Irish North Western Railway
Encyclopedia
Irish North Western Railway (INW) was an Irish gauge
railway company in Ireland
.
main line, which was completed between and its own separate station in the same year.
The D&ER extended westwards, reaching in 1854, in 1855 and in 1858. In 1859 the D&ER reached where it connected with the Londonderry and Enniskillen Railway
(L&ER). The L&ER had been completed in 1854 but had been unprofitable, so in 1860 it leased its line in perpetuity to the D&ER. This gave the D&ER a direct route between Dundalk and .
In 1862 the INW opened a branch from southwards to . In the same year the company renamed itself the Irish North Western Railway. In 1863 the Ulster Railway
reached Clones where it made a junction with the INW. In 1868 the Enniskillen and Bundoran Railway
opened between and , and contracted the INW to operate its line.
In 1876 the INW merged with the Northern Railway of Ireland
and the Ulster Railway to form the Great Northern Railway
.
made the GNR Board close all cross-border lines except the Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway main line. Córas Iompair Éireann
continued a freight service between Dundalk and Clones for a few years, but withdrew this and closed the line in 1960.
Irish gauge
Irish gauge railways use a track gauge of . It is used in* Ireland * Australia where it is also known as Victorian Broad Gauge* Brazil where it is also known as Bitola larga no Brasil....
railway company in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
Development
The company was founded as the Dundalk and Enniskillen Railway (D&ER) and opened the first section of its line, from to , in 1849. In Dundalk the D&ER line crossed the Dublin and Belfast Junction RailwayDublin and Belfast Junction Railway
Dublin and the Belfast Junction Railway was an Irish gauge railway in Ireland. The company was incorporated in 1845 and opened its line in stages between 1849 and 1853....
main line, which was completed between and its own separate station in the same year.
The D&ER extended westwards, reaching in 1854, in 1855 and in 1858. In 1859 the D&ER reached where it connected with the Londonderry and Enniskillen Railway
Londonderry and Enniskillen Railway
The Londonderry and Enniskillen Railway was an Irish gauge railway in Ireland.-Construction and opening:The Londonderry and Enniskillen Railway was incorporated in 1845. Construction began at Derry and followed the west bank of the River Foyle southwards to Strabane, which was reached in 1847...
(L&ER). The L&ER had been completed in 1854 but had been unprofitable, so in 1860 it leased its line in perpetuity to the D&ER. This gave the D&ER a direct route between Dundalk and .
In 1862 the INW opened a branch from southwards to . In the same year the company renamed itself the Irish North Western Railway. In 1863 the Ulster Railway
Ulster Railway
The Ulster Railway was a railway company operating in Ulster, Ireland. The company was incorporated in 1836 and merged with two other railway companies in 1876 to form the Great Northern Railway .-History:...
reached Clones where it made a junction with the INW. In 1868 the Enniskillen and Bundoran Railway
Enniskillen and Bundoran Railway
The Enniskillen and Bundoran Railway was an Irish gauge railway company in north-west Ireland. It linked Bundoran and Ballyshannon on the Atlantic coast of Donegal with the Londonderry and Enniskillen Railway at in Fermanagh...
opened between and , and contracted the INW to operate its line.
In 1876 the INW merged with the Northern Railway of Ireland
Northern Railway of Ireland
Northern Railway of Ireland was an Irish gauge railway company in Ireland.It was formed by a merger of the Dublin and Drogheda Railway with the Dublin and the Belfast Junction Railway in 1875. In 1876 it merged with the Irish North Western Railway and Ulster Railway to form the Great Northern...
and the Ulster Railway to form the Great Northern Railway
Great Northern Railway (Ireland)
The Great Northern Railway was an Irish gauge railway company in Ireland.The Great Northern was formed in 1876 by a merger of the Irish North Western Railway , Northern Railway of Ireland, and Ulster Railway. The Ulster Railway was the GNRI's oldest constituent, having opened between Belfast and...
.
After merger
The GNR operated the line between Dundalk and Enniskillen until 1957, when the Government of Northern IrelandGovernment of Northern Ireland
The Government of Northern Ireland is, generally speaking, whatever political body exercises political authority over Northern Ireland. A number of separate systems of government exist or have existed in Northern Ireland....
made the GNR Board close all cross-border lines except the Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway main line. Córas Iompair Éireann
CIE
-Organizations:* Cambridge International Examinations, an international examination board* Cleveland Institute of Electronics, a private technical and engineering educational institution — the International Commission on Illumination...
continued a freight service between Dundalk and Clones for a few years, but withdrew this and closed the line in 1960.