Day tripping has been popular for hundreds of years, beginning in medieval times with day-long journeys to religious sites or shrines.
From the 1880s onwards a round-trip within a day that did not require an overnight stay became very popular in Ireland especially amongst urban workers.
GIANT’S CAUSEWAY RAILWAY
In 1881, seeing the commercial opportunity of cashing in on this lucrative new market, County Antrim brothers Anthony and William Traill founded the Portrush, Bushmills and Giant’s Causeway Railway and Tramway Company to construct an electric-powered railway, the worlds first, linking Portrush and the Giants Causeway on the north coast of Ireland.
The Traill brothers Anthony (1838 – 1914) and William (1844 – 1933) were born at Ballylough House on the outskirts of Bushmills, Country Antrim and were educated in Trinity College Dublin where they both studied engineering. Having attracted investment from friends and family and most notably Lord Kelvin and Sir Walter Siemens (who was also briefly a director), an Act of Parliament incorporating ‘The Giant’s Causeway, Portrush, and Bush Valley Railway and Tramway Company’ was passed on 26 August 1880.
NEW TECHNOLOGY
The 1880s were a dynamic age for the introduction of new technologies and the Traill brothers, with their engineering backgrounds were able to implement the latest technologies of the day for their railway.
During the 1879 Berlin Trade Fair, Werner von Siemens of the German Siemens & Halske company, showcased his cutting edge invention, the electric locomotive. His electric train comprised the locomotive and three accompanying cars. The locomotive with power supplied through the rails achieved a speed of 13 km/h, was driven by a series-wound motor with a power rating of 2.2 kW.
This significant development prompted the British division of the company to be tasked with integrating this cutting-edge technology into the County Antrim Tramway project.
HYDROELECTRIC POWER
The Traill brothers erected a generating station at Walkmill Falls, situated near Bushmills, utilising a 24-foot (7.3 m) head. They installed American water turbines from T.C. Alcott & Son with a capacity of 104 horsepower (78 kW) to generate electrical power, producing up to 250 volts at 100 amps for their line. Subsequently, more powerful 160 horsepower (120 kW) turbines were put in place. The structure still stands today, although it no longer houses its original equipment.
Due to legal disputes concerning water rights, the installation of the Walkmills turbines faced delays. Consequently, when the initial segment of the tramway, connecting Portrush to Bushmills, was inaugurated on 29 January 1883, certain scheduled passenger services were operated by steam tram engines. This was particularly necessary on the urban stretch in Portrush, where it proved unfeasible to supply electric power.
Originally, electricity for the town section was transmitted to the trains through an elevated third rail running parallel to the line from a 25 horsepower (19 kW) steam generator set up at the Portrush depot. The fully electric tram service began on November 5th 1883.
There were apprehensions regarding the safety of the elevated third rail system. An anecdotal tale circulates, possibly more legend than fact, of a company director baring his backside and sitting on the third rail, enduring discomfort to offer reassurance to the inspectors.
On 26 July 1899, the third rail was substituted with an overhead electric wire supported by side poles, initially operating at 250 V. Following the enhancement of the Bushmills generating station in 1907, it became feasible to generate a 550 V output.
ROUTE
The 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge electric railway spanned a distance of 9 ¼ miles (14.9 km) as a single track with passing loops approximately every 1 mile (1.6 km), and it was laid on sleepers, except for the initial 3⁄4 mile (1.2 km) that ran through the streets of Portrush.
Commencing at Eglinton Street, adjacent to Portrush railway station, the route proceeded after passing the primary depot on the town’s outskirts. It followed a course along the seaside of the coast road, traversing notable landmarks such as the White Rocks and the 193 feet (59 m) summit of Clooney Hill, as well as Dunluce Castle, before reaching Bushmills station.
The main structure of Bushmills station, which still stands today, included a subsidiary depot. After crossing the road to Portballintrae, the line departed from the roadside, marking the section now used by the current railway (established 2002).
