Derry Central Railway
The Derry Central Railway was an Irish gauge railway in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland.
History
The line was authorised by the ', and constructed from Macfin Junction to Magherafelt, serving Knockloughrim, Maghera, Upperlands, Kilrea, Garvagh and Aghadowey. Although nominally independent, the line was funded and operated by the Belfast and Northern Counties Railway.It opened on 18 December 1880 and was long. Despite the celebration of its opening, it was never a financial success, and in September 1901 it was taken over by the for the sum of £85,000 under the '.
In 1936 there were two trains a day from Belfast to Coleraine via this line and one other train from Magherafelt to Coleraine, consisting of two coaches and a 2-4-0 compound engine. The track had flat bottomed rails, followed the contour of the land and the only large structure was a lattice girder bridge over the River Bann near Macfin.
The line was marginalised by the Ulster Transport Authority on 28 August 1950, which saw the withdrawal of passenger services and complete closure of the line between Macfin and Kilrea. The remaining section between Kilrea and Macfin remained open for goods traffic until 1 October 1959 and the tracks were lifted soon after.