Ballinhassig

Ballinhassig Station, Co.Cork, served a small hamlet located on the Cork Bandon & South Coast Railway's line from Cork to Bantry. Originally opened by the Cork & Bandon Railway in June 1849, the station served as temporary terminus until completion of the line to Cork City in December 1851. Ballinhassig had up & down platforms, with the wooden station building and signal cabin located on the up side, while the station masters house was on the down side behind the platform. The West Cork lines were closed by CIE in March 1961 and today the platforms remain, along with the brick built base of the signal cabin and station masters house. At the east end of the station the line enters the 906 yard long Gogginshill Tunnel.
The former station at Ballinhassig, looking east towards Cork showing the former Up platform, which once had a corrugated iron station building. The structure on the left is the brick base of the old signal cabin. On the 17th March 1961, ex Cork Bandon & South Coast Railway 2-6-0 tank loco No.464, pauses at Ballinhassig with an Irish Railway Record Society special from Cork to Clonakilty. On the left can be seen the awning of the corrugated iron station building on the Up platform. ©Norman J McAdams Ballinhassig Station, looking west towards Bandon, showing the ends of the Up & Down platforms. The station, along with the West Cork lines, were closed in March 1961. The two storey station masters house Ballinhassig, located on the Down side of the station. The structure dates from August 1849. The gate and its posts are original Cork Bandon & South Coast Railway types.
The western approach to the 906 yard long Gogginshill Tunnel, located at the west end of the former Ballinhassig Station. Between the two portals of the Gogginshill Tunnel is one of the air shafts, still visible at Ballinhassig. The eastern approach to Gogginshill Tunnel is made through a rocky cutting. The 'Down' distant signal for Ballinhassig Station was located near here. West of Ballinhassig is Halfway Viaduct, a stone built viaduct consisting of three arches which spans a hill valley. This view is from the N71 road which runs alongside the former railway line, albeit at a lower level.
With the viaduct in the background, this is private short length of track laid in Halfway village west of Ballinhassig, where items of rolling stock such as this CIE 30 ton bravevan and a Victorian era six wheel carriage, possibly of Midland Great Western Railway origin, are maintained by a local industrial heritage group.