1844 Plan: Londonderry & Enniskillen Railway

The following documents entitled "Plans and Sections of the Londonderry and Enniskillen Railway with a branch to Lough Swilly 1844" were made available to the OSB through the kind generosity of Mr CurlyHill. The entire photocopied plan spreads out over 21 pages.

Sheet 1: Plans and Sections of the Londonderry and Enniskillen Railway with a branch to Lough Swilly 1844

This particular plan for the Londonderry and Enniskillen Railway (L&ER) was prepared for Parliament by the engineer Sir John McNeil in 1844, at the request of the Irish Railway Commission. However, these pages do not depict the final route taken by the railway. The final design was influenced in part by the eminent engineer Robert Stephenson and Alexander Ross; after McNeil declined to build the line when the act passed in July 1845.

Report, Robert Stephenson and Alexander M Ross, London 18 August 1845, with report of the first General Meeting of the Londonderry & Enniskillen Railway, The Railway Times, VIII, 30 August 1845, p. 1390. We have inspected the entire line, and have to report to you that much alteration is required to save expense, and to expedite the execution of the works very materially. We are informed that surveys were made in haste, and that Sir J. MacNeil, in the midst of his then pressing engagements, did not himself have time personally to go over the line.

The line to Strabane should have been completed by September 1846 (L&ER General Meeting, Railway Times IX 29 Aug 1846), but allegations from shareholders of Ross's personal and financial involvement with the contractor James Leishman (1800-1884) slowed the project down. The railway station at Strabane opened months later in 1847. Perhaps wearied by the growing dissatisfaction and paranoia of parsimonious shareholder during the famine years, Stephenson and Ross withdrew from the project by January 1848. (The Railway Record V, 15 January 1848 pp56-57). It would take 6 more years to reach the terminus at Enniskillen.

To highlight the difference between McNeil's plan and the completed 1854 L&ER route: on sheet 4 MacNeil runs the rail track at Strabane east of the Bowling Green, through the plot where the Church Of the Immaculate Conception is now situated, up Townsend Street and parallel to the Liskey Road.

Despite Stephenson's criticisms, McNeil's maps are still a useful source of information that show us, albeit roughly at times, what 70 miles of countryside looked like during that period.

The following downloadable KMZ Basemaps and KMZ Enlargement files were designed to be viewed upon the satellite imagery of Google Earth. Since the files were converted to the WGS 84 datum, all measurements should be treated as imprecise due to datum displacement. The opacity and location of the maps can be adjusted within Google Earth. Zoomit links are provided to show the maps in their original unadjusted state.

*NOTE: Google have altered the way their cloud storage system "GoogleDocs" handles KMZ files. Instead of displaying a direct download link, GoogleDocs now opens the KMZ file directly onto Google Maps. Whilst this is a good idea in principle, Google have only partially implemented KMZ support on Google Maps as of yet. As a result, many KMZ files are aligned incorrectly when viewed on Google Maps this way. However, the same KMZ files will appear correctly aligned when opened in GoogleEarth. On the following links please make sure you select Download from the File menu, and then open the files in Google Earth. Just ignore the GoogleMaps preview.

Main Route

View and Download Links

View Online	Download BaseMap	Download EnlargEments
Zoomit Views	KMZ for Google Earth	KMZ for Google Earth
Sheet 1 ∙	City and County Londonderry	6 Sections
Sheet 2	Saint Johnstown - Templemore	3 Sections
Sheet 3	Porthall - Tullyowen	7 Sections
Sheet 4 ∙	Strabane town	4 Sections
Sheet 5	Breen - Milltown	7 Sections
Sheet 6 ∙	Newtown Stewart - Mulvin	3 Sections
Sheet 7	Beltan - Pubble	11 Sections
Sheet 8	Lislimnaghan - Castletown	17 Sections
Sheet 9 ∙	Omagh	12 Sections
Sheet 10	Mullawinny - Mullaghmore	9 Sections
Sheet 11	Drumskinny - Shanaragh	8 Sections
Sheet 12	Strangagummer - Esker	9 Sections
Sheet 13	Drummurry- Lisnahanna	11 Sections
Sheet 14	Aughaward - Salry	9 Sections
Sheet 15 ∙	Enniskillen	9 Sections

