Cars, Boats, Planes and Trains – there’s a surprising variety of cards available.
Page updated 20/1/2023
Click on images to enlarge.
AIR TRANSPORT
Aer Lingus
Aer Lingus – early 1950s route cards which appear self published.
Aer Lingus – Irish Boeing 747 – published by John Hinde Ltd. The airline commenced operations with 747s in 1971 and finished up with them in 1995.
Aer Lingus Commuter Fokker 50 – no publisher indicated.
RAILWAYS
Newbridge Station, Co.Kildare
Valentines card.
Monkstown, Co.Cork
A Lawrence view of the Cork, Blackrock & Passage Railway station at Monkstown – postally used in 1906. There are very few postcards of this interesting railway.
Lough Finn, Fintown, Glenties, Co.Donegal
Card published by Lawrence, Dublin.
Fintown Railway, Co.Donegal
An early card published by the Railway featuring a simplex diesel and a pair of ex.Charleroi (Begium) tram cars. The tramcars were dispensed with and sold off in 2007 so the view pre-dates that by some years. More here: www.antraen.com
Coras Iompair Eireann
1950’s card published by CIE and printed by Browne & Nolan Ltd.
Midland, Great Western Railway No.129. ‘Celtic’
Card published by the Ulster Folk & Transport Museum and printed by Beric Tempest & Co., Cornwall.
Railway Station, Nenagh
Early view – no publisher indicated.
Foynes, Co.Limerick
An early view of Foynes – possibly in Waterford, Limerick & Western Railway days but more likely after absorption by the G.S & W.R in 1900/01. Valentine’s card.
The Giant’s Causeway & Bushmills Railway
Unknown publisher – possibly the current operators of the ‘new’ railway. The new railway, which runs for two miles along the route of the original electric tramway, has led a precarious existence since it opened in 2002 and is currently closed. Further information: Giant’s Causeway and Bushmills Railway
Railway Station, Portarlington
A pre-1914 view of the station looking much more well maintained. No publisher indicated.
An unusual card showing the station looking very unkempt. No publisher.
Cork & Muskerry Light Railway (1887-1934)
Carrigrohane, a quiet roadside station on the narrow gauge line from Cork (Western Road) to Blarney, Coachford and Donoughmore. Card published by Irish Art Publishers, Cork.
Midland Great Western Railway – Locomotive No.129 “Celtic”
Published by the Ulster Folk & Transport Museum, Cultra, Co.Down.
Kingsbridge Station, Dublin
An unusual view from the north bank of the Liffey by Valentine’s – postally used 1919.
Northern Counties Station, Belfast
A Valentine’s view of the terminus at Belfast, York Road.
Ballinasloe Railway Station (Snow)
Published by W.Grant, Ballinasloe and postally used 1910.
Railway Station, Ballymoney Station
Published by J.P. O’Friel, Meeting House Street, Ballymoney, Co.Antrim – printed in Germany.
Great Northern Railway – Bundoran branch
Railway Station, Pettigo, Co.Donegal – unknown publisher.
Great Northern Railway Terminus, Dublin
Published by Stewart & Woolf, London and postally used in 1903.
Listowel & Ballybunion Railway
This early Valentine’s art card, postally used in 1908, gives the railway an even more ramshackle appearance than it possibly deserved.
This card of Ballybunion by Milton’s is from the early years of the railway judging from the well cared for appearance of the station.
Another early card by Valentines, interesting because it shows a freight (sand) train, presumably at Ballybunion.
Great Northern Railway
Valentine card.
Great Southern & Western Railway, Ireland
Valentine’s card.
Portarlington Railway Station
Interesting view posted in 1947 – no publisher indicated.
Athenry Railway Station
Real Photo card by H.C.Casserley published by Pamlin Prints, Croydon.
Rail-motor on the Cashel branch
An interesting view by Hely’s of Dublin. Judging by the official looking photograph it may date from the introduction of the Inchicore built Rail-motor No.1. on the branch circa 1904/1905. A short-lived experiment that didn’t work out well and the unfortunate rail-motor didn’t last long after its return to the Dublin area.
The Listowel & Ballybunion Railway
Two Lawrence cards of this most unusual railway.
