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137:)) railway company in Ireland from 1844 until 1924. The GS&WR grew by building lines and making a series of takeovers, until in the late 19th and early 20th centuries it was the largest of Ireland's "Big Four" railway networks. At its peak the GS&WR had an 1,100-mile (1,800 km) network, of which 240 miles (390 km) were double track.
181:
There had been earlier attempts to set up main line railways to the south of
Ireland but the 1840s efforts of Peter Purcell, a wealthy landowner and mail coach operator, and his associates were ultimately to prove successful with the implementation of a bill passed on 6 August 1844 for the GS&WR.
409:
and the MGWR's Liffey Branch to North Wall the route curved back to join the MGWR at
Glasnevin Junction. Joint running rights were obtained over the MGWR route until Church Road junction in the North Wall complex, after which the route diverged to the GS&WR's new cattle pens and sidings. Link
435:
then rejoined the MGWR just before Church Road junction in the North wall complex allowing the same access at North Wall for GS&WR services. Opening on 1 April 1901 it avoided the MGWR's Liffey branch tolls. A spur from the
Drumcondra link line to the DW&WR at Amiens Street was finally
221:
with contracts shared between McCormack and Dargan. Work began in
January 1845 with services commencing on 4 August 1846. Trains were scheduled to take about 2hr 35min for the 56 mi (90 km) stretch to Carlow and coach connections were arranged to Kilkenny, Clonmel, Waterford and the
507:" lorry drivers during a strike by the timber merchant's workers. The British Army was brought in to guard tracks and trains, and Protestant strike-breakers from elsewhere in Ireland to do the work of the strikers. The strike was savagely broken in two months, with the railway's proprietor,
430:
with additional traffic to the Liffey branch line. The GS&WR eventually moved on an opportunity to open an alternative route line from at what was to be known as
Drumcondra junction which diverged just before the junction to the MGWR at Glasnevin. The route ran to the north of
244:. The final 1-mile (1.6 km) of line from Blackpool to the centre of Cork includes a 1,355-yard (1,239 m) tunnel and was not completed for another six years. Services through the tunnel began in December 1855, running to and from a second temporary terminus beside the
164:
main line; Ireland's "Premier Line", and still one of her most important main line railways. The company's headquarters were at
Kingsbridge station. At its greatest extent the GS&WR included, in addition to the Dublin – Cork main line, the Dublin –
813:
Glasnevin and
Drumcondra junctions were remodelled in the 1930s to allow trains from the former MGWR lines access to Amien Street and Westland Row via the Drumcondra link line, while the line from Islandbridge lost access to the Liffey
362:, crossed MGWR territory. It complemented the radial MGWR lines from Dublin, enabling Limerick – Galway and Galway – Sligo traffic, and linked intermediate destinations in the west of Ireland. For a very short time the MGWR exercised
292:
and became the
Waterford and Central Ireland Railway. The GS&WR took over the W&CIR in 1900, thus belatedly bringing the rail route between Dublin and Waterford under the control and operation of a single company.
452:
station. This was in 1854, which made it the first railway-owned hotel in
Ireland and one of the first of its kind in the World. In the following years the GS&WR established further hotels in
766:
GS&WR routes remain some of the most heavily used in
Ireland, linking Dublin with Limerick, Cork, and Waterford. The coats of arms of these cities still adorn the facade of Heuston Station.
804:
It is called the Liffey branch because it diverged from the main line at Liffey Junction; it actually runs mostly alongside the Royal Canal and passes just to the south of Croke Park stadium.
148:
140:
601:
At different times in its history the GS&WR variously used the titles Locomotive Engineer, Locomotive Superintendent or Chief Mechanical Engineer to describe the same post.
194:
as having likely more profitably for wealthy investors and because a single company would be easier to control; these factors likely easing the passing of relevant legislation.
752:("Irish State Transport Company"). CIÉ was nationalised in 1950, but was divided into separate rail and road companies in 1987. Since then, the railways have been operated by
511:, sacking 10% of the workers for their participation in the strike. Goulding told his associates, "Now that we have the men defeated, we'll never have any more trouble."
