Notes: New Buildings was one of the intermediate stations on the Donegal Railway’s single track (DR) Strabane – Londonderry Victoria Road line which opened to goods on 1 August 1900 and to passengers on 6 August 1900. The 14½ mile line was of the 3ft gauge and it had been built to provide the DR with direct access to the city of Derry/Londonderry (from 1894 until the line opened the DR had to tranship goods onto the 5ft 3inch gauge Great Northern Railway Ireland [GNRI] route to Londonderry Foyle Road).

Located 2¾ miles from Victoria Road and 11¾ miles from Strabane the station at New Buildings was provided with a single platform located on the west side of the line. A single storey station building provided the passenger facilities. There was no passing loop at the station but there was a single siding and goods shed located to the south end of the station.

On 1 May 1906 the DR was taken over jointly by the GNRI and the Midland Railway (MR) of England. The joint concern was called the County Donegal Railway Joint Committee (CDR). As the GNRI had a line of its own between Strabane and Derry/Londonderry the route through New Buildings (between Strabane and Derry/Londonderry) passed into the sole ownership of the MR. The station staff at New Buildings became MR NCC employees. The train services however were operated by the CDR.

In December 1921 (following the Irish War of Independence) the island of Ireland was partitioned into two separate countries, The Irish Free State and Northern Ireland. Most of the CDR network was located within the Irish Free State but the NCC line through New Buildings was located wholly within Northern Ireland.

In 1923 the MR was absorbed into the London Midland & Scottish Railway (LMS) who became the part owner of the CDR and the owner of the Strabane – Londonderry Victoria Road line. The LMS let their network in Northern Ireland operate as the Northern Counties Committee (NCC).

The LMS withdrew staff from New Buildings in 1924 and reduced it to a halt.

CLICK HERE FOR A DETAILED HISTORY OF NEW BUILDINGS STATION

Tickets from Michael Stewart, timetables from Chris Hind and Jim McBride. Route map by Alan Young

Sources:

• Begley, J et al The County Donegal Railway - A Visitors Guide (County Donegal Railway Restoration Society, 1999)
• Bunch, M Michael Bunch's Donegal Railway Diary Part 1 1954-1955 (County Donegal Railway Restoration CLG, 2017)
• Bunch, M Michael Bunch's Donegal Railway Diary Part 1 1956-2018 (County Donegal Railway Restoration CLG, 2019)
• Challoner E, Fairwell the Derry Road (Colourpoint, 2010)
• Johnson, S Johnson's Atlas & Gazetteer of The Railways of Ireland (Midland Publishing, 1997)
• Patterson, E M The County Donegal Railways - Revised Edition (Colourpoint,2014)

To see the other disused stations on the Londonderry Victoria Road and Strabane railway click on the station name: Londonderry Victoria Road, Desertone Halt, Cullion, Donemana, Ballyheather Halt, Ballymagorry and Strabane (CDR)