Giant's Causeway Tramway
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The Giant's Causeway Tramway, operated by the Giant's Causeway, Portrush and Bush Valley Railway & Tramway Company Ltd, was a pioneering
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 ...
electric railway operating between
Portrush Portrush () is a small seaside resort town on the north coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It neighbours the resort of Portstewart. The main part of the old town, including the Portrush railway station, railway station as well as most hote ...
and 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 ...
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, long, was hailed at its opening as "the first long electric tramway in the world". The
Giant's Causeway and Bushmills Railway The Giant's Causeway and Bushmills Railway (GC&BR) is a narrow gauge heritage railway operating between the Giant's Causeway and Bushmills on the coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The line is long. History Original line The Gia ...
today operates diesel and steam tourist trains over part of the Tramway's former course.


History

The Giant's Causeway Tramway came about through the enthusiasm of William Atcheson Traill, M.A.Ing., of Ballylough (1844–1934), together with his brother Dr Anthony Traill, who between them undertook most of the promotion and fundraising for the line. W.A. Traill was a man with not only an interest in railways but also a keen interest in technological developments in engineering. The Act of Parliament incorporating 'The Giant's Causeway, Portrush, and Bush Valley Railway and Tramway Company' was passed on 26 August 1880. It authorised a tramway from Portrush to Bushmills and a railway from there to join the
Ballycastle Railway Ballycastle Railway was a narrow gauge railway line which ran from Ballycastle to Ballymoney, both in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. History Ballycastle Railway opened in October 1880 and ran from Ballymoney, on the Belfast and Northern Cou ...
(also 3 ft. gauge) at
Dervock Dervock ( or ''Dairbheog'') is a small village and townland (of 132 acres) in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is about 3.5 miles (6 km) northeast of Ballymoney, on the banks of the River Bush. It is situated in the civil parish of De ...
. The only section of the railway ever built was a short spur at Dervock. The Dervock section was abandoned by an 1885 Act, which authorised extension from Bushmills to the Causeway. At the Berlin Trade Fair of 1879
Siemens Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational conglomerate corporation and the largest industrial manufacturing company in Europe headquartered in Munich with branch offices abroad. The principal divisions of the corporation are ''Industry'', '' ...
was demonstrating the first
railway electrification system A railway electrification system supplies electric power to railway trains and trams without an on-board prime mover or local fuel supply. Electric railways use either electric locomotives (hauling passengers or freight in separate cars), ele ...
and it was that which led the British branch of the firm to be commissioned to incorporate this new technology into the Giant's Causeway Tramway venture. Sir William Siemens (1823–83) was briefly a Director and
Siemens Brothers Siemens Brothers and Company Limited was an electrical engineering design and manufacturing business in London, England. It was first established as a branchThe company started with a small factory at 12 Millbank Row, Westminster SW1, London, ne ...
of London were appointed electrical engineers to the company, their representative being Dr
Edward Hopkinson Edward Hopkinson (28 May 1859 – 15 January 1922) was a British electrical engineer and Conservative politician. He was the fourth son of John Hopkinson, an engineer who was mayor of Manchester in 1882/83.''Obituary: A Great Engineer, Mr Edward ...
, who later went on to work on the
Bessbrook and Newry Tramway The Bessbrook and Newry Tramway operated a narrow gauge, hydro-electrically powered tramway transporting passengers and freight between Bessbrook and Newry in Northern Ireland between 1885 and 1948. History Construction and infrastructure Con ...
and the
City & South London Railway The City and South London Railway (C&SLR) was the first successful deep-level underground "tube" railway in the world, and the first major railway to use electric traction. The railway was originally intended for cable-hauled trains, but owing ...
. Surveying and civil engineering work was carried out by Edward Price, son of the eminent Irish civil engineer James Price. The line was the world's first to be powered by
hydroelectricity Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other Renewabl ...
, something that was later developed at Bessbrook and in Switzerland. Traill built a generating station at Walkmill Falls () head), near
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 under ...
, installing Alcott
water turbine A water turbine is a rotary machine that converts kinetic energy and potential energy of water into mechanical work. Water turbines were developed in the 19th century and were widely used for industrial power prior to electrical grids. Now, t ...
s to produce up to 250 volts at 100 amps of electrical power for his line. Later turbines were installed. This building, although without its equipment, is still in existence. Because of legal problems over water rights, erection of the Walkmills turbines was delayed and when the first section of the tramway, from Portrush to Bushmills, was opened on 29 January 1883 some of the timetabled passenger traffic was handled by 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 which were in any case necessary on the town section in Portrush where it was impossible to provide electric power since this was originally fed to the trains via 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 ...
which ran alongside the line. Therefore, a steam generator was installed at the Portrush depot (by 1936 replaced by a 550 volt diesel generator for the Portrush-Dunluce section). The ceremonial opening, using electric traction, took place on 28 September 1883 although a full scheduled electric service did not begin until 5 November and steam locomotives remained available for use until at least 1926. In 1897 were steam operated and electric. In 1901 the figures were and respectively. Very little use of steam was made after 1916. The section from Bushmills to the Giant's Causeway opened on 1 July 1887. In 1895 a cyclist died of
electric shock Electrical injury is a physiological reaction caused by electric current passing through the body. The injury depends on the density of the current, tissue resistance and duration of contact. Very small currents may be imperceptible or produce ...
after coming into contact with the conductor rail. At the subsequent inquiry it was revealed that the line voltage varied from an average of 290 V up to 360 V, and the company agreed to a temporary reduction in the voltage, which limited the number of services that could be electrically worked. The third rail was replaced by overhead electric wire using side poles from 26 July 1899, apparently initially at 250 V. Voltage drop remained a problem and the tram was the subject of a song by the
Irish Rovers The Irish Rovers is a group of Irish musicians that originated in Toronto, Canada. Formed in 1963'Irish Rovers are Digging out those old Folk songs', By Ballymena Weekly Editor, Ballymena Weekly Telegraph, N. Ireland – 20 August 1964 and na ...
which comments on its slow speed. The song was written by Hugh Speers of Bushmills. After upgrading of the Bushmills generating station in 1907 it was possible to produce a 550 V output. Traill, a former geological surveyor, expected a considerable mineral traffic between quarries along the line and Portrush harbour, and there was originally a goods branch into the main square of Bushmills. However, this traffic fell away, the narrow gauge harbour branch being taken up when the Northern Counties station was opened in 1893, and for most of its life the line primarily served tourists visiting the Causeway. From 1925/26 the line was closed down during each winter. Increased patronage, partly from military traffic, during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
meant a brief revival of winter services, but receipts were becoming inadequate to support maintenance of the company's ageing assets, and the line did not reopen after the end of the 1949 season (last day of regular service 30 September 1949), and was subsequently dismantled. The
Giant's Causeway and Bushmills Railway The Giant's Causeway and Bushmills Railway (GC&BR) is a narrow gauge heritage railway operating between the Giant's Causeway and Bushmills on the coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The line is long. History Original line The Gia ...
was later constructed over the final two miles (3.2 km) of the Tramway and carried its first passengers at Easter 2002.


