The Midland Great Western Railway (MGWR) was the third largest Irish gauge () railway company in Ireland. It was incorporated in 1845 and absorbed into the

Great Southern Railways The Great Southern Railways Company (often Great Southern Railways, or GSR) was an Irish company that from 1925 until 1945 owned and operated all railways that lay wholly within the Irish Free State (the present-day Republic of Ireland). The p ...

in 1924. At its peak the MGWR had a network of , making it Ireland's third largest network after the

Great Southern and Western Railway The Great Southern and Western Railway (GS&WR) was an Irish gauge () railway company in Ireland from 1844 until 1924. The GS&WR grew by building lines and making a series of takeovers, until in the late 19th and early 20th centuries it was the ...

(GS&WR) and the Great Northern Railway of Ireland. The MGWR served part of

Leinster Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of Ir ...

County Cavan County Cavan ( ; gle, Contae an Chabháin) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is part of the Border Region. It is named after the town of Cavan and is base ...

Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United King ...

and much of

Connacht Connacht ( ; ga, Connachta or ), is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, Conmhaícne, and Delbhn ...

. Its network was entirely within what in 1922 became the

Irish Free State The Irish Free State ( ga, Saorstát Éireann, , ; 6 December 192229 December 1937) was a state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-year Irish War of Independence between ...

Early development

The Midland Great Western Railway Act received the

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 ...

in July 1845, authorising it to raise £1,000,000 capital and to build a railway from Dublin to and and to buy the Royal Canal. Construction of the main line began from Dublin in January 1846 and proceeded westwards in stages, supervised by chief engineer G. W. Hemans. It opened from as far as

Enfield Enfield may refer to: Places Australia * Enfield, New South Wales * Enfield, South Australia ** Electoral district of Enfield, a state electoral district in South Australia, corresponding to the suburb ** Enfield High School (South Australia) ...

in May 1847, to in December 1847 and to Mullingar in October 1848.

Dublin to Galway

Rivalry existed between the MGWR and the GS&WR, each of which wanted to build the line to . The MGWR extended its line from Mullingar and the GS&WR from its line at . The MGWR was first, going via and reaching Galway, from Dublin, in August 1851. It was not until 1859 that the GS&WR got as far as Athlone. The GS&WR was obliged to operate its service over MGWR track between Athlone and Galway, paying the MGWR 65% of passenger and 55% of goods receipts. The GS&WR retained a separate station, which is now the sole operating station, as the last service to the MGWR station ran on 13 January 1985.. The branch is to be made into a

rail trail A rail trail is a shared-use path on railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed, but may also share the right of way with active railways, light rail, or streetcar ...

as part of the

Dublin-Galway Greenway The Dublin-Galway Greenway is a partially completed 'coast-to-coast' greenway and partial rail trail, in Ireland, funded by the Department of Transport, which is due to become the western section of EuroVelo EV2, a cycle route from Galway, Ire ...

by 2020.

Galway to Clifden

In 1890 the Government granted the MGWR £264,000 to build a railway to

Clifden Clifden (, meaning "stepping stones") is a coastal town in County Galway, Ireland, in the region of Connemara, located on the Owenglin River where it flows into Clifden Bay. As the largest town in the region, it is often referred to as "the Cap ...

on the Atlantic coast of

County Galway "Righteousness and Justice" , anthem = () , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Galway.svg , map_caption = Location in Ireland , area_footnotes = , area_total_km2 = ...

. It opened as far as

Oughterard Oughterard () is a small town on the banks of the Owenriff River close to the western shore of Lough Corrib in Connemara, County Galway, Ireland. The population of the town in 2016 was 1,318. It is located about northwest of Galway on the N5 ...

in January 1895 and to Clifden in July 1895. Due to its inland route it did not serve the bulk of the area's population, so the GSR closed it in 1935. A similar branch line was built at the same time from Westport to

Achill Achill Island (; ga, Acaill, Oileán Acla) in County Mayo is the largest of the Irish isles, and is situated off the west coast of Ireland. It has a population of 2,594. Its area is . Achill is attached to the mainland by Michael Davitt Brid ...

on the Atlantic coast of

County Mayo County Mayo (; ga, Contae Mhaigh Eo, meaning "Plain of the Taxus baccata, yew trees") is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Conn ...

. The MGW built the first section, opening it as far as Newport in February 1894 and Mulranny in May 1894. The Board of Works built the section from Mulranny to Achill, which opened in May 1895. The GSR closed the line in 1937.

Branch lines

At its peak the MGWR had a number of

branch lines A branch line is a phrase used in railway terminology to denote a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line. Industrial spur An industr ...

