Clonmacnoise and West Offaly Railway

Adapted from an industrial line constructed for hauling newly-cut peat, this 3 ft (914 mm) narrow-gauge railway was operated by the peat-harvesting company Bord na Móna and conveyed visitors over a (5.5 mile) 9-km line running through Blackwater Bog, near Shannonbridge, County Offaly.

[1] A small diesel locomotive hauled a single 53-seat passenger coach.

[1] Facilities included a small shop with art and craft goods, a cafe and a museum of machines.

However, it closed permanently at the end of 2008 as operation of the line was interfering with the heavy flow of peat traffic bound for the Electricity Supply Board's West Offaly Power Generation Station.

Given the historic importance of peat as an indigenous Irish fuel, the railway and associated visitor services aimed to show visitors how milled peat is produced and transported to power stations, and Bord na Móna is investigating the provision of an alternative tourism facility for the area.