Canal The Royal Canal ( ga, An Chanáil Ríoga) is a canal originally built for freight and passenger transportation from Dublin to Longford in Ireland. It is one of two canals from Dublin to the River Shannon and was built in direct competition ...
.


Route

The following stations were served by the line when it opened: Royal Canal (Temporary
Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
terminus - replaced by Amiens Street Station on 29 November 1844); Clontarf;
Raheny Raheny () is a northern suburb of Dublin, Ireland, halfway from the city centre to Howth. It is centred on a historic settlement, first documented in 570 CE ( Mervyn Archdall). The district shares Dublin's two largest municipal parks, Saint Anne ...
;
Baldoyle Baldoyle () is a coastal suburb of Dublin's Northside (Dublin), northside. It is located in the southeastern part of the jurisdiction of Fingal, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, developed from a former fishing village. Baldoyle is also a Civil pa ...
;
Portmarnock Portmarnock () is a coastal suburban settlement in Fingal, Ireland, with significant beaches, a modest commercial core and inland residential estates, and two golf courses, including one of Ireland's best-known golf clubs. , the population was ...
;
Malahide Malahide ( ; ) is an affluent coastal settlement in Fingal, County Dublin, Ireland, situated north of Dublin city. It has a village centre surrounded by suburban housing estates, with a population of over 17,000. Malahide Castle dates from th ...
;
Donabate Donabate () is a small coastal town in Fingal, Ireland, about north-northeast of Dublin. The town is on a peninsula on Ireland's east coast, between the Rogerstown Estuary to the north and Broadmeadow Estuary to the south. Donabate is a civil ...
; Rush and Lusk; Skerries;
Balbriggan Balbriggan (; , IPA: bˠalʲəˈbʲɾʲɪɟiːnʲ is a coastal town in Fingal, in the northern part of County Dublin, Ireland, approximately 34 km from Dublin City. The 2016 census population was 21,722 for Balbriggan and its environs. ...
; Gormanston;
Laytown Laytown () is a village in County Meath, Ireland, located on the R150 regional road and overlooking the Irish Sea. Historically it was called ''Ninch'', after the townland it occupies. Together with the neighbouring villages of Mornington a ...
;
Bettystown Bettystown (), previously known as Betaghstown and transliterated to ''Beattystown/Bettystown'', is a village in an area known as East Meath within County Meath, Ireland. Together with the neighbouring villages of Laytown and Mornington it c ...
;
Drogheda Drogheda ( , ; , meaning "bridge at the ford") is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, north of Dublin. It is located on the Dublin–Belfast corridor on the east coast of Ireland, mostly in County Louth ...
.


Howth branch

The branch line to from was inspected by Captain Simmons and opened on 30 May 1847, though the junction station from the main line was only opened on 1 October 1848. The branch had been partially opened to
Sutton Sutton (''south settlement'' or ''south town'' in Old English) may refer to: Places United Kingdom England In alphabetical order by county: * Sutton, Bedfordshire * Sutton, Berkshire, a List of United Kingdom locations: Stu-Sz#Su, location * S ...
earlier on 30 July 1846.


Oldcastle branch

A branch from just prior to opened to Navan on 15 February 1850; Kells on 11 June 1853; and finally opened on its full length to Oldcastle on 17 May 1863.


Dublin—Belfast main line

The Dublin to Drogheda route was to form part of the Dublin to Belfast main line. In 1845 a new railway company,
Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway Dublin and the Belfast Junction Railway (D&BJct, Irish: Iarnród Bhaile Átha Cliath agus Acomhal Bhéal Feirste) was an Irish gauge () railway in Ireland. The company was incorporated in 1845 and opened its line in stages between 1849 and 185 ...
(D&BJct), received royal assent for its Act to connect the D&D at
Drogheda Drogheda ( , ; , meaning "bridge at the ford") is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, north of Dublin. It is located on the Dublin–Belfast corridor on the east coast of Ireland, mostly in County Louth ...
to the
Ulster Railway The Ulster Railway was a railway company operating in Ulster, Ireland. The company was incorporated in 1836 and merged with two other railway companies in 1876 to form the Great Northern Railway (Ireland). History The Ulster Railway was auth ...
at
Portadown Portadown () is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town sits on the River Bann in the north of the county, about southwest of Belfast. It is in the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council area and had a population of a ...
, therefore creating a rail link between
Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
and
Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...
. The line was completed in 1852 apart from the crossing of the Boyne. The line became operationally complete when the first train crossed the
Boyne Viaduct , native_name_lang = , image = 02 Boyne Viaduct Drogheda 2007-10-5.JPG , image_size = , alt = , caption = , official_name = , other_name = , carries = Belfast-Dublin railway ...
on 5 April 1855.


Rolling Stock

Unlike the D&KR which used a single central buffer the D&D used twin buffers mounted above the wheels.


Locomotives

By the time of the amalgamation into the GNR(I) in 1876 the D&D had locomotives numbered up to 23 which were inherited by the new company. At that time the main line fast trains were allocated to Nos. 13 to 16, built in 1859 to 1861 by Beyer-Peacock, with driving wheels and 15x20in cylinders. There was also No. 12, a express engine from the same manufacturer in 1870 with 16x21in driving wheels, this had some likeness to three similar engines build for the D&BJct between 1866 and 1868. Other locomotives used are noted. There is note of a with driving wheels from Sharps. Grendons had built some small locomotives that were later to converted to tank engines notably without brakes. Goods work was mainly handled by engines, two of which were from Beyer Peacock. The 1862 Neilson locomotive with driving wheels and cylinders is described by Ahrons as being notable for having both side and saddle tanks and also for having the footplate fully enclosed.


Aftermath

The
Northern Railway of Ireland Northern Railway of Ireland was an Irish gauge railway company in Ireland. It was formed by a merger of the Dublin and Drogheda Railway (D&D) with the Dublin and the Belfast Junction Railway (D&BJct) in 1875. In 1876 it merged with the Irish ...
was formed by a merger of the D&D with the D&BJct in 1875; which in turn was part of the merger that formed the Great Northern Railway of Ireland in 1876.


Model

The
Fry Model Collection The Casino Model Railway Museum at Malahide, Ireland (previously called the Fry Model Railway) is the display home for the Fry Model Collection in the refurbished Casino cottage building in central Malahide. It opened to the public on 22 January ...
contains a model of the D&D locomotive 2-2-2T No. 8 and train. This one-off locomotive was built for and used on the Howth branch together with No. 3 built in 1844.


Notes


References


Sources

* * * * * * * * * * *


Further reading

* * {{cite web, last=KJP, date=2019, title=Great Northern Railway (Ireland), access-date=3 October 2019, website=Steamindex, url=http://www.steamindex.com/locotype/gnri.htm, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190226045831/http://www.steamindex.com/locotype/gnri.htm, archive-date=26 February 2019 Railway companies established in 1844 Railway companies disestablished in 1875 Irish gauge railways Great Northern Railway (Ireland) Defunct railway companies of Ireland Drogheda