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Downpatrick and County Down Railway

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Coordinates: 54°19′34″N 5°43′19″W / 54.326°N 5.722°W / 54.326; -5.722
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54°19′34″N 5°43′19″W / 54.326°N 5.722°W / 54.326; -5.722

Downpatrick & County Down Railway
DCDRcolourcrestsmall.jpg
The DCDR crest, based on the crest design of many Irish railway companies
LocaleNorthern Ireland
Commercial operations
NameBelfast & County Down Railway
Built byBelfast & County Down Railway
Original gauge5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) Irish Gauge
Preserved operations
Operated byDownpatrick & Co. Down Railway
Stations4
Length4 miles (6.4 km)
Preserved gauge5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) Irish Gauge
Commercial history
Opened1859
Closed1950
Preservation history
1985Work Starts On Preserved Railway
1987First Public Trains Run
1995South Line extended To Magnus' Grave
2005North Line extended to Inch Abbey
2014Carriage Gallery officially opened
Downpatrick and
County Down Railway
Legend
Belfast & County Down Railway
to Belfast
 Inch Abbey
Quoile Bridge (River Quoile)
Downpatrick
Downpatrick Loop Platform
King Magnus' Halt
Ardglass Line
 Ballynoe
Killough
Coney Island
Ardglass
Ballydugan
(proposed)
Belfast & County Down Railway
to Newcastle

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.

The railway, which has a triangular layout, connects two local tourist attractions, Inch Abbey to the north, and a locally famous Viking site ('King Magnus' Grave') to the south. An aspiration exists to reach an 18th-century corn mill to the West near the Ballydugan Lake.

It is the only operational Irish standard gauge (5' 3") heritage railway in the whole of Ireland.

History

Belfast & County Down Railway

The railway first arrived in Downpatrick on 23 March 1859, with the completion of the Belfast and County Down Railway's mainline from Belfast Queen's Quay railway station. The line originally terminated at Downpatrick, but in 1869 a separate company- the Downpatrick, Dundrum & Newcastle Railway- built an extension to the seaside town of Newcastle. The BCDR took over the DDNR in 1881, though this unforeseen extension had created an inconvenience wherein trains running between Belfast and Newcastle had to run around at Downpatrick to continue their journey in a fashion similar to Kilkenny railway station on the Great Southern and Western Railway. The opportunity arose in 1892 to end this cumbersome practice with the opening of the Downpatrick, Killough and Ardglass Railway and, with it, Downpatrick Loop Platform. The DKAR was built and operated by the BCDR, and branched off from their mainline about half a kilometer from the new Loop Platform. In conjunction with this, a 'Loop Line' was constructed which enabled trains to bypass the main Downpatrick Station, calling instead at the Loop Platform where passengers intending for Downpatrick could switch to a local train and carrying on without having to run around.

Closure

Following the 1945 Ballymacarrett rail crash and the resultant £80,000 (The equivalent to £3,376,000 in 2018) it had to pay in compensation, the Belfast and County Down Railway was financially ruined. This was a deciding factor in the nationalisation of the company as part of the Ulster Transport Authority in 1948. The UTA closed all BCDR lines except the Bangor branch a mere two years after taking them over, and so on Sunday 15 January 1950, all the railways around Downpatrick were closed. The tracks were lifted in 1953 and Downpatrick station was handed over to the UTA's bus division, becoming Ulsterbus in 1968. Ulsterbus moved out of the station in 1975 and it was demolished shortly after, erasing the last trace of the railway in Downpatrick town.

Heritage Railway

Local architect Gerry Cochrane M.B.E. was inspired to start the scheme after taking a walk along the route of the line, and by 1982 had gained support to rebuild part of the line as a heritage steam railway from the local council.[1] Lord Dunleath, whose father had purchased the railway trackbed adjacent to his estate after the closure of the BCDR in Downpatrick, gave the newly formed society a package of land on which to build the line and station for a peppercorn rent. This was on the approaches to the old Downpatrick station, which had been demolished in the 1970s. Work started on rebuilding the railway in 1985, with public trains finally running in the town again in Friday 4 December 1987,[1] making it the first Irish gauge heritage railway in Ireland to carry passengers over its own track. Track has been relaid on nearly 6 km (4 mi) of Belfast and County Down Railway trackbed, and a 1.6 km (1 mi) extension south to the hamlet of Ballydugan is planned.