: * Clonsilla to Navan (opened as the Dublin and Meath Railway 1862, leased to the MGWR 1869, sold to the MGWR 1888) ** extension from Navan to , (opened by the Navan and Kingscourt Railway 1865, sold to the MGWR 1888) * Kilmessan Junction to

Athboy Athboy () is a small agricultural town located in County Meath. The town is located on the ''Yellow Ford River'', in wooded country near the County Westmeath border. Local Clubs are Clann Na nGael and Athboy Celtic. History In medieval time ...

(opened 1864, closed 1963) * Nesbitt Junction (near

) to

Edenderry Edenderry (; ) is a town in east County Offaly, Ireland. It is near the borders with Counties Kildare, Meath and Westmeath. The Grand Canal runs along the south of Edenderry, through the Bog of Allen, and there is a short spur to the town ...

(opened 1877, closed 1963) * Streamstown to Clara, County Offaly (opened 1863, closed 1963) * Attymon Junction to Loughrea (

light railway A light railway is a railway built at lower costs and to lower standards than typical "heavy rail": it uses lighter-weight track, and may have more steep gradients and tight curves to reduce civil engineering costs. These lighter standards allow ...

worked by the MGWR, opened 1890, closed 1975) * Galway to Clifden (opened 1895, closed 1935) * Westport to

(opened 1895, closed 1937) * Inny Junction to

Cavan Town Cavan ( ; ) is the county town of County Cavan in Ireland. The town lies in Ulster, near the border with County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland. The town is bypassed by the main N3 road that links Dublin (to the south) with Enniskillen, Ballys ...

(opened 1856, closed 1960) * Kilfree Junction to Ballaghaderreen (opened by the Sligo and Ballaghaderreen Railway 1874, sold to the MGWR 1877, closed 1963) * Crossdoney to Killeshandra (opened 1886, closed 1960) * Athlone to Westport (opened by the Great Northern and Western Railway 1860–66, leased to the MGWR 1870, sold to the MGWR 1890) * to

Ballinrobe Ballinrobe () is a town in County Mayo in Ireland. It is located on the River Robe, which empties into Lough Mask two kilometres to the west. As of the 2016 census, the population was 2,786. History Foundation and development Ballinrobe is c ...

(light railway worked by the MGWR, opened 1892, closed 1960) * Manulla to Ballina, County Mayo (opened 1873) ** extension from Ballina to

Killala Killala () is a village in County Mayo in Ireland, north of Ballina. The railway line from Dublin to Ballina once extended to Killala. To the west of Killala is a Townsplots West (known locally as Enagh Beg), which contains a number of ancient ...

(opened 1893, closed 1937)

Consolidation

In 1924 the

Oireachtas of the Irish Free State The Oireachtas of the Irish Free State ( ga, Oireachtas Shaorstát Éireann) was the legislature of the Irish Free State from 1922 until 1937. It was established by the 1922 Constitution of Ireland which was based from the Anglo-Irish Treaty. ...

passed the Railways Act, which that November merged the MGWR with the

(GS&WR),

Cork, Bandon and South Coast Railway Cork, Bandon and South Coast Railway (CB&SCR), was an Irish gauge () railway in Ireland. It opened in 1849 as the Cork and Bandon Railway (C&BR), changed its name to Cork Bandon and South Coast Railway in 1888 and became part of the Great South ...

to form the Great Southern Railway. In January 1925, that was joined by the

Dublin and South Eastern Railway The Dublin and South Eastern Railway (DSER), often referred to as the Slow and Easy, was an Irish gauge () railway in Ireland from 1846 to 1925. It carried 4,626,226 passengers in 1911. It was the fourth largest railway operation in Ireland oper ...

to form the

Bowling along in their motor (8571539286)

Locomotives and rolling stock

Locomotives and rolling stock were maintained at MGWR's Broadstone works in

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 ...

Livery

The MGWR painted all of its locomotives bright emerald until about 1902, when the first of the new Class A 4-4-0 express locomotives were outshopped in royal blue. This did not wear well and in 1905 the company adopted grass green. From about 1913 locos were painted gloss black until the MGWR became part of the GSR in 1925. From then on, all locomotives were gradually repainted plain unlined dark grey. Passenger coaches were finished in varnish or brown paint until the blue livery was introduced in 1901. As on the locomotives this weathered badly and from 1905 the MGWR reverted to brown, which after 1910 was not so well-adorned with lining. From October 1918 coaches were painted a very dark Crimson and after 1924 the GSR used a similar shade for some years.

Preservation

No MGWR locomotive has been preserved but several of its six-wheeled carriages exist. * No. 25 -

Downpatrick and County Down Railway The Downpatrick and County Down Railway (DCDR) is a five-foot, three-inch (1,600 mm) gauge heritage railway in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is operated by volunteers and runs passenger trains using steam and diesel locomotives, diesel ra ...

. Originally a full 2nd, this coach is on display in the carriage gallery awaiting restoration. * No. 47 -

Ulster Folk and Transport Museum The Ulster Folk Museum and the Ulster Transport Museum are situated in Cultra, Northern Ireland, about east of the city of Belfast. The Folk Museum endeavours to illustrate the way of life and traditions of the people in Northern Ireland, past ...

