Donegal Railway Company

The Donegal Railway Company (DR) was a 3 ft (914 mm) gauge railway in Ireland.

Donegal Railway Company

Overview
Headquarters	Stranorlar, Donegal
Dates of operation	27 June 1892–1 May 1906
Predecessors	Finn Valley Railway, West Donegal Railway
Successor	County Donegal Railways Joint Committee
Technical
Track gauge	3 ft (914 mm)
Previous gauge	5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm)

History

Donegal Railway Act 1892
Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act for the Amalgamation of the Undertakings of the Finn Valley Railway Company and the West Donegal Railway Company and for other purposes.
Citation	55 & 56 Vict. c. clxi
Dates
Royal assent	27 June 1892

Donegal Railway Act 1893
Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act to authorise the Donegal Railway Company to extend their Railway to Strabane to alter the gauge of a portion of their railway and for other purposes.
Citation	56 & 57 Vict. c. clx
Dates
Royal assent	27 July 1893
Text of statute as originally enacted

Donegal Railway Act 1896
Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act to authorise the Donegal Railway Company to extend their Railway from Strabane to Londonderry and from Donegal to Ballyshannon to make agreements with the Londonderry Port and Harbour Commissioners and the Londonderry Bridge Commissioners and for other purposes.
Citation	59 & 60 Vict. c. ccxxii
Dates
Royal assent	7 August 1896
Text of statute as originally enacted

Donegal Railway Act 1900
Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act to divide the separate undertaking authorised by the Donegal Railway Act 1896 into two separate undertakings to extend the time for the purchase o£ lands and completion of works by that Act authorised to provide for the granting of rebates in favour of the railway from Donegal to Ballyshannon to release the County Council of the County of Donegal from their liability under the West Donegal Light Railway Order and for other purposes.
Citation	63 & 64 Vict. c. cxiii
Dates
Royal assent	30 July 1900
Text of statute as originally enacted

Donegal Railway Act 1902
Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act for attaching a preference to the capital to be issued for the Ballyshannon Extension for the consolidation and conversion of the capital of the Company to repeal the provisions of former Acts as to separate undertakings to further extend the time for the completion of the Ballyshannon Extension to authorise the Company to work its undertaking by electricity and for other purposes.
Citation	2 Edw. 7. c. xxix
Dates
Royal assent	28 April 1902

Donegal Railway Act 1904
Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act to authorize the Donegal Railway Company to raise further Moneys by the creation and issue of Guaranteed Preference Stock for the purpose amongst others of completing the Ballyshannon Extension and to empower the Company to own and work Motor Cars and other Vehicles and for other purposes.
Citation	4 Edw. 7. c. lxvii
Dates
Royal assent	22 July 1904
Text of statute as originally enacted

The company was formed via the Donegal Railway Act 1892 (55 & 56 Vict. c. clxi) on 27 June 1892 by a merger of the Finn Valley Railway and the West Donegal Railway.^[1]

One of the first acts of the new company was to convert the former Finn Valley Railway from Strabane to Stranorlar from 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) to 3 ft (914 mm) gauge, which it completed on 16 July 1894.^[2]

Further new lines were built with a government grant of £300,000 (equivalent to £41,200,000 in 2023),^[3]:

• Stranorlar and Glenties 24 miles (39 km), opened 1895 (stations: Stranorlar, Ballybofey, Glenmore, Cloghan, Ballinamore, Fintown, Shallogans and Glenties)
• Donegal Town to Killybegs 19 miles (31 km), opened 1893 (stations: Donegal Town, Killymard, Mountcharles, Doorin Road, Inver, Port, Dunkineely, Bruckless, Ardara Road and Killybegs)

Other extensions followed later:

• Strabane to Derry 14 miles (23 km), opened 1901 (stations: Strabane, Ballymagorry, Ballyheather, Donemana, Cullion, New Buildings and Derry Victoria Road)
• Donegal Town to Ballyshannon 16 miles (26 km), was the last section to be completed and opened 2 September 1905 ^[4] (stations: Donegal Town, Hospital Halt, Drumbar, Laghey, Bridgetown, Ballintra, Dromore Halt, Dorrian's Bridge Halt, Rossnowlagh, Friary Halt, Coolmore, Creevy, Legalton Halt and Ballyshannon)

In 1906 it was obtained by the joint interest of the Great Northern Railway of Ireland and the Midland Railway Northern Counties Committee which set up a new company, the County Donegal Railways Joint Committee, under the Great Northern (Ireland) and Midland Railways Act 1906 (6 Edw. 7. c. clxxxiii).