Notes: Trady was one of the intermediate stations on the Londonderry & Lough Swilly Railway (L&LSR) company’s 8¼ mile line which opened from Londonderry Graving Dock to Farland Point on 31 December 1863. The L&LSR had been authorised to build the single track 5ft 3inch (Irish standard gauge) line between Farland Point and the city of Derry/Londonderry on 26 June 1853 but due to financial difficulties a further act of 1 August 1859 was required before it could be completed.

Trady was 7½ miles from Graving Dock station and 1¼ miles from Farland Point at the southern end of Lough Swilly in an isolated part of County Donegal. It was situated between two sections of embankment, known as the ‘Trady Embankment’ that had been completed in 1850 as part of a scheme designed to reclaim land from the lough. The course of the railway ran along the top of the embankments.

There are no known photographs Trady station nor any detailed plans or maps. It will have been a simple affair probably of timber construction.

At the time of opening there were only three trains in each direction that ran between Londonderry Graving Dock and Farland Point.

Even before the line had opened thoughts had turned to an extension along the eastern side of Lough Swilly. running north up to Buncrana. Authorisation for this line was given on 22 July 1861. The Buncrana branch (as it was originally described) diverged from the main line ¾ of a mile to the east of Trady at what later became Tooban Junction. The branch line had opened by October 1864 and it had an immediate impact on both Trady and Farland Point.

From the very start traffic receipts at Trady had been disappointing. The opening of the line to Buncrana gave passengers better journey opportunities. By the end of 1864 the L&LSR was referring to the section of the line between Tooban Junction (then called simply ‘Junction’) and Farland Point as the ‘branch’ (Londonderry Graving Dock – Buncrana now being considered to be the main line) which showed how things were going. On 17 April 1865 the company decided to work the Farland Point branch by horses but this only persisted until 25 April when locomotive haulage resumed.

The L&LSR withdrew train services between Farland Point and the ‘Junction’ in July 1866. Trady was closed completely. The rails remained in situ between Farland Point and Tooban Junction until 1877, when they were finally lifted.

The trackbed through Trady was re-used by the Letterkenny Railway (LR) which opened a 3ft gauge railway between Tooban Junction and Letterkenny on 3 June 1883. This line, which was operated by the L&LSR, closed on 8 August 1953.

CLICK HERE FOR A DETAILED HISTORY OF TRADY STATION

Tickets from Michael Stewart. Timetables from Jim McBride and route map by Alan Young

Sources:

• Bell D & Flanders S The Londonderry & Lough Swilly Railway - A Visitors Guide(County Donegal Railways Restoration Society, xxxx)
• Flanders S, S Londonderry & Lough Swilly Railway - An Irish Railway Pictorial(Midland Publishing, 1997)
• Johnson, S Johnson's Atlas & Gazetteer of The Railways of Ireland (Midland Publishing, 1997)
• Mahon, G Irish Railway Record Society Journals - 1954 to 1985 (Irish Railway Record Society)

To see the other disused stations between Londonderry Middle Quay and Farland Point click on the station name: Londonderry Middle Quay,
Londonderry Graving Dock, Pennyburn Halt, Gallagh, Harrity's Road,
Bridge End, Burnfoot, Tooban Junction and Farland Point.

See Also stations between Tooban Junction and Buncrana: Inch Road, Lamberton's Halt, Fahan, Beach Platform, Golf Platform and Buncrana.