The railway began life as the Downpatrick & Ardglass Railway, as the original intention was to extend the railway to this fishing port on the south coast of County Down. This name was dropped in 1996 following the abandonment of this proposal and the railway was renamed the Downpatrick Railway Museum until 2005 when the new name, Downpatrick & County Down Railway was adopted following the opening of the Inch Abbey extension.[1]

O&K No. 1 at Downpatrick
O&K No. 3 Pulls a train out of Downpatrick in 2006
The Loop Platform
Downpatrick station building
The BCDR Railmotor undergoing restoration in 2014.


Operations

Approximately 5 km (3 mi) of 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) Irish standard gauge track are open as of 2016, along which a steam locomotive, currently O&K No. 1, and 1950s-60s era diesel locomotives are run, drawing preserved rolling stock. Passenger trains are usually operated with brake/generator standard class coach 3223, which was built in 1954 by Córas Iompair Éierann, and brake/standard class coach 728, which was built in 1951 by the Ulster Transport Authority. Stock is added to or withdrawn from the 'running set' as maintenance allows. Older carriages built by the Great Southern and Western Railway and Belfast and County Down Railway were operated on the line, but as 1950s/1960s stock became available the DCDR moved these vintage carriages inside for overhaul and display. It is planned that the vintage coaches will be used on a select few special running days as they are too historically important for everyday wear and tear.

In 2009, the Carriage Gallery was completed, which has created an interactive museum in which the public can enjoy the railway's collection of carriages in varying states for repair from immaculately restored to ex-hen house condition. The Carriage Gallery was officially opened by the Earl Of Wessex in 2014.

The railway also aims to have an at least partially operational mechanical signalling system, using the preserved King's Bog and Bundoran Junction signal cabins along with multiple semaphores that are on the site. Related to this is the Double Track Project, which will allow simultaneous operation on the North and South lines.

Every year, the DCDR operates the following trains:

  • Saint Patrick's Day Specials, which are held on Saint Patrick's Day and operate to Inch Abbey.
  • Easter Specials, which take place over a couple of days around the Easter Period, and operate to Inch Abbey.
  • May Day Specials, which take place on May Day and operate to Inch Abbey.
  • Summer Specials, which take place every weekend during summer and operate to Inch Abbey. One of these days is typically reserved for diesel haulage.
  • EHOD Days, which run in conjunction with the last Summer Specials weekend. These offer visitors free cab rides in a diesel as well as behind-the-scenes tours.
  • Halloween Specials, which take place on the weekend prior to, and on, Halloween night, and operate to Magnus' Grave.
  • Santa Specials, which take place on the weekend prior to Christmas, and operate to the Loop Platform.
  • Mince Pie Specials, which take place on either the last or last weekend of the year, and operate to Magnus' Grave or Inch Abbey - these are usually diesel-hauled.

Bank Holidays, private charters and film contracts make for extra trains throughout the year too.

On operating days, visitors have access to the BCDR Museum which is housed upstairs in Downpatrick railway station, the Downpatrick East signal cabin, a model railway room, the workshop viewing area (Where carriages can be seen undergoing restoration) and the Carriage Gallery.

A gift shop and buffet carriage, the latter of which will be parked at Inch Abbey or Downpatrick Loop Platform railway station, are open on operating days.