Lifford Deviation

View and Download Links

View Online	Download BaseMap	Download EnlargEments
Zoomit Views	KMZ for Google Earth	KMZ for Google Earth
Part 1	Lifford Common - Porthall	6 Sections
Part 2	Liggartown - Coneyburrow	8 Sections
Part 3	Trafalgar	1 Section

Derry City and Branch to Lough Swilly

View and Download Links

View Online	Download BaseMap	Download EnlargEments
Zoomit Views	KMZ for Google Earth	KMZ for Google Earth
Sheet 1a	City of Londonderry Enlarged Plan	-
Swilly Branch	Port Lough - Whitehouse	9 Sections

Life expectancy \ income - Ireland \ UK. 1800-2009 (GapMinder data)

SkyDrive Folder (alternative links)
  

Post Office and Emigration Office

Looking NorthWest down Main Street c1907 (incomplete street light on the right) | fullsize
Tinted collotype published by Valentine Dublin (divided back, 'low harp' logo in red ink.)


View Larger Map

---

View Modes

SEPIATOWN	WHATWASTHERE	BIRD'S EYE
View	View	View

Andrew Hamilton is listed on Main Street in the 1901 trade directory as an ironmonger and emigration agent. Whilst the 1901 census shows Andrew living at house number 4 Bowling Green (private dwelling), the the actual location of his business on Main Street is not shown.

On the right edge of the postcard (published by Valentine Dublin c1907-1914), the building with "Emigration Office" written on it is a likely location for Andrew's hardware store and emigration agency. This building is listed in the 1901 Census: House and Building Returns form, at 91 Main Street with no inhabitants. Other non inhabited shops listed on Main Street, in the 1901 census, are: 38, 48, 50, 56, 62, 95, 100, 102, 104, 108, 110, and 116.

By 1913 Andrew's business had expanded to include a shipping agency, along with a house, land and insurance agency. With his family he had moved home to 24 Derry Road, and had moved his conglomerate to Railway Street.

The building with the greenish shop-front, to the right of the Post Office, was the location of Stevenson's Draper Shop.


Related Documents:

1901	Census: House And Building Return (John Anderson , 90 Main Street | Gray Printers, 94 Main Street)

1901	Census: House And Building Return (Post Office, 54 Main Street | Tea Merchant, John Devine, 52 MainStreet)

1911	Census: House And Building Return (John Anderson, 47 Main Street | Gray Printers, 42 Main Street)

1911	Census: House And Building Return (Post Office, 21 Main Street | Tea Merchant, John Devine 25 Main Street)

Related Images:
   

Oliver Stevenson Draper's Shop c1910

Looking Southwest along Main Street | fullsize


View Larger Map

---

View Modes

SEPIATOWN	WHATWASTHERE	BIRD'S EYE
View	View	View

Oliver Stevenson is listed in the 1901 Census as a Woollen Draper at 53 Main Street. His shop was located right beside the then Post Office (54 Main Street). In the 1911 Census Stevenson Draper's shop is listed at 22 Main Street (whilst the Post Office is listed at 21 Main Street).

Related Documents:

1901	Census: House And Building Return (Oliver Stevenson - Draper, 53 Main Street)

1901	Census: House And Building Return (Robert Stevenson - Ironmongery, 47 Main Street)

1911	Census: House And Building Return (Oliver Stevenson, 22 Main Street. Oliver is also listed as "Head of Family" at 27 Main Street. In"Household Return (Form A)", on building 27 the title "Head Of Family" is given to Robert Stevenson.)

Related Images:
 

R. Hamilton Grocer's Shop c1900

Looking North in Abercorn Square | fullsize


View Larger Map

---

View Modes

SEPIATOWN	WHATWASTHERE	BIRD'S EYE
View	View	View

Robert Hamilton Grocer's shop is listed in the 1905 Tyrone Trade Directory, the 1913 McDonalds Directory, and in the 1901 census at Abercorn Square. In the 1911 Census Robert Hamilton is listed at 1 Canal Street.

