The Drimoleague to Baltimore line.
From Drimoleague were Madore, Skibbereen, Creagh and Baltimore.
The 8 mile Baltimore Extension [Skibbereen to Baltimore], was another Balfour line, opened in 1893, which had only one intermediate station and ran single track.

Schull & Skibbereen Tramway and Light railway was built under the Balfour plan. Set up as the West Carbery Tramway & Light Railway to build a line west to Crookhaven and east to Glandore.
The stations were Skibbereen, Newcourt, Church Cross, Hollyhill, Kilcoe, Ballydehob, Woodlands and Schull.
The single track line was 15.5 miles long with only one station, Ballydehob, which had a passing place. The rest were halts. It ran along the right side of the N71 to Ballydehob and the R592 to Schull.
The line opened in Sept, 1886, but with a 15 mph speed restriction. An extension to the pier opened in Oct. 1893. C.I.E. closed the line on Jan. 27th, 1947, formally abandoned in Sept, 1952.
So little exists of this line as it mostly ran along the roadside, with road widening and no station structures, only embankments and cuttings survive.

The Bantry Extension opened for traffic 1 July 1881, it was 11.25 miles (18km) long. The original terminus was above the town [Bantry Union hill]. A further extension was opened to Bantry town on 22.10.1892, and later the pier [01.01.1909], which gave the CB&SC railway access to deep water. From Drimoleague the station were Aughaville, Durrus Road, Bantry Union hill [till 1892], Bantry town[after 1892] and Bantry pier [1909].

The Ilen Valley Railway (IVR) (Dunmanway to Skibbereen ,1877), was 16 miles (26km) long and opened for traffic July 21, 1877. The stations were Dunmanway, Knockbue, Drimoleague, Madore, Skibbereen. Skibbereen later became a junction with the narrow gauge Schull and Skibbereen Railway. Drimoleague later became a junction with the opening of the Bantry extension in 1881.

The line from Bandon to Dunmanway, was opened for traffic June, 1866, and worked as an independent company, the West Cork Railway. It was 17.5 miles (28km) long.
The stations were Bandon, Castlebernard Halt, Clonakilty Junction, Desert, Ballineen & Enniskeane and Dunmanway.
On 1 January 1880 the CBSCR took over the line which closed on 1 April 1961

The branch was made up of several original railway companies.
The Clonakilty Extension Railway (opened in1886), 9 miles long. [Clonakilty Junc., Ballinscarthy, Clonakilty.]
The Ballinscarthy to Timoleague Junction Light Railway (1890). [Ballinscarthy, Skeaf, Timoleague.]
The Timoleague and Courtmacsherry Light Railway (opened 1891), with a branch to the pier (1892).
The Shannonvale Mill branch [Horse powered] Railway (opened early 1890's).
Regular passenger traffic ceased in 1947 with post-war fuel shortages, and the line was closed completely by CIÉ in 1961.
Very little is left of this line, just very overgrown bridges and some crossings.

William Dargan, the contractor, began work on the Mallow-Fermoy line on 30 September 1858 , and it opened on 17 May 1860 . The line closed completely on Easter sunday, 27 March 1967. The final cost was £109,000 (€138,500). The higher cost was caused by construction difficulties with Kilcummer viaduct at MP 9¾. The line finally opened in June 1860, - six months later than originally anticipated.
The line had only two stops, Castletownroche and Ballyhooley.
The GS&WR had taken over the powers of the Mallow & Fermoy Railway in 1857. This had been an independent company incorporated in 1854. In steam days the locomotives mainly used were Maunsel 2-6-0s , better known as ‘Woolwich’. Numbers 394, 396, 397 and 398 were rostered on most occasions.The permanent way between Mallow and Lismore originally consisted of iron bridge rails weighing no less than 90lbs per yard, spiked to cross sleepers. By 1897, relaying had begun to cater for heavier freight trains. A new standard design of track was conceived for subsidiary sections, such as Mallow-Fermoy, where 83lb flat bottom rails of 45 feet in length were used, with sole plates and stone as ballast.
The line finished at Fermoy originally, but was amalgamated with the line to Waterford later. The Great Southern and Western Railway ran the entire line from Mallow to Waterford from August 1898.

