Ballynoe railway station (County Down) was on the Downpatrick, Killough and Ardglass Railway, which ran from Downpatrick to Ardglass in Northern Ireland. The station building,[1] signal box, and goods shed[2] remain standing and have been converted to private ownership. The original brickwork and structure are mostly preserved, though the signal box[3] requires urgent repairs. The platforms and their canopies are no longer present, but traces of the platform edge[4] can still be seen in some areas.
It began operations in 1892, with stations established at the Downpatrick racecourse, Ballynoe, Killough, and Ardglass. Later on, Halts were added at Coney Island and Bright.
The Loop Platform, a heritage-listed structure and the only original building still standing in Downpatrick, constructed in 1893, was well known for the porters' shouts of "All change for Ballynoe, Killough, and Ardglass".[6]
The station closed to passengers in 1950, by which time it had been taken over by the Ulster Transport Authority.[7]
Map of Belfast & County Down Railway 1926
Features
Level crossing keeper's cottage
When the station was operational the trains crossed the Ballynoe road to reach the station through a level crossing with two sets of double gates.[8] At Ballynoe, at least laterally, it fell to the station master's wife to man the gates arising in the early morning to let the first train into the station and staying on duty until late at night.
It's been uninhabited[9] since the mid 80s and even then would have been something of a time capsule with a range,[10] a Belfast sink and perhaps best of all an old milk bottle[11] all still in situ.
Station building
Dating from 1892 the station building[12] is very like that of Ardglass two stations away designed by the BCDR's chief engineer George Culverwell [13][14] and his assistant a Mr Morris. However, where Ardglass lies in ruins this is much more befitting a piece of the country's built heritage.
Much like Killough, one station away, the last station master bought the house from the Ulster Transport Authority when the line closed and it's been in the family ever since. It was extended by the current owner's father although the platforms have been largely dismantled and the track bed filled in.
Signal cabin
The signal cabin[3] here is one of only three left on the old BCDR network. The others being at Tullymurray and at Saintfield there was one at Killough but sadly it fell victim to rot in 2018 as it was entirely made of wood unlike the others.
Sadly, as with all of them except Saintfield, the original signal levers and mechanisms were removed in the 1950s.
Goods shed
Identical to those at Killough and Ardglass the goods shed was served by its own set of rails that ran right through the shed and connected with the passenger line at either end.
The two main commodities that were shipped from here were potatoes and sand from nearby Tyrella beach for the war effort. It apparently wasn't of the best quality but war being what it is, the authorities had to take it.
The cattle beach (the area where any livestock was kept awaiting transport) was just behind this building.
Adjoining the goods shed is the Ardglass bound waiting room.[2]
Jowett, Alan (March 1989). Jowett's Railway Atlas of Great Britain and Ireland: From Pre-Grouping to the Present Day (1sted.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN978-1-85260-086-0. OCLC22311137.
Jowett, Alan (2000). Jowett's Nationalised Railway Atlas (1sted.). Penryn, Cornwall: Atlantic Transport Publishers. ISBN978-0-906899-99-1. OCLC228266687.
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