The Midland Great Western Railway (MGWR) was the third largest Irish gauge (1,600 mm/5 ft 3 in) railway company in Ireland. It was incorporated in 1845 and absorbed into the Great Southern Railway in 1924. It served part of Leinster, County Cavan in Ulster and much of Connaught. Its network was entirely within what in 1922 became the Irish Free State.
Contents |
The Midland Great Western Railway Act of 1845 was passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom and the first route, to Enfield, opened in 1847. At its peak the MGWR had a network of 538 miles (866 km), making it Ireland's third largest network after the GS&WR and the Great Northern Railway of Ireland, or GNR(I).
Rivalry existed between the MGWR and the Great Southern and Western Railway, each of which wanted to build the line to Galway. The MGWR started constructing from its line at Mullingar and the GS&WR from its line at Portarlington. The MGWR reached Athlone first, in 1851, and thus the GS&WR was forced to operate its service over MGWR track between Athlone and Galway after it reached Athlone in 1859, paying the MGWR 65% of passenger and 55% of goods receipts. The GS&WR retained a separate station, which is now the sole operating station, the last service to the MGWR running on 13 January 1985.
The MGWR received a grant of £264,000 to build a railway to Clifden, with stations at Moycullen, Oughterard, Maam Cross, Recess and Ballynahinch. The railway opened on 1 July 1895 but due to its inland route it did not serve the bulk of the area's population. It was closed in 1935.
A similar branch line was built at the same time from Westport to Achill, via Newport and Mulrany. The line was closed in 1937.
At its peak the MGWR had a number of branch lines:
In 1924 the Railways Act passed by the Oireachtas of the Irish Free State merged the MGWR with the other railway operators, the Great Southern and Western Railway (GS&WR) and the Cork, Bandon and South Coast Railway, to form the Great Southern Railway, and in 1925 these were joined by the Dublin and South Eastern Railway to form the Great Southern Railways.
The MGWR painted its locomotives bright green until 1905, when an experimental but short-lived dark blue was tried on some engines. This did not wear well and the company reverted to green. From about 1918 locos were painted gloss black until the MGWR became part of the GSR.
Passenger coaches were finished in varnish or brown paint until the advent of the blue livery. As on the locomotives, this was so short lived that few coaches ever received it. The MGWR reverted to brown, though after 1910 this was not so well-adorned with lining. From 1918 coaches were painted a very dark crimson, and after 1924 the GSR adopted a very similar shade.
The former MGWR's main lines still operational are owned by Iarnród Éireann. Routes between Dublin and Sligo, Athlone and Galway, Athlone and Westport and the Ballina branch remain open to passenger traffic. The Meath on Track campaign is campaigning to have the Navan – Clonsilla line (not to be confused with the former GNR Navan – Drogheda line) reopened earlier than the 2015 date announced under Transport 21.[1] The Edenderry, Clifden, Achill, Cavan, Killeshandra, Ballaghaderreen, Ballinrobe, Killala and Loughrea branches lines are all closed.
Platform 11 has proposed running some Galway – Dublin services via the MGWR station in Athlone and the disused route via Moate to Mullingar, reinstating the route of the first MGWR service via the former GS&WR line. The current Galway service runs from Dublin Heuston.
Three former MGWR stations are now hotels, two of which are called the "Station House Hotel" but are unconnected by ownership. They are the much-expanded former Clifden station in Co. Galway, Kilmessan Junction in Co. Meath and the Mullranny Park Hotel at Mulranny, Co. Mayo.
The Great Western Greenway is a greenway rail trail that utilises the route of the former Westport – Achill branch line.[2]
No MGWR locomotive has been preserved but several of its standard six-wheeled carriages exist. One stands derelict at the Station House Hotel in Clifden and another three are on the Downpatrick and County Down Railway. Another, owned by the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland, is being refurbished for public use on the Downpatrick line. The MGWR's unique saloon coach built for William Dargan is at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum, Cultra, County Down, Northern Ireland.