62-459: The Northern Counties Committee (NCC) was a railway that served the north-east of Ireland. It was built to Irish gauge ( 1,600 mm ( 5 ft 3 in )) but later acquired a number of 914 mm ( 3 ft ) narrow gauge lines. It had its origins in the Belfast and Ballymena Railway which opened to traffic on 11 April 1848. The NCC itself was formed on 1 July 1903 as the result of
124-736: A break-of-gauge , in 1846 the UK Parliament passed an Act adopting a compromise gauge of 5 ft 3 in ( 1,600 mm ) for Ireland, to which the Ulster Railway's track was then re-laid . Extension of the Ulster Railway resumed, reaching Monaghan in 1858, Smithborough in 1862 and Clones on the Dundalk and Enniskillen Railway, later the Irish North Western Railway (INW), in 1863. The Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway (D&BJct) between Drogheda and Portadown
186-719: A track gauge of 5 ft 3 in ( 1,600 mm ) fall within the category of broad gauge railways . As of 2022 , they were extant in Australia , Brazil and on the island of Ireland . Currently, the suburban rail networks in Adelaide , Melbourne , and most regional lines in Victoria (including some that cross the border into New South Wales ) use 5 ft 3 in ( 1,600 mm ). The 828 km (514.5 mi) long Melbourne–Adelaide rail corridor linking South Australia and Victoria, and some associated branch lines,
248-584: A branch to Randalstown . A bill was duly lodged and came before a committee of the House of Commons in April 1845. Clauses were inserted at the Belfast Harbour Commissioners' request to protect them from possible competition from the harbour at Carrickfergus. The promoters were able to assuage the committee's fears that the works would be heavy and costly and the bill received royal assent on 21 July 1845 as
310-519: A cliff path was engineered that stretched 1 1 ⁄ 4 miles from Whitehead to the Blackhead promontory. The lower sections bordered the shore but blasting and cantilevering from the cliffs was necessary higher up. Further north from Whitehead on the eastern coast of Islandmagee is a region of high basalt cliffs known as the Gobbins . Here too, Wise set to work building a path. Steps were cut to connect
372-539: A cost of £107,602 11s. 5d. The line was extended in stages, opening to Lurgan in 1841, Portadown in 1842, and Armagh in 1848. In 1836 a Railway Commission recommended that railways in Ireland be built to 6 ft 2 in ( 1,880 mm ) broad gauge . The Ulster Railway complied with this recommendation but the Dublin and Drogheda Railway (D&D) did not. In order for Dublin and Belfast to be linked without
434-511: A delay to acquire land and raise capital, William Dargan was awarded the contract for building the line and began work in March 1855. The Cookstown extension included two massive engineering features. One was the eight-span masonry bridge which carried the line fifty feet above the River Main just outside Randalstown and the other, a few miles further on, was a lattice bridge with a swing section across
496-456: A family saloon in 1862 and withdrawn in the 1920s having passed into GNR hands, is preserved at the Downpatrick and County Down Railway . It has been moved to the carriage workshop where restoration is now underway. The body has been stripped down framing repaired and reassembly is underway. Many original features remain with many of the original panels being refurbished and re-installed. Some of
558-441: A head at when it was reported that the capital was totally expended and borrowing powers had been exceeded by £10,000. It was essential that the company raise additional funds to double the existing single line out of Belfast, as it was no longer adequate for the current volume of traffic and to replace many of the original wooden stations. It was therefore proposed to make a submission to Parliament as soon as possible. In 1858, with
620-456: A joint committee to operate a steamer. It purchased the iron-hulled paddle steamer Briton which made her first sailing in normal service on 2 October 1862. The service was not a success and continuing poor financial results led to its being suspended on 31 December 1863. Meanwhile, the BNCR continued to promote the possibility of a steamer service but with a better ship. Although lacking capital it
682-560: A new peak of 5%. Goods traffic had continued to increase gratifyingly although passenger numbers fluctuated. Terminating at a small country town, the Randalstown branch was not generating as much traffic as the directors wished. Therefore, it was decided to extend the line to Cookstown . The act of Parliament for this extension, the Belfast and Ballymena Extension Railway Act 1853 ( 16 & 17 Vict. c. lxviii) became law on 28 June 1853. After