Stations & Buildings

Stations

  • Downpatrick Station is the principal station on the DCDR network, where all passenger trains originate from. It has two platforms, though one of these is currently out of use. The original BCDR station was sited on Market Street, but was demolished and replaced by a supermarket before the DCDR was established.
  • Downpatrick Loop Platform has no road access, which helped it to escape demolition in the 1950s. It serves as the interchange point between the DCDR's South and Back lines. Downpatrick Loop has two platforms.
  • King Magnus' Halt is the current terminus of the South Line. It has one platform and serves the grave of Viking King Magnus Barefoot, a site previously inaccessible before the arrival of the railway. Magnus Halt was not an original BCDR station, though it is located at the site of the BCDR's Ardglass Junction.
  • Inch Abbey Halt is the current terminus of the North Line. It has two platforms and serves the ruins of Inch Abbey. The station was not part of the BCDR, as it is located on a short deviation away from the original trackbed.


Buildings & Structures

  • Downpatrick Station Building was originally the town's Gas Manager's House, sited across the road from the DCDR and moved over brick-by-brick.
  • Downpatrick Signal Cabin, a BNCR structure, was moved brick-by-brick from Kingsbog Junction on the Belfast–Derry line.
  • Downpatrick East Signal Cabin, a GNR structure, was originally Bundoran Junction's North Cabin. It was moved to DCDR in 2011 and opened to the public in 2017.
  • Downpatrick Locomotive Shed, a BNCR structure, was moved stone-by-stone from Maghera where it was originally the goods shed.
  • Downpatrick Station Canopy was originally attached to the Maghera Shed.
  • Downpatrick Water Tower was moved from Antrim station.
  • Bridges 163 & 164 are original BCDR bridges, and carry the Back and South lines respectively across a narrow stream.
  • Downpatrick Loop Platform and Canopy are the only BCDR buildings left in Downpatrick.
  • The Cutting is just beyond the limit of passenger operations on the South Line. It carries trains up a slight gradient, with vertical retaining walls on either side.
  • The Quoile Bridge is the longest bridge on the DCDR. It carries the North Line over the River Quoile, and though the spans are newly fabricated, the concrete centre pier is original.

Rolling Stock

Overview

The railway hosts three steam locomotives, eight diesel locomotives, seven diesel railcar sets., twenty-three carriages, thirty-four wagons and three permanent way vehicles, making for a total of seventy-eight railway vehicles- Or, if the railcar constituent vehicles are considered as separate, eighty-two total vehicles.

At present O&K No. 1 is the operational steam locomotive, with a second O&K under restoration. 1875-built 0-6-0 tank engine, GSWR No.90, which was delivered to Downpatrick on Sunday 30 September 2007 after overhaul at the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland's workshops in Whitehead, Co Antrim, is Ireland's oldest operational steam engine. Two E Class diesels, No.'s E421 and E432, were acquired in 1986, with E421 working the Society's first passenger trains. However, the E Class could not start from cold and to this end, three G Class diesels arrived at the railway to facilitate shunting and works trains- One of which was donated to the society after a member purchased it from Westrail, and two of which are on long-term loan from the Irish Traction Group (ITG). The ITG also loans three mainline diesels to the railway- These are CIÉ A class No.A39R (Moved to the railway on Sunday 22 November 2009), 141 class No. 146 (Arrived on Wednesday 27 November 2010) and 201 Class No. C231. (Which arrived on Thursday 7 June 2014). [2]

There are two main rakes of carriages. The passenger set is used on all running days, and consists of CIÉ 3223, UTA 728 and, if extra capacity is needed, GSWR 836. The buffet set is parked in a platform on running days but publicly accessible, and consists of CIÉ carriages 3189, 2419, 1918 and 2978. The carriage fleet is considerably varied, with a mix of six-wheeled and bogie carriages, and representatives from virtually every time period and Irish gauge railway company- Including the BCDR (The DCDR owns 5 of the 6 extant BCDR carriages), GNR, GSWR, GSR, UTA, NIR, CIÉ, and most significantly, the Ulster Railway, which is represented by No. 33, the sole surviving UR vehicle and Ulster's oldest carriage. Other notable carriages are BCDR Railmotor No. 72 and Royal Saloon No. 153, both of Ireland's extant Travelling Post Offices and the last AEC railcar. Two carriages, GSWR No.'s 1097 and 1287, are on loan to the railway from RPSI.

