The county of Clare, on the west coast of Ireland, is a largely treeless, windswept area bounded to the east by the River Shannon, to the South by its large estuary while its western coast is lashed by the Atlantic. To the north and west the land is poor in quality and largely rocky and the population in this area is gathered into small villages and hamlets. The county town of Ennis and the port of Kilrush, on the Shannon estuary, are the only towns of any size, though the seaside towns of Kilkee, Milltown Malbay and Lahinch and the spa town of Lisdoonvarna attract seasonal visitors.

In the mid 19th century, Ennis had been connected to the Irish standard gauge when the Limerick and Ennis Railway opened on July 2nd 1859 with northern extension to Athenry and Tuam, the Ennis & Athenry Junction Railway, opening on 27th September 1860. These later became the Waterford, Limerick and Western Railway and subsequently part of the Great Southern & Western Railway.  

From about this time, a number of schemes for railway communication within the county were proposed. Many were linked to schemes to reclaim land, through construction of railway embankments, in particular across Poulnasherry Bay on the Shannon estuary linking Kilrush and Kilkee. Later proposals for a railway in the north of the county were for a 5’3” line to Miltown Malbay from just north of Ennis, later changed to a 3’ 0” gauge line. All these proposals suffered from lack of financial investment and failed to progress.

It was following the ‘Tramways Act’ (Tramways and Public Companies Ireland Act 1883) that progress was finally made. The West Clare Railway Co. Ltd. was registered in Dublin on 15th December 1883 and on May 26th the following year, an order in council was granted for the construction of 27 miles of railway of 3ft gauge from Ennis to Miltown Malbay. The capital consisted of £163,500 in 4% shares guaranteed by the ratepayers of certain baronies of the county, plus an additional £16,500 of ordinary shares, all of which were taken by the contractor, William Murphy, in lieu of a part of his fees. Parliamentary approval was granted on 7th August 1884 as the Tramways (Ireland) Provisional Order (West Clare Railway) Confirmation Act 1884. Construction began on 3rd November 1884, with the first sod being turned on 26th January 1885 at Miltown Malbay.  Work commenced at both ends, with the WCR Co reaching an agreement with the WL&WR to share Ennis Station.

Initial progress was good but the company soon ran into financial difficulty as sales of the guaranteed shares were slow. Collapse was averted by financial assistance from the contractor and after lengthy negotiations, a loan of £54,400 was granted by the Board of Works which allowed completion of the line. By February 1887 much of the work had been completed, two locomotives had been delivered and were used for ballasting while two further locomotives and other rolling stock were ready for delivery. A further potential setback, when a dispute over access to and use of Ennis station arose, was settled through the courts.

Major-General Hutchinson, on behalf of the Board of Trade, arrived to inspect the line on the 7th June. A number of improvements were recommended and following a second inspection on the 29th June, the line was passed for operation, subject to some conditions. Service commenced on the 2nd July with three trains daily in each direction, timed to connect with movements on the broad gauge in Ennis.

The South Clare Railway Company Limited was registered as a public limited liability company on the 9th June 1884. Although a separate company to the WCR, the chairman and his co-directors were also directors of the WCR Co. Ltd., and the companies shared the posts of Engineer, Secretary and Manager. Their original proposal was for a line from Cappa Pier to Kilrush and Kilkee, later adding an extension to join the West Clare at Miltown ­Malbay, and this achieved the necessary approval on 6th July 1884.

Delays to construction resulted from local protesters, who argued for a standard gauge line and from the Grand Jury, who still wanted an embankment across Poulnasherry Bay included in proposals. The SCR Co. argued for a line from Miltown-Malbay to Moyasta, with branches to Kilrush and Kilkee, avoiding the bay. A protracted period of argument followed with opinion divided on the best route to follow. Finally, the persuasive arguments of Murphy, the backing of local resident groups and the fear of losing a rail connection for South Clare, led to Grand Jury approval for the SCR proposal in March 1890 and on the 14th August that year The Tramway Order in Council (Ireland) (South Clare Railways) Confirmation Act 1890 received the royal assent.