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#1732852420632744-431: A railway between Belfast and Ballymena in 1836 but this came to nothing due, firstly, to the inability to identify a suitable route out of Belfast that did not include excessive gradients and, secondly, an economic downturn. However, in 1844, the same promoters, in association with Sinclair Mulholland, William Coates and John McNeile of Belfast drew up a new scheme that included a branch to Carrickfergus . Charles Lanyon
806-632: A second inspection. This he did and his report of 8 April was more encouraging than the previous one. Although there were some strictures, Captain Henry Drury Harness RE, secretary to the Railway Department of the Board of Trade formally advised the directors of the B&;BR on 14 April that the railway could be opened for public service. However, authorisation had been sent previously by telegraph and
868-604: A subscription. A prospectus was issued in September 1844 with an optimistic review of the financial prospects for the undertaking. There was a good response and capital accumulated steadily from both sides of the Irish Sea . By 1848, the Belfast and Ballymena Railway (B&BR) would have 221 shareholders. The next stage was to obtain parliamentary approval for the B&;BR's original line plus
930-458: Is Glenariff which stretches from Parkmore down to the sea. The opening of the Cushendall line to passengers created whole new possibilities for tourism. The BNCR leased Glenariff from the landlords and laid out a series of paths and bridges to make it easily accessible to tourists. Rustic shelters were provided near the water falls to protect visitors from the spray and, in 1891, a "tea house"
992-488: Is a family saloon with two large compartments and a small toilet compartment accessible to each compartment. Both toilet compartments are in the centre of the coach. The internal piping rises to roof level where a water tank will have been fitted. The internal branch indicates that a small wash basin must have been fitted. It was lit by four pot lamps with two in each of the main saloons. The original roof holes and interior bezels remain. The lower level of roof canvas remains with
1054-482: Is also a 5 ft 2 in ( 1,575 mm ) gauge. See: Track gauge in Ireland . Before the advent of diesel and electric traction, one of the advantages of the broader 5 ft 3 in ( 1,600 mm ) Irish gauge compared to 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ( 1,435 mm ) was that more space between steam locomotive frames allows for a bigger firebox, enabling generation of more steam. Ulster Railway The Ulster Railway
1116-700: Is the 22 miles (35 km) across the North Channel between Portpatrick in Wigtownshire, Scotland and Donaghadee in County Down . A privately run mail service had started in 1662 which. taken over by the Post Office and then the Admiralty , continued for nearly 200 years. In 1849, problems at both Portpatrick and Donaghadee during severe weather and the difficulty in accommodating larger steamers at Portpatrick caused
1178-494: The B&BR in 1857 and continued in this position with the BNCR . He would be instrumental in making it the most prosperous railway in Ireland. Berkeley Deane Wise was the Chief Civil Engineer of the BNCR from 1888 to 1906. During those 18 years Wise made an immense contribution to the BNCR , designing many of its grand stations and tourist attractions. The shortest distance between Great Britain and Ireland
1240-424: The B&BR 's practice of running cheap excursions. Besides excursions organised by the company itself, there were extensive summer programmes of special trains operated on behalf of outside organisations especially Sunday schools and other church organisations. A large number of special trains were chartered by Loyalist organisations around the "Twelfth of July" and the "Twelfth of August" . G. L. Baillie,
1302-611: The BBC&;PJR was granted approval in the Ballymena and Portrush Railway (Coleraine Junction) Act 1859 ( 22 Vict. c. xxxi) in April 1859 to build a bridge over the River Bann at Coleraine to connect with the Londonderry and Coleraine Railway . Since this was after the 1858 act, the bridge could not be included in any sale of the BBC&PJR . An additional act was promoted to regularise
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#17328524206321364-560: The BNCR , its manager, Edward John Cotton , especially recognised the potential value of tourism and was influential in its development throughout the North of Ireland. The BNCR was able to exploit the advantages of the Larne-Stranraer short sea route with its benefit of a daylight crossing in the summer months and the ease with which passengers could transfer to trains alongside the steamer berth at Larne Harbour. The BNCR continued
