The railway history of Londonderry is quite long as you would expect for a city that once boasted four termini plus extensive docks railways, so I am only focusing in on one station.
Seal of the L&CR featuring the arms of Coleraine |
Around this time there were other railway lines being founded in Ulster. The Ballymena, Ballymoney, Coleraine & Portrush Junction (BBC&PJ) Railway being the L&CR's closest neighbour at the Coleraine end, who in 1859 built a bridge over the River Bann to link to the L&CR station in Coleraine. in 1860 The Belfast & Ballymena Railway merged with the BBC&PJ to form the Belfast & Northern Counties Railway (BNCR). By 1871 the BNCR had bought the L&CR giving trains from Londonderry the ability to run to Belfast and Portrush as well as the places in between which is more or less the system operated today. The BNCR rebuilt the L&CR Londonderry Waterside terminus in 1874 commissioning John Lanyon to build an impressive dressed Sandstone structure and that company's initials are still carved into the clock tower. No known records of the original L&CR station survive
Initials of the Belfast & Northern Counties Railway in the clock tower |
View down platforms showing the extensive space to the right for sideings and where the link to Craigavon Bridge was. It also gives a good impression of how the station sat between the raised urban environment on the left of the picture and the river to the right. This picture is of a steam excursion on 1 September 1979 after the closure of Londonderry's other stations hence no 'Waterside' suffix on the sign. The Loco No 186 is a Railway Preservation Society of Ireland engine Copyright William Adams shared under Creative Commons Licence |
Another Platform view on a miserable June day in 1979 showing better the actual station canopy. Damage from the 1975 bomb visible on the windows. 80 class DMU number 94 awaits departure with the 1440 service to Belfast Central Copyright The Carlisle Kid shared under Creative Commons Licence |
Another photo from 23 June 1979. Looking north down the platform from under the canopy. This picture gives an excellent view of the canopy and how one side of it was open. This would later be enclosed. The DMU in the distance is 94 from the previous picture. The train to the right is an old UTA Multi Purpose Diesel (MPD) Railcar. Copyright The Carlisle Kid shared under Creative Commons Licence |
Turn around from the previous picture and we see MPD units 539 & 61. These were built bu the UTA in 1959 reusing the bodies of 1933 built coaches. This waste not want not attitude was an Ulster railway tradition and helped prolonged the lives of many lines Another view of the canopy and the wall. Sadly the booking hall was destroyed in the 1975 bomb the shed behind the train serving as the ticket office Copyright The Carlisle Kid shared under Creative Commons Licence |
View of the station May 1979 showing the extent of the bomb damage Copyright Albert Bridge shared under Creative Commons Licence |
The make shift ticket office used from 1975 to 1980 Copyright The Carlisle Kid shared under Creative Commons Licence |
A new station was opened next to the old in 1980. The old station was fully enclosed and used for storage for some years before being sold by the railway. Since then it mostly lay empty although it did have brief periods of use. I remember it being used as a furniture shop. During this time the platforms were filled in with concrete.
The new station featured an island platform at the end of a square building which included a ticket office and small waiting room. It was very much a station built to reflect the decline of the railway and although there were a couple of sidings the track capacity was very much reduced. The people of Londonderry were never really satisfied with the station. Although it might have been apt for the dwindling passenger numbers when it was built, it was very much a cold looking and functional building, with next to no attractive features, with many saying the platform canopy resembled an upside down egg box. Hardly a befitting way to enter Northern Ireland's Second City!
The 1980s built station |
view from the platform of the 1980s built station. The clock tower of the old station can be seen to the right |
However in the consultation the people of Londonderry (myself included) voted by about 60% to renovate the old waterside station. That renovation began in 2018 and as well as renovating the Victorian building included track and signalling work and building new platforms. There are two platforms which unlike the original station are completely outside one running down the side of the building. They are much longer than the previous station with the intention to cater to longer trains not just NI Railways trains but also steam train excursions and rail tours like the Belmond Grand Hibernian. The track includes a run around which should help facilitate these trains. A tea room has returned to the building as well as a shop. The waiting area is spacious and artistic, with reminders of the city's railway heritage and local points of interest.
A clock that tells the time |
the renovated frontage |
view of the ticket office on the left with waiting area beyond |
where the opening for the track and platforms once was, there is now a window gazing onto the platforms |
One of the installations celebrating the rail heritage Note the Great Northern did not owned the Foyle Road station Not mentioned is the company that did, the Northern Counties Committee! |
Looking South. Platform entrance on the right. This photo offers a view of the canopy and brickwork |
The tea room to the left of the south entrance |
A 4000 class DMU stabled in the sideing |
The old 1980s station is set to be demolished and form part of the road area of the station which is not only to serve as a train station but a regional "Transport Hub" with bus connections too.
While it might not be a restoration it is certainly a new lease of life and one that sees the building serving as a railway station which is the function it was built for
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