Connemara Railway
Heritage railway project in Ireland From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Connemara Railway is a heritage railway at Maam Cross railway station, County Galway in Ireland. It currently exists as an operable narrow gauge pop-up railway,[1] with standard Irish Gauge track available for static exhibits.
| Connemara Railway | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 53.458°N 9.539°W |
| Commercial operations | |
| Original gauge | 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) |
| Preserved operations | |
| Length | c. 800 yards (730 m) |
| Preserved gauge | 3 ft (914 mm) |
| Commercial history | |
| Opened | 1895 |
| Preservation history | |
| Headquarters | Maam Cross, County Galway |
| Website | |
| www | |
The Clifden branch line from Galway was opened in 1895, and marketed as a tourist line, closing after 1934.[2] As of May 2021[update] a project is well underway to open a 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) stretch of line around Maam Cross station.[2]
The ultimate aim of the project is to get steam trains running on an 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) stretch around Maam Cross,[3] where an all-weather Heritage Centre is to be set up.[citation needed] Access to the site was gained on 14 February 2017, and the cost of the first phase of the project is expected to be c. €300,000.[3] No MGWR engine was preserved so the hope is to build a new one.[3]
Delays
The hope had been to get a "pop-up" narrow gauge demonstration train running by September 2020, with a special steam traction event,[3] 125 years after the railway first opened and 85 years since it closed in 1935.[4] In the event the COVID-19 pandemic intervened.[citation needed]
The next stage was planned to be removal of the narrow gauge 3 ft (914 mm), with standard Irish gauge 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) laid instead.[3] The first section of standard gauge was laid in February 2020.[4]
Maam Cross is located at the crossing of the N59 and R336 roads. This station, together with that at Ballynahinch were considered insufficiently completed when the line fully opened on 1 July 1895 and were only opened to the public later.[5] The railway station buildings were completed c. 1896,[6] limestone being found under the peat when digging the foundations.[7] The buildings remaining were a water tower, gatekeepers hut, goods shed and platforms.[6]
The station is sometimes claimed to be a filming location for the 1952 film, The Quiet Man.[8] However, while it may have been initially chosen as a location for the station in the film,[9] it was ultimately rejected in favour of Ballyglunin. The nearby White O'Morn Cottage at Maam was, however, used as a film location.[10]
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