About the collection
The Londonderry and Lough Swilly Railway Company (The L&LSR, the Swilly) operated in parts of County Londonderry and County Donegal between 1853 and 2014. Incorporated in June 1853, it once operated 99 miles of railways. It closed its last railway line in July 1953 but continued to operate bus services under the name Lough Swilly Bus Company until April 2014 becoming the oldest railway company established in the Victorian era to continue trading as a commercial concern into the 21st century.
The company opened its first line, a 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) link between Derry and Farland Point on 31 December 1863. A branch line between Tooban Junction and Buncrana was added in 1864 and much of the Farland Point line was closed in 1866. n 1883 the 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge Letterkenny Railway between Cuttymanhill and Letterkenny was opened and the L&LSR connected with it by reopening the Tooban Junction - Cuttymanhill section of its Farland Point line. The L&LSR worked the Letterkenny Railway and in 1885 it converted its track from 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) gauge to 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge to enable through running.
Carndonagh was reached by an extension completed in 1901 and Burtonport by a one completed in 1903.[5] Both lines were constructed as joint ventures with the UK Government, with ownership and liabilities shared between the two parties
From 1929 the company began to acquire bus assets throughout Donegal. Further expansion followed rapidly. It entered profitability in the early 1930s as a result of these ventures. Acquisition of freight operations followed, and this led to a reduction of rail services and eventual closure of lines. The Carndonagh branch was closed in about 1935 and the Burtonport line closing entirely in 1940, with a section temporarily re-opening in 1941 to Gweedore, closing finally in 1947. The Buncrana section of the line lost its passenger service in 1948, with its freight service, and the remaining Letterkenny services all closing on 8 August 1953.