List of heritage railways in Northern Ireland
Encyclopedia
There are a number of heritage railway
s in Northern Ireland
, reflecting Ireland
's long railway history
. Some of the primary sites include:
Heritage railway
thumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...
s in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, reflecting 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...
's long railway history
History of rail transport in Ireland
The history of rail transport in Ireland began only a decade later than that of Great Britain. By its peak in 1920, Ireland counted 5,500 route kilometers...
. Some of the primary sites include:
- The Downpatrick & Co Down Railway in County DownCounty Down-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...
is located on part of the former Belfast & County Down Railway. Two and a half miles track has been relaid to Inch Abbey on the old route to Belfast, and a further one mile laid along the old route to Newcastle. It is hoped that this section will be extended to the hamlet of Ballydugan. It operates with preserved steam and diesel locomotives and vintage wooden carriages. - The Railway Preservation Society of IrelandRailway Preservation Society of IrelandThe Railway Preservation Society of Ireland is an Irish railway preservation group operating in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1964. The Society has its headquarters at Whitehead, County Antrim, Northern Ireland and a base at Mullingar, County Westmeath...
headquarters, in WhiteheadWhitehead, County AntrimWhitehead is a small seaside town on the east coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland, lying almost midway between the towns of Carrickfergus and Larne. It lies within the civil parishes of Island Magee and Templecorran, the barony of Belfast Lower, and is part of Carrickfergus Borough Council...
, County AntrimCounty AntrimCounty Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...
. A large selection of steam locomotives and preserved rolling stock can be seen. Although there is not an actual heritage railway in Whitehead, there are regular railtourRailtourA railtour is a special train which is run in order to allow people to experience rail travel which is not available using timetabled passenger services...
s with the preserved stock running to various destinations in Ireland. - The Giant's Causeway and Bushmills Railway on the north coast in County AntrimCounty AntrimCounty Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...
. Steam-powered services run from the Giant's CausewayGiant's CausewayThe Giant's Causeway is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic eruption. It is located in County Antrim on the northeast coast of Northern Ireland, about three miles northeast of the town of Bushmills...
to BushmillsBushmillsBushmills is a village on the north coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Bushmills had 1,319 inhabitants in the 2001 Census. It is located 95 km from Belfast, 10 km from Ballycastle and 15 km from Coleraine...
. Laid on part of the course of the original Giant's Causeway TramwayGiant's Causeway TramwayThe Giant's Causeway Tramway, operated by the Giant's Causeway, Portrush and Bush Valley Railway & Tramway Company Ltd, was a pioneering gauge electric narrow gauge railway operating between Portrush and the Giant's Causeway on the coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland...
which was electric-powered, with its own hydroelectric plant – the first such system in the world. - The Foyle Valley RailwayFoyle Valley RailwayThe Foyle Valley Railway is a heritage railway in Derry, Northern Ireland. The exhibition is a recreated railway station platform and within the displays visitors can find out about the various railway companies which once operated out of the city....
, in County LondonderryCounty LondonderryThe place name Derry is an anglicisation of the old Irish Daire meaning oak-grove or oak-wood. As with the city, its name is subject to the Derry/Londonderry name dispute, with the form Derry preferred by nationalists and Londonderry preferred by unionists...
. The project has faced some difficulties, but does hold a quantity of preserved railway stock, on part of one of DerryDerryDerry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
city's closed railway routes (the city once had four stations). http://derry.goireland.com/scripts/low/xq/asp/areaid.173/areatype.C/cat.9/SubjectID.10/PremisesID.14673/qx/premises.htm
See also
- Ulster Folk and Transport MuseumUlster Folk and Transport MuseumThe Ulster Folk and Transport Museum is situated in Cultra, Northern Ireland, about east of the city of Belfast. It comprises two separate museums, the Folk Museum and the Transport Museum...
- List of heritage railways
- List of narrow gauge railways in Ireland
- List of heritage railways in the Republic of Ireland
- List of Conservation topics
- Conservation in the United KingdomConservation in the United KingdomThis page gives an overview of the complex structure of environmental and cultural conservation in the United Kingdom.With the advent of devolved government for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and of evolving regional government for England, the responsibilities for environment and...