Waterford and Tramore Railway

File:Water & Tramore Railway map, 1872.jpg

The line in 1872

The Waterford and Tramore Railway was an independent line which opened on September 5, 1853, connecting Manor St. in the city of Waterford, Ireland, to the seaside resort of Tramore, 7.25 miles (11.67 km) away. It closed on 31 December 1960.

History

Construction began on February 10, 1853. The Waterford business community financed the 77,000 pounds cost. The William Dargan Construction Company completed the line in 7 months - a considerable achievement as a section of line just outside Waterford ran over deep bogland covered in bulrushes.

In 1925, the line was amalgamated into the Great Southern Railways (GS&WR), which subsequently became part of CIE.

The Waterford and Tramore Railway was the only line in Ireland that did not connect to any others. It was one of Waterford's five railways, the others being:

1. Waterford, Limerick and Western;
2. Waterford and Central Ireland;
3. Waterford, Dungarvan and Lismore;
4. Dublin and South Eastern.

Closure

On September 27, 1960, CIE announced closure of the line and, on December 31, it was permanently closed, to be replaced by a bus service. To avoid demonstrations, the last scheduled train did not run. The final trains thus were the 1.25 p.m. from Waterford and the 2.10 p.m. from Tramore.

During the first half of 1961, all the tracks were lifted - locally it is believed for shipment to Nigeria. The sleepers were sold for protection against coastal erosion. One of the few remaining traces of the railway is the Station house, which currently serves as the offices of Tramore Failte.

Motive Power

The railway was operated by two 2-2-2 tank locomotives supplied by William Fairbairn & Sons in 1855, numbered 1 and 2. No. 2 was scrapped in 1928. No. 1 continued to operate until 1936 when it was derailed and plunged down an embankment, and cut up on the site. It was then the last single locomotive in regular traffic in Great Britain and Ireland. Thereafter the line was operated by diesel railcars.

External links

• History of the line by Ian Flynn and Friends
• Waterford-Tramore Railway: Road Maintenance Costs
• Closure rumours
• Closure debate