The “Lartigue” as it was known (after its French engineer) operated from 1888-1924. Today a museum and short replica set-up has been built adjacent to the former standard gauge at Listowel see: www.lartiguemonorail.com
Hill of Howth Tramway
The Hill of Howth Tramway operated from 1901 – 1959 when it was closed down by CIE just a year after taking over the line from the Great Northern Railway. The tram was one of the ‘must do‘ things for Dubliners and visitors alike – along with the Zoo and Nelson’s Pillar. Today almost 60 years after closure there are rumblings about reinstating the line, or part thereof, but don’t hold your breath. – Both cards published by Valentines.
Another nice view from an unknown publisher.
More about the tramway here: Wiki: Hill of Howth Tramway and while you await the return of the tram check out this wonderful film and weep for what might have been.
Railway Station, Monaghan
Devoid of rail services since 1959 Monaghan was once an important railway centre as evidenced by the substantial station building featured on this card – postally used in 1906. No publisher given.
The Glens of Antrim Tour
An early 20th-century art card published by W.M.Lawrence & Son., Dublin.
The Holden train was a new concept in Irish tourism. In 1902, A.W. Holden, a Larne hotelier who had hired trains from the Belfast & Northern Counties Railway (BNCR) for his summer tours, approached the railway to provide him with a special train. York Road works built the all first class four-car train. Three of the coaches were saloons and the fourth was a restaurant car, all being furnished to a high standard. They were bogie vehicles with corridor connections; the lower body panels were finished in match boarding and the end doors were recessed in the manner of Pullman cars. Two six-wheel vans were fitted with corridor connections with the train.
The train entered service in 1903 shortly before the end of the BNCR’s independent career. Based at the Laharna Hotel, Larne, Holden’s tour visited most of the popular tourist attractions in north-eastern Ireland over a six-day period. During this time, it covered some 400 miles of railway travel and a further 40 miles by road. The tours ran until the outbreak of World War I. – Wiki
Rounding Bray Head, Co.Wicklow
Locomotive Publishing Company, Ltd., London.
Stranorlar Railway Station, Co.Donegal Railway
This is a much sought after card and sells for £30+ on the rare occasions when it appears for sale.
Stranorlar was the HQ of the County Donegal Railways narrow gauge network and the station building was a suitably grand edifice – note the company’s coat of arms over the entrance. The station survived the closure of the Co. Donegal Railways in 1959 but was ultimately demolished by CIE in favour of a lorry park – even the carved coat of arms ended up dumped!
OUR LOCAL EXPRESS – Dublin to Howth
A popular humorous card overprinted to feature numerous railways throughout the British Isles published by “Cynicus” aka Martin Anderson (1854-1932) – a Scottish born artist, political cartoonist, postcard illustrator, and publisher.
The Clogher Valley Tram
Nice view of Fivemiletown – unknown publisher – of interest to the vintage road vehicle enthusiast too!
Londonderry & Lough Swilly Railway Company
Scarce card showing one of the company’s locomotives with technical details on the back. One of a series published by Raphael Tuck.
The Railway Bridge, Cappoquin, Co.Waterford
A poor quality, locally published card which I purchased in a Cappoquin grocery in the late 1970s! It was still being sold as a current tourist postcard despite its obvious antiquity – even the railway had been gone since 1967.
Railway Preservation Society of Ireland
One of a series published by the RPSI in the late 1970s.
Railway Station, Maryborough
Maryborough Station on the Dublin/Cork line opened in June 1847. The town and station were renamed Portlaoise in 1929.
A “Philco”Publishing Co., London card – series N0.2429 – printed in Germany.
The Dublin & Kingstown Railway 1834
A set of cards published by the late lamented Exchange Bookshop, Dalkey, Co.Dublin. Based on original paintings by John Harris (1791-1873) which were first published by W.F. Wakeman, Dublin, in 1834.
Shane’s Castle Series
Ballymena & Larne Railway – An interesting art card from the “Shane’s Castle Series” – no artist indicated.
Left to right: Ballycastle Rly locomotive No.1. “Dalriada” in the 1880s; Shane’s Castle Railway – locomotive No.3. “Shane” at Shane’s Castle Station.
Series printed by William Chudley & Son, Exeter.
Belfast Electric Trams
The Belfast tramway system was established in 1872 by the Belfast Street Tramway Company and was horse worked from the outset. However, the system was taken over by Belfast Corporation in 1905 and electrified in the same year.
This card by Dickson of Belfast presumably dates from the same year.
Great Northern Railway Locomotives
A technical series designed for enthusiasts from the 1950s (?). No publisher given.
Belfast Transport Museum Appeal
In the days before the new Irish Transport Galleries were built at the Ulster Folk & Transport Museum in Cultra, the collection was housed in a cramped old warehouse in Witham Street, Belfast. The carriage featured in this early 1960s card of Witham Street has since been fully restored and is on show at Cultra.
