Railway pier crane re-‘ap-piers’ 50 miles away!
AN historic Londonderry & Lough Swilly Railway crane located on Fahan Pier on the narrow gauge railway’s Derry-Buncrana line for almost 100 years has made a surprising reappearance – nearly 50 miles away on the harbourside at Donegal Town, deep in the territory of the Swilly’s great rival, the County Donegal Railways.
Members of the West Innishowen History & Heritage Society said that the 19th century hand-cranked crane, of a type once common in railway goods yards, was removed from the rotting pier structure in 2019 for safety reasons by Donegal Council Council, but that they heard nothing more about the crane until it popped up again at the other end of the county, fully restored and repainted, this March.
Now members are demanding its return to Fahan, where, they claim, it is a part of the railway heritage of the area. With a greenway shortly to open over the old railway track between Derry and Buncrana, they ae asking that it is sited beside the greenway as a reminder of the path’s railway heritage.
A society spokesman said: “We were not consulted and as so little remains of the railway in and around Fahan apart from the station building, we are very keen to see the crane returned to us for local display. It is an integral part of our local Lough Swilly Railway heritage and it belongs here.”
Fahan Pier was originally opened in 1877 to serve Lough Swilly Steamship Company steamers operating to Rathmullan, and rails ran on to the pier from the start. In 1922, the L&LSR – which by this time was operating the steamers – rebuilt the pier. The crane, which may be the original from 1877, was used to transfer goods from railway wagons on the pier to the ships.
Fahan Pier deteriorated after Swilly Railway services ended in 1953, and safety concerns caused the council to step in and save the crane. It was removed to the council’s harbours workshops at Burtonport, a former L&LSR terminal station, and reappeared at Donegal Town.
A Donegal County Council spokesman said: “The crane was removed from the wooden pier at Fahan on concerns that it could fall from the dilapidated structure, and it was taken to the piers and harbours depot at Burtonport. Donegal Town Tidy Towns Committee subsequently wrote to Donegal County Council and asked if it could restore the crane and put it on display at the town’s pier. Donegal County Council considered this request in regards to the suitability of the proposed location for public safety prior to granting approval.”
The crane is now located – without information as to its railway origins – half a mile from Donegal Railway Heritage Centre, which was not involved in the relocation. At the centre, the Lough Swilly signal cabin from Newtoncunningham station is on display.
The only other surviving Lough Swilly Railway crane is preserved in Derry’s Foyle Valley Railway Museum, mounted on a Letterkenny & Burtonport Extension Railway flat wagon.