County Donegal Railways Joint Committee

CDRJC coa.

History: Summary

Constituents Finn Valley Railway (1863) - originally 5'3" gauge, West Donegal Railway opened 1882-9, amalgamated with FVR as Donegal Railway. Subsequent extensions to Glenties, Killybegs, Ballyshannon and Londonderry. The Donegal Railway became the CDRJC by Act of Parliament of 1/5/1906 and was jointly owned by the MRNCC and the GNRI. The Strabane and Letterkenny, which opened on 1/1/1909 was owned by the MRNCC but worked by the CDRJC. Total track mileage of 125 (incl. 14 1/2 owned by NCC, but worked by CDRJC), 21 locos, 56 passenger and 11 other passenger, 304 goods vehicles. There were 62 public level crossings. Line closed 1959. Restoration of loco Drumbo began 1983. Other stock recovered were coach No. 28 and the passenger portion of railcar No.14. For recent details see link below.

Rolling stock: Donegal Railway - 3' gauge: 3 locos into stock from West Donegal Railway 1892; 12 built 1893-1904 (6 N, 2NR, 4 NW); 15 locos taken into CDRJC stock 1906. West Donegal Railway - 3' gauge: 3 locos built 1881 SS; 3 locos into DR stock 1892. CDRJC - 3'gauge : 15 locos taken into stock 1906 from Donegal Railway (Sharp Stewart Wks.Nos. 3021-3, 1881, Neilson Wks.No. 4573-8, 1893, 6103-4, 1901, Nasmyth Wilson Wks.Nos. 697-7000; 8 new locos built 1907-1912, Builder Nasmyth Wilson (Wks.Nos. 828-832,1907 and 956-8, 1912). 23 railcars from various builders: Allday and Onions 1906, 2 Ford 1924, Cartledge 1925, Drewry 1926, O'Doherty 1928, 1929, 1930, 2 Dundalk 1931 - the first diesel railcars in the British Isles, 2 Stranolar 1933, Walker Bros. 1932, Atkinson Walker 1929 - Phoenix, Dundalk 1934, Ford 1925, Dundalk 1935, 2 1936, 1938, 1940, 1950, 1951. Carriage stock details, as at 1.1.24, are in Patterson. Builders of the 59 carriages listed there were R.C.and W (11), Oldbury (36), Pickering (9), LMSNCC (3).
Works: Stranolar
Livery: Originally locos green, coaches lake and cream; in 1906 locos black with thin red lining, coaches maroon, post-1933 locos black (except Phoenix - diesel shunter, blue), coaches scarlet and cream, subsequently post-1937 locos geranium red with black boilers and domes. Nameplates on side tanks, numberplates on front cab panel. Initially lined out with a thin double yellow line with reversed corners, by 1958 this had been reduced to a single line. [Patterson]Until 1906 engine livery green with black bands and white lines. From 1906 until about 1937 it was black lined red. After 1937 geranium red - unlined or in white and possibly also yellow. Nameplates were brass, with raised edge, affixed to middle of side tanks. Alice, Blanche and Lydia had serif letters, others block capitals. Engine nos. were first given as No.1, up to class 3, and were painted or transferred. At a later date, the prefix 'No.' was left out. Classes 4, 5 and 5A were given cast brass nos. when built. When Class 5 were renumbered only 6 and 8 got cast plates, 4 and 5 got painted nos.. When 2A and 3A were renumbered, new plates were not cast and the 'A' s were filed off. A new plate was cast for Alice. Five identifiable carriage liveries. Earliest Indian red or chocolate, lined peacock blue, class nos. in gold shaded black and red. Later, about 1905, saloon carriage two colour - black lower, dark cream above. Other stock plum and cream with mouldings in signal red. Then black, lined red. During 1930s, two colour - red lower and cream upper, plus thin black line. Ends of coaches red, except observation coaches where two colours carried round. Underframes, buffers, bogies and roofs black. Numbers were gold, shaded black. Crest of Donegal Railway, and later CDRJC, was either below the waist line or on a circular board at mid window level. [SJC: Until 1912 locos were green with spaced white lines on tanks. From 1912 black with red lining. Nos.1 and 12 were still green in 1920. From 1937 vermillion, either unlined or with red and white lining. No.18 first to get new livery. No.11 only one of Class 4 to get red, the rest remained black until end. Earliest carriage livery described as Indian red on chocolate lined in peacock blue. Later Livesey introduced a two tone livery of black lower half and dark cream then came all-black lined in white. In the 1930s this was followed by red lower and cream upper. In April 1940 reports exist of the completion of painting in new synthetic red and cream colours.
Staff: Loco. superintendents: FVR - 1882-90 D.Laverty, 1890-92 R.H.Livesey; WDR - 1892-1906 R.H.Livesey; CDRJC 1906-1922 R.H.Livesey; CDRJC Loco. engineers: 1922-33 G.T.Glover, 1933-9 G.B.Howden, 1939-50 H.McIntosh, 1950-7 R.W.Meredith, 1957-60 H.E.Wilson. Secretaries were: FVR - 1860 Sir E.Hayes, 1860-1 ?Murphy, 1861-90 J.A.Ledlie, 1890-2 R.H.Livesey; WDR - 1879-90 J.A.Ledlie, 1890-7 R.H.Livesey, 1897-1906 W.R.Lawson; CDRJC - 1906-10 W.R.Lawson, 1910-43 H.Forbes 1943-66 B.L.Curran, 1966 E.Fitzgerald & M.J.Hayes. (For full list of officers see Patterson, Appendix 5).
Signalling: Electric train staff. Larger instruments in use on Derry, Glenties, Ballyshannon and Killybegs lines and miniature staffs on the Finn Valley, West Donegal and Letterkenny lines. Sections were Strabane-Donemana-Londonderry (later merged), Strabane-Castlefinn-Stranolar, Stranolar-Lough Eske-Donegal, Donegal-Inver-Killybegs, Stranolar-Fintown-Glenties (later merged), Donegal-Ballintra-Ballyshannon (later merged), Strabane-Raphoe-Glenmaquin-Letterkenny (subsequently Strabane-Raphoe-Letterkenny).[By 1907 miniature staff version developed. First installed on CDRJC. Removed Tyers blocks from Stranolar-Lough Eske-Donegal section and subtitution with 4 miniature staffs, installed by 29/1/1908. Source: Railway & Telecommunications, Tom Wall IRRS601]
Other: In 1937 glazed frames for photos and maps for carriages obtained from GNRI. Footwarmers sold to LLSR in 1925.

