0:00:06 > 0:00:10For me, trains are about getting from A to B, but there are people
0:00:10 > 0:00:15of all ages who love the romance of the golden age of the railway.
0:00:15 > 0:00:19When the first train left Belfast for Lisburn in 1839,
0:00:19 > 0:00:21it changed our lives for ever.
0:00:23 > 0:00:27Fast, dangerous and exciting, the railway sped up
0:00:27 > 0:00:30the pace of industry, commerce and communication.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33At one time, almost everyone in the country lived within
0:00:33 > 0:00:35five miles of a station.
0:00:35 > 0:00:39People who'd never been out of their home town or village could
0:00:39 > 0:00:42take a trip to the city or spend a day at the seaside.
0:00:43 > 0:00:47I'm much too young to remember all that, but I've spoken to people
0:00:47 > 0:00:51up and down the country who can't understand why most of
0:00:51 > 0:00:54our railway network was abandoned almost 50 years ago.
0:00:56 > 0:00:59I want to find out what the attraction is,
0:00:59 > 0:01:04to see if there's any trace left of these old lines - any hidden
0:01:04 > 0:01:08history to be found in some of the places they passed through.
0:01:08 > 0:01:10And that brings us to tomorrow. Temperatures will rise
0:01:10 > 0:01:14to about 18 or 19 degrees for many of us.
0:01:14 > 0:01:16Then, as we look ahead towards the rest of the week
0:01:16 > 0:01:19and into the weekend, plenty more dry weather to come.
0:01:19 > 0:01:20Well, there you are.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23That was the weather. Not looking too bad at all.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25Perfect for getting away from the weather desk
0:01:25 > 0:01:27for a few days to walk the line.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53The railway age in County Tyrone lasted for more than a century,
0:01:53 > 0:02:00from 1858 to 1965. And that main line between Portadown and Derry,
0:02:00 > 0:02:04via Dungannon and Omagh, became known by generations of railway users
0:02:04 > 0:02:06as the Derry Road.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09But it's from here, in Dungannon, that I start my walk today.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13And my route around County Tyrone takes me from Dungannon
0:02:13 > 0:02:15to Donaghmore, Pomeroy, Carrickmore,
0:02:15 > 0:02:21Beragh, before branching off at Omagh to Fintona and Bundoran Junction.
0:02:29 > 0:02:33These rolling hills once formed part of a huge estate
0:02:33 > 0:02:35belonging to Lord Northland.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42When the railway line from Portadown reached Dungannon in 1858,
0:02:42 > 0:02:46the station was initially based outside the town.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49And that's because Lord Northland
0:02:49 > 0:02:52refused to allow the railway to pass over his land.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55He didn't want to look out from his magnificent mansion
0:02:55 > 0:02:59and see - and I quote - a monster belching smoke!
0:02:59 > 0:03:02He thought the noise and smoke would damage his grounds.
0:03:06 > 0:03:11So, Lord Northland insisted that a 700-metre tunnel was bored deep
0:03:11 > 0:03:15within a cutting, to allow the train line to continue into Dungannon.
0:03:25 > 0:03:29The mansion is gone, and so are the rails, but that tunnel
0:03:29 > 0:03:33is just about accessible through 50 years of thick overgrowth.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55It's mystical here, deep under the forest canopy, and hard to believe
0:03:55 > 0:04:00a busy train route ever cut through this dense woodland -
0:04:00 > 0:04:03but it did. And there's the proof.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12I'm glad I saw the tunnel before it sinks forever
0:04:12 > 0:04:13back into the landscape.
0:04:51 > 0:04:55The past is recorded on this landscape in rural Tyrone.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58The railway route stretches out in front of me -
0:04:58 > 0:05:01the form of the trackbed still identifiable.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13This track was once one of Ulster's most important railway routes,
0:05:13 > 0:05:16and the little stations of Annaghmore,
0:05:16 > 0:05:20Donaghmore, Pomeroy, Carrickmore, Sixmilecross and Beragh
0:05:20 > 0:05:25were among the aristocracy of railway centres, daily witness to mainline
0:05:25 > 0:05:30express trains, local services and evening and night goods trains.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36The arrival of the railway to this part of County Tyrone allowed
0:05:36 > 0:05:40local industry to flourish and export their goods to markets
0:05:40 > 0:05:41around the world.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45One such company was Brown's Soap and Candle Works of Donaghmore,
0:05:45 > 0:05:48who were perhaps best known for their Colleen Shampoo
0:05:48 > 0:05:51and McClinton soap brands.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54The company was set up in 1820 by David Brown,
0:05:54 > 0:05:57but it was his son, James Brown, who took over in the 1850s,
0:05:57 > 0:06:00that brought the company its most success.