Related Documents:

1901	Census (Robert Hamilton, 1 Abercorn Square)

1905	Tyrone Directory (R Hamilton, Abercorn Square)

1911	Census (Robert Hamilton, 1 Canal Street)

1913	Mcdonalds Directory (R Hamilton, Abercorn Square)

Related Images:

Publishing: Gray Printers (Gray & Sons)

Looking Southeast along Main Street 1956 | fullsize
Postcard published 1956 by Gray's Printers [Photo from Mr Curlyhill]


View Larger Map

---

View Modes

SEPIATOWN	WHATWASTHERE	BIRD'S EYE
View	View	View

• 1797: The Carroll and Foster printery is established. The printery publishes the Strabane Morning Post. Although hidden behind shutters today, a sign above the doorway in Gray's Printers states "Established 1797".
• 1822: Carroll and Foster become Carroll and Gray.
  Carroll provided financial support for the building of Saint John's Church, Townsend Street 1821.
• 1834: Carroll dies on December 28.
• 1835: Gray becomes the sole proprietor January 1.
  Gray is listed in the Trade Directory of 1839 in Main Street under John Gray, Printers and Stationers and Australian Agent
• 1887: Name changes to Gray and Co.

It is often claimed that John Dunlap started his apprenticeship at Gray's printery. Sadly this was not the case. John was born in Meetinghouse Street c1746, but at the age of 10 left Strabane to live in with his uncle William Dunlap in America. John served an apprenticeship under his uncle William who, at that time, was one of the leading printers in Philadelphia.


Looking Southeast along Main Street 1943 (gas street lighting) | fullsize
The street image shown above was reconstructed from a short sequence in a filmed documentary. Several  figures in motion, during this sequence, were repeated several times in the reconstructed image. The half man shown in the distance is actually the same soldier with the light shaded jacket shown twice in the foreground. This problem only affects objects in motion. Buildings are unaffected.

Related Video:

Video [cc]: Gray Printers 1943: The printer featured in the clip is Bobby Gray.
Bobby (Robert) is listed in the 1901 and 1911 Census.
(Look out for the damaged Presbyterian church shown at the start of the video)

Newspaper Articles:
Strabane Morning Post - Transcribed by Alison Kilpatrick

1812	July	28	Strabane Morning Post
1814	Dec	2	Strabane Morning Post
1815	Jan	3	Strabane Morning Post
1815	Mar	28	Strabane Morning Post
1815	Apr	11	Strabane Morning Post
1815	Apr	18	Strabane Morning Post
1815	Apr	25	Strabane Morning Post
1815	May	2	Strabane Morning Post
1815	Oct	31	Strabane Morning Post

Related Documents:

1	Early Strabane Newspapers and their Proprietors

Related Images:

Gasworks near Park Road 1939

Looking East from Park Street (now Park Road) | fullsize
Sitting: John Magee, Paddy Rooney (manager), Charlie McBride
Standing: Johnny Gallagher, Jack Logue, James Ryan

---

View Modes

SEPIATOWN	WHATWASTHERE	BIRD'S EYE
View	View	View

• 1902: Gasworks between Park Street (now Park Road) and the Canal opens.
  (By The Banks of The Mourne p113)
• 1936: Strabane connects to the electricity supply. 
• 1986 Aug 9: Gasworks closes. Manager Seamus McDevitt.
  (By The Banks of The Mourne p128)

1905 Ordnance Survey Map

Based on a quotes from Mr Curlyhill and Mr Anonymous:
The older Gasworks, shown 400 meters south of this location on the 1905 map, was converted to a Chemical Works. What the Chemical Works produced is unknown, however iron and magnesium sulphate found in this area may indicate that it produced fertilizer or vinegar.

Newpaper Article:
The Strabane Post. Nov 2010 page 18