The first sod was turned on the 8th October 1890 at Kilkee in a carnival setting, and work started at Kilrush on 10th October 1890 and Miltown-Malbay on 1st November. With an increase in the workforce and the employment of sub-contractors, work progressed rapidly. But the following January, dissatisfaction over pay led to strike action which was soon settled. However, the agreed settlement did not apply to the workers on the Kilkee section and strike action on this section led to suspension of the work until local clergy intervened.

Later the same year, some farmers, angry at the money offered by the company, refused to allow any railway staff onto their land. The situation was resolved following the intervention of the police and courts. Thereafter, work proceeded and on the 11th May 1892, an inspection train hauled by 0-6-2T No. 6 Saint Senan, traveled over the rails from Miltown Malbay to Kilkee and Kilrush. Major-General Hutchinson inspected the line on the 28th July 1892 but only inspected the Cappa­Kilrush-Kilkee section, the company having only indicated that this section was ready, but would not sanction the opening of the line until a number of requirements were met. Following a further inspection on Thursday 11th August and subject to some further amendments, he passed the line for opening and on the 13th August 1892, services began between Kilrush and Kilkee, with three trains each way, one timed to meet steamers from Limerick and Foynes at Cappa.

A further inspection followed on 27th October when the line from Miltown to Moyasta was inspected. A single goods in each direction was only permitted until a number of requirements were met. Finally, following inspection of the entire SCR line on the 20th December, passenger traffic was sanctioned, though still subject to some amendments, and services began on the 23rd December, two trains running each way between Ennis and Kilrush and Kilkee.

From the outset the SCR was operated by the WCR. For the opening of the WCR section, four 0-6-0T engines were supplied by Bagnall in 1887 and three 0-6-2Ts arrived from Dübs for the opening of the SCR section. From the outset, the traffic was largely seasonal, the resort towns being very popular during the summer season. Due to a tight construction budget, little provision for workshops had been made and insufficient rolling stock had been provided. This meant that resources were stretched at the busiest times and with limited maintenance facilities, stock was soon run down. The early years of the railway are perhaps best known for the Percy French song, written after a delayed WCR service resulted in the cancellation of one of his concerts, best known by the chorus line “Are you right there Michael, are you right?”.

From the opening, though, traffic steadily increased, peaking just before the First World War. During the war years, the service was initially increased from four to five trains in each direction daily, though in 1916, this was reduced to three, due to wartime coal shortages. Excursion trains were particularly affected. At the same time, the passenger steamer service on the Shannon was discontinued which resulted in cessation of passenger services from Kilrush to Cappa Pier. Government control of Irish railways took effect on the 31st December 1916 and this period saw a steep rise in costs for coal and materials, together with an increase in staff pay.

WW1 was followed by, first, the War of Independence and thereafter by the Civil War, which followed on the creation of the Irish Free State in 1921. With the level of Republican activity in the county, the railway suffered a number of incidents which resulted in military guards accompanying all trains, until matters settled in 1923.

Under the Great Southern Railway

Under the Irish Railways Act, of July 1924, all railways wholly within the Irish Free State, were absorbed into the Great Southern Railways (GSR) and on January 1st, 1925, the WCR duly became part of the GSR. Under the new owners, the suffix “C” was added to numbers of the engines and rolling stock, and engine repair and maintenance transferred to Inchicore. As an economy measure, two petrol-engined railcars were purchased in 1927 and operated with variable success until 1936. As other narrow gauge lines closed, the GSR transferred stock to work on the WCR. With the advent of the Second World War, services were again badly affected by coal shortages and a minimum service of one goods and one passenger train in each direction was only maintained by the burning of local turf in the locomotives.

On the 1st January 1945, the GSR was merged with the Dublin United Transport Co. to form Córas Iompair Eireann (CIE). Under CIE the transfer of stock from other, closed, lines continued and in the early 1950s a decision was taken to introduce diesel power. Four articulated diesel railcars were purchased from Walker Bros and the same firm supplied three diesel locomotives in 1955 to work the Goods traffic. While these measures enabled the WCR to survive longer than it might have, in reality, they simply delayed the inevitable end. Like the other narrow gauge concerns, improvements to the road infrastructure led to increasing competition from road transport and in September 1960, faced with mounting losses, CIE made the decision to close the line. Some local opposition to closure was mounted but failed. The last passenger service operated from Kilrush into Ennis on the afternoon of the 31st January 1961 while the last train to run was a down goods train which ran from Ennis to Kilkee, arriving late on the night of the 31st.

