STRABANE A LOST RAILWAY CENTRE KILLED BY PARTITION AND RELIGION PART TWO

The end of the GNRB and its effects 1955 to 1959

The future of the Great Northern Railway Board appeared uncertain in 1955 and the board of the new company embarked on a policy of modernization, to reduce operating costs and to avoid major closures across the GNRB network. In 1954 the GNRB, after months of delays, had been given funding to purchase another 24 new diesel railcars which were to be partially built by BUT Ltd. in England and assembled at the Dundalk works of the GNRB. Due to a steel shortage and other problems, the first of these new BUT railcars did not enter service until June 1957 and the last new BUT railcar entered service as late as September 1958. These new BUT railcars were introduced on to some services through Strabane from the summer of 1957. which brought an end to the last through coaches from Derry to Dublin with the end of the use of steam locomotives on most main line services.

During 1955 and 1956 some branch lines were closed to passengers by the GNRB, then in September 1956 the Northern government announced that it wished to close all GNRB lines which crossed the border between the two Irish states, regardless of the wishes of the Southern government. The GNRB management had not even been consulted about these proposals to close over 120 miles of railways when instructed to do so by the Northern government in June 1957. These proposals were to be carried out by the end of September 1957 and this unilateral decision attracted widespread opposition, which the government in Belfast chose to ignore. The response of the Northern Minister of Commerce in June 1957 was to announce that they no longer wished to support the GNRB financially and to break up the GNRB itself by 1958. The Minister also announced