Station Name: CULLION

[Source: Jim McBride & Paul Wright]

Date opened: 6.8.1900
Location: To the west of the B48 road.
Company on opening: Donegal Railway
Date closed to passengers: 1.1.1955
Date closed completely: 1.1.1955
Company on closing: Ulster Transport Authority
Present state: Station building extant but heavily modified. In use as a private residence.
County: Tyrone
OS Grid Ref: C408075
Date of visit: 16.8.2020

Notes: Cullion was one of the intermediate stations on the Donegal Railway’s (DR) Strabane – Londonderry Victoria Road line which opened to goods on 1 August 1900 and to passengers on 6 August 1900. The 14½ mile line was of the 3ft gauge and it had been built to provide the DR with direct access to the city of Derry/Londonderry (from 1894 until the line opened the DR had to tranship goods onto the 5ft 3inch gauge Great Northern Railway Ireland [GNRI] route to Londonderry Foyle Road).

The line was a single track railway and Cullion was provided with a single platform located on the east side of the line. A single storey station building provided the passenger facilities. There was a goods siding which was located to the north of the passenger station also on the east side of the line.

On 1 May 1906 the DR was taken over jointly by the GNRI and the Midland Railway (MR) of England. The joint concern was called the County Donegal Railway Joint Committee (CDRJC). As the GNRI had a line of its own between Strabane and Derry/Londonderry the route through Cullion (between Strabane and Derry/Londonderry) passed into the sole ownership of the MR. The station staff at Cullion became MR NCC employees. The train services, however, were always operated by the CDR.

In December 1921 (following the Irish War of Independence) the island of Ireland was partitioned into two separate countries, The Irish Free State and Northern Ireland. Most of the CDR network was located within the Irish Free State but the NCC line through Cullion was located wholly within Northern Ireland.

In 1923 the MR was absorbed into the London Midland & Scottish Railway (LMS) who became the part owner of the CDR and the owner of the Strabane – Londonderry Victoria Road line. The LMS let their network in Northern Ireland operate as the Northern Counties Committee (NCC).



In 1924 the LMS reduced the station to halt status. It became unstaffed and ceased to handle already paid inward goods traffic, though it retained a goods siding, unlike New Buildings

In April 1949 the former NCC network was purchased by the Northern Ireland government on behalf of the UTA for £2.67 million. Being part of the NCC network the Strabane – Londonderry Victoria Road line passed to the UTA but it continued to be worked by the CDR.  The UTA announced its intention to close the line between Londonderry Victoria Road and Strabane in October 1954. The last scheduled passenger trains ran from Cullion on 31 December 1954.

CLICK HERE FOR A DETAILED HISTORY OF CULLION STATION

Tickets from Michael Stewart. Timetables from Chris Hind and Jim McBride. Route map
by Alan Young

Sources:

  • Begley, J et al The County Donegal Railway - A Visitors Guide (County Donegal Railway Restoration Society, 1999)
  • Bunch, M Michael Bunch's Donegal Railway Diary Part 1 1954-1955 (County Donegal Railway Restoration CLG, 2017)
  • Bunch, M Michael Bunch's Donegal Railway Diary Part 1 1956-2018 (County Donegal Railway Restoration CLG, 2019)
  • Johnson, S Johnson's Atlas & Gazetteer of The Railways of Ireland (Midland Publishing, 1997)
  • Patterson, E M The County Donegal Railways - Revised Edition (Colourpoint,2014)

To see the other disused stations on the Londonderry Victoria Road and Strabane railway click on the station name: Londonderry Victoria Road, New Buildings, Desertone Halt, Donemana, Ballyheather Halt, Ballymagorry and Strabane (CDR)

Click here to see the Donegal Railway Heritage Centre website

On 24 August 1950 a Londonderry Victoria Road to Strabane service is seen departing from Cullion. By this date the station had been reduced to halt status. At the head of the train is CDR locomotive number 1 'Alice'. Due to low passenger numbers two coaches were all that was needed for the services on this line at this time.
Copyright p
hoto by J G Dewing from Ernies Railway Archive


Cullion station shown on a 6-inch scale map from 1907.


Looking south towards Cullion station on 26 November 1955. The station can be seen in the middle distance. Between the station platform and the crossing keeper's cottage (left) the goods siding can be seen. It's interesting that this siding had survived until the line's closure as Cullion had ceased to handle goods in 1924 when the LMS had reduced it to halt status.
Copyright photo by Michael Bunch from the Donegal Railway Heritage Centre collection

Cullion station looking north on 3 December 1955 whilst track lifting was taking place. A tractor was being used to haul the rails to the station yard for collection.
Copyright photo by Michael Bunch from the Donegal Railway Heritage Centre collection

The site of Cullion station looking north-west from the main road on 16 August 2020.
Photo by Jim McBride

 

 

 

[Source: Jim McBride & Paul Wright]




Last updated: Wednesday, 25-Nov-2020 18:42:04 CET
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