The Great Southern and Western Railway (GS&WR) was an Irish gauge () railway company in Ireland from 1844 until 1924. The GS&WR grew by building lines and making a series of takeovers, until in the late 19th and early 20th centuries it was the largest of Ireland's "Big Four" railway networks. At its peak the GS&WR had an network, of which were double track. The core of the GS&WR was the Dublin Kingsbridge – main line; Ireland's "Premier Line", and still one of her most important main line railways. The company's headquarters were at Kingsbridge station. At its greatest extent the GS&WR included, in addition to the Dublin – Cork main line, the Dublin – and – Waterford lines and numerous branch lines. Origins There had been earlier attempts to set up main line railways to the south of Ireland but the 1840s efforts of Peter Purcell, a wealthy landowner and mail coach operator, and his associates were ultimately to prove successful with the implementation of a bill passed on 6 August 1844 for the GS&WR. Purcell was actively assisted by engineer John Benjamin MacNeill who had done surveys for the London and Birmingham Railway and had connections in London. The GS&WR's vision to provide a single railway for most of the south of Ireland found favour with United Kingdom Prime Minister Robert Peel as having likely more profitably for wealthy investors and because a single company would be easier to control; these factors likely easing the passing of relevant legislation. Network Dublin – Cork Main Line William Dargan, Ireland's foremost railway contractor, built much of the GS&WR's main line and a number of its other routes. The directors chose to begin by construction of the stretch of the Dublin – Cork main line as far as Cherryville Junction just west of and the branch to with contracts shared between McCormack and Dargan. Work began in January 1845 with services commencing on 4 August 1846. Trains were scheduled to take about 2hr 35min for the stretch to Carlow and coach connections were arranged to Kilkenny, Clonmel, Waterford and the evening mail coach for Cork. In July 1848 the main line reached , where it met the Waterford and Limerick Railway and thus linked Dublin and by rail. In October 1849 the main line reached the outskirts of Cork, where the GS&WR opened a temporary terminus at Blackpool. The final of