Clones

Clones, Co.Monaghan, was a large town to be served by the Great Northern Railway's Dundalk to Enniskillen line, which opened in June 1858. Clones was also the junction for the GNR line north to Armagh and Belfast, and south to Cavan. The station at Clones was therefore very large, consisting of a large two storey stone built structure. There was also an extensive goods yard adjacent to the station, as well as a concrete built roundhouse for locomotives, one of the few in the country. Today the station site is now occupied by an industrial complex, although the concrete built locomotive shed and one of the two platforms remain in situ. The lines through Clones closed to passengers in 1957, and to goods in 1960.
The former platform visible here is all that remains of the once extensive Great Northern Railway station at Clones. Another view of the single platform at the former Clones Station. The main buildings, dating from 1858, were once sited on this platform. The only major railway structure left at Clones is the concrete built roundhouse (locomotive shed) dating from the late 1900s, an uncommon feature on Irish railways. The building glimpsed here is now used for storage. This was the site of the former station level crossing at Clones, looking west towards Enniskillen. The site of the station is now an industrial complex.
A view looking east towards Dundalk at the former station level crossing at Clones. The stone wall marks the boundary of the former trackbed. 'Clones East' signal cabin was once sited here. The stone wall marking the eastern approach to Clones Station. A double line existed along this stretch, one line from Dundalk and the other from Portadown. The stone built shed visible on the left was once the Armagh Railway's locomotive shed, which was no longer used after the formation of the GNR in 1876. This location just east of Clones Station is where the lines to Portadown and Dundalk diverged north and east respectivly.