The Cork Blackrock and Passage Railway began life as a suburban standard gauge line, serving the western shore of Cork harbour. The railway company also operated steamers, serving the coastal towns for a number of years until running costs led to the decision to extend the railway line to Crosshaven, whereupon the decision was taken to convert to the three foot gauge.

The idea of a railway connection between Cork and Passage was originally prompted by the large volume of steamer traffic operating on the River Lee from Cork via Passage to Cobh (or Queenstown), a railway link to Passage being far quicker than the corresponding steamer trip. The original proposal was passed by Parliament in 1837 but not progressed. Some years later, the matter was revisited and the Cork, Blackrock and Passage Railway received Parliamentary approval on the 16th July, 1846, for the construction of a line just over 6½ miles in length. Initial plans for an extension to Monkstown were later abandoned. The contract for construction was awarded to Moores, of Dublin, the work commenced on the 15th June 1847 and the line was ready for the Board of Trade inspection on 23rd May 1850. Traffic commenced on the 8th June 1850 from the Cork terminus of City Park (a new terminus at Albert Street opened in 1873). There were initially ten trains each way daily. Initially only 1st and 2nd class accommodation was provided, but 3rd class was soon added.

Three 2-2-2 well-tank engines, supplied by Sharp Brothers in 1850, were the motive power for the 50 years of broad gauge operation. The coaching stock comprised three firsts, two seconds, six thirds, two composites and a pair of brake vans; all were either four or six wheeled vehicles. There were no goods vehicles.

Shortly after opening, the company decided to introduce a steamer service between Passage and Queenstown, connecting with the trains. This necessitated the formation of a private company by some of the Directors and Shareholders as the CB&PR did not possess the necessary powers for such operation. There followed some cut-throat competition with the established ship owners which impacted on both sides, until in 1856, when the original steamboat operators were replaced by a new company “The Citizens River Steamer Company”, and an agreement was reached, whereby the CB&PR agreed to make a payment to the new operators. This, however, was terminated in 1860 and with the re-emergence of comptetition, the Board found it necessary to seek money from the shareholders for maintaining the “unofficially” operated steamers.

Further competition came when the Cork and Youghal Railway obtained the necessary approval for a branch to Queenstown. Within a few years, though, the Cork and Youghal company was in financial difficulty and sought a buyer, even approaching the CB&PR.

Some years later, Cork Corporation, promoted the “Cork Improvements Act”, designed to drain the Monarea Marshes by the Lee Estuary, to improve the provision of riverside quays and other amenities. This involved moving the railway from its City Park terminus and diverting it to a new terminus in Albert Street, amove which favoured the company, providing as it did a terminus nearer the city. All the work was paid for by the Corporation and Albert Street Station was opened to traffic on the 6th February 1873.

Later that year, a new agreement was reached with the Steamer Boat Company whereby only the CB&PR vessels would operate from Passage to Queenstown. The company subsequently promoted “The Cork, Blackrock & Passage Railway Steam Vessels Bill” to enable it to officially operate steamers and the Act was passed early in the Summer of 1881 granting the statutory powers to operate their own steamer services. Then in early 1890, the Citizens River Steamer Co. was wound up, the CB&PR bought up the vessels and other assets and, with that, shipping competition disappeared.

However, the Directors were giving serious consideration to the cost of maintaining their steamers. These did not work all year round and yet the numbers were necessary to satisfy summer demand. On the other hand, railway returns were good. The possibility of extending the railway to Crosshaven began to be considered and expert opinion sought. This concluded that the proposed extension could offer economies by allowing the steamer services to be significantly reduced.

In considering the Crosshaven extension, it was found that, if it was laid to 3ft gauge, a saving of £30,000 could be made and this would be sufficient to provide new motive power and rolling stock. It was therefore decided to adopt this gauge and to convert the existing line. The necessary Parliamentary Bill was promoted following which the Cork, Blackrock & Passage Railway Extension Act was passed on the 7th August 1896. Within twelve months the necessary finance had been secured and the contract for construction was awarded to John Best of Leith. Electric traction was briefly considered but rejected. By January 1899, orders had been placed with Neilson, Reid of Glasgow, for four 2-4-2T locomotives and with Brown Marshal of Birmingham, for the supply of rolling stock.

The scheduled date for completion, March 1900, proved far too optimistic. A number of disputes between Contractor and Company necessitated arbitration. In addition, in the boring of a 1500 ft tunnel between Passage and Glenbrook, an unexpected spring was discovered which resulted in further time delays. By August 1900, it had become obvious that the Crosshaven extension would involve far greater expenditure than had been anticipated and the company was short of capital. Best suspended work on the project, later obtaining a large award against the company after seeking to appoint a Receiver. The situation was rescued by the Public Works Commissioners providing a loan of £65,000 at 4% Interest.

