Ballymote railway station

Ballymote railway station serves the town of Ballymote in County Sligo, Ireland.

Ballymote Baile an Mhóta
Ballymote station in 1993 looking north towards Sligo.[lower-alpha 1]
Location	Carrownanty, Ballymote, County Sligo, F56 F880 Republic of Ireland
Coordinates	54.08833°N 8.52112°W / 54.08833; -8.52112
Owned by	Iarnród Éireann
Operated by	Iarnród Éireann
Platforms	1 (formerly 2)
Tracks	1 (formerly 2)
Construction
Structure type	At-grade
Other information
Station code	BMOTE
Fare zone	P
History
Opened	1862[1]
Original company	Midland Great Western Railway
Pre-nationalisation	Great Southern Railways
Services Preceding station   Iarnród Éireann   Following station Boyle   InterCity Dublin-Sligo   Collooney

Dublin-Sligo main line
Year closed Sligo Mac Diarmada Sligo Quay freight terminal 2000 Ballysodare 1963 Ballisodare River Sligo, Leitrim and Northern Counties Rly to Enniskillen 1957 proposed Western Railway Corridor to Limerick 1963 Collooney Ballymote Kilfree Junction 1963 to Ballaghaderreen 1963 Boyle Carrick-on-Shannon Drumsna 1963 River Shannon Cavan and Leitrim Railway Dromod Newtown Forbes 1963 Longford Edgeworthstown Street & Rathowen 1963 to Cavan 1959 Inny Junction 1931 Multyfarnham 1963 Clonhugh 1963 The Royal Canal to Athlone 1964 Mullingar Killucan 1963 Hill of Down 1963 River Boyne Moyvalley 1963 to Edenderry 1931 Enfield Ferns Lock 1963 Kilcock Maynooth Blakestown Leixlip Louisa Bridge Leixlip Confey Lucan North 1941 Barberstown Docklands branch to M3 Parkway Clonsilla Porterstown DM (future) Coolmine Coolmine Castleknock Blanchardstown 1937 Navan Road Parkway Ashtown Ashtown Pelletstown (future) Reilly's Bridge 1847 Broombridge Liffey Junction Passengers 1937 Goods 1977 Dublin Broadstone Passengers 1937 Goods 1961 Glasnevin 1910 The Royal Canal Phoenix Park Tunnel to Dublin Heuston Drumcondra Belfast–Dublin railway line Docklands ( Spencer Dock) The Royal Canal Dublin Connolly Luas Red Line to Saggart and Tallaght Dublin-Rosslare railway line to Rosslare Europort = Western Commuter

History

The station opened on 3 December 1862 with the Midland Great Western Railway extension from Longford to Sligo.[1]

The current station building is listed and was believed to have been built around 1875.[2]

A wall-mounted cast iron water fountain with the inscription "keep the pavement dry" was installed on the east platform around 1910. It is of skilled craftsmanship and the inscription is unusual.[3]

The passing loop was removed at some point between 1985 and 1993 with the track only serving the up platform.[lower-alpha 2]

There was also a goods depot, shed and goods yard that have since been demolished.

Accidents

On 2 August 1903, a double-headed passenger train for Sligo collided with the mail train for Dublin. Three passengers were injured. The investigation concluded the passenger train, whose main driver had been on shift for 20 hours, had gone through a stop signal resulting in a Collision - road incorrectly set. The lead engine also did not have its braking system correctly connected to the main engine.[1]

Awards

Ballymote was the winner of the National Best Station award in 2004.[4]

Notable people

Albert Reynolds was an Irish Taoiseach who formerly worked in the CIE accountancy office at Ballymote dealing with the various accounts in the town sending or receiving goods by train.[5]

Gallery

• 
  Train pulled by 121 class locomotives entering Ballymote from Sligo in 1985 showing the now demolished signal box and goods depot
• 
  Looking south in 2009. The bridge is the R296 road to Tubbercurry. The steps to the now disused down platform were the only means of access.
• 
  The listed station house building which dates from 1875

See also

• List of railway stations in Ireland

Notes and References

Notes

1. The 1993 image shows the track singled and goods shed demolished though the signal box remains. The goods yard is now a car park occupied by a CIÉ school bus. The cattle loading platform is evidenced in the top right quadrant.
2. Photographic images show both tracks present in 1985 but only a single track serving the platform in 1993.

References

1. Shepherd, Ernie (1994). The Midland Great Western Railway of Ireland - An illustrated History. Midland Publishing Limited. pp. 27, 81, 118, 139. ISBN 1-85780-008-7.
2. "Ballymote Railway Station, Ballymote, County Sligo". National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
3. "Ballymote Railway Station, Ballymote, County Sligo". National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
4. "Station manager waves last train through after lifetime in railway". 1 October 2013. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
5. Albert Reynolds: My Autobiography. Random House. 2010. p. 35. ISBN 9781848270473.

External links

• Irish Rail Ballymote station website