The DCDR also has a large selection of wagons, goods vans and underframes. Ex-NCC brake van No. 33 was the railway's first passenger-carrying vehicle. Included in the railway's wagon fleet is the most powerful steam crane in Ireland, NCC No. 3084.

The railway has also been donated several items of stock by Iarnród Éireann, such as Sligo, Leitrim and Northern Counties Railway Railcar B, built in 1947. This railcar arrived in poor condition and it will be some time before the DCDR can return it to operational condition. Prototype BR-Leyland Railbuses, RB3, which was modified in the early 1980s to run on Irish metals and was used for a period by Northern Ireland Railways, was acquired by DCDR in 2001, with the hope of using it to run midweek trains as it did not require as large a crew as locomotive-hauled trains. However, due to several faults inherent with the prototype Railbus' design, this did not come to fruition. Three more ex-NIR railcars are owned by DCDR, encompassing the last 450 Class, 458 ''Antrim Castle'', which arrived in 2014 and will be converted to a buffet train enabling the current buffet carriages to come out of service for overhaul, and two 80 class railcars which arrived in 2018. A small fleet of permanent way vehicles, all acquired from NIR, and some road/rail on-track plant, are used by the railway's Permanent Way department.

Stock Lists

Steam Locomotives
Number Wheel Arrangement Build Date Original Operator Arrived At DCDR Current Status Photo Notes
1 0-4-0T+WT 1934 Irish Sugar Company 1987 In Service Overhauled at Whitehead between 2004 and 2012.
3 0-4-0T+WT 1935 Irish Sugar Company 1987 Operational, being returned to service Steam tested Wednesday 19 May 2018.
90 0-6-0T 1875 Castleisland Railway/GSWR 2007 On display in Carriage Gallery - Awaiting Overhaul On loan to DCDR from Irish Rail. Originally built as a railmotor.
Diesel Locomotives & Multiple Units/Railcars
Number Class Build Date Original Operator Arrived At DCDR Current Status Photo Notes
E421 E421 Class 1962 CIÉ 1986 Inside Carriage Gallery, awaiting Overhaul Named W.F. Gillispie OBE
E432 E421 Class 1963 CIÉ 1986 Awaiting Overhaul Out of traffic
G611 G611 Class 1961 CIÉ 1996 Stopped Awaiting Attention Owned by the Irish Traction Group
G613 G611 Class 1961 CIÉ 1986 Undergoing Overhaul Privately Owned
G617 G611 Class 1962 CIÉ 1996 Operational Owned by the Irish Traction Group
A39R A (001) Class 1955 CIÉ 2009 Operational Owned by the Irish Traction Group
146 B (141) Class 1962 CIÉ 2010 Operational Owned by the Irish Traction Group
C231 C (201) Class 1956 CIÉ 2014 Operational Owned by the Irish Traction Group
Railcar B - 1947 SLNCR 2006 Awaiting Overhaul Last passenger-carrying SLNCR vehicle
RB3 - 1980 BR 2001 Stopped Experimental Railbus - built by BREL/Leyland for use on British Rail, came to NIR 1981
458 458 450 Class 1987 NIR 2014 Undergoing conversion to Buffet/Grotto train. 3-Car set. Named Antrim Castle. Power car
798 Intermediate
788 Driving trailer
69 80 Class 1978 NIR 2018 Operational, being returned to service. 2-Car set. Power Car
749 Driving Trailer
90 80 Class 1978 NIR 2018 Mechanically operational, but stored as strategic reserve. 2-Car set. Power Car
752 1979 Driving Trailer
712 - 1962 CIÉ 1998 Awaiting Overhaul ITG-Owned Wickham Railcar.
713 - 1962 CIÉ 1999 Undergoing Overhaul Wickham Railcar, Nicknamed Rosie
Carriages
Number Type Original Operator Arrived At DCDR Current Status Photo Notes
39 Six-Wheeler BCDR 1987 In Carriage Gallery, awaiting overhaul Third Brake - on temporary underframe
72 Bogie BCDR 1985 On display in Carriage Gallery Originally railmotor; later converted to autocoach
148 Bogie BCDR 1987 On display in Carriage Gallery Includes half of carriage BCDR No. 152
153 Bogie BCDR 1987 In Carriage Gallery, Awaiting Overhaul Royal Saloon: carried at least 3 British Monarchs; on temporary underframe.