0:06:14 > 0:06:19My next stop is shrouded by tall trees and hidden from sight.
0:06:26 > 0:06:30All traces of train track and platforms long since gone,
0:06:30 > 0:06:33but the station house remains.
0:06:33 > 0:06:37Once, trains arrived to this station with cargo from Poland and Germany
0:06:37 > 0:06:41for the soap factory, and when the trains left, they were stocked up
0:06:41 > 0:06:46with exports for faraway places - America, Australia, New Zealand.
0:06:48 > 0:06:52This is Donaghmore station, and it's sad to see it now.
0:06:52 > 0:06:56But to my eye, it's strangely beautiful and atmospheric -
0:06:56 > 0:06:58and nature is reclaiming it!
0:07:02 > 0:07:05The soap factory closed in the early '50s,
0:07:05 > 0:07:09and, ten years later, this once-busy station also closed its doors.
0:07:24 > 0:07:25Once past Donaghmore,
0:07:25 > 0:07:29the train begins its long, slow climb to Pomeroy.
0:07:38 > 0:07:43Ulster's railway routes pass through some of the most beautiful scenery,
0:07:43 > 0:07:45and County Tyrone is no exception.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56Pomeroy has been claimed to be the highest station
0:07:56 > 0:07:59on the whole Irish standard gauge network.
0:07:59 > 0:08:04Just outside the town, rails reach a height of 171m above sea level,
0:08:04 > 0:08:08and I know a man who can confirm or challenge that claim.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12Charles Friel is a founder member
0:08:12 > 0:08:15of the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland.
0:08:15 > 0:08:19He's been taking, collecting and archiving pictures of Irish railways,
0:08:19 > 0:08:24so they will not be lost to future generations.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27- Hiya, Charles.- Hello.- How are you? - Fine, thank you, how are you?
0:08:27 > 0:08:30- Not too bad. Good weather for taking a few photographs.- It is, yes.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33I'm trying to record what is still here
0:08:33 > 0:08:3650 years after the whole thing closed. It's amazing what's left.
0:08:36 > 0:08:40- Still standing in one piece, at least.- Still there - built to last.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44Fact or fiction, Charles -
0:08:44 > 0:08:48is Pomeroy the highest station on the standard Irish gauge network?
0:08:48 > 0:08:49Yes, it is.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52It's the highest bit of... Just west of here is
0:08:52 > 0:08:54the highest bit of track on the Great Northern system.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57There was a higher bit between Armagh and Castleblayney,
0:08:57 > 0:08:59but that only lasted until 1923.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02But after that, this can claim to be the highest standard gauge
0:09:02 > 0:09:06- bit of track in Ireland.- What kind of challenges would that have posed?
0:09:06 > 0:09:11Well, the railways, they didn't mind going round curves,
0:09:11 > 0:09:13but they don't like climbing hills.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15You've a huge climb from Dungannon to just west of here
0:09:15 > 0:09:18and then it's a fall all the way.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21But for a driver driving a train, that meant that leaving Dungannon,
0:09:21 > 0:09:24the engine had to be in pretty good order.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26You'd a long climb to get to the summit.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29And then the firemaster has to manage his fire
0:09:29 > 0:09:32and water levels and all that sort of stuff,
0:09:32 > 0:09:34and the driver has to make the best use of the steam
0:09:34 > 0:09:36and get the train up the hill, depending on how heavy it is.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39It wasn't unknown sometimes for the train to be heavier than
0:09:39 > 0:09:42he thought it was. That was another trick they played on each other.
0:09:42 > 0:09:47So for a driver, each day was a challenge.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50The railway had an important role in connecting people,
0:09:50 > 0:09:55but it also has a bigger role in the social impact, in communities.