The Company elected to use its own staff for the conversion of the existing line to the narrow-guage which was carried out, probably by the initial laying of a third rail. At the same time, the Cork-Blackrock section was doubled, the only instance of this on an Irish narrow-gauge system. The gauge conversion to Cork was completed on Sunday 29th October 1900 when the line was closed for the day, with passengers being carried by steamers. The last broad gauge train had left Passage for Cork at 9.30 on the Saturday night.

By this time, the four narrow-gauge engines had arrived but and twelve bogie passenger coaches were ready bu Brown, Marshalls, builders of the coaches initially refused to deliver until payment had been received. Eventually, an agreement was reached whereby the railway company would pay in instalments over seven years, the vehicles remaining the property of the builders until fully paid for.

On 24th January 1902 the Passage tunnel was finally finished and the consulting engineers to the company were pressing the contractor to finish the work to allow opening to Monkstown by the Summer. This section opened on 1st August 1902. The Crosshaven extension finally opened on June 1st 1904, at greatly increased cost.
The Company promised frequent trains and even planned an ambitious Summer Sunday half-hourly service, which would necessitate the use of all four engines with no reserve. The installation of a passing loop at Rochestown, enabled faster journeys and the introduction of an express service covering the journey in just thirty five minutes. Passenger numbers steadily increased and finances were healthy, allowing debts to be cleared. The steamers, though, continued to be a financial drain and gradually the service was reduced and, with time, the less efficient ships were sold off.

The CB&PR was inspected as part of the Vice-Regal Commission of Inquiry into Irish railways, 1907-09, and some financial awards were recommended but, as with many other systems, the Commission’s recommendations were not implemented!

The company’s fortunes were to suffer a reversal with the outbreak of the First World War. Within days, Crosshaven Station and the surrounding area were commandeered by the military and the public were excluded. The company’s rolling stock was pressed into serving the military needs, often at the expense of passenger services. By the end of 1915, the company was in serious financial difficulty as a consequence of the loss of revenue due to the closure to Crosshaven and increased wage fuel costs, and closure was threatened. However, revenue picked up the following year and financial pressures eased.

Government control of Irish railways came into force on 1st January 1917, this allowing claims for compensation payments for loss of earnings during the war years. The following year was one of intensive passenger traffic with record receipts for the line, attributed to its popularity with the public. To help cope with the heavy traffic, the Railway Executive transferred three third-class coaches from the Londonderry & Lough Swilly Railway together with a 2-4-0T engine, No1 Alice from the County Donegal Railways Joint Committee. This locomotive remained for three years and an offer to purchase her was made but she was returned to Donegal after sustaining accidental damage.

A general shortage of coal supplies following the ending of the war was to result in restrictions in service. Legislation leading to the introduction of the eight-hour working day in 1919, resulted in a 25% increase in staff and a consequent larger increase in the wage bill. Staff unrest led to strike action. By August 1921, steamer services had ceased largely due to lack of coal. Worse was to follow following the creation of the Irish Free State. The civil war which followed resulted not only in physical damage to the railway but to costly restrictions in service. The damage included the burning of a number of coaches for which replacements were ordered in 1923.
With the ending of the Civil War, work began to repair the damage to bridges, signal cabins and the infrastructure generally and to get rail services back in operation. The company showed an operating loss for 1923, some attributable to increasing competition from motor transport.

Meanwhile, a Government-appointed Commission to investigate the state of the railways recommended an amalgamation of all companies. A bill was duly promoted and became law on 23rd July 1924, whereby all railways, other than cross-Border lines, would amalgamate as a single unit, with effect from the 1st January 1925. There was little opposition either from the CB&PR shareholders or the public and the company duly came under the Great Southern Railways (GSR) banner.

Under the GSR, the suffix “P” was added to the rolling stock numbers. In early days, a reasonably frequent train service was maintained and non-stop express services continued to operate. As time went by, competition from trams and road transport grew. As a cost cutting exercise, the line between Cork and Blackrock was reduced to single track in 1927 but losses mounted as passengers deserted to the buses and, early in 1932, the GSR applied for closure. The Monkstown-Crosshaven section was the first to close, on the 31st May 1932, and the last train, from Albert St station to Monkstown, ran on the 10th of September of that year. With that, the Cork, Blackrock & Passage Railway passed into history, its passenger services transferring to buses.

After closure, the GSR transferred the four engines to the Cavan & Leitrim section, where they were re-numbered 1OL to 13L. Thirty two open wagons were also sent to the C&L – a few of these were originally covered wagons, given new bodies in Inchicore prior to transfer. They were used for the coal traffic and, because of different coupling heights, were arranged, with some others, in four fixed block trains of ten wagons each. The coach bodies were believed to have been sold off locally. Track lifting was completre by 1934.

The course of the line

Albert Street station was large by Irish narrow gauge standards, having three terminal platforms for passenger trains. Leaving the station, the double line first followed the river then after 1½ miles, turned away to enter a deep cutting near Dundanion Castle, at the end of which Blackrock Station was reached. Only gentle gradients were encountered before the first stop at Blackrock, just over two miles distant. Here the double track ended. Shortly beyond Blacrock the line reached a mini “summit” - 21 feet above Cork city! - following which it crossed the Douglas River Estuary by the Douglas Viaduct to enter Rochestown Station. This was converted to a passing station in 1906. Continuing due east, the line followed a level course to Passage, originally ending in a two-platform terminus beside the steamboat pier. In 1902, with the opening of the Crosshaven section, a new therough platform was provided.

