The Fintona Tram

[rogerfarnworth]

A comment by an acquaintance brought to mind the horse tram which served Fintona. I thought it would be good to look at what was a very short branch line. .....

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2022/06/01/the-fintona-line

The Londonderry and Enniskillen Railway opened the railway station in Fintona on 5th June 1853. A short time after the Londonderry to Enniskillen Railway completed its mainline to Enniskillen (in 1854). mainline services were withdrawn from Fintona (in 1856), and the link to Fintona became a branch from the mainline at Fintona Junction railway station. Most passenger services on this branch line were then provided by a horse-drawn tram car. Since the line’s closure, the tram has been preserved at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum at Cultra, County Down.

[Mountain Goat]

Love the horse drawn trams. I am wondering if they were cheaper to run then a steam loco?

[rogerfarnworth]

I guess so. They were used quite frequently for shunting as well.

Not sure that I would have wanted to clean up the mess afterwards.

[Mountain Goat]

No different from the toilets on the trains though some are in tanks now which is actually (Apart from having a horrible smell to them) not as good for the enviroment as the tanks need chemicals to prevent the contents building up and sticking to the tanks.