Description

For over forty years, the whistle of the steam locomotive echoed across the lakes, bogs, and mountains of West Galway. Rails through Connemara: The Galway-Clifden Railway by Jonathan Beaumont tells the definitive, romantic, and tragic story of this legendary feat of Victorian engineering.

Opened in 1895 to alleviate poverty and boost tourism in the remote West, the Galway-to-Clifden line was celebrated for its spectacular engineering, including massive iron bridges and deep rock cuttings. Beaumont brings this bygone era to life using rare archival photographs, vintage timetables, and fascinating personal testimonies from the drivers, stationmasters, and passengers who traveled the line before its closure in 1935. Today, as sections of the old line are reborn as the Connemara Greenway, this book serves as an invaluable historical guide.

Product features for train enthusiasts and historians:

• Stunning Visual Archival Prints: Loaded with historic black-and-white photos of locomotives and long-abandoned stations.

• Industrial & Social Heritage: Unpacks how the railway line altered the economy and daily life of Connemara communities.

• Greenway Companion: The absolute perfect read for walkers and cyclists exploring the modern Connemara Greenway trail.