Buncrana railway station

Buncrana railway station served Buncrana in County Donegal, Ireland.

Buncrana
LocationBuncrana, County Donegal
Ireland
History
Original companyLondonderry and Lough Swilly Railway
Post-groupingLondonderry and Lough Swilly Railway
Key dates
9 September 1864Station opens
6 September 1948Station closes for passengers
10 August 1953Station closes

History

The station opened on 9 September 1864 on the Londonderry and Lough Swilly Railway line from Londonderry Graving Dock to Buncrana. It was designed by the Derry architect Fitzgibbon Louch.[1]

The main station building was burned down in August 1903. A servant girl living the station accidentally upset oil lamp over the refreshment rooms, and in a few minutes the whole building was ablaze. The station master rescued his wife and family, and also got out some the railway papers. The damage to the station was estimated to be £5,000 in 1903 prices.[2]

On September 4, 1905, the front axle of a train approaching the station suddenly broke. The train overran the station and the points were torn up for considerable distance. Although no one was injured in the accident, the station was forced to close until repairs were made.[3]

An 18 year old engine cleaner - Hugh McLaughlin from Londonderry - was found dead in the station pump room on December 9, 1909. He lit a fire in the room for warmth and then went to sleep. However there was no outlet for the smoke and McLaughlin died of smoke inhalation.[4]

On 30 July 1922, during the Irish Civil War, Buncrana was captured by the Free State forces from Anti-treaty forces. The Free State forces held the railway station and all the roads entering the town. Later that day, 100 Free State troops commandeered a train at Buncrana station and proceeded to take Clonmany, Carndonagh and other locations on the peninsula.[5]

The station closed for passengers on 6 September 1948.[6] In December 1952, the Irish minister of industry and commerce signed an order authorizing the closure of rail services to Buncrana.[7] Freight services were finally terminated on 10 August 1953.

Post railway use

The station buildings still exist. They were purchased in 1952 by Dan and Molly Porter and have been converted to a public house – The Drift Inn.[8] It is recorded on the Record of Protected Structures in the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage of Ireland.

Routes
Preceding station   Disused railways   Following station
Lisfannon Links Halt   Londonderry and Lough Swilly Railway
Londonderry- Carndonagh		   Ballymagan
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References
  1. The Buildings of Ireland, North West Ulster: The Counties of Londonderry, Donegal, Fermanagh And Tyrone. Alistar Rowan. Yale University Press
  2. "DESTRUCTIVE FIRE IN BUNCRANA RAILWAY STATION". Belfast Newsletter. 18 August 1903.
  3. "Accident on Lough Swilly railway". The Irish times. 6 September 1905.
  4. "Distressing accident on Lough Swilly railway, engine cleaner suffocated". The Irish Times. 10 December 1909.
  5. "REBELS ARE ROUTED IN DONEGAL TOWNS; Free State Troops Capture Gar- risons at Letterkenney, Buncrana and Cardonagh. ENDS BRIGANDAGE THERE Raiders Had Terrorized the District for Weeks, Frequently Holding Up Trains" (PDF). The New York Times. 1 July 1922.
  6. "Buncrana station" (PDF). Railscot - Irish Railways. Retrieved 2008-05-24.
  7. "Train services terminated". The Irish times. 11 December 1952.
  8. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-03-25. Retrieved 2012-04-13.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)


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