1426-603: The Belfast and Ballymena Railway Act 1845 ( 8 & 9 Vict. c. lxxxi), "An Act for making a Railway from Belfast to Ballymena in the County of Antrim, with Branches to Carrickfergus and Randalstown". Lanyon immediately began preparations for building the line and placed advertisements for tenders for the construction of the railway. The contract was awarded to William Dargan . Orders were placed for rails and sleepers and locomotives were ordered from Bury, Curtis and Kennedy . Meanwhile,
1488-958: The Board of Trade (with the advice of engineers Charles Pasley and George Stephenson ) introduced the gauge as a compromise. The Railway Regulation (Gauge) Act 1846 was passed to formalise the gauge used on the island of Ireland to 5 feet 3 inches (1600mm). As of 2013 the network totals over 2,730 km or 1,696 mi, 2,400 km or 1,491 mi in the Republic of Ireland and 330 km or 205 mi in Northern Ireland . Fun'Ambule Funicular in Neuchâtel, 330 m long, opened 27 April 2001. The Pennsylvania trolley gauges of 5 ft 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ( 1,588 mm ) and 5 ft 2 + 1 ⁄ 4 in ( 1,581 mm ) are similar to this gauge, but incompatible. There
1550-692: The Midland Railway of England taking over the Belfast and Northern Counties Railway (BNCR), which the Belfast and Ballymena Railway had become. At the 1923 Grouping of British railway companies, the Committee became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS). After the nationalisation of Britain's railways in 1948 the NCC was briefly part of the British Transport Commission , which sold it to
1612-462: The River Bann near its outflow from Lough Neagh . Nevertheless, Dargan was able to carry out the work on the Cookstown extension speedily and the line was deemed to be ready for a Board of Trade inspection on 13 October 1856. Captain H. W. Tyler RE, the inspecting officer, reported that although there was much that was satisfactory, the presence of an unauthorised level crossing prevented his allowing
1674-659: The Ulster Transport Authority (UTA) in 1949. The BNCR and its successors recognised the potential value of tourism and were influential in its development throughout Northern Ireland. They were able to develop and exploit the advantages of the Larne to Stranraer ferry route between Northern Ireland and Scotland which gained importance in World War II . There had been a proposal by the Davison brothers of Ballymena to build
1736-591: The metre gauge network is almost five times longer, Irish gauge is considered the standard by ABNT . The current network is 4,057 km or 2,521 mi, 15% of the total Brazilian network. Following proposed projects of the Ulster Railway and Dublin and Drogheda Railway companies (using 6 ft 2 in ( 1,880 mm ) and 5 ft 2 in ( 1,575 mm ), respectively), and existing issues of competing gauges in Great Britain, in 1843
1798-651: The Atlantic Ocean at front and back. With more than one hundred rooms, it was intended to accommodate high-class tourists visiting the Giant's Causeway . The hotel was enlarged and improved in 1884 and 1892 and in 1902 the BNCR purchased the freehold outright from the Earl of Antrim . A new hotel was built in Belfast as part of the York Road station reconstruction with the intention of capturing trade from long-distance travellers as it
1860-454: The Belfast and Northern Counties Railway (BNCR) took its place. On 15 May 1860 the Belfast and Ballymena Railway became known as the Belfast and Northern Counties Railway (BNCR), a title it would retain until amalgamation with the Midland Railway in 1903. The following independent railways became part of the BNCR after its incorporation (opening date(s)/amalgamation date): Edward John Cotton had succeeded Thomas H. Higgin as manager of
1922-617: The Carrickfergus and Larne railway in 1890, it possessed both of the Irish routes leading to the Larne-Stranraer steamer. Whilst tourism in Ireland was not a new development, it was in the last quarter of the nineteenth century that a great increase occurred with large numbers of tourists making the sea crossing from Great Britain to see the delights of Ireland's scenery. The railways saw that it would be to their advantage to encourage tourist development since this would bring them increased traffic. On
