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Cork and Muskerry Light Railway

 

 
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Cork and Muskerry Light Railway
 
 
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The Cork and Muskerry Light Railway was a narrow gauge railway in County Cork
County Cork

County Cork is the most southerly and the largest of the modern counties of Republic of Ireland. Cork is nicknamed "The Rebel County", as a result of the support of the townsmen of Cork in 1491 for Perkin Warbeck, a pretender to the throne of England during the Wars of the Roses....
, Ireland
Ireland

Ireland is the List of islands by area in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islet....
. The first part of the railway opened in 1887 and closed in 1934. A major reason for building the railway was to exploit tourist traffic to Blarney Castle
Blarney Castle

Blarney Castle is a medieval stronghold in Blarney, near Cork , Republic of Ireland. It is near the River Martin. The castle originally dates from before AD 1200....
.

railway operated from its own station at Cork
Cork (city)

Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the Ireland third most populous city after Dublin and Belfast. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the Provinces of Ireland of Munster....
. The initial lines westwards from Cork to Blarney
Blarney

Blarney is a village in the south of Ireland, located 8km north-west of Cork , Republic of Ireland. It is the site of Blarney Castle, home of the legendary Blarney Stone....
 and Coachford
Coachford

Coachford is a village west of Cork , in County Cork, Republic of Ireland. It is located on the north side of the River Lee . Coachford got its name from ?th an Ch?iste as there used to be a narrow ford across a stream ....
 opened in 1887 and 1888 respectively, the railway was built close to the south bank of the River Lee
River Lee (Ireland)

The Lee is a river in Ireland. It rises in the Shehy Mountains on the western border of County Cork and flows eastwards through Cork City, where it splits in two for a short distance and empties into the Celtic Sea at Cork Harbour on the south coast.....
 as far as a station at Coachford Junction, 6½ miles west of Cork.






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The Cork and Muskerry Light Railway was a narrow gauge railway in County Cork
County Cork

County Cork is the most southerly and the largest of the modern counties of Republic of Ireland. Cork is nicknamed "The Rebel County", as a result of the support of the townsmen of Cork in 1491 for Perkin Warbeck, a pretender to the throne of England during the Wars of the Roses....
, Ireland
Ireland

Ireland is the List of islands by area in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islet....
. The first part of the railway opened in 1887 and closed in 1934. A major reason for building the railway was to exploit tourist traffic to Blarney Castle
Blarney Castle

Blarney Castle is a medieval stronghold in Blarney, near Cork , Republic of Ireland. It is near the River Martin. The castle originally dates from before AD 1200....
.

Initial route

The railway operated from its own station at Cork
Cork (city)

Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the Ireland third most populous city after Dublin and Belfast. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the Provinces of Ireland of Munster....
. The initial lines westwards from Cork to Blarney
Blarney

Blarney is a village in the south of Ireland, located 8km north-west of Cork , Republic of Ireland. It is the site of Blarney Castle, home of the legendary Blarney Stone....
 and Coachford
Coachford

Coachford is a village west of Cork , in County Cork, Republic of Ireland. It is located on the north side of the River Lee . Coachford got its name from ?th an Ch?iste as there used to be a narrow ford across a stream ....
 opened in 1887 and 1888 respectively, the railway was built close to the south bank of the River Lee
River Lee (Ireland)

The Lee is a river in Ireland. It rises in the Shehy Mountains on the western border of County Cork and flows eastwards through Cork City, where it splits in two for a short distance and empties into the Celtic Sea at Cork Harbour on the south coast.....
 as far as a station at Coachford Junction, 6½ miles west of Cork. From Coachford Junction the branch to Blarney was 2 miles, the line to Coachford 9 miles.

Throughout the railway's existence, the line was equipped with nine steam locomotives. The line was built to a track gauge of 3 feet (914 mm).

The Donoughmore Extension

An 8½ mile long extension was built north-westerly from St Annes (on the Blarney branch) to Donoughmore
Donoughmore

Donoughmore is a parish in County Cork which lies 25 km west north west of Cork city in Republic of Ireland....
. The line was opened in 1893. It was legally a separate company (the Donoughmore Extension Light Railway Company, incorporated in 1889) but always worked as an integral part of the Cork and Muskerry Light Railway.

Final years

The line was comparatively unaffected by World War I
World War I

World War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....
, but experienced serious damage during the Irish Civil War
Irish Civil War

The Irish Civil War was a conflict that accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State as an entity independence from the United Kingdom within the British Empire....
 of 1922-23. The destruction of a bridge over the River Lee seriously undermined the railway's viability; the railway was repaired and incoporated into Great Southern Railways (Ireland) in 1925.

Road competition started to seriously affect the railway in the 1920s. The railway closed on 29 December 1934.

See also

  • Cork, Blackrock and Passage Railway
    Cork, Blackrock and Passage Railway

    The Cork, Blackrock and Passage Railway was a narrow gauge railway in County Cork, Ireland. It was originally opened in 1850 as a broad gauge railway between Cork and Passage West, but was converted to 3' gauge in 1902....
  • List of narrow gauge railways in Ireland
    List of narrow gauge railways in Ireland

    Ireland formerly had several narrow gauge railways, almost all built to a gauge of 914 mm . The last line to close was the West Clare Railway in 1961....
  • Schull and Skibbereen Railway
    Schull and Skibbereen Railway

    The Schull and Skibbereen Railway was a minor narrow gauge railway in County Cork, Ireland. It opened in 1886 and closed in 1947. The track gauge was 3 feet ....