37-535: Ballymacarrett Junction was a railway switching point on the Belfast and County Down Railway in the Ballymacarrett area of Eastern Belfast , in modern-day Northern Ireland . It was located near the present-day Titanic Quarter railway station . The first track, built around 1848, ran from Belfast Queen's Quay to Holywood . On 6 May 1850, the area became a junction, curving Southeast to Dundonald to become part of
74-539: A Catholic), Robert Smyth (18, a Protestant), and Richard Wilson (21, a Protestant). Castlewellan has historically been an Irish Republican town. In 2016, a large Republican commemoration of the 1916 Rising was held in the town. A march, commemorating the 1981 hunger strikes , was also held there in 2018. Throughout the course of the Troubles, the area had a significant paramilitary presence, mostly involving Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA) activity. In 2009,
111-635: A local steamer line, the New Belfast, Bangor and Larne Steamboat Company , went into liquidation and the B&;CDR bought two of its ships, PS Bangor Castle and PS Erin , from the receivers. These ships were older and smaller than those that Thomson had supplied, and the B&CDR seems to have made little use of them. Bangor Castle had been on charter to the Southampton, Isle of Wight and South of England Royal Mail Steam Packet Company since 1888 and
148-462: A passenger train ran into a derailed goods train at Ballymacarrett Junction . The goods train derailed when a drunken fireman drove the train into an unfinished turnout , fouling the line. In the Ballymacarrett rail crash , on 10 January 1945, 22 passengers died and 27 were injured when a railmotor car ran into the rear of a conventional train stopped at a signal at Ballymacarrett Junction. The 7.40 a.m. rail motor Holywood to Belfast crashed into
185-481: A single mutant tree in the arboretum and widely propagated from the 1970s – was selected by the park director, John Keown, being first named Cupressus macrocarpa Keownii, 1963. The Peace Maze was constructed in the park between 2000 and 2001. Until 2007 it was the longest permanent hedge maze in the world. Schools serving the Castlewellan area include: Castlewellan railway station was opened on 24 March 1906 by
222-636: A slightly revised design: PS Glen Rosa for the G&;SWR and PS Slieve Donard for the B&CDR. Thomson's launched Slieve Donard on 20 May 1893 and she entered service between Belfast's Donegall Quay and Bangor on 20 June. She was named after Slieve Donard , the highest peak in the Mourne Mountains in County Down. In October 1893 the B&CDR ordered a slightly larger paddle steamer, PS Slieve Bearnagh , named after Slieve Bearnagh ,
259-539: Is a small town in County Down , in the south-east of Northern Ireland close to the Irish Sea . It is beside Castlewellan Lake and Slievenaslat mountain, 11 miles (18 km) southwest of Downpatrick . It lies between the Mourne Mountains and Slieve Croob . It had a population of 2,782 people in the 2011 census . Castlewellan has a wide main street which runs through two main squares lined with chestnut trees. The town
296-449: Is based in the village. Other local sports clubs include the association football (soccer) club, Castlewellan Town FC. Kilmegan Amateur Boxing Club is situated in the outskirts of the town and takes its name from the town's parish name. Castlewellan lake plays host to the Queen's Regatta, and formerly hosted the annual Irish University Rowing Championships. Castlewellan Forest Park hosted
333-410: Is the only existing operative line over the former Belfast and County Down Railway. The Titanic Quarter stop was added 9 May 1977, known at the time as Bridge End. In 1994, the original Northern entrance on the west end that connected to Queen's Quay was removed due to the decommissioning of its maintenance area. Belfast and County Down Railway The Belfast and County Down Railway ( BCDR )
370-614: The Great Northern Railway that was later purchased by the BCDR. All of these apart from six-wheeled third No. 18, built at Queen's Quay, are located at the Downpatrick and County Down Railway . So far, bogie coach No. 148 and ex-railmotor No. 72 have been fully restored, while No. 153 is part-way through overhaul. The other coaches owned by the railway are awaiting maintenance on site. In addition, one BCDR locomotive has been preserved at
407-475: The Great Northern Railway of Ireland , but closed on 2 May 1955. Trains used to connect Newcastle and Belfast via Lisburn. The Celtic Fusion International Musical Arts Festival was held annually in the town for a number of years, starting in 2002. The Soma Festival is an annual festival held in the town since 2013. It is a festival of live music , family, well-being , food and drink . The local Gaelic Athletic Association club, Castlewellan GAC ,
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#1732898143608444-681: The Loop Platform , who would be ferried between there and the main station at Downpatrick by a local train. Thanks to the triangular layout, trains were still capable of operating directly from the main Downpatrick station to Belfast or Newcastle. The branch from Newcastle to Castlewellan was opened on 24 March 1906. By 1948 the company had 29 locomotives. Two steam railcars from Kitson & Company 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