On leaving Passage station, the line passed through a gate into the main street, which it followed for about 75 yards, before leaving the road and entering the 535-yard Passage tunnel. Emerging from the tunnel, it again crossed the main road to enter Glenbrook Station, 6¾ miles from Cork. From Glenbrook, the line followed the foreshore, on a purpose built concrete embankment, where sharp curves resulted in a number of speed restrictions of 15 mph being enforced. Monkstown was soon reached, the outer end of the train staff section from Passage and a passing place. Continuing along the estuary, Raffeen, serving the village of Shanbally was reached after a little over a mile.

Turning away from the estuary, the line now rose on a 1:132 gradient, steepening to 1:80 before leveling and then descending at 1:80 to reach Carrigaline. This had an island platform with station buildings with, unusually, a passenger subway. This marked the end of the staff section from Monkstown. From here the line curved east, crossing the Owenabuee (Owenboy) River by a 2-span girder bridge, continuing along the south side of the Estuary. Three miles further it passed alongside Drake’s Pool “(where the admiral is aid to have taken refuge from the Spaniards in the 16th century), and then climbed sharply, before crossing a deep wooded ravine by the Crosshaven Viaduct. This was a 4-span lattice-girder bridge, the spans being 75ft 6ins long, supported on massive stone piers, the two intermediate ones being 55ft and 42ft high. Crosshaven station was a short distance beyond the viaduct. It had an island platform with double tracks on each side, the two eastern lines ending in a bay. Watering facilities for engines, and a turntable, were provided together with a goods store and siding.

Locomotives

For the regauging of the CB&PR to 3’ gauge in 1900, four 2-4-2Ts were supplied by Neilson Reid. They were designed entirely by Neilson and resembled that firm’s standard product of the period. They had the largest driving wheels (4’6”) and the greatest axle load (11t 11cwt) of any Irish narrow gauge engine. The maker’s numbers were 5561-4 and on the CB&PR were numbered 4-7 (Numbers 1-3 were the former broad gauge 2-2-2Ts). They were painted black with vermilion and white lining, with small brassnumber plates mounted centrally on the tank sides and the railway crest (that of the city of Cork) on the cab upper panel.

The engines were reboilered in 1911, 1914, 1913 and 1912 respectively. Following the 1924 amalgamation into the GSR, the numberplates were replaced by similar ones with the added suffix P (for Passage). Following closure, in 1932, the engines were put in store in Cork until 1934, when the GSR transferred them to the Cavan & Leitrim section, where they were renumbered 10L to 13L respectively. No 11L suffered a cracked firebox in 1936 and lay out of use until it was scrapped in 1939. Standard GSR heavily rivetted smokebox and tapered chimneys were fitted in 1946, 1948 and 1946 respectively for the surviving trio, and 12L and 13L lost their number plates, the numbers, without the L suffix, being painted on the tank sides in the standard large GSR style. 10L had the distinction of being repainted in black, and it managed to keep its cast number plate right up to the end.
13L was sent to Inchicore for repairs in 1951, but it languished there until 1954 when it was finally cut up. 10L and 12L lasted right up to the end of the C&L, even assisting with the track lifting, and were both cut up in 1959.

Coaching stock

The narrow gauge passenger coaching stock consisted of, twenty eight bogie coaches supplied by Brown, Marshalls and Co of Birmingham. Twelve of these were ready in 1900, the rest probably delivered between then and 1902. The carriages were 6 compartment Bogie 1st (Nos 1-8); Brake 1st (Nos 10-13); 6 compartment Bogie 3rd (Nos 15-26); 3rd Saloons (Nos 23 and 25) and Brake 3rd (Nos 31-34). The reaon for the gaps in the numbering is unknown.

A number of vehicles were destroyed in the "troubles" of 1921/2. These were numbers Nos 1 & 4 (6 compt bogie 1st); 11, 18 & 24 (6 compt bogie 3rd) and No 33 (Brake 3rd). Replacement vehicles bearing the same numbers were supplied in 1923 by the Metropolitan Carriage Wagon & Finance Co. Photographic evidence as such as exists seems to suggest that these were very similar, if not identical, to the originals built in 1900 and as the original makers, Brown, Marshalls, had been absorbed into Metropolitan, the original drawings may well have been used for the replacements.

Goods vehicles

No goods vehicles were used on the line in broad gauge days but with the extension and the conversion to Narrow gauge, freight services were introduced. For the opening of the Narrow Gauge line, twenty six goods vehicles were delivered between 1901 and 1903. Eight open wagons were later added in 1909. At the close, all were transferred to the C&L section by the GSR. Other than the two brake vans, all were used for coal traffic, Inchicore Works fitting open bodies to the covered and cattle van chassis.