inade at crossing gates lo pick up or set down passengers. These cars proved so succe;sful that iarge!· cars were built, fitted with D-iesel engines. The · C.D.J.C. was a piunecr in the introduction of Diesel rail traction, No. 7 railcar which went into trnffi<.: between Strabane and Killybegs in September 1931, being the first regular Die~el ~ervi<:e in Lhe British Isles. In 1930 Mr. Forbes started a roc:cl bus service between Gle:i - ties and Rosbeg with two small 36 h.p. Ford .:rn-seater petrol buses. In rn:i:~ . when Catherwood\; buses had opened un a fine road t!·ar.sport system. chiefly on the Derry-Donegal-Sligo road, the G.N.R. took over this route and extended the services to hitherto · isolated centres like Carrick, Kilcar, Gle~columbki:Je and Malinmore and Portnoo. .Jn more recent years a service was .opened between Ballybofey and Letterkenny: Hitherto the only link between these two towns was the Jong journey by rail, v!a Strnbane. THE I.{}UGJI mm,o PILGRIMAGE On the border~ of Fermanagh and Donegal is situated the sma ll town of Petti.go, and 4} miles away in a wild mountain district is Lough Derg, where on Station Island is located the scene of St. Patrick's v1s1on of P;.irgatory. Here there is a basilica in Byzantbe style and a hospice. The annual,·pFgrimage to this holy place has". become the most remarkable in the wor~ct . Pilgrims come from ;ill pa rt s. To indkntc the modern growlh 41G. of ihis pilgrimage the following figures, taken from the rec::irds of the G. N. R. Railway, are of interest :- In 1929, 5,933 pilgrims were carried; ten years later in rn:rn, on the outbreak o.f ·World War 11, 7,349 pilgrims made t.he journey and in 1947 no fewer than 17,062 pilgrims visited Lough Derg. In 1951 this figure jumped to 18,803 and notwithstanding Holy Year Pilgrimage to Rome in 1950, the figure was 18,450. But figures for 1952 broke all records. The Great Northern Railway carried 21,829. The balance arrived at Lough Derg by private motor .and many organised parties travelled in Coras Iompai r Eireann and Ulster Transport Authority buses. The pilgrims arriving by train at Pettigo station are brought out to the lake shore in a fleet of Great Northern Raiiway buses which are maintained at Pettigo throughout the season for this purpose. This service was taken over by the G.N.R. in 1930. The phenome?Jal growth in the ·volume of pilgrimage traffic h:,:s made it nece8sary to provide additional facilities at Pettigo Stalion .and this wo~·k is now being carried out. Many special trains run into this station during the pilgrimage season. but apart from these. the majority of the pilgrims travel by the now famous "Bundoran E '<press" from Du.b:in direction which provides connection at Clo!1es from Belfast. The "Bundoran Express" runs non-stop through "Northern" Ireland between Clones and Pettigo in each direction thereby not onl)' reduci rlg llw travelling time for the .iomucy, but al:m cutting oul the
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