Further reading: E.M.Patterson, The County Donegal Railways, Steve Flanders, The County Donegal Railway, H.C.Casserly, Outline of Irish Railway History, S.J.Carse, "CDRJC Coaching Stock" JIRRS 1080, S.J.Carse, "Motive Power of the CDRJC" JIRRS 1087 and 288, R Robotham & J Curran, The 'Wee Donegal' Revisited: More views of the County Donegal Railways in colour.
Web: The Donegal Railways site has lots of information on the CDRJC and the LLSR and is back again at a new location in June 2005. The Narrow Gauge Museum at Tywyn in Wales has a number of Irish narrow gauge CDRJC items. Browse through their collection starting here for CDRJC and constituents' railwayana. Items illustrated are: 'Finn', 'Glenties' and 'Stranolar' nameplates, a CDR locomotive axlebox cover, an 'Donegal Railway Co' enamel poster header, a Saxby and Farmer signal, a tail lamp glass in wooden frame, 2 similar colour CDR posters and a ticket dating press – side entry.

Coat of Arms

CDRJC coa. Source: SRA604
CDRJC coa. Source: TRA305
CDRJC coa. (full image 76k)
CDRJC coa.
CDRJC coa. Source: GCR110. (full image 26k)
CDRJC coa. Source: JAC0115. full image 68K.
CDRJC coa. Source: RNT0914 full image 108K.