Route

The line was single track with passing loops at about intervals and was laid on
sleepers ''Sleepers'' is a 1996 American legal crime drama film written, produced, and directed by Barry Levinson, and based on Lorenzo Carcaterra's 1995 book of the same name. The film stars Kevin Bacon, Jason Patric, Brad Pitt, Robert De Niro, Dustin Ho ...
apart from the first of street running through Portrush. The route began in Eglinton Street alongside
Portrush railway station Portrush railway station is the terminus of the Coleraine-Portrush railway line and serves the seaside town of Portrush, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. History The station, which is 67¾ miles from Belfast, was opened on 4 December 1855. To ...
. After passing the main depot on the edge of the town, it took up a position on the seaward side of the coast road, passing the White Rocks, a summit at Clooney Hill and
Dunluce Castle Dunluce Castle (; ) is a now-ruined medieval castle in Northern Ireland, the seat of Clan MacDonnell. It is located on the edge of a basalt outcropping in County Antrim (between Portballintrae and Portrush), and is accessible via a bridge conne ...
before reaching Bushmills station (the main building of which still stands). There was a subsidiary depot here. Beyond the crossing of the road 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 left the roadside; this is the section occupied by the present-day railway. The route crossed Bushfoot Golf Course and crossed 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 ...
by the Victoria Jubilee Bridge, which had a lattice girder superstructure. This has been replaced, but some of the ornamental ironwork is preserved at the present Giant's Causeway station. From here the line passed by the dunes alongside Bushfoot Strand and climbed to the terminus just below the Causeway Hotel. The station facilities consisted of little more than a corrugated-iron shelter.