Locomotive No 5 Slieve Callan was saved from the scrap man and stood on a length of track on Ennis Platform for many years. A revival was to come in the mid 1990s when a restoration group was formed and based at the old Moyasta station. As part of the restoration project, Slieve Callan was moved to Moyasta, later being shipped to England for restoration to working order. For details of the West Clare Railway Restoration project see http://www.westclarerailway.ie or for an interesting educational project with information about the railway see http://www.clare-education-centre.ie/projects/west-clare-railway

The Course of the Line

The station in Ennis was shared with the Waterford, Limerick and Western Railway (later GS&WR) to whom the WCR paid an annual rent. Here were based the company’s offices and the engine, carriage and wagon workshops. WCR passenger services operated out of a bay platform to the west of the broad gauge line. Off the outermost of the two lines which ran into this bay, sidings turned sharp left into a narrow area by the public road which contained the carriage shops, engine shed and turntable. Passing under the road, a dual gauge goods shed was off to the left and beyond this a siding to the left gave access to the two-road locomotive works.

Beyond this, broad and narrow gauge lines ran parallel for over a mile, crossing the River Fergus on separate bridges before the WCR turned left through Curravorrin Crossing then through Lifford Crossing (‘Asylum Gates’) beyond which was Lifford, a railcar stop from May 1952. The first halt, at Ruan, was 6¾ miles from Ennis and had something of a chequered history, opening in 1888 but closing to traffic in 1898. It reopened in 1904 but closed again in 1921 when its single platform was demolished, thereafter, trains stopped by signal only until it was reopened as a railcar stop in May 1952. Corofin was the first substantial station, 8¾ miles from Ennis and had a platform on the up side, a goods and goods store and passing loop and watering facilities.

Up to Corofin and for about 1½ miles beyond, the line was fairly level, or climbs were brief, but then followed a continuous climb of about 2½ miles, 1 in 50 at its steepest. Willbrook Halt at 11¾ miles was on a 1 in 59 gradient, which tended to cause starting problems for steam engines with heavy loads. It was opened in 1888 but was closed in 1898, reopened in 1904 only to be closed again in 1921 before finally being reopened by the GSR in 1929. Beyond Willbrook the ascent continued to just before Milepost 13, whereupon it eased and after some undulation, the summit of the line, just over 250ft, was reached, ¼ mile beyond Clouna (or Clooney) Halt, which opened to railcar traffic in May 1954. Beyond the summit, was a steady descent of some 4½ miles at grades of up to 1 in 60, passing Monreal Halt, a railcar stopping place from December 1952, reaching Ennistymon, 18½ miles from Ennis. This was one of the largest stations on the system with two platforms and an extensive goods yard.

Just beyond the station, the line crossed the Cullenagh river on a three span bridge and under the road (Town Bridge) and a mile from Ennistymon was Workhouse Halt, a single platform built to serve Ennistymon hospital. It closed in 1925 but reopened for diesel working in June 1953. The seaside resort of Lahinch was a further 1¼ miles where the station originally had only a single platform with a short siding to the goods store but a second platform was added in 1911 and a passing loop created. A turntable was installed in 1953 for turning diesel railcars on excursions.

Beyond Lahinch the line crossed the Miltown Malbay road twice in short succession and the ascent began again, gentle at first, steepening to 1 in 60 then a short stretch at 1 in 52 to peak at milepost 24 with, just beyond, Rineen Halt opened in May 1952. The line ran alongside the Miltown road for three miles before turning away to run across country into Milltown-Malbay station 27 miles from Ennis. The station was about ½ mile outside the town and had verandahs on the up and down platforms with the station building on the down side. Its design as the original terminus of the WCR included a goods shed and an engine shed with turntable and water tank at the rear of the up platform.

