The Cavan and Leitrim Railway
The Cavan and Leitrim Railway was built in 1887 to connect Cavan town with Dromod on the Shannon—72 km of narrow-gauge track and engineering. It was a local line, serving small towns and rural traffic. The engines were small, the carriages modest. It was never grand or profitable, but it was real—a lifeline for goods and passengers. The railway closed in 1959 as roads improved and cars took over. For decades, the line sat abandoned, the track torn up, the stations demolished. In the 2000s, volunteers began restoring it. Today the Cavan and Leitrim Railway Restoration project operates from Dromod. A section of track has been rebuilt, engines and carriages restored, and occasional heritage trains run. It's modest work—a few kilometers of track, a small museum—but it's genuine. The project keeps the memory of the railway alive and gives visitors a sense of what travel was like in the early 20th century.