Stenlake Publishing - The Schull & Skibbereen Railway
The Schull & Skibbereen Railway
Author : J. I. C. Boyd ISBN : 9780853617723 Cover : paperback Price : £25.95
This is a straight reprint in softback of the Oakwood book first published in 1999 as a hardback, albeit with a new front cover image. Boyd’s book was built on a previous small Oakwood book on the subject by A. T. Newham, published in 1964. The Schull and Skibbereen Railway operated in Ireland’s West County Cork but is more aptly called a Tramway. The story of this light railway has been variously described as colourful, eventful and fascinating. Originally conceived of as two railways, botched construction began in 1885, and the line opened in 1886, only for service to be suspended in 1887 for a year, as recounted in the chapters A Shaky Start and Nothing but Trouble, followed by Worrying Times. Although things settled down after 1916-1925, the railway was greatly affected by broader political events in Ireland. Although Ireland did not participate in WW2, the shortages it brought impacted the railway. It became part of CIE in 1945 amidst a fuel crisis, resulting in passenger services being withdrawn and abandoned in 1956. With nineteen chapters and four appendices, Boyd’s account is very comprehensive; in 1999, the Southern Star described it as definitive and containing many beautiful photographs, sketches and charts. Another review called it ‘a classic’.
