The Giant's Causeway and Bushmills Railway

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the current steam railway. For the early electric tramway over part of whose former course it operates, see Giant's Causeway Tramway.

The Giant's Causeway and Bushmills Railway (GC&BR) is a 3 ft (914 mm) gauge narrow gauge heritage railway operating between the Giant's Causeway and Bushmills on the coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The line is two miles (3.2 km) long.

1 History
- 1.1 The original line
- 1.2 The new line
2 The route
3 Locomotives and coaches
4 See also
5 External links
6 References

[edit] History

[edit] The original line

Main article: Giant's Causeway Tramway

The Giant's Causeway Tramway, operated by the Giant's Causeway, Portrush and Bush Valley Railway & Tramway Company Ltd, was a pioneering 3 ft (914 mm) gauge electric narrow gauge railway operating between Portrush and the Giant's Causeway. 9¼ miles (14.8 km) long, it was hailed at its opening as “the first long electric tramway in the world”.^[1] Promoted by W.A. Traill it was powered by hydroelectricity from an elevated third rail, although steam tram engines were also used in its earlier years, and the power supply was converted to overhead wire in 1899. It opened to Bushmills in 1883, the extension from there to the Causeway following on 1 July 1887. The line did not reopen after the end of the 1949 season on 20 September, and was subsequently dismantled.

[edit] The new line

The new railway utilises equipment originally assembled by Lord O’Neill for a tourist line at Shanes Castle, Country Antrim, which closed in 1994. The idea of using this to revive part of the Tramway was largely conceived and promoted by David Laing. The Giant’s Causeway and Bushmills Railway Company is a not-for-profit organisation with charitable status. Clearance of the trackbed commenced at the end of 1999 and the railway carried its first passengers at Easter 2002. It is normally steam operated.

[edit] The route

The upper station, just below the Causeway Hotel, has a single platform and passenger, locomotive and carriage facilities, all built in traditional style for the line, which departs towards Bushfoot Strand down a gradient which is sufficient to make the engines 'bark' on their return. It then follows the ancient sand dune system until it meets the River Bush where a newly installed bridge carries the line across. Just before the bridge is a passing loop, not normally used. Crossing Bushfoot Golf Course to meet Ballaghmore Road (which leads from Bushmills to Portballintrae) the line turns bringing it parallel to that road, which it follows to the lower terminus situated at the junction of the Portrush to Bushmills road. The GC&BR Bushmills station is a single platform with no buildings. Alongside the line there is both a cycle track (National Cycle Network 93) and a footpath.

[edit] Locomotives and coaches

No.	Name	Builders Details.	Date Built	Notes.
1	Tyrone	0-4-0T: OC: P : Works No. 1026	1904	Ex-British Aluminium Co., Larne
2	Rory	4w DH:Simplex: Works No. 102T016	1976	Ex-Blue Circle Cement
3	Shane	0-4-0WT: OC:AB : Works No. 2265	1949	Ex-Bord na Mona, Clonast, built as turf (peat)-burner

Notes:

P Peckett and Sons, Bristol, England.

AB Andrew Barclay Sons & Co., Kilmarnock, Scotland.

OC Steam Locomotive with cylinders outside the frames.

WT Steam Locomotive with water capacity in a tank situated between the frames.

DH Diesel Locomotive with Hydraulic Transmission.

The line has eight 4-wheel coaches

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Giant’s Causeway & Bushmills Railway official website.

[edit] References

Thomas, Cliff (2002). The Narrow Gauge in Britain & Ireland. Penryn: Atlantic. ISBN 1-902827-05-8.
Johnson, Stephen (1997). Johnson's Atlas & Gazetteer of the Railways of Ireland. Leicester: Midland Publishing. ISBN 1-85780-044-3.