The Mitchelstown and Fermoy Railway Company opened the 20 Kilometre (11.75 miles) line on 23 March 1891, and closed to regular passenger traffic in 27 January 1947, and to all traffic on 1 December 1963.
A planned continuation to Cahir, on the Waterford & Limerick railway, was never built.
The line was greeted with great enthusiasm, and the first passenger train left Fermoy for Mitchelstown with over two hundred people on board.
There were four stations on the line. Fermoy, Glanworth, Ballindangan and Mitchelstown.
In Parliamentary debates on the construction of the M and F Light railway, it was proposed as a 3 foot gauge, but the line was built to 5' 3". Construction began in 1887 with a Capital Grant of £60,000 (€76,000). Usually these lines had a boronial garauntee.
The line was operated by the GS&WR. During the first seven years of service four passenger trains and one goods train were provided. By an Act of 30 July 1900, the company was merged into the GS&WR and worked from Fermoy.
The highlight of an impressive timetable were the busy years of 1914-18 War when the branch was frequently used, particularly at Glanworth, for troop movements to and from Kilworth Camp.
On 27 June 1947 , when a very serious fuel shortage arose, many branch lines in Ireland closed. While others opened later in the year, this branch never did. The six permanent way men were transferred to main line duties, sealing its fate.
In its final years only specials, to fairs and matches, ran the line.

I have come across many closed stations on active lines, and I thought I would put them in a folder of their own.
The dates are only for guidance as some sources differ, so I have opted for the most agreed dates.

The Banteer to Newmarket Railway was opened on the 1/4/1889. It was built under a boronial guarantee by Robert Worthington after several schemes were put forward.
There were just 3 stations, Banteer, Kanturk [4.75 mls] and Newmarket [9mls]. Banteer was formaly known as Kanturk, until Kanturk station was opened.
The 9 miles of line, which were solely operated by the GS&WR, closed for passengers on 27/1/1947, and goods closure on 4/2/1963.

The Cork & Macroom Direct railway went west from Cork to Bishopstown Halt [1912/16 only] 3.5miles, Ballincollig 6.5mls, Killumney 9.5mls, Kilcrea 12.75mls, Crookstown Rd & Ryecourt 16.75mls, Dunisky [Dooniskey!] 20mls & Macroom 24.5mls.
At amalgamation the company had 5 locomotives, 30 coaching & 101 goods.
The first train from Cork to Macroom ran on the 12th May, 1866, leaving from Albert Quay Station, which was the CB&WC Railway terminus,which cost the Macroom Company £2,000 per annum, leaving that line at Ballyphehane junction.

In 1879 the company built it's own terminus at Capwell. In 1925 it became amalgamated with the Great Southern Railway and trains operated again from Albert Quay. The last train from Capwell left on 2/3/1925.
The last regular passenger train ran in 1935 with occasional excursions and goods traffic until 1953.
The Electricty Supply Board finally killed the line when they built 2 hydro-electric plants along the Lee Valley and flooded a large stretch of the line.
On Sunday 8/9/1878, there was an up train derailment east of Ballincollig that resulted in 5 deaths and 70 injuries, and the company suffered financially for several years.
Proposals were made to extend the line to Ballyvourney and Kenmare, and also to Coachford & Ballineen, but these came to nothing.

The Cork, Blackrock, and Passage Railway opened in June 1850. with a guage of 5' 3", and Passage was for some time the railway terminus. Construction work started on 15 June 1847 when the wife of Sir Thomas Deane ceremoniously turned the first sod at Dundanion castle, Blackrock.
The track ran mostly along the waters edge on an embankment, with a small tunnel in passage and a cutting in Blackrock & Carrigaline, and a viaduct in Crosshaven.
The first terminus, at Victoria Road, was closed in 1873 and on 6 February 1873 the company commenced running trains from the new Albert Street station.
In 1895 a decision was made to extend it to Crosshaven with a guage of 3', thus the whole line became 3'. The railway was extended to Monkstown in August 1902 and two years later to Crosshaven.
The line ran from Cork to Blackrock, Rochestown, Passage, Glenbrook, Monkstown, Raffeen, Carrigaline & Crosshaven when fully open, with a few temporary halts. The last train ran on 10/9/32.
The CB&PR involved 16 route miles and the company had 4 locomotives, 28 coaches and 29 goods vehicles. The locomotives were originally green, subsequently black, with white and red lines. The coaches were green and 12 were for 1st class travel, while 16 were for 3rd class travel.