Rolling Stock railwayana

Locomotive nameplates:
CDRJC nameplate. Source: SRA1297
Another nameplate. Source: SRA698
CDRJC nameplate 'Eske'. Source: SRA1203
CDRJC 'Inver' nameplate. Source: GCR1008. (full image 12.5K).
CDRJC nameplate. Source: SRA305
CDRJC nameplate. Source: SRA1206
CDRJC locomotive nameplate. Source: GCR0414 full image 25K
CDRJC nameplate. Source: SRA605 (full image 16K).
A third + numberplate (full image 16K).
CDRJC nameplate. Source: GWR512. (full image 16K).
A fourth numberplate. Source: SRA1295
CDRJC nameplates at Tywyn Source: RAG43
CDRJC whistle. Source: GWR512. (full image 9K).

Lydia name and no. plate - Fry

Works & tenderplates:
CDRJC railway makers' plate. Source: GCR108. (full image 12K).
Probably a CDRJC railcar worksplate. Source: GWR415. full image 68K.
Donegal Railway, 'Hercules' makersplate. Source: GCR713. (full image 36k)

Coach items:
CDRJC carriage 'No smoking'. Source: RAG 63. (full image 16.3K).
CDRJC carriage 'Laghey'. Source: RAG 63. (full image 15.2K).
CDRJC carriage 'Ladies'. Source: RAG 63. (full image 22.5K).
Donegal County Railway brass luggage rack supports. Source: WHY410. (full image 47K).

Wagon plates:

Donegal Railway axlebox cover. Source: ebay804. (full image 9K).

Lineside and station railwayana

Footbridge:

Donegal Railway footbridge. Source: GCR1008. (full image 11K).

Donegal Railway footbridge. Source: ebay0614. (full image 100K).

Bridge Restriction:

Bridge Numbers:
CDRJC bridge. Source: GCR110. (full image 28K)

Trespass:

CDRJC trespass (TPCD101). Source: SRA1207
CDRJC trespass (TPCD101), better image. Source: RAG54. (full image 69K).
Donegal Railway trespass (TPDR101). Source: RAG54. (full image 42K).
CDRJC trespass. Source: SRA311
CDRJC trespass notice. Source: GNR1013. (full image 103k)

Station:
W.D.Rly fender
DR enamel poster heading at Tywyn. Source: RAG43
DR poster board header. Source: RAG51. (full image 16.3K).
CDRJC 'Way Out'. Source: SRA311
To Railway Station enamel (probably either CDRJC or CLR). Source: GWR415. full image 75K.

Mileposts:

Railchair:

Signalling:

CDRJC staff. Source: ?ebay2000?. (full image 16K).

CDRJC 'Raphoe-Buncrana' staff. Source: GCR1008. (full image 7.5K).

CDRJC 'Stranorlar-Castlefinn' staff (rings ground off). Source: GCR1008. (full image 7.5K).

CDRJC detonator box. Source: KRA106. (full image 5k).

Letterkenny Railway gate crossing lamp. Source: GWR509. (full image 47.1k).

Cutlery, china, ashtrays etc.:

Miscellaneous:

CDRJC stencils. Source: ebay1105. (full image 4k).

CDRJC 1957 TT. Source: ebay607. (full image 53k).

Donegal brochure. Source: RAG62. (full image 51k).

Donegal Railway poster. Source: GCR409. (full image 39K).
Donegal Railway poster. Source: GCR1013. (full image 45k)

Finn Valley Railway button. Source: TRA207. (full image 18k).

CDRJC ticket. Source: ebay308. (full image 13k).

Full images Cullion (full image 7.9k) Strabane (full image 8k) Omagh (full image 9k) Gweedore (full image 9.1k).

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Page posted 27/7/1997. Revised 5/7/15