481-483: The Real Irish Republican Army claimed responsibility a car bomb which had been abandoned in the area. Castlewellan Forest Park and Castlewellan Lake are situated to the northwest of the village. The arboretum in the park was begun in 1740 and contains plants and trees from several different countries, including Spain, Mexico and Wales; the 'Castlewellan Gold' form of Leyland Cypress – originating from
518-584: The Ulster Transport Museum : BCDR No. 30 , which was built in 1901 by Beyer, Peacock & Company . The engine was renumbered 230 by the Ulster Transport Authority in 1951, and preserved by the company for static display. It is one of only 19 remaining 5' 3" gauge steam locomotives left in Ireland. Much of the line between Belfast and Newcastle was lifted in the early- to mid-1950s by
555-653: The All British Open Field Archery Championships in May 2011. Castlewellan is classified as an intermediate settlement by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (i.e. with a population between 2,500 and 4,999 people). On the day of the 2011 census (27 March 2011), the usually resident population of Castlewellan was 2,782, accounting for 0.15% of the NI total. Of these: In
592-1110: The Northern Ireland Government announced that it would unite under a single authority all public transport that was wholly within Northern Ireland. The Transport Act (NI) 1948 created the Ulster Transport Authority which took over the BCDR on 1 October 1948 and the Northern Counties Committee on 1 April 1949. On 15 January 1950 the UTA withdrew services on the former BCDR lines between Comber and Newcastle; Ballynahinch Junction and Ballynahinch; and Downpatrick and Ardglass. The Northern Ireland Transport Tribunal had authorised these closures on 15 December 1949. The UTA withdrew services between Ballymacarrett Junction and Donaghadee 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 . Once these two sections had been closed,
629-617: The Ulster Transport Authority, shortly after the closure of the line. Some of the trackbed was purchased by farmers, while some was later used for walkways: for example, the stretch of former line North of Dundrum. As already mentioned, some of the line was relaid by the Downpatrick and County Down Railway . The line from Belfast to Comber was converted in the 2000s to The Comber Greenway , a 7-mile (11 km) walk and cycleway . Castlewellan Castlewellan (from Irish Caisleán Uidhilín 'Hugelin's Castle')
666-572: The east coast of Scotland. Erin's Isle was in B&CDR service from 12 July 1912 until her fourth summer season ended on 29 September 1915. On 20 November 1915 the Admiralty requisitioned her for £400 per month to be a Royal Navy minesweeper . On 7 May 1919 she was sunk by a mine , for which the Admiralty paid £53,676 compensation. However, the railway found that a new ship would cost £64,000 and decided not to return to owning steamships. In 1946
703-400: The end of the 1911 summer season the B&CDR put Slieve Bearnagh up for sale and ordered a new paddle steamer, again slightly larger than her predecessors. A & J Inglis of Pointhouse, Glasgow launched the new ship, PS Erin's Isle , on 12 June 1912 and fitted her out in less than a month. On 19 June 1912 the railway sold Slieve Bearnagh to D&J Nicol of Dundee for service on
740-564: The entire village (the population then was given as 819) was bound over to keep the peace for a year in 1953 after disorder at an Orange walk . A number of incidents occurred in Castlewellan during the Troubles . For example, in January 1980, three members of the Ulster Defence Regiment were killed in a Provisional Irish Republican Army land mine attack on their mobile patrol near Castlewellan. Those killed included James Cochrane (21,
777-412: The former BCDR Belfast-Newcastle main line. It has fully restored and operates several miles of track, including the famous 'Downpatrick Loop', complete with original restored platform. The DCDR operates four railway stations on the line, one of which was the original BCDR Loop Platform . The railway holds a vast collection of BCDR rolling stock and museum artefacts, the majority of which are on display for
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#1732898143608814-544: The junction resulting in 22 fatalities and 27 injuries. The accident is blamed on a combination of excess speed and poor visibility. On 22 April 1950, the main line spur to the East was closed for revenue service, and in the same year, the Newcastle route was closed. On 10 April 1976, revenue service ceased at Queen's Quay. Instead, services ran from the new Belfast Central station to Bangor . Today, this route from Belfast to Bangor
851-401: The last carriage being built in 1923. The BH&BR Act of 1881 authorised that company not only to have a railway built between Holywood and Bangor but also to run steamships "for the purpose of establishing an improved and efficient communication between Belfast, Holywood and Bangor" . The BH&BR did not exercise this power, but several years after it had been taken over by the B&CDR
888-495: The latter company started running scheduled passenger steamship services on the route. The B&CDR took advice from the Glasgow & South Western Railway (G&SWR), which had been running passenger paddle steamers since 1891. For the 1893 season the G&SWR had ordered a new ship, PS Minerva (1893) , to be built by J&G Thomson at Clydebank . The two railways then ordered from Thomson's two sister ships of
