1871 Ballymacarrett rail crash

Not to be confused with the Ballymacarrett rail crash of 1945.

1871 Ballymacarrett rail crash
Details
Date	13 May 1871 8:30pm
Location	Ballymacarrett
Coordinates	54°36′07″N5°54′07″W / 54.601935°N 5.901845°W / 54.601935; -5.901845
Country	Ireland, now modern day Northern Ireland
Line	Belfast–Comber main line
Operator	Belfast and County Down Railway
Incident type	Collision
Cause	Derailment caused by intoxicated fireman.
Statistics
Trains	2
Deaths	2
Injured	55

The Ballymacarrett rail crash of 1871 occurred on 13 May 1871 at the Ballymacarrett Junction of the Belfast and County Down Railway in Belfast, Ireland, which at the time was in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Two people were killed with 55 injured. The cause was a derailment caused by an intoxicated fireman who drove a steam locomotive with four goods wagons off the end of incomplete set of points at Ballymacarrett Junction blocking the main line. Another train came along and struck the first. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

Notes

1. Rich, F. H., Lieut.- Col. R.E. (7 June 1871). "BELFAST AND COUNTY DOWN RAILWAY". Railway Department, (Board of Trade). Retrieved 7 August 2016.
2. Haines, Keith (2002). Human Frailty and the 1871 Ballymacarrett Rail Accident. Belfast: Ballymaconaghy Publishing.
3. "The Railway Accident" . Belfast Evening Telegraph. 16 May 1871. p. 4. Retrieved 7 August 2016.