0:09:55 > 0:09:59Yes, yes. The lines were built for a mixture of the farm traffic
0:09:59 > 0:10:01and agriculture produce.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03We didn't have much mineral traffic in Ireland -
0:10:03 > 0:10:06coal, steel, that kind of stuff - but we had a lot of people.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09Sadly, a lot of people made their journey on the new railway,
0:10:09 > 0:10:12which came in after the famine, on their way to the ports to emigrate
0:10:12 > 0:10:16to Boston, New York, wherever. That was a bit sad.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19But it also brought in a lot of holiday makers.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22A lot of Scotch people would come across to Northern Ireland.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25A lot of them travelled over this line heading up to Donegal.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30It had a huge impact socially, and not just in...
0:10:30 > 0:10:33Before the railways came, every parish priest in Ireland
0:10:33 > 0:10:36had his own idea when noon was, when the bell was rung.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39When the railway came, we had to have Dublin time,
0:10:39 > 0:10:42which was known in this part of the world as railway time.
0:10:42 > 0:10:46And every morning, the first train to Dublin took a nine o'clock signal
0:10:46 > 0:10:48and that was translated watch to watch,
0:10:48 > 0:10:50all the way across the system.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53And it wasn't until during the First World War,
0:10:53 > 0:10:55the Great War, that we standardised with Greenwich Mean Time.
0:10:55 > 0:10:59Until then, Dublin time was 25 minutes behind.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02So if you landed at Dun Laoghaire, or Larne, you had two clocks -
0:11:02 > 0:11:05one showing London time, one showing Dublin time.
0:11:07 > 0:11:11You've taken countless photographs and you've written books.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14- Why do you do it all?- It's a hobby that becomes a way of life.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17It's an interest that just has so many facets to it.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21The social impact, the economic impact of it arriving,
0:11:21 > 0:11:24of it being there, and then after it closed.
0:11:24 > 0:11:26My great joy is finding photographs from the time
0:11:26 > 0:11:29that have now been unearthed after many, many years.
0:11:29 > 0:11:33People unearthing photographs that haven't been seen for 50, 60 years.
0:11:45 > 0:11:50Charles has photographs to take, and I have walking to do.
0:11:54 > 0:11:58My route continues past Carrickmore, Sixmilecross, to Beragh.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04These small stations dotted around the countryside
0:12:04 > 0:12:06were witness to everyday life.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10Trains passed up and down the line with exports,
0:12:10 > 0:12:14imports, travellers, and even 12th of July revellers.
0:12:27 > 0:12:31The straggling trackbeds have become buried in this landscape.
0:12:31 > 0:12:36The odd bridge here and there, a line of trees between the drumlins,
0:12:36 > 0:12:40just about marking the course once taken by the railway.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50It's hard to imagine that this stretch of grass
0:12:50 > 0:12:52was once a mainline railway -
0:12:52 > 0:12:55a key intercity transport connector, as they'd call it today.
0:12:55 > 0:12:59That is, of course, until you come across something remarkable.
0:13:09 > 0:13:15Just north of Beragh station, a distant signal still stands sentinel,
0:13:15 > 0:13:18its arm in the correct position as a warning for trains
0:13:18 > 0:13:20to slow down for the station up ahead.
0:13:30 > 0:13:34And that station up ahead is still a bit of a walk for me.
0:13:47 > 0:13:51This was once Beragh station. It's now a private house.
0:13:51 > 0:13:55But from the bridge, I can still see a railway connection -
0:13:55 > 0:13:56the signal box.
0:14:00 > 0:14:05In 1965, the Stormont government implemented the recommendation
0:14:05 > 0:14:07of the infamous Benson Report
0:14:07 > 0:14:10to close the rail route between Portadown and Derry,
0:14:10 > 0:14:12spelling the end of the Derry Road.
0:14:15 > 0:14:19Author, publisher and Omagh native Tom Ferris recalls
0:14:19 > 0:14:21"the trains long departed".
0:14:21 > 0:14:23How important was this line?
0:14:23 > 0:14:27Well, this was a major transport link for County Tyrone.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30It opened in the early 1860s
0:14:30 > 0:14:35and sadly closed on Valentine's Day 1965.
0:14:36 > 0:14:40This was an economically important line to many people, wasn't it?
0:14:40 > 0:14:44Very much, vital to many people who lived along the course of the line.