925-399: The line between Belfast and Bangor was the only part of the former BCDR that remained open. When the UTA took it over, 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. In the Ballymacarrett rail crash of 1871 , on 13 May, 2 died and 55 were injured when
962-653: The main line of the BCDR. In 1871, another spur came in from the South to the West end of the junction, constituting the Belfast Central Railway connection. The junction continued with this basic configuration for nearly 80 years. On 13 May, while the junction was under construction, an accident occurred, killing two passengers. On 10 January 1945, an accident took place on the Bangor line, about 4,000 feet (1,200 m) East of
999-485: The public to enjoy. The DCDR's logo is based on a monogram previously used by the BCDR. Seven carriages that were once owned by the Belfast and County Down Railway have survived into preservation. Among them are three six-wheeled carriages built at Queen's Quay by the BCDR, one of the railway's three railmotors , an 1897 composite bogie coach, the BCDR's royal saloon No. 153, and a six-wheeled carriage built at Dundalk by
1036-419: 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. The Downpatrick and County Down Railway (DCDR) operates the only Irish Gauge heritage railways in Northern Ireland on part of
1073-542: The second-highest peak in the Mourne Mountains. She made her first voyage on Belfast Lough on 1 May 1894. Donard and Bearnagh worked between Donegall Quay and Bangor, between them providing six sailings per day from Mondays to Saturdays and five on Sundays. From Mondays to Saturdays one mid-afternoon sailing per day extended around the coast to Donaghadee . On Saturday afternoons other sailings continued from Bangor across Belfast Lough to Larne . Later that summer
1110-525: The situation. None of the Orangemen were harmed, but it was estimated that about 80 Catholics were killed and homes burnt. Castlewellan Castle , a Scottish baronial castle of 1856, Castlewellan Lake in what is now Castlewellan Forest Park. The castle is now used as a privately run Christian conference centre, and is not generally open to the public. According to the Sunday Times Insight Team,
1147-573: The upper square was built in 1764 and now houses the public library. Evidence of ancient settlement in the area includes the Drumena Cashel - a small stone-built farmstead enclosure (or cashel ) from the Early Christian period. It is 2 miles (3 km) south west of Castlewellan off the A25 road to Rathfriland . Also nearby is Legannany Dolmen , approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) to the north near
Ballymacarrett Junction - Misplaced Pages Continue
1184-544: The village of Leitrim , on the slopes of Slieve Croob . Goward Dolmen is a megalithic monument 2 miles (3.2 km) from Hilltown on the road to Castlewellan. The huge granite capstone of this structure has slipped from its original horizontal position. 12 July 1849 saw the Dolly's Brae conflict . Up to 1400 armed Orangemen marched from Rathfriland to Tollymore Park near Castlewellan, County Down . On their homeward journey, shots were fired and police were unable to control
1221-448: Was Sir John Macneill , who was responsible for allowing the railway to cross the marshy River Quoile . A branch to Ballynahinch was opened in 1858 via Ballynahinch Junction. A branch line from Downpatrick to Ardglass was opened in 1892, as was a loop line at Downpatrick. This resulted in a 'triangle'-shaped track layout just outside of Downpatrick, allowing trains between Belfast and Newcastle to collect and drop off passengers at
1258-497: Was an Irish gauge ( 1,600 mm ( 5 ft 3 in )) railway in Ireland (later Northern Ireland ) linking Belfast with County Down . It was built in the 19th century and absorbed into the Ulster Transport Authority in 1948. All but the line between Belfast and Bangor was closed in the 1950s, although some of it has been restored near Downpatrick by a heritage line, the Downpatrick and County Down Railway . The company
1295-549: Was designed by a French architect for the Annesley family . The Annesley family did not always own the land as they bought it from the Maginess family, then owners of what is now Castlewellan Christian Conference Centre and Castlewellan Forest Park . Castlewellan is unique within Ireland due to its tree-lined squares both in the old town (upper square) and new town (lower square) as well as its very wide main street. The old market house in
1332-539: Was incorporated on 26 June 1846 with the first section of line from Belfast to Holywood 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. The railway's first chief engineer
1369-480: Was scrapped in 1899. In 1899 the railway sold Slieve Donard to Alexander Campbell, co-founder of the P & A Campbell pleasure steamer company. Slieve Bearnagh remained with the B&CDR, occasionally making excursions to Portaferry on the Ards Peninsula , Ardglass in south Down, and Larne and Portrush on the coast of County Antrim in addition to her regular scheduled route on Belfast Lough . At
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