This is the branch line to Kinsale of the Cork Bandon & South Coast Railway.
It opened to regular traffic on 27 June 1863, and closed on 1 September 1931.
The stations from Kinsale Junction are Ballymartle, Farrangalway & Kinsale.
A planned extension to the quays never materialised.
On January 28th, 1915, a special goods train entering Kinsale station collided with the waiting 08.30 up train, causing 2 deaths and 6 injuries.
The track was lifted in 1934 and shipped out of Kinsale to the Middle East.

The Cork and Muskerry Light Railway (C&MLR) was 18 miles (29 km) long and ran on the 3 ft gauge, incorporated in 1883 and opened in 1887, they had six locomotives and 87 other vehicles. From Cork to Leemount the line ran alongside the road, unfenced.
The Coachford branch opened in March 1888.
The Donoughmore Extension Railway added 9 miles (14 km) and was worked by C&MLR and opened in May 1893.
The stations were Western Road [Cork Terminus], Gaol Cross, Victoria Cross, Exhibition Halt [temp], Carrigrohane, Leemount, Healy's Bridge, Coachford Junction, [to Cloghroe, Gurteen, Dripsey, Kilmurry, Peake, Coachford].
Tower Bridge, St Ann's, Blarney.
The Donoughmore Extension from St Ann's to Lower Mill[temp], Burnt Mill, Gurth Mills, Fox's Bridge, Knockane, Firmount Cross, Donoughmore [New Tipperary].
A few of the station buildings are in situ, but neglected. Little of the infrastructure exists, and is gradually disappearing.
The whole line closed on December 31, 1934.

The Midleton - Dunkettle section opened on 10/11/1859, Midleton - Killeagh 27/2/1860, Killeagh - Youghal 23/5/1860 and Dunkettle - Summerhill 1/10/1860.
The line ran to Cork [Summerhill North] till 1/2/1893 when the new Glanmire Road station opened to join the Dublin and Youghal line directly.
Some of this line is still in use today, to Midleton.
The original stations were Summerhill North, Blairs Halt [temp], Tivoli, Dunkettle, Little Island, Queenstown Jun, [to Fota, Carrigaloe, Rushbrooke & Queenstown (Cobh)], Carrigtwohill, Midleton, Mogeely, Killeagh and Youghal.

In 1993 No. 5T re-started duties on the Tralee & Dingle heritage railway section to Blennerville. A new terminus was built at Tralee and the old Blennerville station renovated.
She is a genuine engine from this line, being sold when it closed, and travelled as far as America.
The original line was 31 miles of narrow guage track, with a branch to Castlegregory.
The stations after Blennerville were Curraheen, Derrymore, Castlegregory Jtn,[to Deelis, Aughacasla & Castlegregory], Camp, Glounagalt Bridge, Glenmore, Emalough, Anascaul, Ballinosare, Garrynadur, Lispole, Ballinsteenig and Dingle.
More shots to come of the unused track to Dingle.

In 2003 a 500 metre Heritage Railway section of Lartigue monorail at Listowel was opened on the north Kerry line.
Although the original was steam operated, the replica engine is diesel.
The line opened in March, 1888 and ran until 1924. It was the world's first commercial monorail and ran 10 miles from Listowel to Liselton, Francis Road and Ballybunion in Kerry.
There were 17 track crossings, similar to drawbridges, as level crossings were not suitable.
Much of the track and features have disappeared.
My sincere thanks to all the members of the L.B.R. for allowing me to take some great shots, and forthcoming with information.
Well worth a visit if you're in Kerry.

This section of line opened on 1/8/1849 and closed to regular traffic on 1/4/1961. Originally drafted as 'Bandon to Cork Railway',
the line from Bandon terminated at Ballinhassig until the tunnel was built and opened on 8/12/1851.
Today the whole line is closed. There are no plans to develop any of it.
Stations from Albert Quay were Waterfall, Ballinhassig, Kinsale Jun [to Ballymartle, Farrangalway & Kinsale].
Upton, Innoshannon[closed 1891] and Bandon.
For the techies among you, the permanent way used Flange section rails, 85 lbs. per yard, sleepers, 9 ft. by 4½ in., placed 2 ft. 3 in. apart, centre to centre, and sole plates, weighing 11 lbs. each.