Miltown, was the start of the South Clare Railway and, on leaving the station, the Lahinch-Miltown Malbay road was crossed at the station gates, thereafter the line ran behind the houses of the main street before crossing the Quilty road and heading out through open country. Annagh No 2 Crossing at 29½ miles was a railcar halt opened in May 1952. The line then turned back towards the main road and on approaching Quilty passed through Quilty East gates then crossing the Quilty-Kilrush road, to enter Quilty station. This station had a single platform with station house with beyond, a siding to a loading bank and goods store. An anemometer was located here to record winds and was used to regulate traffic in stormy weather.

1½ miles beyond Quilty was Kilmurry which had a platform and station building on the down side, with a goods store and loop beyond, all sandwiched between the two station gates. Two miles beyond Kilmurray was Craggaknock station which also had a small goods store. Doonbeg was a further 3¼ miles on and again had a platform with station building on the down side with a goods store and loop beyond. After leaving the station, the Doonbeg river was crossed on a three arch bridge and the line paralleled the road for a mile, before the road turned away to the left, while the line continued straight into Shragh Siding Crossing, a railcar halt from May 1952. After a further 3¼ miles Moyasta was reached. This station had a triangular layout, with the right hand line running to Kilkee, the left hand line running to Kilrush and a line connecting the two and forming a Kilkee to Kilrush through line and known as “The Loop”. This track arrangement also allowed trains or railcars to be turned.

Immediately before the station was a passing loop after which the signal was passed and beyond this the Kilrush and Kilkee lines diverged to run either side of a triangular platform. The station building was at the southern end of this platform. There were four level crossings at Moyasta – the Kilrush line crossed the Moanmore road through No.1 gates and the Kilrush-Kilkee road through No.2 gates; the Kilkee line crossed the same road through No 4 gates while No.3 gates were on a minor road by the Loop platform.

From Moyasta, the Kilkee line ran alongside Poulnasherry Bay then followed a straight and level course to Blackweir station at 45¼ miles. Initially all trains stopped here but it was downgraded to a request halt around the turn or the century. The remaining miles to Kilkee were across open bogland. Kilkee Station, 48 miles from Ennis, had an impressive two storey station building which contained waiting rooms, offices and station master’s accommodation, with a verandah extending over the width of the platform. A siding off the loop fed the goods store and loading bank and a further siding off this led to the turntable and Engine shed. In later days this turntable was extended to accommodate the railcars.

The Kilrush line from Moyasta Junction followed the eastern bank of Poulnasherry Bay for three miles before turning inland through a deep cutting near Shanakyle approaching (Leadmore No.1) Crossing to reemerge alongside the Shannon which it followed into Kilrush, 47 miles from Ennis. On entering the station, a two road carriage shed and engine shed were passed – in the early 50’s, the carriage shed was dismantled and a single road shed for use of railcars erected in its place. These sheds were some distance from the station and, beyond them, the public road was crossed, through Dock Gates, to enter the station. Kilrush had a two storey building similar to Kilkee with a verandah overhanging the platform - this was removed in the early 1950s. The yard contained a run round loop, a goods loop, off which was a spur to the turntable. Passing on through the Station Gates, Cappa Pier was a mile further on. Here there was a platform and loop, beyond which was a wagon turntable, by which wagons gained access to the pier, at right angles to the line. There was initially a single siding on the pier and a second was installed by the GSR in 1933. The pier extension was out of use by the late 1940s.

Locomotives

The first four WCR locomotives were 0-6-0T engines supplied by W G Bagnall, of Stafford. Two were delivered prior to the opening, in January and June 1886, and used in ballasting the line. It seems they were immediately found to be underpowered and the second two were modified with 14 in. cylinders and a slightly increased heating surface. They were numbered 1 to 4; Nos 1 and 2 were unnamed while Nos 3 and 4 were named Clifden and Besborough respectively. They proved somewhat underpowered and were overworked and as a consequence costly repairs were incurred. In 1898, it was recommended that all four be sold and replaced. No 2 was scrapped in 1900 and No 4 was withdrawn in 1901 and cannibalized to keep the others running. No 1 was based at Kilkee and operated the branch traffic until 1912 when she was replaced by No 3. BY this time No 3 was a hybrid of 3 and 4 and even carried No 4’s name Besborough. She was withdrawn in 1915 and scrapped the following year.