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1984-415: The connivance of the B&BR , the neighbouring BBC&PJR promoted the Ballymena and Portrush Railway Act 1858 ( 21 & 22 Vict. c. liii) to empower the B&BR to purchase the BBC&PJR at a future date. The sum required was to be paid for by the issue of new shares. This manoeuvre was aided by the links both companies had with William Dargan. However, a complication arose when
2046-792: The contractor, William Dargan , sold the Ulster a 999-year lease on it in 1860. The BLBR opened between Knockmore Junction and Banbridge in 1863, and the D&;AJR opened between Knockmore Junction and Antrim in 1871. In 1876 the Ulster Railway merged with the INW and the Northern Railway of Ireland (formed by a merger of the D&D and the D&BJct the previous year) to form the Great Northern Railway (Ireland) . One example of Ulster Railway rolling stock has survived. The body of No. 33, built as
2108-482: The directors were recruiting staff. A secretary was appointed in 1845, Ellis Rowland was appointed locomotive superintendent in 1847 and Thomas Houseman Higgin became manager in May 1848. By the spring of 1847, portions of the line were ready for ballasting and, as neither Dargan nor the B&BR had any locomotives, a second-hand engine was obtained from the Ulster Railway to carry out the work. While it had been hoped to open
2170-539: The earliest days of the railway. Special trains were run from Ballymena and intermediate stations in connection with Queen Victoria 's visit to Belfast in August 1849. Later that year, day excursion tickets were available from Belfast to Randalstown for those who wished to visit Shane's Castle demesne at about two-thirds of the cost of normal tickets. Cheap tickets were also available for those travelling to Belfast; in 1857, passengers from Cookstown were being urged to experience
2232-541: The golfing pioneer, organised golfing excursions that included first class train fare and hotel accommodation to Portrush and Newcastle as well as to the County Donegal links at Rosapenna, Portsalon and Lisfannon. The Giant's Causeway became an even greater tourist attraction with the opening of the Giant's Causeway, Portrush and Bush Valley Electric Tramway all the way to the Causeway in 1887. Thousands of tourists found
2294-486: The inspection and issued an unfavourable report dated 3 March. He was much concerned that the permanent way was very roughly laid and unballasted in places; neither were there any signals. Furthermore, he deemed that a bridge had been constructed in a hasty manner with the result that, when tested, it exhibited very great deflection. Other defects included poor drainage in cuttings and a lack of mileposts. Captain Laffan's opinion
2356-532: The journey from outside Portrush railway station much quicker and easier than before and, being the world's first hydro-electric tramway, it was an attraction in itself. Another of Ulster's celebrated tourist attractions is the Antrim Coast Road that stretches north from Larne to Ballycastle and Portrush and from which may be seen the Nine Glens of Antrim . The largest and arguably the most beautiful of these
2418-582: The line in November 1847, this was put back by the need to raise the embankment along the shore of Belfast Lough . Stations were built along the main line and the Carrickfergus branch. The most impressive was that at Belfast where Lanyon used his architectural talents to create an imposing classical design. Eventually the line was deemed to be ready for inspection by the Board of Trade on 10 January 1848. Captain Robert Michael Laffan RE carried out
2480-448: The line to Ballymena to leave the Carrickfergus branch by means of a trailing junction 6 + 1 ⁄ 2 miles (10.5 km) from Belfast. Lanyon strongly favoured this latter coastal route and reported accordingly at a public meeting in Antrim courthouse on 20 May 1844. A motion was carried that a complete survey of the line was to be completed and that costs were to be defrayed by opening
2542-428: The line to be opened. Eventually, following correspondence between the directors and the Board of Trade, permission was given to open the line on condition that a bridge replaced the crossing within six months. The line was officially opened on 16 October 1856 but public services did not begin until 10 November. Four trains ran in each direction on weekdays and two on Sundays. Cheap travelling facilities were offered from
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2604-417: The original lamp holes remaining. The underframe has not been preserved. It was fitted with electric lighting in late 1890s and it may have had a new GNR under frame fitted at this time. It likely had an unbraked, six wheel wooden framework. The short body length of 23 feet (7.01 m) would have meant a relatively short wheelbase. A similar sized 6-wheeled Ulster Railway coach was part of the train involved in