1329:
312:
for many years. Both ran services between Dublin and the west of Ireland: the GS&WR running southwest to Limerick, Cork and Waterford, and the MGWR running west to
288:
in September 1854 but its relations with the GS&WR were poor, which impeded traffic between Dublin and Waterford by this route. In 1877 the W&KR took over the
213:
The directors chose to begin by construction of the 32.5 mi (52.3 km) stretch of the Dublin – Cork main line as far as Cherryville Junction just west of
190:
and had connections in London. The GS&WR's vision to provide a single railway for most of the south of Ireland found favour with United Kingdom Prime Minister
296:
1334:
1319:
681:, near Mallow in Cork. The driver had been on duty from 3.50am. Of the 200 passengers on board, 96 were seriously injured, one of whom later died as a result.
328:. The GS&WR also had designs on rail traffic to the west of Ireland. In 1859 the GS&WR opened a branch line from the Dublin – Cork main line to
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Peter Purcell, a wealthy landowner and mail coach operator, was the main mover of the GS&WR railway and became its first chairman:
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The line was opened in 1877 to resolve limitations with the GS&WR neither having rail access convenient to the cattle market at
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The branch opened on 2 September 1877 diverging from the main GS&WR line at Islandbridge Junction before tunneling under
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In September 1911 the workers of the Great Southern and Western Railway went on strike nationally after two checkers at
491:. The Great Southern Hotels Group was dissolved in 2006, when its hotels were sold off separately to private investors.
273:
48:
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210:, Ireland's foremost railway contractor, built much of the GS&WR's main line and a number of its other routes.
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In October 1849 the main line reached the outskirts of Cork, where the GS&WR opened a temporary terminus at
39:
693:, County Mayo. The train, carrying many track workers, crashed into an empty cattle train, killing six people.
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354:, which gave it both the Waterford – Limerick – Athenry – Claremorris – Collooney cross-country route and the
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1178:"Accident Returns: Extract for Accident at Lombardstown on 5th August 1912 :: The Railways Archive"
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359:
325:
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754:
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A year after the 1911 strike, on 5 August 1912 at 8.50pm, an excursion train from Killarney crashed in
606:
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1864 — Valentine Browne and Charles G. Napier; permanent way engineers for Dublin and Cork respectively
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On 19 December 1916, in foggy conditions, the driver of a ballast train failed to see a red signal at
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where it connected with the MGWR's Dublin – Galway main line. In the latter half of the 20th century
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17:
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had already reached Lavistown, and thus completion of the ISE enabled GS&WR services to reach
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in 1848 and reached Lavistown in 1850. From the outset the ISE was worked by the GS&WR. The
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to Cabra where cattle sidings and pens were constructed. After passing under the MGWR line to
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The Sunny Side of Ireland – how to see it by The Great Southern and Western Railway
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in Dublin were suspended for refusing to handle timber that had been delivered by "
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627:
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87:
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Alternative titles include engineer, engineer-in-chief, chief civil engineer.
432:
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where there was a requirement for goods, cattle and passenger services. The
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and to the LNWR station at North Wall for passenger ships to Great Britain.
1196:
1281:
1254:
Locomotive and train working in the latter part of the nineteenth century
461:
840:. London: The Railway Publishing Company Limited. 1920. p. 147.
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1874 — William Scott replaced Napier as permanent way engineer Cork.
333:
742:
In 1945 further amalgamation with the Grand Canal Company and the
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336:
made this GS&WR branch part of its Dublin – Galway main line.
295:
259:
147:
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The Great Southern Railway Terminus in Killarney, County Kerry.
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426:(DW&WR) following the opening of the Dublin loop line from
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448:, which was operated by the GS&WR, opened a hotel next to
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519:
734:. Cross-border railways were excluded from the mergers.
398:(MGWR) who were to receive tolls for part of the route.
115:
1,554 miles 58 chains (2,502.1 km) (1919)
107:
1,148 miles 2 chains (1,847.6 km) (1919)
394:(LNWR) was supportive of the venture as was the rival
476:. The company also owned small commercial hotels at
378:
GS&WR North Wall extension depicted on 1912 map
366:over the Athenry – Limerick section of this route.
272:opened between the GS&WR station at Carlow and
111:
103:
86:
81:
71:
63:
58:
1295:. Leicester, England: Midland Publishing Limited.
575:1847 — George Miller (Also locomotive engineer)
252:terminus in Glanmire Road opened in July 1856.
