Sligo Railway Station
History
The station opened on 3 December 1862, when the Midland Great Western Railway extended their Longford branch to Sligo, adding rail links to the town from Dublin. The Sligo, Leitrim and Northern Counties Railway linked to Enniskillen to the north in 1881 and the Waterford and Limerick Railway (later the Great Southern and Western Railway) followed with a link to Limerick and the south in 1895. The line to Enniskillen closed in 1957 and passenger services to Limerick closed in 1963.
The station building was burned down and destroyed on 11 January 1923 during the Irish Civil War. Seven engines were sent down the line to the quay and one crashed through a concrete wall into the harbour.
The station formerly had two intermediate carriage sidings rather than one. The southern platform was previously shorter and included a small bay platform. There was a depot previously to the south of the line to the east of the station, the building is now demolished. The turntable was used for turning steam locomotives and later proved useful for turning 121 Class single cabbed diesel locomotives.
Naming
In 1966, Sligo railway station was renamed Mac Diarmada Station after Irish rebel Seán Mac Diarmada from County Leitrim.
Freight terminal
There is a line to the mothballed freight terminal which curves off to the north and downward just before the station. The facility includes a large crane for handling containers.
Connections
Sligo bus station is at street level adjacent to south side of the station.
Preceding station | Iarnród Éireann | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Collooney | InterCity Dublin-Sligo |
Terminus | ||
Proposed | ||||
Collooney | InterCity Limerick-Sligo |
Terminus |
Gallery
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Sligo Station in 1993
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Sligo station engine shed which has now been demolished
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Station entrance 2016
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Leaving Sligo in 1985. The locomotive shed is behind the distant locomotive, the line behind the signal box leads to the quay
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Station entrance and car park in 2015
See also
References
- ^ "Sligo station the scene of Civil War attack". The Sligo Champion. 27 November 2012. Archived from the original on 15 October 2017. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
- ^ Gilligan, James (19 December 2006). "Restore name to Sligo rail station". Sligo Weekender. Sligo Weekender Ltd. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 3 July 2007.