'l'l1i,: tc•·c.111<.•l•.\I 1\ :1;: rl'll!.'11\'cd ·by a dinnc1· to which all an<i sundry were invite::l. The urna; promises were made by the contractors of reaching the far end o.!: t he: line in no time, and the Chai:·- man, not to 1l1e outdone, preditted a dividend of at least 11 'k ; but, al.as, neithe!· of the~e two promises was destined t-0 be fultilled. The time for o.peuing extended f::om nine mon'.hs, as p:cmised, to three y-ears, and .the line was not opened till September 7, 1863. The. Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. Earl Carlisle, thou~ht the o[:casion of sufficient ·imnortance to attend and in a 'felicitous speech derlared the line open to traffic. In orc~er to avoid a bridge across the River M-0urne, the junction with the Irish North We:>tern Railway was made a short di~ tance south oJ: Strabane. Lord Liffo:·d, the Chai!·man, announced that he had set himself the task of lmilding a Tail- \llay whfrh f::>r economy in const:uctiun \Voultl he an example nGt merely to the l!nited Kingdom, but to the whole (·ivilised wcrld. The entire line, in c!uding tom· stations, but exclusive or ::ol".ing sto:·k, cost £70,000. a·bout £5,30-0 per mile. The F.V.R. at first possessed rv.} rolling stock of its ovvn: a contract was m:id·e with the l.~. W.R. to supp~y engines, can·iages and wagon,., and to work the line fa~· 10 yea:.-s for :J5 % of the traWc rct'eipts. After the 10 years a new arr:rngement w:;.s made: the F.V.R 'bought ca:Ti ag~s ar.d wago!lS, while the I.N.W.R. supplied engine powtr for 9d per mile and rec~ived a fbced :;;tJm f{>r permission to 11·•.•1.'k lnl•1 ·Sb';!l>aU\!. 'J.'lrn t"~t·ei pl:, of the F .. \'.R. inl'reased from the opening until 1878, wh.~n the earnings were £7,000 per annum, equal to a•bout £10 per mile per week, a dividend of 2!% being. paid on the o~·dinary stock. After that y·ear, however, the revenue dr·oflped, and in 1881 payment of dividends on the o:-- dinary stock had to be suspended. The West Donegal Railway was granted powe:·s on .Ju:y 31. 1872, to b~ild a 3 ft. gauge line from Stranorlar to Donegal town. 18 miles. The line was opened t-0 Druminnin (now Lough Eske) on Ap:.-il 25, 1882, and thence to Donegal town ·On September 16, 1889. 413. On June 27, 1892, the F.V.R. and the W.D.R. were amalgamated under th~ title of tlie Donegal Railway Company. In their Report of 1881! the Royal Commiss~on on Irish Public Works made suggestions for the development of the Iris·h railway syst-em bv means of Liaht Railways. As a n~sua the Light Railways fin~laEd) Act. <lf 1889 was passed, which applied wher-2 the promoters made an agre~ment for the work ~ng of the line 'by an exbting railway company. The State aid took the fo:c·m of a free grant towards the cost ·Of construt·tion. The Strano!·lar-Gl·enties section was const:-ucted under the provisions of the F.V.R. (Stranorlar to Gtentk~s) Order. 1891. at a cost of £124,8~6. of whil'h £ 123,886 \Vas provided hy Gove!·mnent grant, aEd £ 1,000 hy the issue of stock to which was attached a Ba!.'<mial Guarante-e which ceased on the passing of the Great Northern (Ireland)
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