2666-469: The press and potential customers a foretaste of railway travel and the railway was in business. The normal train service was five trains each way with the Carrickfergus Junction (later renamed Greenisland)-Carrickfergus and Drumsough Junction- Randalstown lines being considered as branches. All main line trains had to reverse at Carrickfergus Junction because of the trailing connection there. This
2728-672: The profitability of the route, bought out the steamship company. A new, faster and larger ship, the Princess Victoria entered service in May 1890 and reduced the sea crossing to only 2 1 ⁄ 4 hours. The new service was an immediate success and was well patronised by businessmen. Furthermore, the Postmaster General recognised the crossing as a supplementary mail route in addition to Holyhead - Kingstown . Traffic increased by 40% between 1875 and 1885 and in July 1891 an additional ship
2790-527: The railway companies, few took a direct interest in the matter. The BNCR and the Great Southern & Western Railway were exceptions. The BNCR purchased a share in the lease of the long-standing and well thought of Antrim Arms hotel at Portrush and in 1883 formed a separate company to manage what was renamed the Northern Counties Hotel. Situated on an elevated site, the hotel overlooked
2852-421: The railway was already at work. As soon as the Board of Trade's telegraphic authority had been received, advertisements were placed in the newspapers on 8 April 1848 to inform the public that the B&BR would be open for passenger traffic on 12 April. Because of the delay in starting operations, it was decided not to have an official opening ceremony. However, two special trains ran on 11 April to give members of
2914-446: The situation. In addition, this later bill made provision to change the title of the B&BR and to alter the dates of the half-yearly meetings. When the last half-yearly accounts ending in March 1860 were issued, it was possible to declare a dividend of 4%. With the passage of the Belfast and Northern Counties Railway Act 1860 ( 23 & 24 Vict. c. xlvi) on 15 May 1860, the Belfast and Ballymena Railway ceased to exist and
2976-489: The termini of the Short Sea Route to be transferred to Stranraer and Larne. Even before the Carrickfergus & Larne railway (C&LR) had been completed, the BNCR was playing a leading role in discussions with other railway companies about operating a steamer service between Larne and Stranraer. The BNCR , Glasgow & South Western , Portpatrick , North British and Newcastle & Carlisle Railways formed
3038-452: The unique features of the original body highlight that this coach was mid way between the stagecoach bodies of the 1850s and the classical Victorian coach body of the 1870s onwards. These features include rounded tops and bottoms of the windows, door handles placed below the normal waist line in stagecoach manner for access from lower platforms and internal water piping within the frames in a mixture of hessian hose and lead fittings. The coach
3100-409: The various levels, bridges were thrown across ravines including two tubular bridges that connected the "Man o'War Stack" to the main path. The first section of the path opened in August 1902 but it was to prove too expensive to continue to Heddle's Port as originally planned. Hotel accommodation in nineteenth century Ireland was not of a generally high standard. While this should have been of concern to
3162-582: The view from Cave Hill. By 1859, further reductions were available for parties of eight or more travelling to destinations such as Shane's Castle, Masserene Park, Toomebridge , Moyola Park, the Giant's Causeway and Dunluce Castle . As always, the seaside was a popular destination with excursion tickets to Portstewart and Portrush via the neighbouring Belfast, Ballymena, Coleraine and Portrush Junction Railway (BBC&PJR) and valid for seven days being offered at normal single fare rates. The B&BR continued to prosper but lacked capital and matters came to
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#17328524206323224-757: Was converted to standard gauge in 1995. The final 200 km (124.3 mi) section of the North East line, Victoria and the 125 km (77.7 mi) long Oaklands railway line , which runs into New South Wales from Victoria, were converted to standard gauge in 2008–2010. The Mildura and Murrayville railway lines were converted to standard gauge in 2018. Lines connecting the states of Rio de Janeiro , São Paulo and Minas Gerais ; E.F.Carajás in Pará and Maranhão states, and Ferronorte in Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul states. Used in older Metro systems. Although
