Belfast and County Down Railway
Encyclopedia
Irish gauge
Irish gauge railways use a track gauge of . It is used in* Ireland * Australia where it is also known as Victorian Broad Gauge* Brazil where it is also known as Bitola larga no Brasil....
railway in Ireland (later Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
) linking Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
with County Down
County Down
-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...
. It was built in the 19th century and absorbed into the Ulster Transport Authority
Ulster Transport Authority
The Ulster Transport Authority ran rail and bus transport in Northern Ireland from 1948 until 1966.-Formation and consolidation:The UTA was formed by the Transport Act 1948, which merged the Northern Ireland Road Transport Board and the Belfast and County Down Railway...
in 1948. All but the line between Belfast and Bangor was closed in the 1950s.
History
The Company was incorporated on 26 June 1846 with the first section of line from BelfastBelfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
to Holywood
Holywood
Holywood is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the shore of Belfast Lough, between Belfast and Bangor. Holywood Exchange and Belfast City Airport are nearby. The town hosts an annual jazz and blues festival.-Name:...
opening for traffic on 2 August 1848. The line was further extended to Bangor by the Belfast, Holywood and Bangor Railway (BHBR), opening on 1 May 1865, and acquired by the BCDR in 1884. The line to Downpatrick was opened on 25 March 1859. The line from Downpatrick to Newcastle was built by the Downpatrick, Dundrum and Newcastle Railway, opening on 25 March 1869 and absorbed by BCDR on 14 July 1884.
A branch to Ballynahinch was opened in 1858.
A branch line from Downpatrick
Downpatrick
Downpatrick is a medium-sized town about 33 km south of Belfast in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is the county town of Down with a rich history and strong connection to Saint Patrick. It had a population of 10,316 at the 2001 Census...
to Ardglass
Ardglass
Ardglass is a coastal village in County Down, Northern Ireland and still a relatively important fishing harbour. It is situated on the B1 Ardglass to Downpatrick road, about 11 kilometres to the south east of Downpatrick, in the Lecale peninsula on the Irish Sea. It had a population of 1,668...
was opened in 1892, as was a loop line at Downpatrick. The branch from Newcastle to Castlewellan
Castlewellan
Castlewellan is a village in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is beside Castlewellan Lake and Slievenaslat mountain, southwest of Downpatrick. It lies between the Mourne Mountains and Slieve Croob. It had a population of 2,392 people in the 2001 Census....
was opened on 24 March 1906.
The company operated 80 miles (129 km) of track (Belfast to Newcastle and five branches) exclusively in County Down, with its longest route being from Belfast to Castlewellan, a distance of 41 miles (66 km). All locomotives were constructed by Beyer-Peacock
Beyer-Peacock
Beyer, Peacock and Company was an English railway Locomotive manufacturer with a factory in Gorton, Manchester. Founded by Charles Beyer and Richard Peacock, it traded from 1854 until 1966...
, except No. 2, which was from Harland and Wolff
Harland and Wolff
Harland and Wolff Heavy Industries is a Northern Irish heavy industrial company, specialising in shipbuilding and offshore construction, located in Belfast, Northern Ireland....
. By 1948 the company had 29 locomotives. Two steam railcars from Kitson & Co.
Kitson & Co.
Kitson and Company was a locomotive manufacturer based in Hunslet, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.-Early history:The company started as James Kitson at the Airedale Foundry, off Pearson Street, Hunslet in 1835 with Charles Todd as a partner...
were acquired in 1905. The locomotive works were at Belfast Queen's Quay railway station and closed in 1950. New carriage works had been opened in 1886, with the last carriage being built in 1923.
Routes
- Belfast (Queen's Quay) – Ballymacarrett Halt – Victoria Park – Sydenham – Tillysburn – Holywood – Marino – Cultra Halt – Craigavad – Helen's Bay – Carnalea – Bangor West Halt – Bangor
- Belfast (Queen's Quay) – Bloomfield – – Knock – Dundonald – Comber
- Comber – Ballygowan – Shepherd's Bridge Halt – Saintfield – Ballynahinch Junction – Crossgar – King's Bridge Halt – Downpatrick
- Comber – Ballygowan – Shepherd's Bridge Halt – Saintfield – Ballynahinch Junction – Creevyargon Halt – Ballynahinch
- Comber – Newtownards – Conlig – Ballygrainey – Millisle Halt – Donaghadee
- Downpatrick – Downpatrick Loop Platform – Tullymurry – Ballykinlar Halt – Dundrum – Newcastle – Castlewellan
- Downpatrick – Downpatrick Loop Platform – Racecourse Platform – Ballynoe – Bright Halt – Killough – Coney Island Halt – Ardglass
Steamship operations
The Company also operated passenger sailings from 1893 between Belfast and LarneLarne
Larne is a substantial seaport and industrial market town on the east coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland with a population of 18,228 people in the 2001 Census. As of 2011, there are about 31,000 residents in the greater Larne area. It has been used as a seaport for over 1,000 years, and is...
