railway museums ireland

Visitors to the museum will be able to see there the inscribed spade with which Charles Stewart Parnell turned the first sod for the laying of the West Clare Railway. The west Clare project was initiated in 1883 and construction began in 1885. The railway, which opened for business in 1887, ran at first from Ennis to Miltown Malbay through Ennistymon. It was afterwards extended to Kilkee and Kilrush, serving Lahinch and other coastal towns on the way.

One of its engines, the Slieve C...

Welcome to Donegal's only operational narrow gauge railway. Here, nestling deep in the heart of spectacular mountanous scenery steepted in tradition, myth and folklore, and running along the crystal clear waters of Loch Finn you are invited to relive those nostalgic days when Donegal had about 200 miles of narrow gauge railway operated by the County Donegal and Londonderry & Lough Swilly Railwya Companies.

Theis unique journey is a three mile return trip right along the shore of Loch...

Climb on board for a short train ride - or travel further afield on a special mainline steam excursion. Many engines and coaches are on display in transport museums and railway centres, with memorabilia from the golden age of steam. The first railway in Ireland opened in 1834, and the network quickly reached into all corners of the island. By 1920 almost 3,500 miles of track threaded the countryside and no Irish town was more than 10 miles from a railway station. Ireland's national railw...

Climb on board for a short train ride - or travel further afield on a special mainline steam excursion. Many engines and coaches are on display in transport museums and railway centres, with memorabilia from the golden age of steam.

The first railway in Ireland opened in 1834, and the network quickly reached into all corners of the island. By 1920 almost 3,500 miles of track threaded the countryside and no Irish town was more than 10 miles from a railway station.

Ireland'...

Railway enthusiasts will be delighted to see the steam locomotives and coaches at Whitehead collected by the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland. The most famous puffer, the Portrush Flyer, steams out from Whitehead Excursion Station to Portrush via Belfast on several summer days....

Based close to Whitehead Railway Station, the RPSI has a unique collection of Irish Standard Gauge steam locomotives and coaches on display. The headquarters are open every Sunday in July, when an engine will be in steam to give short rides on the site and most other weekends for static displays. The society also runs a number of mainline steam events.

The Portrush Flyer
The Flyer is rapidly becoming one of the famous railway names to rank along with images like the 'Fly...

Climb on board for a short train ride - or travel further afield on a special mainline steam excursion. Many engines and coaches are on display in transport museums and railway centres, with memorabilia from the golden age of steam. The first railway in Ireland opened in 1834, and the network quickly reached into all corners of the island. By 1920 almost 3,500 miles of track threaded the countryside and no Irish town was more than 10 miles from a railway station.

Ireland's national...

It was an inspired decision to take the railway station-house and signal-box at Moira into State care as a gesture towards preserving industrial archaeology in the province. The station-house dates from 1841, and is the oldest surviving station building in Northern Ireland.

The station-house preserves much of the original woodwork inside, while the signal-box retains the complicated series of levers for regulating the signals along the line which are fast being replaced everywhere by...

Foyle Valley Railway Centre hosts an exciting and fascinating collection of railway artefacts including the majestic County Donegal Railway steam locomotive 'Columbkille' and diesel railcars No. 12 (1932) and No. 18 (1942). The museum celebrates the outstanding railway history of the city. The working diesel railcars run on a picturesque three-mile track through the nearby Riverside Park. Admission free. Train rides are available seasonally and charges apply (please telephone in advance to confi...