Acquired 1984 before DCDR had its own land- Stored at RAF Bishopscourt until 1987.

154 Six-Wheeler BCDR 1984 In Carriage Gallery, Awaiting Overhaul Second - on temporary underframe
1918 Bogie CIÉ 1988 Part of Buffet Set Laminate Brake
1944 Bogie CIÉ 1995 Undergoing Overhaul Park Royal
2419 Bogie CIÉ 1988 Part of Buffet Set Buffet Carriage
2977 Bogie CIÉ 2017 Undergoing restoration inside the Carriage Gallery Travelling Post Office, owned by An Post.
2978 Bogie CIÉ 1995 Used as Grotto Carriage at Halloween & Christmas Travelling Post Office owned by An Post
3223 Bogie CIÉ 1988 Operational Laminate - Brake Generator Second
6111 Bogie CIÉ 2015 Awaiting Overhaul Former AEC railcar 2624, converted to push-pull driving trailer in 1974.
Unknown Six-Wheeler GNR 1993 Awaiting Overhaul Third - on temporary underframe
33 Unknown Ulster Railway 1986 In Carriage Gallery, Awaiting Overhaul Only surviving stock from UR; on temporary underframe. Third oldest carriage in Ireland (built 1862).
25 Six-Wheeler MGWR 2006 In Carriage Gallery, Awaiting Overhaul -
53 Six-Wheeler MGWR 2006 In Workshops, awaiting overhaul -
69 Six-Wheeler GSWR 1992 Undergoing Overhaul Converted from Full Brake to Brake First Saloon; Privately Owned
836 Bogie GSWR 1986 On display in Carriage Gallery -
1097 Bogie GSWR 2005 Stored On loan from RPSI
1287 Bogie GSWR 2004 In use as a 'Tarry' (mess van) On loan from RPSI
728 Bogie UTA 1991 Operational Ex-MPD driving trailer; later 70 Class Intermediate
8918 Bogie BR 2014 Undergoing minor maintenance Ex-BR DBSO 9712, later came to NIR but was never used in service.
3189 Bogie BR 2007 Part of Buffet Set Ex-BR MK I Brake Third - Converted by CIÉ to Generator Coach
Wagons & Underframes
Number Type Original Operator Arrived At DCDR Current Status Photo Notes
1536 Tanker Private Owner 1999 Not In Use -
18885 Goods Van CIÉ Used for storage Contains Generator - known as Roaring Meg
27756 Container Flat CIÉ 2017 In use Carries a spare English Electric 4SRKT engine
8452 Plough/Brake Van GSWR 1990 Used for storage -
8314 Ballast Hopper GSWR 1986 Used for Ballast Trains -
8411 Ballast Hopper GSWR 1986 Used for Ballast Trains -
C496 Ballast Hopper NIR Used for Ballast Trains -
Unknown Goods Van BCDR 2013 Awaiting Overhaul Body Only
Unknown Cement Van GNR 1998 Stored - Disassembled, in 'kit' form
C505 Flat NCC In Use -
713 Flat NCC
  • 1991 (As Carriage)
  • 2002 (Conversion)
 In Use Former 70 Class Driving Trailer; body destroyed by arson in 2002
C604 Container Flat NCC In Use Brown Van underframe; Carries BCDR Van
Unknown Bridge Wagon BCDR Awaiting Overhaul 1 of 3 Bridge Wagons
Unknown Bridge Wagon BCDR Awaiting Overhaul 1 of 3 Bridge Wagons
Unknown Bridge Wagon BCDR Awaiting Overhaul 1 of 3 Bridge Wagons
C378 Open Wagon Courtaulds 1987 Not In Use -
33 Brake Van NCC 1987 Not In Use Used in the lifting of the Portadown - Derry/Londonderry line
619 Underframe GNR 1987 In Use Carries BCDR Royal Saloon No. 153.
Unknown Underframe GSWR In Use Carries UR No. 33. Former horsebox.
