West Clare Railway

West Clare Railway
Moyasta Junction with water tower
Locale	County Clare, Ireland
Coordinates	52°40′5.09″N 9°32′9.97″W / 52.6680806°N 9.5361028°W / 52.6680806; -9.5361028
Commercial operations
Original gauge	3 ft (914 mm)
Preserved operations
Length	43.4 km (27.0 mi)
Preserved gauge	3 ft (914 mm)
Commercial history
Opened	1887
Closed	1961
Website
West Clare Railway
Route map Legend Year closed IE Line to Gort and Athenry Ennis IE Line to Limerick Lifford Halt 1921 Ruan Corofin Roxton Crossing Willbrook Clouna Halt Monreal Halt Ennistymon Lahinch Workhouse Private Halt Lahinch Hanrahan's Bridge Rineen Halt Milltown Malbay Annagh No.2 Quilty Kilmurry Craggaknock Doonbeg Shragh Halt Moyasta Junction Moyasta Loop platform Blackweir 1960 Kilkee Kilrush 1916 Cappa Pier

The West Clare Railway (WCR) originally operated in County Clare, Ireland, between 1887 and 1961. This 3 ft (914 mm) narrow-gauge railway ran from the county town of Ennis, via numerous stopping-points along the West Clare coast to two termini, at Kilrush and Kilkee, with the routes diverging at Moyasta Junction. The system was the last operating narrow gauge passenger system in Ireland and connected with the mainline rail system at Ennis, where a station still stands today for bus and train services to Limerick and Galway. Intermediate stops included Ennistymon, Lahinch and Milltown Malbay.

A preservation society maintains a railway museum at Moyasta Junction station, and successfully re-opened a section of the railway as a passenger-carrying heritage line with diesel traction in the 1990s, and with steam motive power from 2009.

The Railway was notorious for poor timekeeping, resulting in litigation and a celebrated comic song.