 1926 map of GSR | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Dates of operation | 1 January 1925–31 December 1944 |
| Predecessor | Midland Great Western Railway Great Southern and Western Railway Dublin and South Eastern Railway Cork, Bandon and South Coast Railway and others[1] |
| Successor | CIÉ Railways Division (1945-1987) Irish Rail (1987-present) |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) 3 ft (914 mm) |
| Length | 2,181 miles 28 chains (3,510.5 km) (1925)[2] |
| Track length | 2,927 miles 36 chains (4,711.3 km) (1925)[2] |
The Great Southern Railways Company (often Great Southern Railways, or GSR) was an Irish company that from 1925 until 1945 owned and operated all railways that lay wholly within the Irish Free State (the present-day Republic of Ireland).
The period was difficult with rising operating costs and static to failing income. The early part of the period was soon after infrastructure losses of the Irish Civil War. The Emergency or Second World War at the end of the period saw shortages of coal and raw materials with increased freight traffic and restricted passenger traffic.[3]
- ^ Clements & McMahon (2008), pp. 13–14.
- ^ a b The Railway Year Book for 1926. London: The Railway Publishing Company Limited. 1926. pp. 221–227.
- ^ Clements & McMahon (2008), pp. 11–20.