0:14:44 > 0:14:48It provided the only realistic form of transportation for both
0:14:48 > 0:14:51goods and passengers for the best part of 100 years.
0:14:51 > 0:14:53For example, in terms of agriculture,
0:14:53 > 0:14:57farmers could export their cattle to markets in England using the trains.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00Omagh, for example, was a garrison town,
0:15:00 > 0:15:02so when the battalions were being changed at the camp,
0:15:02 > 0:15:07they would come and go by train. And people going to schools, colleges,
0:15:07 > 0:15:10the only realistic way of going about that was using the trains.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13WHISTLE BLASTS
0:15:18 > 0:15:21And for factories in the area, it really opened up the market.
0:15:21 > 0:15:23That's right. Right up to the end.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25Two of the big factories in Omagh - Scotts Mills,
0:15:25 > 0:15:30who produced both oats for human consumption and animal feeds,
0:15:30 > 0:15:34and what we called the "Nestles" factory, we should say Nestle.
0:15:34 > 0:15:38They used to produce lots of condensed milk and, as a kid,
0:15:38 > 0:15:43I remember seeing the scrap tin, which was being recycled,
0:15:43 > 0:15:46sent in wagons up to Belfast and glinting in the sun
0:15:46 > 0:15:49at Omagh station - a memory I have 50 years on.
0:15:51 > 0:15:55The closure was proposed by Henry Benson in his infamous report.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58His brief was simply to say, how do you make the railways pay?
0:15:58 > 0:16:02And the logic of the 1960s, you close a bit more down
0:16:02 > 0:16:05and get towards the Holy Grail - railways making money.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08What Benson didn't take into account was the collateral damage
0:16:08 > 0:16:12to the lives of the people and economy of Tyrone.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17You must remember, even in the '50s and '60s, cars were common,
0:16:17 > 0:16:20but still, very few people owned cars.
0:16:20 > 0:16:21And all these people
0:16:21 > 0:16:24and their goods were being thrown onto inadequate roads.
0:16:24 > 0:16:28So the railway imposed on very many aspects of social and economic life
0:16:28 > 0:16:30in places like Tyrone.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36Kid who were interested in railways were way ahead of the game
0:16:36 > 0:16:38when it came to Omagh's entertainment world,
0:16:38 > 0:16:40because, of course, all the films
0:16:40 > 0:16:42from the two local cinemas came by train.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44If you were roaming around the station,
0:16:44 > 0:16:47you might find a burrow that contained these shiny cans of films.
0:16:47 > 0:16:49A quick glance at the side of those
0:16:49 > 0:16:52would tell you what programmes were in the local flea pits
0:16:52 > 0:16:55the week after, long before it was published in the local papers.
0:17:03 > 0:17:08I leave Tom reminiscing about happy railway times.
0:17:10 > 0:17:14The line may have long gone, but its memory and presence linger.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26But after the railway route was closed, a train did pass down
0:17:26 > 0:17:29this line again - the irony being,
0:17:29 > 0:17:32it was to pick up a cargo of dismantled railway track.
0:17:45 > 0:17:49This line did continue past Omagh to Derry, but I'm taking this route
0:17:49 > 0:17:54to my next stop to find out more about a unique form of transport.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00I'm heading towards the small village of Fintona,
0:18:00 > 0:18:03and one of the most charming of railway oddities.
0:18:03 > 0:18:07Rail services began to run to this part of Tyrone in 1853,
0:18:07 > 0:18:10but the rail link stopped about three quarters of a mile short
0:18:10 > 0:18:12of the required distance.
0:18:15 > 0:18:19As early as 1854, a horse-tram was introduced to connect
0:18:19 > 0:18:22the town of Fintona with Fintona Junction.
0:18:22 > 0:18:27The tram - known locally as "the van" - resembled a Wild West stagecoach,
0:18:27 > 0:18:30with crude ladders up the side for access to the top deck.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33First- and second-class passengers travelled inside,
0:18:33 > 0:18:37while third class stayed on top, exposed to the elements.
0:18:41 > 0:18:45For the next 104 years, passengers were ferried by horses
0:18:45 > 0:18:48who sedately plodded up and down the branch line,
0:18:48 > 0:18:51providing a connection with the station and village.
