The Donegal Railway Heritage group is now open on Saturdays (10am-4pm) for the winter and well worth a visit.
The group is located in Donegal Town and run by County Donegal Railway Restoration CLG and commemorates the operations of the County Donegal Railway which operated two narrow-gauge railway systems in County Donegal from 1863 until 1959.
The County Donegal Railway was the largest narrow-gauge railway system in the British Isles, although it began its existence in the form of the Irish 5’3” broad gauge.
The first line to open was the Finn Valley Railway from Strabane to Stranorlar in September 1863 and extended in to Donegal Town in 1889.
The next twenty years saw the peak of construction of the narrow-gauge lines, from Donegal Town to Killybegs in 1893, and from Stranorlar to Glenties in 1895.
The Donegal Railway Heritage Centre opened in 1995 and is housed in the original Old Station House in Donegal Town, which was restored by the then County Donegal Railway Restoration Society.
Today, it operates as a visitor attraction comprising a museum, information centre and shop. On display are rolling stock, unique historical artefacts and an audio-visual presentation on the railways’ history.
In addition, the organisation also organises charity events and the Centre’s facilities are available for hire and use by the many community groups within the local and wider catchment area.
The mission of the organisation is “to develop and promote a robust and dynamic all-weather visitor attraction – which will be of interest across a wide section of society.”
“We are a dedicated group of people committed to saving, restoring, developing, celebrating and developing a first-class visitor attraction which played a pivotal part in the history of the County and this island.
“We also play our part in creating meaningful and sustainable employment and in the economic regeneration of this part of Donegal. We would encourage you to help us reach this vision,” said a spokesperson.
For more information, or to make a donation please contact manager@donegalrailway.com or Tel: 074 972 2655 or check us out on Facebook or at www.donegalrailway.com
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