Foyle Valley Railway Museum
Foyle Valley Railway Museum is a museum in Derry, Northern Ireland. It is run by the charity Destined and is dedicated to the history of narrow gauge railways in the surrounding area. A heritage railway named Foyle Vally Railway previously ran from the museum.
History[edit]
Origin of the collection[edit]
After the last remaining line of the County Donegal Railways Joint Committee (CDRJC) closed in 1960, an American airline businessman named Dr Ralph Cox bought a large number of its assets, including many pieces of rolling stock. He had plans to use these for a heritage railway in New Jersey, but the high cost of shipping prevented anything from crossing the Atlantic. The rolling stock stayed in situ at Strabane, Letterkenny and Stranorlor where it was exposed to the effects of the weather and vandalism.[1][2]
First museum and railway[edit]
In 1970, the North West of Ireland Railway Society (NWIRS) was set up to acquire and preserve what remained of Dr Cox's collection. It leased Victoria Road station in June 1972 and opened it as a museum in March of the following year. Between August and November of 1974, five pieces of rolling stock were moved to the museum (nos. 6, 12, 14, 18 and 19). A short section of track was relaid and the two railcars (nos. 12 and 18) began running in May 1975. This was given the name Foyle Valley Railway and there were plans to extend it along the CDRJC trackbed to as far as Prehen Park, however it only ever reached a length of 300 metres (330 yd). In December 1978, a retailer bought the station site and the museum was forced to hastily close. The rolling stock found a new temporary home at Shane's Castle Railway.[1][2][3]
Second museum and railway[edit]
In 1986, Derry City Council constructed a new purpose-built building for the museum. This was on the site of a former goods yard of the Great Northern Railway (GNR) near what was previously Foyle Road station. The NWIRS rolling stock was returned to Derry and was joined by a few more items which had been at Strabane. Track for the Foyle Valley Railway was laid again, this time along the GNR trackbed towards Carrigan. The two railcars resumed running and by 1997 the railway had reached a length of approximately 2+1⁄2 miles (4.0 km).[2][4][5]
In the early 2000s, both the museum and railway closed amid a dispute between the council and the NWIRS. By 2008, the museum had reopened, however it closed again in March 2015. In 2016, the charity Destined, which seeks to help people with learning disabilities, took out a 50-year lease on the building. After the charity renovated the building to increase its accessibility and trained young people to be tour guides, the museum reopened in June 2023.[4][6][7][8][9]
Exhibits[edit]
The museum contains several preserved railway vehicles, most of which are from the former County Donegal Railways Joint Committee, arranged around a mock station platform. Costumed tour guides are available to show visitors around.[4]
| Number | Type | Build date | Original operator | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 4wDM diesel shunter | 1956 | Motor Rail | |
| 4 | 2-6-4T steam locomotive | 1907 | CDRJC | Stored outside. Originally no. 16 Donegal but renamed and renumbered to no. 4 Meenglas in 1937. Superheated in 1926.[10] |
| 6 | 2-6-4T steam locomotive | 1907 | CDRJC | Originally no. 18 Killybegs but renamed and renumbered to no. 6 Columbkille in 1937. Superheated in 1925.[3] |
| 12 | diesel railcar | 1934 | CDRJC | Built by the GNR at Dundalk. Worked the last train from Killybegs on 31 December 1959.[3] |
| 14 | composite carriage | 1893 | CDRJC | Contains five compartments, of which two were originally first class. Converted to all third class in 1937.[3] |
| 18 | diesel railcar | 1885 | CDRJC | Built by the GNR at Dundalk. Burnt out in 1949 but was repaired.[3] |
| 19 | goods van | 1881 | CDRJC | Adapted with vacuum breaks for towing behind the diesel railcars.[3] |
| 30 | third class carriage | 1901 | LLSR | Only known surviving Londonderry and Lough Swilly Railway Carriage.[4] |
| ? | hand-worked crane | ? | LLSR |
Future[edit]
Destined plans to lease more land to the south of the current site to use as a community garden. There are tentative plans to rebuild some of the railway to link this with the museum.[4]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b Langham, Rob (8 December 2023). "Wee Donegal". Steam Railway (552): 72–79 – via Press Reader.
- ^ a b c Johnston, Norman (2003). The Irish Narrow Gauge in Colour. Newtownards: Colourpoint Books. pp. 100–103. ISBN 1904242138.
- ^ a b c d e f Lloyd, David J. (c. 1978). The Foyle Valley Railway and Museum. North West of Ireland Railway Society.
- ^ a b c d e Langham, Rob (1 February 2024). "The Donegal Legacy". Steam Railway (554): 74–81 – via Press Reader.
- ^ Johnson, Stephen (1997). Johnson's Atlas and Gazetteer of the Railways of Ireland. Leicester: Midland Publishing Limited. p. 93. ISBN 1857800443.
- ^ Weir, Clare (25 March 2005). "Railway museum site plans are stalled". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
- ^ McDaid, Brendan (20 January 2023). "Derry's Destined members become tour guides as Foyle Valley Railway Museum reopens". Derry Journal. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
- ^ Northern Ireland Visitor Attraction Survey (PDF) (Report). 14 August 2013. p. 18. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
- ^ "Rail experts call for Foyle Valley Museum artefacts to be safeguarded". Derry Journal. 31 March 2015. Archived from the original on 12 July 2015. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
- ^ "Geograph:: Outside the Foyle Valley Railway Museum,... © Wilson Adams". www.geograph.ie. Retrieved 14 February 2024.