The Giant's Causeway and Bushmills Railway (GC&BR) is a

narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...

heritage railway A heritage railway or heritage railroad (US usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) i ...

operating between the

Giant's Causeway The Giant's Causeway is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic fissure eruption. It is located in County Antrim on the north coast of Northern Ireland, about three miles (5 km) northeast of ...

and

Bushmills Bushmills (From Irish ''Muileann na Buaise'') is a village on the north coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Bushmills had a population of 1,295 in the 2011 Census. This article contains quotations from this source, which is available und ...

on the coast of

County Antrim County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, ) is one of six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and has a population o ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

. The line is long.

History

Original line

The

Giant's Causeway Tramway The Giant's Causeway Tramway, operated by the Giant's Causeway, Portrush and Bush Valley Railway & Tramway Company Ltd, was a pioneering narrow gauge electric railway operating between Portrush and the Giant's Causeway on the coast of County An ...

, operated by the Giant's Causeway, Portrush and Bush Valley Railway & Tramway Company Ltd, was a pioneering narrow gauge electric railway operating between Portrush and the

. long, it was hailed at its opening as "the first long electric tramway in the world". Promoted by W.A. Traill it was powered by hydroelectricity from an elevated

third rail A third rail, also known as a live rail, electric rail or conductor rail, is a method of providing electric power to a railway locomotive or train, through a semi-continuous rigid conductor placed alongside or between the rails of a railway t ...

, although steam

tram engine A tram engine is a steam locomotive specially built, or modified, to run on a street, or roadside, tramway track. Legal requirements In the steam locomotive era, tram engines had to comply with certain legal requirements, although these varie ...

s were also used in its earlier years, and the power supply was converted to overhead wire in 1899. It opened to Bushmills in 1883, the extension from there to the Causeway following on 1 July 1887. The line closed at the end of the 1949 season on Friday 30 September,Journal of Transport Ticket Society- October 2017 page 347 and was subsequently dismantled.

New line

The new railway uses equipment originally assembled by Lord O’Neill for a tourist line at

Shane's Castle Shane's Castle is a ruined castle near Randalstown in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, having been destroyed by fire in 1816. The castle is on the north-east shores of Lough Neagh. Built in 1345 by a member of the Clandeboy O'Neill dynasty, it was ...

, Country Antrim, which closed in 1994. The idea of using this to revive part of the Tramway was largely conceived and promoted by David Laing. The Giant's Causeway and Bushmills Railway Company is a not-for-profit organisation with charitable status. Clearance of the trackbed commenced at the end of 1999 and the railway carried its first passengers at Easter 2002. On 10 July 2010 the railway took delivery of a specially customised 4 coach diesel multiple unit capable of accommodating up to 90 passengers. Manufactured by Severn Lamb UK Ltd., it was designed to enhance the visitor experience to the North Antrim Coast and to recreate, in so far as was possible, the passenger experience of the original hydro electric tram. Commissioning of the new rolling stock by the manufacturers began on Monday 12 July with the inaugural journey three days later. The DMU is powered by a Kubota V3600-E3 engine and shares the line with the previous steam rolling stock. All vehicles run on bogies. The power vehicle is on the Causeway side and is shorter (4 windows) than the three trailers (5 windows). Giant's Causeway & Bushmills Railway2

Route

The upper station, just below the Causeway Hotel, has a single platform and passenger, locomotive and carriage facilities, all built in traditional style for the line, which departs towards Bushfoot Strand down a gradient which is sufficient to make the engines 'bark' on their return. It then follows the ancient sand dune system until it meets the

River Bush The River Bush (from the ga, an Bhuais) is a river in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The River Bush is long. The river's source is in the Antrim Hills at 480m. From there the river flows northwest, with a bend at the town of Armoy. It then f ...

where a newly installed bridge carries the line across. Just before the bridge is a

passing loop A passing loop (UK usage) or passing siding (North America) (also called a crossing loop, crossing place, refuge loop or, colloquially, a hole) is a place on a single line railway or tramway, often located at or near a station, where trains or ...

, not normally used. Crossing Bushfoot Golf Course to meet Ballaghmore Road (which leads from Bushmills to

Portballintrae Portballintrae () is a small seaside village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is four miles east of Portrush and two miles west of the Giant's Causeway. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 734 people, a decline of 10% compared to 19 ...

) the line turns bringing it parallel to that road, which it follows to the lower terminus situated at the junction of the Portrush to Bushmills road. The GC&BR Bushmills station is a single platform with no buildings. Alongside the line there is both a cycle track (

National Cycle Network The National Cycle Network (NCN) is the national cycling route network of the United Kingdom, which was established to encourage cycling and walking throughout Britain, as well as for the purposes of bicycle touring. It was created by the cha ...

93) and a footpath.

Locomotives and coaches

Notes: *(a) The Motor Rail & Tramcar Co. *OC Steam Locomotive with cylinders outside the frames. *WT "Well Tank", a steam locomotive with water capacity in a tank situated in the well between its frames. *DH Diesel Locomotive with Hydraulic Transmission. The line has eight 4-wheel coaches

External links

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Giants Causeway and Bushmills Railway Heritage railways in Northern Ireland Transport in County Antrim 3 ft gauge railways in Northern Ireland Tourist attractions in County Antrim