217:and the 23.5 mi (37.8 km) branch to
152:GSWR British Isles connections map, circa 1902
1222:"Accident at Kiltimagh on 19th December 1916"
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173:– Waterford lines and numerous branch lines.
8:
1293:The Midland Great Western Railway of Ireland
673:Commemorative plaque in Lombardstown village
358:and branches. The WLWR, recently dubbed the
32:
27:Major railway company in Ireland (1844–1924)
1116:"The Great Southern Railway Strike of 1911"
410:spurs were available at Newcomen Bridge to
182:Purcell was actively assisted by engineer
1280:O'Mahony, John; Praeger, R. Lloyd (1902).
726:. In January 1925 the GSR merged with the
718:and most other railways wholly within the
480:and near its stations in Dublin and Cork.
47:
38:
1256:. Vol. six. W Heffer & Sons Ltd.
1252:Ahrons, E. L. (1954). L. L. Asher (ed.).
468:(about 3/4 of a mile to the southeast of
1330:Railway companies disestablished in 1924
1265:. Dublin: Irish Railway Record Society.
1197:"The Kiltimagh Railway Disaster of 1916"
1075:
1063:
826:
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352:Waterford, Limerick and Western Railway
346:Waterford, Limerick and Western Railway
340:Waterford, Limerick and Western Railway
710:in 1924 merged the GS&WR with the
444:In an effort to encourage tourism the
31:
1335:Railway companies established in 1844
832:
830:
7:
1320:Defunct railway companies of Ireland
1263:Great Southern & Western Railway
1261:Murray, K.A.; McNeill, D.B. (1976).
776:History of rail transport in Ireland
716:Cork, Bandon and South Coast Railway
422:1891 had seen the connection to the
18:Great Southern & Western Railway
424:Dublin, Wicklow and Wexford Railway
225:In July 1848 the main line reached
483:In 1925 the hotels became part of
264:Corridor Train of the GS & WR.
156:The core of the GS&WR was the
144:GSWR Ireland route map, circa 1902
123:Great Southern and Western Railway
33:Great Southern and Western Railway
25:
350:In 1901 the GS&WR bought the
728:Dublin and South Eastern Railway
392:London and North Western Railway
308:The GS&WR competed with the
838:The Railway Year Book for 1920
278:Waterford and Kilkenny Railway
231:Waterford and Limerick Railway
1:
1286:. Dublin: Alex Thom & Co.
744:Dublin United Tramway Company
712:Midland Great Western Railway
436:realised on 1 December 1906.
396:Midland Great Western Railway
310:Midland Great Western Railway
301:
222:evening mail coach for Cork.
188:London and Birmingham Railway
186:who had done surveys for the
1246:Sources and further reading
1165:Murray & McNeill (1976)
1153:Murray & McNeill (1976)
1141:Murray & McNeill (1976)
1103:Murray & McNeill (1976)
1088:Murray & McNeill (1976)
1052:Murray & McNeill (1976)
1037:Murray & McNeill (1976)
1025:Murray & McNeill (1976)
1013:Murray & McNeill (1976)
1001:Murray & McNeill (1976)
989:Murray & McNeill (1976)
977:Murray & McNeill (1976)
965:Murray & McNeill (1976)
948:Murray & McNeill (1976)
931:Murray & McNeill (1976)
916:Murray & McNeill (1976)
904:Murray & McNeill (1976)
892:Murray & McNeill (1976)
880:Murray & McNeill (1976)
868:Murray & McNeill (1976)
851:Murray & McNeill (1976)
270:Irish South Eastern Railway
233:and thus linked Dublin and
67:1844–31 December 1924
1351:
539:1849 — Sir Edward McDonnel
446:Killarney Junction Railway
343:
1182:www.railwaysarchive.co.uk
786:Rail transport in Ireland
501:Kingsbridge goods station
256:Expansion and competition
46:
37:
1291:Shepherd, Ernie (1994).
665:Lombardstown train crash
135:5 ft 3 in
97:5 ft 3 in
732:Great Southern Railways
702:Great Southern Railways
611:1847–64 — George Miller
545:1878 — James C. Colvill
542:1860 — William Haughton
489:Great Southern Railways
290:Central Ireland Railway
284:. The W&KR reached
203:Dublin – Cork Main Line
76:Great Southern Railways
53:1920 map of the railway
906:, pp. 15–16, 186.
