Coach Kits
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GNR-I Platelayers Trolley
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CIE G611 Class Duetz Diesel
4mm Scale Irish Narrow Gauge
7mm Standard Gauge
1:87 Scale Standard Gauge
3mm Scale Standard Gauge
2mm Scale Standard Gauge
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about Irish Railways
'New Irish Lines'
The Great Northern Railway (Ireland) (GNR(I) or GNRI) was an Irish railway company formed in 1876 by a merger of the Irish North Western Railway (INW), Northern Railway of Ireland, and Ulster Railway. The Ulster Railway was the GNRI's oldest constituent, having opened between Belfast and Lisburn in 1839 and extended in stages to reach Clones in 1863. The Northern Railway of Ireland was itself formed by a merger of the Dublin and Drogheda Railway (D&D) with the Dublin and the Belfast Junction Railway (D&BJct).
The Ulster, D&D and D&BJct railways together formed the main line between Dublin and Belfast, with the D&BJct completing the final section in 1852 to join the Ulster at Portadown. The GNRI's other main lines were between Derry and Dundalk and between Omagh and Portadown. The Omagh-Portadown link allowed GNRI trains between Derry and Belfast to compete with the Belfast and Northern Counties Railway, and both this and the Dundalk route gave connections between Derry and Dublin. These main lines supported the development of an extensive branch network serving the southwest half of Ulster and northern counties of Leinster. The GNRI became Ireland's most prosperous railway company and second largest railway network.
In its early years, the GNRI had closely imitated the image of its English namesake, adopting a pleasant apple green finish for its steam locomotives and a varnished teak finish for its passenger coaches. Later the company adopted its famous pale blue livery for locomotives, with the frames and running gear picked out in scarlet.