C??? Container Flat NCC Not In Use Brown Van underframe one of 599-608 series
3084 Steam Crane NCC 1994 Not In Use Consists of Crane, Water Wagon & Jib Wagon; built 1931. Originally self-propelled; now the largest in Ireland (capable of lifting 36t).
667 Goods Van NCC 1987 Not In Use Brown Van
674 Goods Van NCC 1987 Not In Use Brown Van
687 Goods Van NCC 1987 Not In Use Brown Van
688 Goods Van NCC 1987 Not In Use Brown Van
Unknown Underframe BNM 1999 PW Use Regauged 4w underframe. Named ''Pink Panther''
Unknown Underframe BNM 1999 In use Carries the detached conveyor belt from NIR Ballast Regulator No. 315 (See below)
C32 Open Wagon UTA 1985 Not In Use Pyramid ends
935 Underframe WLWR In Use Carries BCDR No. 154
Unknown Underframe GSWR In Use Carries BCDR No. 39
1110 Underframe GSWR 2000 In Use Carries BCDR No. 148
13M Underframe MGWR In Use Carries GNR 6w (unknown number)
PW Vehicles
Number Original Operator Arrived At DCDR Current Status Photo Notes
HC1 NIR Not In Use Former Tamper, Converted By NIR Into a Hedgecutter
7 (7007) NIR 2008 Operational Type 7 Tamper
315 NIR Operational USP3000C Ballast Regulator
Road Vehicles
Type Arrived At DCDR Current Status Notes
Atlas Excavator 2010 In Use; Permanent Way Road-Rail Equipped
Komatsu Excavator 2015
Dumper 2011 Nicknamed Daisy. Road-Rail Equipped.
Dumper Trailer 2008 Road-Rail Equipped
Bruff Recovery Vehicle 2015 Stored From NIR November 2015. Road-Rail Equipped.
Tar Boiler 2017 On Display In Carriage Gallery Built for McCreath Taylor in 1926.
Former DCDR Vehicles
Number Type Arrived At DCDR Left DCDR Fate Reason Notes
3BG Steam Locomotive 1989 2001 Returned to Whitehead Loan expired Loaned to DCDR from RPSI
3 Steam Locomotive 2005 2012 Returned to Whitehead Loan expired Loaned to DCDR from RPSI
Daewoo Road-Rail Excavator 2008 2013 Sold to Pakistan Surplus to requirements -
JCB Backhoe Excavator 1990 2009 Sold Life-Expired -
47M Six-Wheeled Carriage Unknown 2007 Scrapped Roof collapse -
713 70 Class Driving Trailer 1991 2002 Destroyed Arson Underframe survives as a flat wagon- See above table
448 GNR Carriage Unknown 2006 Scrapped Beyond repair Only half of the coach body
2053 GNR Brake Van Unknown 2002 Destroyed Arson -
Unknown Tank Wagon Unknown Unknown Scrapped Unknown -
Unknown GNR Goods Van Unknown 2015 Destroyed Destroyed by a storm Grounded body
Unknown Flat Wagon Unknown N/a Cut into sections Re-use of materials Sections stored in Downpatrick yard

Awards

Television & Film Appearances

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Downpatrick and County Down Railway.
  • Downpatrick & County Down Railway
  • "Raising Steam". BBC Northern Ireland. 2008.

References

  1. ^ a b c Cochrane, Gerry (2009). Back in Steam: the Downpatrick and County Down Railway from 1982. Newtownards: Colourpoint. ISBN 978-1-906578-29-9.
  2. ^ "American Baby Boomer adopted by Downpatrick Railway". Latest News. Downpatrick & County Down Railway. 29 November 2010. Retrieved 23 July 2012.
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