Three engines arrived in March 1892, for the opening of the SCR. They were 0-6-2 tank engines, with the trailing wheels having the same diameter as the coupled ones. They were built by Dübs & Co of Glasgow, makers’ numbers 2890-2. They were numbered 5-7 and named Slieve Callan, Saint Senan, and Lady Inchiquin repectively. Although built for the South Clare Railway, they operated over the entire system. Originally supplied with 4ft driving wheels, these proved hard on the road and were later reduced to 3ft 6in. No. 7 lay out of use from 1916 and was scrapped in 1922; No 6 survived until dieselisation and was withdrawn for scrapping in 1956 while No 5 was survived until 1959 and, though sent to Inchicore for scrapping, was reprieved and returned to Ennis for preservation.

A further engine followed from Dübs & Co in 1894, maker’s number 3169. This was to a specification of George Hopkin’s, the locomotive superintendent and, following experience gained with the 0-6-2Ts, he opted for a 2-6-2 wheel arrangement, with the driving wheel diameter reduced to 3 ft. 6 in. and the carrying wheels 2ft 6in. She was given No. 8 and named Lisdoonvarna. She spent most of her early years on the SCR, as she was initially to large for the Ennis turntable. She had recurrent boiler trouble and was scrapped by the GSR in 1925, having lain out of service for a couple of years.

A further 2-6-2T, based on No 8, was supplied by Thomas Green & Son of Leeds in 1898, maker’s number 229. She was given No. 9 and named Fergus. Despite delays in the delivery of this engine and some initial teething troubles, two identical engines were ordered in 1899 from Greens. The first, maker’s number 234, arrived in September 1900 and was given No 2, following the withdrawal of the older Bagnall that year, and the name Ennis. The second, maker’s number 236, arrived in June 1901, taking the number 4 following the withdrawal of a second Bagnall, and the name Liscannor. No 4 was scrapped in 1928 but Nos 9 and 2 survived until 1954 and 1955 respectively.

All further engines ordered by the WCR were 4-6-0 tanks. This was influenced by the experience with this wheel arrangement on other narrow gauge railways especially in Donegal. The first of these was No. 10, Lahinch, built by Kerr Stuart & Co. and supplied in August 1903, maker’s number 818. No 10 apparently gave very little trouble and had the distinction of being the most powerful engine the company had. She survived until 1952 when she was withdrawn and sent to Inchicore, where she was scrapped in 1954. A similar engine, No. 11, Kilkee, was supplied by W G Bagnall in May 1908, maker’s number 1881 and a further engine arrived in 1912, ordered to assist with the summer traffic, this time supplied by the Hunslet Engine Co. of Leeds, maker’s number 1098. This was given the number 1, following the withdrawal of a further original Bagnall that year, and the name Kilrush.

The war years and Government control delayed a further supply of engines. By 1920 the Board were requesting further purchases but protracted haggling with the Ministry of Transport over the type of engine to be purchased until finally an order was placed with Hunslet for the supply of two engines similar to No 1 Kilrush in February 1922. These had maker’s numbers 1432 and 1433 and were the last engines supplied to any Irish narrow gauge line. On the WCR they were No 3, Ennistymon and No 7, Malbay. Nos 1 and 3 were withdrawn in April 1953, No 3 being cut up later the same year, No 1 in 1956. No 7 lasted in service until 1956 and was cut up the same year.

Two further engines were transferred to the WCR by CIE in the 1950’s from the T&D section. These were 2-6-0Ts Nos 6T and 8T. No 6T had lain out of service for some time and was overhauled in Inchicore prior to arriving in Clare in January 1953, while 8T was transferred direct, following closure of the T&D, in November the same year. No 8T had a loose tyre and with the advent of dieselization did very little work before being withdrawn in December 1955. No 6T was sent to the C&L in 1957 and survived there until closure.

Railcars

The earliest recommendations for railcar operation came in 1907 when consideration was given to the purchase of a motor vehicle to carry mail. Little seems to have happened, though, until the GSR sanctioned the purchase of two petrol driven cars from the Drewry Car Company in 1927. These were built by Baguley Engineers Limited of Burton-on-Trent, maker’s numbers 1644 and 1645, and were delivered in October 1927. They could be driven from either end and thus did not need turning. One operated on the Kilkee Branch line while the other operated the main line. They could haul a small luggage trailer. They remained in service until the winter of 1936, after which they lay out of service. They were moved to Inchicore in 1939 and eventually scrapped in 1943.

