The Newry and Armagh Railway, initially the Newry and Enniskillen Railway, was opened in 1864 and ran until 1879.

Stations and line description

Armagh

The Newry and Armagh Railway (N&A) opened in 1864, and had its own temporary terminus just outside

Armagh Armagh ( ; , , " Macha's height") is a city and the county town of County Armagh, in Northern Ireland, as well as a civil parish. It is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland – the seat of the Archbishops of Armagh, the Primates of All ...

until it started using the Ulster Railway of Armagh railway station in 1865. In 1876 the Ulster Railway became part of the new Great Northern Railway (GNR), which took over the N&A in 1879. The

Government of Northern Ireland A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

made the GNR Board close the remaining lines serving Armagh on 1 October 1957. Government Minister for the

Department for Regional Development The Department for Infrastructure (DfI, ; ) is a devolved Northern Ireland government department in the Northern Ireland Executive. Up until May 2016, the department was called the Department for Regional Development. Aim DfI's overall aim ...

, Danny Kennedy MLA indicates railway restoration plans.

Hamiltonsbawn

Hamiltonsbawn railway station opened on 25 August 1864 and finally closed on 1 February 1933. Hamiltonsbawn was the scene of the Armagh railway disaster which happened on 12 June 1889 near

Ulster Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, when a crowded

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excursion train An excursion train is a chartered train run for a special event or purpose. Examples are trains to major sporting event, trains run for railfans or tourists, and special trains operated by the railway company for employees and prominent custo ...

had to negotiate a steep incline; the

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, Fuel oil, oil or, rarely, Wood fuel, wood) to heat ...

was unable to complete the climb and the train stalled. Much later at the time of closure the line was run by the

Great Northern Railway (Ireland) The Great Northern Railway (Ireland) (GNR(I), GNRI or simply GNR) was an Irish gauge () railway company in Ireland. It was formed in 1876 by a merger of the Irish North Western Railway (INW), Northern Railway of Ireland, and Ulster Railway. Th ...

Markethill

Markethill Markethill is a village in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is beside Gosford Forest Park. It had a population of 1,647 people in the 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 census. This article contains quotations from this source, which is availabl ...

railway station opened on 25 August 1864, closed for passenger traffic on 1 February 1933 and finally closed altogether on 2 May 1955. Located on the

to Goraghwood section of line run by the Great Northern Railway of Ireland. Lissummon Railway Tunnel m 1759 yd long constructed with stone with some brick in the early 1860s.

Gorraghwood

Goraghwood railway station was opened on 6 March 1854 on the Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway where a junction existed on the present day Belfast-Newry railway line. In 1875, the D&BJct merged with the D&B, forming the Northern Railway of Ireland. In 1876 it merged with the Irish North Western Railway (INW) and Ulster Railway to form the

. The station at Goraghwood railway station connected with the

Dundalk, Newry and Greenore Railway The Dundalk, Newry and Greenore Railway (DNGR, DN&GR) was an Irish gauge () railway in Ireland. It was conceived as the Dundalk and Greenore Railway in the 1860s to provide a link between the towns in its title and the London and North We ...

via Newry Edward Street railway station in

Newry Newry (; ) is a City status in Ireland, city in Northern Ireland, standing on the Newry River, Clanrye river in counties County Down, Down and County Armagh, Armagh. It is near Republic of Ireland–United Kingdom border, the border with the ...

. By the 1950s the GNRI had ceased to be profitable and in 1953 the company was jointly nationalised by the governments of the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...

and

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

. The two governments ran the railway jointly under a Great Northern Railway Board until 1958 then being absorbed into the Ulster Transport Authority. Goraghwood was closed by the Ulster Transport Authority in 1965 closing to passengers on 15 February 1965 and previously to freight on 4 January 1965. Presently trains run

Northern Ireland Railways NI Railways, also known as Northern Ireland Railways (NIR; and for a brief period Ulster Transport Railways; UTR), is the railway operator in Northern Ireland. NIR is a subsidiary of Translink, whose parent company is the Northern Ireland Tr ...

pass the closed station as well as the

Enterprise Enterprise (or the archaic spelling Enterprize) may refer to: Business and economics Brands and enterprises * Enterprise GP Holdings, an energy holding company * Enterprise plc, a UK civil engineering and maintenance company * Enterpris ...

References

{{reflist Railway companies established in 1864 Railway companies disestablished in 1879 Irish-gauge railways Great Northern Railway (Ireland) Closed railways in Northern Ireland Closed railways in Ireland Defunct railway companies of Ireland Transport in County Armagh