Cork and Muskerry Light Railway

The Cork and Muskerry Light Railway was a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge railway in County Cork, Ireland. 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.

Map of the entire railway

Initial route

The railway operated from its own station. the Cork Western Road railway station, in Cork city. The initial lines westwards from Cork to Blarney and Coachford opened in 1887 and 1888 respectively. The railway was built close to the south bank of the River Lee as far as a station at Coachford Junction, 6½ miles west of Cork. From Coachford Junction the branch to the Blarney line terminus station was 2 miles, and the line to the terminus station at Coachford was 9 miles.

Throughout the railway's existence, the line was equipped with nine steam locomotives.

The Cork Electric Tramways and Lighting Company was later to share railways' line out of Cork city.[1]

Donoughmore Extension

An 8½ mile long extension was built north-westerly from St Annes (on the Blarney branch) to Donoughmore. The line was opened in 1893. It was legally a separate company (the Donoughmore Extension Light Railway Company, incorporated in 1889) but worked as a part of the Cork and Muskerry Light Railway.

Final years

The line was comparatively unaffected by World War I, but experienced serious damage during the Irish Civil War of 1922-23. The destruction of a bridge over the River Lee seriously undermined the railway's viability; the railway was repaired and incorporated into the Great Southern Railways in 1925.

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

See also

References
  • Ferris, T. (1993). The Irish Narrow Gauge. 1. Midland Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-85780-010-9.
  1. Burton, Anthony; Scott-Morgan, John (30 June 2015). The Light Railways of Britain and Ireland. Pen & Sword Books. p. 124. ISBN 978-1473827066.

Further reading
  • Jenkins, S.C. (1992). The Cork and Muskerry Light Railway. ISBN 0-85361-407-5.

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