762:GS&WR routes today
724:Great Southern Railway
674:
571:John Benjamin Macneill
379:
305:
265:
248:. Finally the present
184:John Benjamin MacNeill
153:
145:
991:, pp. 33, 62–63.
749:Córas Iompair Éireann
738:Córas Iompair Éireann
706:An Act passed by the
685:Kiltimagh train crash
672:
644:1913–21 — E.A. Watson
584:1878 — Kennett Bayley
485:Great Southern Hotels
412:Amiens Street station
377:
360:Western Rail Corridor
334:Córas Iompair Éireann
299:
263:
151:
143:
1325:Irish gauge railways
647:1921–23 — J.R. Bazin
597:Locomotive engineers
590:1921 — John F. Sides
587:1901 — Albert Gordon
533:1844 — Peter Purcell
418:Drumcondra link line
386:nor to the docks at
370:North Wall extension
1143:, pp. 15, 196.
1078:, pp. 37, 107.
616:Alexander McDonnell
229:, where it met the
125:(GS&WR) was an
34:
675:
536:1846 — George Carr
487:, a subsidiary of
380:
306:
266:
158:Dublin Kingsbridge
154:
146:
64:Dates of operation
1120:theirishstory.com
1066:, pp. 36–41.
1054:, pp. 48–51.
894:, pp. 14–15.
656:
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548:1897 — Joshua Pim
478:Limerick Junction
227:Limerick Junction
119:
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16:(Redirected from
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758:("Irish Rail").
720:Irish Free State
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1122:. 9 March 2011
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1201:West On Track
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197:
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176:
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131:1,600 mm
128:
124:
114:
110:
106:
102:
93:1,600 mm
91:
89:
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77:
74:
70:
66:
62:
57:
50:
45:
41:
36:
30:
19:
1292:
1282:
1262:
1253:
1232:. Retrieved
1228:
1216:
1204:. Retrieved
1200:
1190:
1181:
1172:
1160:
1148:
1136:
1124:. Retrieved
1119:
1110:
1083:
1071:
1059:
1032:
1020:
1008:
996:
984:
972:
911:
899:
887:
875:
846:
837:
809:
800:
765:
753:
747:
741:
730:to form the
723:
722:to form the
708:Dáil Éireann
705:
688:
679:Lombardstown
676:
650:
600:
564:
528:
498:
482:
454:County Kerry
443:
428:Westland Row
421:
403:Phoenix Park
400:
381:
349:
307:
274:Bagenalstown
267:
239:
224:
212:
206:
180:
155:
122:
120:
112:Track length
29:
634:Robert Coey
632:1896–1911–
628:Henry Ivatt
569:1844 — Sir
466:Parknasilla
458:Caragh Lake
192:Robert Peel
127:Irish gauge
88:Track gauge
1314:Categories
822:References
638:1911–13 —
626:1886–96 —
620:1883–86 —
614:1864–83 —
605:1844–47 —
474:Waterville
433:Croke Park
407:Broadstone
388:North Wall
304: 1890
1234:6 January
1206:6 January
697:Aftermath
691:Kiltimagh
660:Incidents
450:Killarney
286:Waterford
246:River Lee
242:Blackpool
237:by rail.
167:Waterford
82:Technical
72:Successor
1126:18 April
770:See also
746:created
525:Chairmen
505:blackleg
318:Westport
282:Kilkenny
235:Limerick
59:Overview
814:Branch.
551:1901 —
462:Kenmare
330:Athlone
322:Ballina
215:Kildare
198:Network
177:Origins
1299:
1269:
714:, the
651:
515:People
472:) and
324:, and
314:Galway
219:Carlow
171:Mallow
104:Length
1225:(PDF)
792:Notes
470:Sneem
384:Cabra
326:Sligo
1297:ISBN
1267:ISBN
1236:2023
1208:2023
1128:2018
268:The
250:Cork
169:and
162:Cork
121:The
456:at
1316::
1227:.
1199:.
1180:.
1118:.
1095:^
1044:^
955:^
938:^
923:^
858:^
829:^
464:,
460:,
320:,
316:,
302:c.
160:–
1305:.
1275:.
1238:.
1210:.
1184:.
1130:.
133:(
129:(
99:)
95:(
20:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
