Ireland's Midland Great Western Railway (MGWR)

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About Ireland's Midland Great Western Railway (MGWR)

This group is for shots of railway related places and things on any lines that once belonged to Ireland's Midland Great Western Railway, be they still in use of now abandoned. Geotagged (i.e. mapped) images are preferred, as are images with detailed captions explaining what we are looking at and what it has to do with the MGWR. Only high quality images will be accepted, this group is all about quality, not quantity.

The MGWR was incorporated in 1845 and started by building their mainline from their main depot on Dublin's north-side at Broadstone to Galway via Maynooth, Mullingar, and Athlone. That was followed by an important branch from Athlone to Sligo. The network radiated out from these main lines over the years by a combination of building and acquisitions. The MGWR came to an end when the Irish Free State nationalised and amalgamated the railroad companies who's lines were entirely within the Free State into the Great Southern Railways (GSR).

The MGWR eventually consisted of:
The Dublin - Galway Mainline (via Mullingar & Athlone)
- The Branch from Clonsilla to Navan on to Kingscourt
- - The Branch from Kilmessan Junction to Athboy
- The Branch from Enfield (Nesbitt Junciton) to Edenderry
- The Branch from Mullingar to Inny Junciton to Longford to Kilfree to Collooney to Sligo
- - The Branch from Inny Junction to Crossdoney to Cavan
- - - The Branch from Crossdoney to Killeshandra
- - The Branch from Kilfree to Ballaghadreen
- The Branch from Streamstown to Clara (where the MGWR met the GS&WR)
- The Branch from Athlone to Claremorris to Manula Junction to Westport
- - The Branch from Claremorris to Ballinrobe
- - The Branch from Manula Junction to Ballina (later extended to Killala)
- - The Branch from Westport to Achill
- The Branch form Attymon to Loughrea
- The Branch from Galway to Clifden

What's left?
- The entire Irish Rail mainline from Dublin to Sligo was once MGWR (as far as Mullingar it was the MGWR's mainline to Galway, the rest is made up of the MGWRs former branch from Mullingar to Sligo)
- The stretch of the Irish Rail Dublin to Galway mainline from Athlone to Galway
- The entire Irish Rail branch from Athlone to Manula Junction to Westport
- The entire Irish Rail branch from Manula Junction to Ballina
- Part of the former MGWR line from Clonsilla to Navan is due to re-open in 2010 (as far as Dunboyne), and the rest is planned to open later in the decade.

More Information on the MGWR:
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midland_Great_Western_Railway
- www.irishrailwayana.com/pa103.htm