Finn Valley Railway
Railway in Ireland
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The Finn Valley Railway (FVR) was a 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) gauge railway in Ireland.
| Overview | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Stations called at | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Headquarters | Stranorlar, Ireland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reporting mark | FVR | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Locale | County Donegal, County Tyrone | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dates of operation | October 1, 1863–1892 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Successor | Donegal Railway Company | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technical | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track gauge | 3 ft (914 mm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Previous gauge | 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) (Irish gauge) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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History
Incorporation
| Finn Valley Railway Act 1860 | |
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| Act of Parliament | |
.svg) | |
| Long title | An Act for making a Railway from Stranorlar in the County of Donegal to the Londonderry and Enniskillen Railway near Strabane in the County of Tyrone, and for other Purposes. |
| Citation | 23 & 24 Vict. c. xl |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 15 May 1860 |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| Finn Valley Railway Act 1871 | |
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| Act of Parliament | |
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| Long title | An Act to grant further powers to the Finn Valley Railway Company with respect to their Undertaking. |
| Citation | 34 & 35 Vict. c. cxxv |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 13 July 1871 |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
The Finn Valley Railway Company was incorporated by the Finn Valley Railway Act 1860 (23 & 24 Vict. c. xl) on 15 May 1860 with capital of £60,000 (equivalent to £6,310,000 in 2025).[1]
Personnel
The Chairman of the directors was The 4th Viscount Lifford, whose seat was Meenglass Castle, just south-east of Ballybofey, and the Deputy-Chairman was James Thompson Macky of the Bank of Ireland in Derry.[2]
The other directors were:
- Robert Collum, 1 Chester Place, Hyde Park Square, London
- Edward Hunter, The Glebe, Blackheath, Kent
- Maurice Ceely Maude, Lenaghan, Enniskillen
- Sir Samuel Hercules Hayes, 4th Baronet, Leuaghan, Stranorlar
- Robert Russell, Salthill, Mountcharles
- Major Humphreys, Milltown House, Strabane
The other offices of the company were:
- James Alex Ledlie, Stranorlar, Secretary
- Peter W. Barlow, 26 Great George Street, Westminster, Consulting Engineer
- John Bower, Engineer
Opening
A 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) gauge rail line between Stranorlar and Strabane was opened on 1 October 1863.
Operation
The directors entered into a contract with the Irish North Western Railway to work the line for a period of 10 years. This company became amalgamated with the Great Northern Railway (Ireland)[3] in 1876.
Merger and gauge conversion
In 1892, the line merged with the West Donegal Railway into a new company, the Donegal Railway Company. The line from Stranorlar to Strabane was reconstructed to (3 ft (914 mm)) gauge shortly afterwards.