Horseshoes and Trolley Poles: Fintona and Howth Trams in the 1950'S (Irish Railway Photographers)

Until 1957 the Great Northern Railway (Ireland) presented the railway enthusiast with a cornucopia of riches in the form of a choice of traction ranging from a rare survival of a horse drawn passenger service, through an array of well maintained steam locomotives both ancient to modern, a vintage electric tramway combining scenic delights with a more mundane commuter role and a definitive display of diesel traction ranging from primitive rail-bus conversions, through ingenious Dundalk built articulated units, to modern multiple units. This book pays special homage to the valiant efforts of the GNRI in maintaining two of the most delightful components of the Irish railway scene in an era when their special qualities were yet to be fully appreciated. It is appropriate that relics of these two most distinctive byways of the Great Northern Railway (Ireland) should be sharing a common roof at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum at Cultra. As well as its steam and diesel-hauled train services in the 1950s, the Great Northern Railway (Ireland) employed both horse and electric traction at two locations.In Co Tyrone, the last horse tram in Ireland, hauled by 'Dick', plied its way daily between the town of Fintona and the junction with the Enniskillen - Omagh line. Over a hundred miles away, the last electric open-topped trams in Ireland operated the scenic route over the Hill of Howth in Co Dublin. This book is a delightful pictorial tribute to these two tram systems which are still fondly remembered by many.

After an initial period as a 'mourner' in the fifties at branch line funerals in the UK and Ireland, Tony Burges pursued studies at Southampton University followed by graduate school at Northwestern University, Chicago. His subsequent career in the Canadian government as Transport Policy Advisor in the Department of Finance, Director General, Grain Transportation & Handling, and subsequently Deputy Executive Director, Australian Railway Research & Development Organization earned him the sobriquet of 'Mr Branchline' among his colleagues. Retiring recently from a Washington DC based firm of transportation consultants he is now devoting his time to writing railway books in Ottawa. He is also the author of Railways in Ulster's Lakeland and other Irish titles published by Colourpoint Books, as listed on the inside rear cover.