Framed old Donegal railway tickets and luggage labels are on the right track once more

Old railway tickets from Donegal are certainly on the right track for one enterprising entrepreneur whose part-time business is steaming ahead.

James Swan began framing original old Northern Ireland railway tickets a couple of years ago as a past-time.

But it has now developed into a busy sideline for him - and is going from strength to strength.

Last year, he branched into the framing of old Donegal railway tickets, and they are proving to be a popular gift.

The tickets display the names of stations, and he frames them individually, in blocks of four, or as a complete larger presentation set.

After obtaining a few of these old tickets at a car boot sale, he became intrigued so much that he sought out various enthusiasts and collectors of railway memorabilia.

“After obtaining a large quantity of these tickets I had the idea of framing them up and selling them as gifts for Dads and Granddads,” he explained.

“Now seven years later my tickets are catering for all age groups and occasions whether it's Mother's/Father's Day, retirement gifts, Christmas, etc.”

“With a lot of these old railway stations now closed I have found my products are making great sentimental gifts for loved ones taking them on a trip down memory lane to the steam days. The railway has played such a big part in Ireland's transport history and created so many memories of days gone by.

“These little pieces of card are reminders of that and one day will soon be forgotten in the digital world we now live in.”
Interest soon took off and orders came in. He got more tickets from some collectors and had people contacting him who were retired station masters or relatives of those who had worked on the railways.

Numerous lines in Northern Ireland were closed in the 1950s and 1960s - leaving Tyrone, and Fermanagh without any railways - while in Donegal the once extensive narrow gauge network finally came to an end on the last day of 1959. A small section of the former GNR “Derry Road” line, from Derry to Strabane (and on to Portadown) survived until 1965. The GNR line from Enniskillen to Bundoran had shut in 1957.

Last year, he publicised the fact that the was doing Donegal tickets - and also luggage labels - and he got a great response in the run up to Christmas.

Now he is still sending out between 20-30 orders a month for framed Donegal tickets.

“So many of the lines closed so early, and people have a lot of stories and memories, it’s like a trip down memory lane,” he said.

“People like having the original tickets and it’s a bit of nostalgia,” he notes, adding that they are also popular as birthday presents.

James, who is based in Portadown, has amassed in the region of 80,000 old Northern Ireland railway tickets and he also has well in excess of 1,000 tickets from Donegal, the bulk of them from the former Co. Donegal Railways (CDR) network, and a smaller amount from the old Londonderry and Lough Swilly Railway Company, which, incidentally, continued after its last trains had ceased in 1953 and operated buses until 2014.

He has tickets for pretty much any station you want.

The old CDR network had its headquarters in Stranorlar, with lines running to Donegal Town, where the line split with one branch to Ballyshannon and another to Killybegs.

From Stranorlar, you could go to Glenties, via Fintown (a hugely picturesque line) while in the other direction, the line ran to Strabane in Co. Tyrone, which was a really busy junction.

One of the lines from there ran via Raphoe to Letterkenny.

The Lough Swilly routes ran from Derry to Letterkenny, with an “extension” via Cresslough to Burtonport. At Tooban, there was a junction, with the Inishowen branch turning off and heading for Buncrana and on up to Carndonagh.

He has also produced mugs and coasters for Northern Ireland railway tickets, and is planning to launch a Donegal and Lough Swilly collection in the future.

James’ facebook page is appropriately named “Tickets Please” and details more of what he has to offer.

His story has attracted quite a bit of publicity and last year BBC Northern Ireland’s Barr Best, who is a train enthusiast, paid him a visit and featured him in the “Walk the Line” series which traced some of the long closed, and some largely, forgotten lines.

James’ full-time day job is as a kitchen designer in Belfast, so he naturally has a flair for design and knows what looks good.
And, perhaps it is no surprise to learn also that he commutes to work by train!