Today, Donegal's only operational railway is the Fintown Railway. Lovingly restored to its original condition, the red-and-white 1940s diesel railcar runs along a rebuilt 5km section of the former County Donegal Railway track along picturesque Lough Finn. The return trip, which includes commentary, takes around 40 minutes. Fintown is 20km northeast of Glenties.
When the first spluttering steam engine arrived in Donegal in 1895, the locals dubbed the belching creature the Black Pig. The railways gave Donegal's isolated communities a new lease of life and a much-needed connection to the rest of the country. Over 300km of narrow-gauge tracks crossed the county in the railway's heyday, but after WWII business declined and the railway closed to passengers in June 1947, and to freight in 1952.