. The company ceased to own steamers in 1918. During that period it owned the following steamers:
- Bangor Castle (246 tons, built in 1866, purchased in 1893 and sold in 1894)
- Erin (259 tons, built in 1864, operated the Belfast-Larne route from 1864 to 1893 for other companies, purchased in 1893 and scrapped in 1894)
- Erin's Isle (633 tons, built in 1912, requisitioned as a minesweeper in 1915 and scrapped in 1918)
- Slieve Bearnagh (383 tons, built 1894, sold in 1912)
- Slieve Donard (341 tons, built 1893, sold in 1899)
Ulster Transport Authority
In 1946 the Stormont Government announced it would bring all transport in Northern Ireland under one banner, and the Transport Act (NI) 1948 nationalised the railways. On 1 October 1948 the Ulster Transport AuthorityUlster Transport Authority
The Ulster Transport Authority ran rail and bus transport in Northern Ireland from 1948 until 1966.-Formation and consolidation:The UTA was formed by the Transport Act 1948, which merged the Northern Ireland Road Transport Board and the Belfast and County Down Railway...
was created taking over the BCDR. On 15 January 1950 services between Comber and Newcastle; Ballynahinch Junction and Ballynahinch; and Downpatrick and Ardglass were withdrawn. The Northern Ireland Transport Tribunal had authorised these closures on 15 December 1949.
Services between Ballymacarrett Junction and Donaghadee were withdrawn on 22 April 1950. The line between Castlewellan and Newcastle remained open until 1 May 1955, served by Great Northern Railway Board trains to and from Banbridge
Banbridge
Banbridge is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the River Bann and the A1 road. It was named after a bridge built over the Bann in 1712. The town grew as a coaching stop on the road from Belfast to Dublin and thrived from Irish linen manufacturing...
. Once these two sections had closed, only the line between Belfast and Bangor remained open.
At the time of absorption into the UTA, the BCDR had 29 locomotives, 181 carriages and 25 other coaching vehicles, 629 wagons mostly covered vans and wagons but also including some 6-wheeled fish vans, and 54 service vehicles.
Incidents and accidents
On 10 January 1945, 22 passengers died and 24 were injured when a railmotor car ran into the rear of a conventional train stopped at a signal at BallymacarrettBallymacarrett
Ballymacarrett or Ballymacarret is the name of both a townland and electoral ward in Belfast. The townland is in County Down and the electoral ward is part of the Pottinger district electoral area of Belfast City Council....
Junction. The 7.40 a.m. rail motor Holywood to Belfast crashed into the rear of the 7.10 a.m. Bangor to Belfast train. The darkness and local fog were a factor but the driver of the rail motor was held to blame. The Railway had to pay out some £80,000 in compensation, which crippled the company financially, leading to its early nationalisation in 1948.
Downpatrick & County Down Railway
The Downpatrick & County Down RailwayDownpatrick & County Down Railway
The Downpatrick & County Down Railway is a heritage railway in County Down, Northern Ireland. The project is based at Downpatrick, on part of the former route of the Belfast & County Down Railway....
operates the only Irish Gauge heritage railway in Northern Ireland on the former BCDR main line. It has restored one BCDR carriage (no. 148) back to operational condition, is restoring another (no. 72) and several more in storage.
The Comber Greenway
The line from Belfast to Comber was converted in the 2000s to The Comber GreenwayThe Comber Greenway
The Comber Greenway is a traffic-free section of the National Cycle Network, in development along the old Belfast-Comber railway line. The cycle path starts on Dee Street in Belfast and finishes at Comber. Now completed the Greenway provides an eco-friendly cycle path with views of Stormont and...
, a 7 miles (11.3 km) walk and cycleway
Rail trail
A rail trail is the conversion of a disused railway easement into a multi-use path, typically for walking, cycling and sometimes horse riding. The characteristics of former tracks—flat, long, frequently running through historical areas—are appealing for various development. The term sometimes also...
.