. Built in 1844 and notable for being used as

William Dargan William Dargan (28 February 1799 – 7 February 1867) was arguably the most important Irish engineer of the 19th century and certainly the most important figure in railway construction. Dargan designed and built Ireland's first railway lin ...

's private saloon. Fully restored. * No. 47M - This carriage used to be based at the DCDR, but unfortunately had to be scrapped. * No. 53 - Downpatrick and County Down Railway. Originally a full 2nd, this coach is on display in the carriage gallery awaiting restoration. * No. 62M -

Railway Preservation Society of Ireland The Railway Preservation Society of Ireland (RPSI) is an Irish railway preservation group operating throughout Ireland, founded in 1964. Mainline steam train railtours are operated from Dublin and Belfast, but occasionally from other locatio ...

. A full 3rd, this carriage is meant to be under restoration for use at the DCDR. * No. 84 - Clifden. Intended to be restored as part of the Station House Hotel's collection.

Present day

Those of the former MGWR's main lines that are still open are owned and operated by

Iarnród Éireann Iarnród Éireann () or Irish Rail, is the operator of the national railway network of Ireland. Established on 2 February 1987, it is a subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann (CIÉ). It operates all internal InterCity, Commuter, DART and fr ...

. Routes between Dublin and Sligo, Athlone and Galway, Athlone and Westport and the Ballina branch remain open to passenger traffic. The Meath on Track campaign is campaigning to have the Navan — Clonsilla line (not to be confused with the former GNR Navan — Drogheda line) reopened earlier than the 2030 date announced under current Iarnród Éireann policy. The Edenderry, Clifden, Achill, Cavan, Killeshandra,

Ballaghaderreen branch line The Ballaghaderreen branch line connected Ballaghaderreen railway station to Kilfree Junction on the Dublin to Sligo main line. It opened in 1874 and closed in 1963. History The Sligo & Ballaghaderreen Junction Railway (S&BJR) was incorporat ...

, Ballinrobe, Killala and Loughrea branches lines are all closed.

Rail Users Ireland Rail Users Ireland (previously Platform 11) is a rail transport pressure group in Ireland whose agenda is centred on the idea that there is an economic case for expanding rail transport in Ireland through better utilisation of existing infrastru ...

proposed running some Galway — Dublin services via the MGWR station in and the disused route via to Mullingar, reinstating the route of the first MGWR service via the former GS&WR line. The current Galway service runs from . This proposal will not go ahead as the railway is due to be replaced with the

Dublin-Galway greenway The Dublin-Galway Greenway is a partially completed 'coast-to-coast' greenway and partial rail trail, in Ireland, funded by the Department of Transport, which is due to become the western section of EuroVelo EV2, a cycle route from Galway, Ire ...

starting from 2020. Clifden Station House

Three former MGWR stations are now hotels, two of which are called the "Station House Hotel" but are unconnected by ownership. They are the expanded former Clifden station in County Galway, Kilmessan Junction in County Meath and the Mullranny Park Hotel at Mulranny, County Mayo. The

Great Western Greenway The Great Western Greenway () is a greenway rail trail in County Mayo, Ireland. It is long and begins in Westport and ends in Achill, passing through the towns of Newport and Mulranny as it runs along the coast of Clew Bay. It is an off-r ...

is a greenway

that uses the route of the former Westport — Achill branch line.

Senior people

;Chairmen * Lord Dunsandle (1845-1847) * John Ennis (1847-1865) * William Maunsell (1865-1865 - 2 days) * Sir Ralph Smith Cusack (1865-1905) * Honourable Richard Nugent, youngest son of the ninth Earl of Westmeath (1905-1912) * Major H. C. Cusack (1912-) ;Deputy Chairmen ''This position was not always filled.'' * John Ennis (1845-1847) * Honourable Richard Nugent (Briefly in 1903) * Major H. C. Cusack (1905-1912) ;General Managers * Joseph Tatlow (1890-1912) ;Chief Mechanical Engineer/Locomotive Superintendent * John Dewrance (1847-) > * Edward Wilson (1854-) * Joseph Cabry (1856-1862) * Rober Ramage (1862-) *

Martin Atock Martin Atock, also formerly known as Martin Attock, was an English railway engineer, who is best known as the Locomotive Superintendent of the Midland Great Western Railway (MGWR) from 1872 to 1900. Life Atock was born in June 1834 in Presto ...

(1865-1900) * Edward Cusack (1901-1915) * W. H. Morton (1916-1924)

Notes

Sources

* * * *

External links

{{Commons Category
MGWR at Irishrailwayana.comMGWR Architecture at Archiseek.com
* ttp://www.mgwr.weebly.com History of the Westport-Achill MGWR Railway Irish gauge railways Railway companies disestablished in 1925