3286-683: Was a railway company operating in Ulster , Ireland . The company was incorporated in 1836 and merged with two other railway companies in 1876 to form the Great Northern Railway (Ireland) . The Ulster Railway was authorised by the Ulster Railway Act 1836 ( 6 & 7 Will. 4 . c. xxxiii), an act of the UK Parliament , and construction began in March 1837. The first 7 miles 60 chains (12.5 km) of line, between Belfast Great Victoria Street and Lisburn , were completed in August 1839 at
3348-652: Was able to encourage private investors to set up a new company in 1871. Known as the Larne & Stranraer Steam Boat Company it began operating the PS Princess Louise on a daily service from 1 July 1872. In 1885, the London & North Western , Midland , Caledonian and Glasgow & South Western railways had formed the Portpatrick and Wigtownshire Joint Railway to operate the Portpatrick Railway and to, improve
3410-456: Was built which, as well as providing refreshments, included a dark room for the use of photographers. Coastal scenery of a different kind may be seen in the Islandmagee area near Whitehead. While there was already some provision for tourists, the BNCR 's civil engineer Berkeley Deane Wise constructed a new promenade and imported sand from Portrush to make a beach. In 1892 he also engineered
3472-579: Was completed in 1853. This connected the D&D with the Ulster Railway, thus completing the main line between Dublin and Belfast. The Ulster Railway operated three lines that remained in the ownership of separate companies: the Portadown, Dungannon and Omagh Junction Railway (PD&O), the Banbridge, Lisburn and Belfast Railway (BLBR) and the Dublin and Antrim Junction Railway (D&AJR). The PD&O reached Dungannon in 1858 and Omagh in 1861, and
3534-456: Was convenient to the cross-channel steamer berths. Designed by Berkeley Dean Wise and directly connected to the station, the unimaginatively named Station Hotel opened in 1898. In addition to the railway-operated hotels, arrangements were made during the 1890s with the independent Olderfleet hotel in Larne and the Antrim Arms and Marine hotels in Ballycastle for the issue of combined railway and hotel tickets. Irish gauge Railways with
3596-402: Was employed to carry out preliminary surveys of the proposed route. In fact, two routes out of Belfast were surveyed. One was an inland route beginning at the Antrim Road and skirting Cavehill . The other started at the junction of York Road and Corporation Street; it ran north on an embankment across slob land on the western shore of Belfast Lough . To ease the gradient, it was necessary for
3658-481: Was paid. Goods traffic increased once the goods sheds and other facilities had been completed and, in an attempt to obtain additional passenger traffic, the company reduced second and third class fares. However, the financial situation remained unsatisfactory throughout the early years and no dividend would be declared until 1850–51 when it was possible to pay a modest dividend of 1%. Dividends continued at around 1-1 1 ⁄ 2 % until November 1855 when they rose to
3720-419: Was put on the service during the summer. The BNCR had subscribed a large sum in 1890 and in July 1893 it was able to join the four railways operating the Portpatrick Joint Railway in the newly created Larne & Stranraer Steamship Joint Committee. Edward John Cotton of the BNCR managed the service which continued to be a success. Once the BNCR had absorbed the Ballymena & Larne Railway in 1889 and
3782-406: Was that it was therefore unsafe to allow the line to be opened. Lanyon and Dargan were keen to retrieve their reputations and there was a period of furious activity as they worked to correct deficiencies identified in the Board of Trade report. The directors carried out their own inspection of the line on 6 April and felt sufficiently confident about what they had seen to ask Captain Laffan to make
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#17328524206323844-421: Was to be an operating problem for years to come. Because the goods sheds were still incomplete, it was not possible to run goods trains at first but some articles were accepted for carriage by passenger train. The financial results for the first year of operation were very poor due to depressed passenger traffic during the winter season and because of the Great Famine of Ireland with the result that no dividend
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