Equipment

The original cars were built by the
Midland Railway Carriage and Wagon Company The Midland Railway Carriage and Wagon Company was a Birmingham, England, based manufacturer of railway carriages and wagons. It was not part of the Midland Railway. Its products also included trams and even military tanks. It has made train ...
and were later followed by 5 examples from GEC, each with 2 x
British Thomson-Houston British Thomson-Houston (BTH) was a British engineering and heavy industrial company, based at Rugby, Warwickshire, England, and founded as a subsidiary of the General Electric Company (GE) of Schenectady, New York, United States. They were kno ...
motors, and also a Peckham car. There were a maximum of six electric power cars owned at any one time, all being single-truck, single-deck vehicles with both enclosed and “
toast rack A toast rack or toastrack is a serving piece having vertical partitions (usually from five to eight in number) connected to a flat base, used for holding slices of toast. It often has a central ring handle for carrying and passing round the tabl ...
” examples; typically these would haul several 4-wheel "toast rack" trailers, of which there were 15. There were four steam
tram engines A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...
, ordered from Wilkinson of
Wigan Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas, Lancashire, River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the nor ...
. They had vertical boilers, weighed 7 tons and burnt coke. No.2 was scrapped in 1899, No.1 converted to a ballast wagon in 1910 and Nos. 3 (Dunluce Castle) and 4 (Brian Boroihme) were sold in 1930 for the
River Bann The River Bann (from ga, An Bhanna, meaning "the goddess"; Ulster-Scots: ''Bann Wattèr'') is one of the longest rivers in Northern Ireland, its length, Upper and Lower Bann combined, being 129 km (80 mi). However, the total lengt ...
Navigation works near Portstewart. In 1938 a final electric tram was added to the stock as number 24. This vehicle was formerly a double deck Dunfermline and District Tramways car which was both re-gauged and extensively modified to become a single decker with enclosed ends for the Giants Causeway route. A power car and trailer are restored 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 Cultra ( - ) is an affluent residential neighbourhood near Holywood, County Down, Northern Ireland. It is part of Greater Belfast. It is in the Ards and North Down Borough Council area. Cultra is home to the Royal North of Ireland Yacht Cl ...
and another power car is in the care of the
National Transport Museum of Ireland The National Transport Museum of Ireland ( ga, Iarsmalann Náisiunta Iompair na hÉireann) is based in the grounds of Howth Castle in Ireland. The museum is located in the Heritage Depot, Howth Demesne, Howth Howth ( ; ; non, Hǫfuð) i ...
at
Howth Howth ( ; ; non, Hǫfuð) is an affluent peninsular village and outer suburb of Dublin, Ireland. The district as a whole occupies the greater part of the peninsula of Howth Head, which forms the northern boundary of Dublin Bay, and includes ...
. File:Cultra a7.jpg, The power car at Cultra File:Cultra a12.jpg, The trailer at Cultra


See also

*
History of rail transport in Ireland The history of rail transport in Ireland began only a decade later than that of Great Britain. By its peak in 1920, Ireland had 3,500 route miles (5,630 km). The current status is less than half that amount, with a large unserviced area arou ...
*
List of narrow gauge railways in Ireland Ireland formerly had numerous narrow-gauge railways, most of which were built to a gauge of . The last (non-preserved) line to close was the West Clare Railway in 1961 (though it has been partially preserved). gauge railways Dublin and Lucan ...


References

* * * * *


External links

* , Author: Richard Taylor * * {{coord missing, County Antrim Transport in County Antrim Tram transport in Northern Ireland Closed railways in Northern Ireland 3 ft gauge railways in Northern Ireland Railway companies established in 1883 Railway companies disestablished in 1949