The West Donegal Railway (WDR) was 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 ...

railway in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

History

The

Finn Valley Railway The Finn Valley Railway (FVR) was a gauge railway in Ireland. History Incorporation The Finn Valley Railway Company was incorporated on 15 May 1860 with capital of £60,000 (). Personnel The Chairman of the directors was The 4th Viscount Lif ...

had reached

Stranorlar Stranorlar () is a town, townland and civil parish in the Finn Valley of County Donegal, in Ireland. Stranorlar and Ballybofey (located on the other side of the River Finn) form ''the Twin Towns''. Transport The town is located at the junctio ...

in 1863. The West Donegal Railway Company was incorporated by an act of July 1879 to extend the Finn Valley Railway line south west to Donegal, a distance of 18 miles in length. Although nominally a separate company, the chairman was

James Hewitt, 4th Viscount Lifford James Hewitt, 4th Viscount Lifford, DL (31 March 1811 – 20 November 1887), of Meenglass Castle, County Donegal, was Deputy Lieutenant for the County of Donegal. Early life and family He was born on 31 March 1811 at Merrion Square, Dublin, as ...

, who was also chairman of the

. The economic prospects for the line were not substantial so the decision was taken to build the line to narrow gauge.The Industrial Archaeology of Northern Ireland, William Alan McCutcheon, Northern Ireland. Dept. of the Environment, Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 1984 Construction started on 1 August 1880, and with difficulties in raising finance was opened on 25 April 1882, 4 miles short of Donegal. It took another 7 years before the last 4 miles into Donegal could be constructed, opening in September 1889. Three tank engines were obtained from

Sharp, Stewart and Company Sharp, Stewart and Company was a steam locomotive manufacturer, initially located in Manchester, England. The company was formed in 1843 upon the demise of Sharp, Roberts & Co.. It moved to Glasgow, Scotland, in 1888, eventually amalgamating wit ...

, named Alice, Blanche and Lydia. In 1892, it merged with the

into a new company, the Donegal Railway Company.

Surviving vehicles

*Carriage no. 1 built in 1882 by the

Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company The Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company (BRC&W) was a railway locomotive and carriage builder, founded in Birmingham, England and, for most of its existence, located at nearby Smethwick, with the factory divided by the boundary betwe ...

preserved at the

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 ...

, Cultra, County Down.

Gallery

File:Barnesmore Gap. County Donegal, Ireland-LCCN2002717388.tif, The Barnesmore Gap with the railway. File:Old bridge over the River Eske - geograph.org.uk - 799040.jpg, Bridge spanning the

River Eske The River Eske (Irish: ''Abhainn na hIascaigh''; also ''Eask'') is a river in County Donegal, Ireland. It begins at Lough Eske in the southeast of the county before flowing mainly westwards to the town of Donegal and into the Atlantic Ocean v ...

. File:Old Railway Station, Donegal Town - geograph.org.uk - 910976.jpg, The railway station in Donegal which is also the

Donegal Railway Heritage Centre The Donegal Railway Heritage Centre commemorates the operations of the County Donegal Railways Committee which operated two narrow-gauge railways in County Donegal from 1863 until 1959. The County Donegal Railway Restoration Society restored th ...

Footnotes

{{Reflist Railway companies established in 1879 Railway companies disestablished in 1892 Great Northern Railway (Ireland) Defunct railway companies of Ireland Transport in County Donegal 3 ft gauge railways in Ireland