0:18:56 > 0:19:00Ash was thrown between the sleepers to provide a soft path
0:19:00 > 0:19:03for the horse to walk easily along the track.
0:19:03 > 0:19:08And all the horses - whatever their gender - had the same name!
0:19:08 > 0:19:11- When did this tramway come into existence?- 70 years ago.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14- And how long have you been on it? - 41 years, sir
0:19:14 > 0:19:17How many horses would you have had in that time, about?
0:19:17 > 0:19:18Five or six, I'm not too sure.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21I know this one is called Dick, have you pet names for the others?
0:19:21 > 0:19:24- They are all Dick, sir. - All Dick?- Yes.
0:19:24 > 0:19:26Then you can't make any mistakes.
0:19:27 > 0:19:31The equine locomotive remained in use until the rail system closed
0:19:31 > 0:19:34and tram and Dick went into retirement.
0:19:38 > 0:19:43And moving on from Fintona Junction to the last stage of my journey -
0:19:43 > 0:19:44Bundoran Junction.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22This is the end of the line for me -
0:20:22 > 0:20:24Bundoran Junction in Kilskeery, County Tyrone.
0:20:24 > 0:20:28This was once a major junction for the Great Northern Railway
0:20:28 > 0:20:31They closed on 1st October 1957.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34But I'm glad to see the station house still survives.
0:20:40 > 0:20:45It's quiet and peaceful today, but this wasn't always the case.
0:20:45 > 0:20:50Historian Alan Devers is here to tell me about this once-busy junction.
0:20:50 > 0:20:54- Alan, how are you?- Hello, you're very welcome here to Bundoran Junction.
0:20:54 > 0:20:56- It's certainly changed, hasn't it? - Oh, it has.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59But it's still much the same as it was in railway times
0:20:59 > 0:21:03with the rhododendrons and the peace and quiet and the birdsong.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05BIRDSONG
0:21:05 > 0:21:10Up to 1957, there could be moments of frantic activity here
0:21:10 > 0:21:13when up to three trains could be in the station at one time,
0:21:13 > 0:21:17because you would have had a train from Enniskillen arriving,
0:21:17 > 0:21:21going to Omagh, a train arriving from Omagh, heading for Enniskillen,
0:21:21 > 0:21:24and at the same time, a train heading off for Bundoran.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31This station really was an interchange point.
0:21:31 > 0:21:33The local traffic would have been extremely light,
0:21:33 > 0:21:36because Kilskeery is just a small village,
0:21:36 > 0:21:40so there would have been very few locals to use the train.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43Most people simply arrived by train and left by train.
0:21:49 > 0:21:50You'd be very disappointed
0:21:50 > 0:21:52if you were using the train for the first time.
0:21:52 > 0:21:56You arrive at Bundoran Junction, but Bundoran is 30 miles away.
0:21:56 > 0:22:00I know, it seems a misleading term, doesn't it? Very much.
0:22:00 > 0:22:04The problem was that this was the nearest point from the mainline,
0:22:04 > 0:22:10so the branch ran off from here, but it went through Irvinestown,
0:22:10 > 0:22:15Kesh, Pettigo, Belleek, Ballyshannon, and finally Bundoran.
0:22:15 > 0:22:19So it was the gateway, if you like, to Donegal.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22So many trains ran to Bundoran, particularly during the summer.
0:22:22 > 0:22:26Trains would have run, not just from Enniskillen, but from Omagh,
0:22:26 > 0:22:28from Londonderry, even from Belfast.
0:22:28 > 0:22:32So you'd a constant procession of excursions
0:22:32 > 0:22:36and the famous Bundoran express ran on this route.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39It wasn't an express in terms of speed,
0:22:39 > 0:22:42because it took about five hours,
0:22:42 > 0:22:46so it was actually a reasonably slow train,
0:22:46 > 0:22:48but nonstop through Northern Ireland.
0:22:48 > 0:22:50The line was still surprisingly busy when it closed.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53In fact, here at Bundoran Junction,
0:22:53 > 0:22:56work was being done as late as July and August 1957
0:22:56 > 0:23:01on re-laying track and sidings just under the bridge here.
