Rainy morning in Donegal meant only one thing – the Gods of Irish weather are fooling around with us once again.
That also meat that it’s going to be a perfect opportunity to visit Donegal Railway Heritage Museum.
Situated close to the city center in the original railway station house tell a story of the railways that once operated across County Donegal.
During the operation time, the trains transported all sorts of products like fish, tweed, turf from the bogs and livestock from the farms.
The railways were a usual mean of transport for children going to school and from or various visitors coming for different parts of the country.
The companies that operated railways employed several hundred personnel which contributed to the countries economy.
With the 125 miles of narrow gauge The County Donegal Railway was the largest railway network of this type in North-West of Europe.
The Museum is a home to recently restored original steam engine called Drumboe delivered in the early 20th century.
From 1907 until its final ride on December 31, 1959, Drumboe crossed between Ireland and Norther Ireland many times.
It’s interesting that most of the engine is being fully restored to operational state and when the funding becomes adequate, the Drumboe could go back into steam. The only part missing is the boiler that need restoring and certification, but also land and tracks for the Drumboe to run on.
Until then, one can learn more by visiting the museum and playing in the Ireland’s first interactive railway cab. Or a small children’s play desk featuring cars and trains.