The WCR also had the small inspection car built by the T&D in 1922. This was transferred to Ennis by the GSR but was periodically sent out to various other narrow gauge sections. It survived to the end and was scrapped at Ennis in 1961.

Carriages

All of the passenger coaches ordered by or built by the WCR, were six-wheeled vehicles. These were supplemented in later days by bogie vehicles, transferred by the GSR from other sections. Those acquired up to 1894 utilised the James Cleminson Patent articulated wheelbase design – with time, this was gradually replaced with conventional underframes. For the opening of the WCR, nine coaches (six thirds, three composites) and four four-wheeled brake vans were ordered from the Bristol Carriage and Wagon Works Ltd. Composite coaches had five compartments – a third at either end with three firsts in between – with a full partition between each. Thirds had six compartments, in pairs. Third compartments had eight seats while first had six. All were 30ft long. Two of the brake vans were also 30 ft six wheelers, the other two were four wheeled, 14 ft 3in long.

As traffic increased, a further order was placed with the Bristol Company for six further coaches and two six-wheel brake vans. The precise order date is uncertain but around the same time an order for a further six carriages for the South Clare Railway was also placed with Bristol. The WCR order was for three composites and three thirds, of an identical design to the earlier. The brake vans were identical to the earlier six wheel vans with the exception that bird cage lookouts were added to the roof. For the SCR, four thirds and two composites, of a similar design to the WCR were ordered. These were initially distinguished by SCR lettering.

The next acquisition, from Bristol, in 1897, was a four wheel horse box, 14ft 3in long with two animal compartments and one for attendants.

In 1901, to support excursion traffic, tenders were invited for two, five compartment, 1st class coaches. The order was awarded to The Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co. of Birmingham. These were similar to the earlier Bristol coaches, though lacked the Cleminson articulated wheelbase. With the increase in 1st class accommodation, coach No 3, which had been converted to a first in 1895, reverted to a third.

Further pressure from tourist traffic led to the construction of five further vehicles. All were built at the company’s own workshops in Ennis, at an estimated 40% saving, between late 1904 and early 1906. The consisted of one Brake third, three thirds and one first. All were saloons – the thirds could seat 52 passengers, the first 30 and the two compartments of the Brake third, 24. The passenger salons were longer, at 32 ft and wider, at 7ft 6in, than their predecessors. The Brake was 30ft long, passenger compartments were at either end with the brake compartment in the middle.

Three further vehicles were built at Ennis. In 1909, a six wheel brake van, designed for use on Ballast trains, was produced. It was, as required, used on Goods Workings. Despite this, it was numbered 36 in the passenger stock series. The following year, two further Brake thirds, identical to No 31 with two compartments. They were intended for use primarily on Livestock services but were also used on the branch services in winter time.

In 1905, the Ennis shops converted brake van no 12 to a cattle wagon, numbered 93, and in its place, a new No 12, a four-wheel breakdown van, was produced. The other, original, four-wheel brake, No 2, was rebuilt as wagon No 143 in 1908 and in its place, a new No 2, a four-wheel Directors Inspection Saloon, was built. This was converted to a brake van by the GSR in 1928 and used with the Drewry railcars.

On the closure of the T&D section in 1939, twelve bogie coaches were transferred to the West Clare. These took numbers 39C to 50C inclusive and comprised eight thirds, three composites and one brake third. Two of the Composites had two compartments – a First seating 14 and a Third seating 18 while the other, No 42C had three compartments – seating 18 First in two and 14 third in the other. The Thirds sat 34 in a single compartment while the Brake Third had one 26 sat compartment. Three of these, 46C-48C, were converted, with 40 seat bus type bodies added to underframes, for railcar operation in 1951.

Two final arrivals in 1953 were ex T&D brake vans. Originally Brake 3rds Nos 2T and 9T, they had been converted to full brakes for use on cattle trains on the T&D section. Renumbered 51C and 52C respectively on the WC, No 52C was transferred to the C&L section in 1954 as 22L. No 51C survived until closure and was sold for preservation in the US.