0:23:01 > 0:23:02So it's unbelievable.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09You could get off the train here, go in and get yourself a drink.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13But there were some quirky requirements when it came to alcohol.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16Yes, the Railway Licensing law was very strict on this one.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19There had to be at least two trains in the station
0:23:19 > 0:23:22at the time for them to be able to sell you alcohol.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24Otherwise, they had broken the law.
0:23:24 > 0:23:26Now, the police force in the '50s were much more strict
0:23:26 > 0:23:28than they would be nowadays,
0:23:28 > 0:23:33because the last refreshment-room lady who was here
0:23:33 > 0:23:35was told by the local police sergeant
0:23:35 > 0:23:38that his two constables could watch
0:23:38 > 0:23:42from the bridge here above us, and if she was caught selling alcohol
0:23:42 > 0:23:45when there wasn't two trains in the station, there would be trouble.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00Ivor Spence's father worked as local traffic manager
0:24:00 > 0:24:03on the Great Northern Line, and, as a young boy,
0:24:03 > 0:24:05he often came with him to this station,
0:24:05 > 0:24:10but he hasn't been back in over 50 years.
0:24:10 > 0:24:14Back in 1945 - and that's a long time ago - my father was promoted
0:24:14 > 0:24:18as a district traffic inspector on the old Great Northern Railway.
0:24:18 > 0:24:22It was number four district, known as the Old Irish Northwest.
0:24:22 > 0:24:26And it ran from Enniskillen Junction outside Dundalk,
0:24:26 > 0:24:28right through Enniskillen,
0:24:28 > 0:24:32Omagh and up to Derry, and as well as the branch line down to Bundoran.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35How does it feel to be back here after all this time?
0:24:35 > 0:24:38Well, it's mixed emotions, because there are ghosts around here
0:24:38 > 0:24:42of times past, but still exciting because you can still feel
0:24:42 > 0:24:45the vibration of trains passing, can't you?
0:24:45 > 0:24:48Smell the steam and the hot oil.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50But, having said that, it is quite changed
0:24:50 > 0:24:52with the overgrowth of the trees and everything.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55It was a much more expansive place, as I remember it,
0:24:55 > 0:24:58but then I was a smaller person, as well, in those days.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01But it is lovely to be back.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04I always thought that Bundoran Junction was a magical place.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07You had the excitement of the Bundoran branch
0:25:07 > 0:25:11heading down to the Atlantic Ocean that side.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14You had Enniskillen on this, Omagh there, and on up to Derry.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16So there's a lot of good things going on.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19What are your favourite memories?
0:25:19 > 0:25:22Well, I suppose one of the most favourite memories
0:25:22 > 0:25:26that I have involves the station master, Mr Moore.
0:25:26 > 0:25:30I was hanging about on the station platform here one day,
0:25:30 > 0:25:33and Mr Moore asked me if I'd be interested in going
0:25:33 > 0:25:37into the house to see him making the violin.
0:25:37 > 0:25:39He very kindly brought me into his kitchen
0:25:39 > 0:25:42and explained how he set out the templates,
0:25:42 > 0:25:43how he steamed the wood.
0:25:43 > 0:25:47He must have had an instrument there already completed, because he played
0:25:47 > 0:25:50a couple of tunes and obviously he was a very good fiddler.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53Something that I'd forgotten, actually, completely,
0:25:53 > 0:25:56until a month ago, when I was in Enniskillen and I called into
0:25:56 > 0:26:00Headhunters to look at the artefacts there pertaining to the railway.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04And here I was shown a violin
0:26:04 > 0:26:07that somebody had brought in and said that it had been
0:26:07 > 0:26:11made by a former employee of the Great Northern Railway.
0:26:11 > 0:26:16- That was the original violin?- As far as we can tell, that was the violin.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19So, as everything in life goes in a circle, so I'm back in
0:26:19 > 0:26:22Bundoran Junction again, the violin is here, and this is where it had
0:26:22 > 0:26:26been made by a gentleman and his wife who I knew so many years ago.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29VIOLIN PLAYING
0:27:00 > 0:27:03All the railway routes I've travelled -
0:27:03 > 0:27:06from Retreat in County Antrim to Bundoran Junction in County Tyrone -
0:27:06 > 0:27:08have their own personalities,
0:27:08 > 0:27:10their own story to tell.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13I hope you've enjoyed walking the line as much as I have.
0:27:13 > 0:27:15Until next time, bye-bye.