Gems of Irish Transport Series .1.
This series appears to date from the 1950s or were reproduced in that style. Unattractive and only for the diehard transport card collector.
Lismore Station, Co.Waterford
An unusual early card showing Lismore Station on the Waterford/Mallow line – closed in 1967. The imposing station was paid for by the local landlord, the Duke of Devonshire, and his family coat of arms cut into the stonework of the building are still visible today.
Published by the grandly sounding Scottish Photographic Touring & Pictorial Postcard Co., Glasgow.
Cloghan Station, County Donegal Railway
Cloghan Station was a minor stopping place on the Stranorlar/Glenties branch of the narrow gauge Co. Donegal railway system. The branch operated from 1895-1947 when it was closed as a cost-cutting measure. This “Milton Series” card by Woolstone Bros., London, sold on eBay (June 2016) for £12.50 – quite a bargain as it normally fetches in the region of £40.00.
Above a b+w version of the same scene by Woolstone Bros., doesn’t have quite the same appeal but is also very hard to come by.
Translink/Northern Ireland Railways
A modern John Hinde card (2NI/492) showing Translink’s latest DMU railcars crossing the River Lagan just north of Belfast Central Station.
Midland Railway (Northern Counties Committee)
An interesting business reply card postally used in 1913.
Midland Railway (Northern Counties Committee): Belfast – Portrush Express
Card No.5. by the Locomotive Publishing Company Ltd., London.
The Giant’s Causeway Tramway
A superb view with the precariously perched Dunluce Castle in the background.
Postcard # 7167 by Scholastic Productions, Belfast.
Ballymoe Rail Crash, 1903
A derailment on the Midland, Great Western Railway near Castlerea in County Roscommon which resulted in 1 passenger killed and 11 injured.
Postcard by C.F.Wynne, Portarlington.
More here: Board of Trade Accident Investigation Report
Innishannon Viaduct, West Cork
The Bandon River and viaduct from a Real Photo card with no publisher given.
The Cork, Bandon & South Coast Railway was closed by CIE in March 1961 and today only the bridge piers remain.
John Dooly & Sons, Birr, Co.Offaly
A strange card – possibly (?) during the period when the Great Southern Railways were given legal powers to buy-out competing haulage firms.
Card presumably published by the company itself.
The Cork & Macroom Direct Railway
No.5. an 0-6-2T locomotive built for the Cork & Macroom Direct Railway Company by Andrew Barclay & Sons of Kilmarnock, Scotland in 1904.
Card by the Locomotive Publishing Company, London.
Left to right: Steam hauled railtours at Askeaton, Co.Limerick and near Portadown, Co.Armagh. Cards published by the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland circa 1984.
Above: The Dublin – Queenstown Mail in Great Southern Railways days – a rather fine card by Barnard Way and published by Tucks. I went mad – all of €4 on eBay!
Ballydehob Railway Station – postally used 1904 – one that got away! Sold for £26.26 on eBay tonight (15/12/15) – too rich for my blood and anyway my interest in railways has severely diminished with the passing years. A rare picture though and one that I hadn’t seen published anywhere before. More about the Schull & Skibbereen railway here.
An interesting view of the Mail Boat Pier in Dun Laoghaire on this official LNWR card – I have no recollection of the turntable in the foreground.
Above, another superb card which I now regret not buying. Published by Valentines it went for very little on eBay last year.
I admit to being biased in favour of railway cards as they are hard to beat for colour and majesty. The one below is one of my favourites but sadly not in my collection.
The MRNCC (Midland Railway Northern Counties Committee) operated the northern line from Belfast (York Road) to Londonderry (Waterside) as well as the Belfast/Larne route.
A Valentine’s card for the (GS&WR) Great Southern & Western Railway postally used in 1927, two years after the aforementioned concern had been subsumed into the Great Southern Railways.
Another GS&WR card – this time “The Killarney Express” by the Locomotive Publishing Co.
An interesting Dublin & South Eastern Railway card from Valentine’s – postally used in 1908.
Even some of the minor lines featured on postcards and the narrow gauge Cavan & Leitrim Railway was once such concern. The card above – published by Woolstone Bros. in their ‘Milton Series’ – shows a staged (presumably official) photograph of the company’s principal station at Ballinamore, Co.Leitrim.
Irish Postcards 
A great selection! Most enjoyable.
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