The route spanned Bushfoot Golf Course and crossed the River Bush via the Victoria Jubilee Bridge, featuring a lattice girder superstructure. Although this bridge has been replaced, some of the decorative ironwork is preserved at the present Giant’s Causeway station. Continuing from there, the line followed the dunes alongside Bushfoot Strand, ascending to the terminus just below the Causeway Hotel. Station facilities were minimal, consisting of little more than a shelter made of corrugated iron.
ROLLING STOCK
The initial batch of cars was constructed by the Midland Railway Carriage and Wagon Company, and they were later joined by five additional vehicles manufactured by GEC (General Electric Corporation). Each of these GEC cars was equipped with two 20 horsepower (15 kW) British Thomson-Houston motors, along with a Peckham car.
At any given time, there were a maximum of six electric power cars in the system, all of which were single-truck, single-deck vehicles. These electric cars came in both enclosed and “toast rack” variants. Typically, they were responsible for pulling several 4-wheel “toast rack” trailers, of which there were a total of 15.
Additionally, four steam tram engines were acquired from Wilkinson of Wigan. These engines featured vertical boilers, weighed 7 tons, and were fuelled by coke. In the historical timeline, No.2 was dismantled in 1899, No.1 was converted into a ballast wagon in 1910, while Nos. 3 (Dunluce Castle) and 4 (Brian Boroihme) were sold in 1930 for use in the River Bann Navigation works near Portstewart.
In 1938, the tram fleet saw its concluding addition with the introduction of tram number 24. This particular vehicle had a prior life as a double-deck Dunfermline and District Tramways car, which underwent both re-gauging and substantial modifications.
STEAM MILES
In 1897, steam-powered locomotives operated on a total of 17,797 miles (28,641 km), whereas electric-powered locomotives covered 4,721 miles (7,598 km).
In 1901, the figures stood at 7,423 miles (11,946 km) for steam operation and 23,550 miles (37,900 km) for electric operation.
THE BEGINNING OF THE END
Steam usage drastically declined after 1916, and from 1925 – ‘26 onward, the line was seasonally closed during each winter.
The surge in passengers, attributed in part to military traffic during World War II, led to a temporary resurgence of winter services. Nevertheless, the revenue generated was insufficient to sustain the maintenance of the company’s aging infrastructure.
Consequently, the line remained closed after the conclusion of the 1949 season, with the last day of regular service being on September 30, 1949. Subsequently, the line was disassembled.
The memory of the Tramway lives on and two plaques from the original bridge have been preserved. One is displayed at the station located at the Giant’s Causeway end, while the other finds its place in the Ulster Transport Museum.
The railway was resurrected and opening at Easter 2002, along the last two miles (3.2 km) of its original route, operating both diesel and steam tourist trains. The locomotives and rolling stock currently in operation on this track were sourced from Shane’s Castle and include notable pieces such as ‘Tyrone,’ a Peckett 0-4-0 WT locomotive manufactured in 1904 for the British Aluminium Company in Larne, ‘Shane,’ an 0-4-0WT Barclay locomotive built in 1949 for Bord na Mona, and ‘Rory,’ a Simplex ‘T’ class diesel locomotive.
In 1990, a banknote featuring a portrait of Traill was released by the Northern Bank.
A power car and trailer have been meticulously restored and can be found at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum in Cultra, County Down. Additionally, another power car is under the care of the National Transport Museum of Ireland in Howth, Dublin.
Information sources and photo credits
AbeBooks.com
Board of The University of Dublin, Trinity College
Bushmillsvillage.com
CausewayCoastalRoute.com
Chase Water Stuff
David Gladwin
David Maxwell
Dodd, Mead, and Company
Forsyth’s Compendium of Curious Contraptions
Henry’s Adventures
Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL)
Kunst Anstalt Rosenblatt Frankfurt a.M.
Lord Belmont in Northern Ireland
National Transport Museum of Ireland
NorthernIrelandGreenways.com
RTE.ie
The Irish Rovers – The Giant’s Causeway Tram
Tramway Badges & Buttons
Tramwayinfo.com
Transports of Delight
Trevor Preece
trvst.com
VintageMachinery.org – Brian D Szafranski
Wikipedia
