NARROW gauge steam returned to the former Cavan & Leitrim Railway (C&LR) station at Ballinamore on June 2 when the revived C&LR’s newly restored Avonside 0-6-0T Nancy attended the Ballinamore Vintage and Family Festival.
The event was held on the Ballinamore station site, which in its heyday was the headquarters of the original C&LR.
Monthly Subscription: Enjoy more Railway Magazine reading each month with free delivery to you door, and access to over 100 years in the archive, all for just £5.35 per month.
Click here to subscribe & save
It was therefore fitting Nancy was displayed in front of the former station building, the first time a steam loco has been present since 1959.
“It was a privilege to be invited by the South Leitrim & West Cavan Vintage Club to Ballinamore, and we had a very successful day,” said Micheal Kennedy, of the Dromod-based C&LR.
He added: “A lot of people saw their very first steam engine that day.”
Nancy will make further visits across County Leitrim this summer as part a series of events commemorating the closure of the C&LR on March 29, 1959.
It was expected to attend the Tóstal Festival in Drumshanbo on June 30.
Read more News and Features in the July 2019 issue of The RM –on sale now!
