Ballynoe railway station

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Former BallynoeRailway Station
Former Ballynoe station near Downpatrick - geograph.org.uk - 875145.jpg
Former goods shed at Ballynoe railway station and remains of platform (July 2008 by Albert Bridge)
General information
Location Ballynoe, County Down
Northern Ireland
Coordinates 54°18′00″N5°42′00″W / 54.30000°N 5.70000°W / 54.30000; -5.70000
Line(s)Downpatrick, Killough, and Ardglass
Distance8 miles, 4 chains
Connections BSicon lDAMPF.svg Downpatrick Loop PlatformBallynoe stationBright Halt
Construction
ArchitectGeorge Culverwell (Chief engineer)
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original company Downpatrick, Killough and Ardglass Railway
Pre-grouping Belfast and County Down Railway
Post-grouping Great Northern Railway (Ireland)
Key dates
31 May 1892Station opens (for fish traffic)
8 Jul 1892Opened to passengers [1]
12 Oct 1925Bright Halt added
1929Coney Island Halt added [2]
16 Jan 1950Station closes
Location
County Down UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Former BallynoeRailway Station
Location within County Down
Island of Ireland location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Former BallynoeRailway Station
Former BallynoeRailway Station (island of Ireland)
A copy of the original withdrawal notice that was posted at the original Downpatrick station Notice - geograph.org.uk - 350071.jpg
A copy of the original withdrawal notice that was posted at the original Downpatrick station

Ballynoe railway station was on the Downpatrick, Killough and Ardglass Railway, which ran from Downpatrick to Ardglass in County Down, Northern Ireland. The station building, [3] signal box, and goods shed [4] remain standing and have been converted to private ownership. The original brickwork and structure are mostly preserved, though the signal box [5] requires urgent repairs. The platforms and their canopies are no longer present, but traces of the platform edge [6] can still be seen in some areas.

Contents

History

The railway branch extended eight miles from Downpatrick South Junction to Ardglass. It was classified as a "Balfour Line", named after Arthur James Balfour, who held the position of Chief Secretary for Ireland between 1887 and 1891 before becoming Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Balfour played a pivotal role in the passage of the Light Railways (Ireland) Act of 1889, [7] which enabled state funding to support the expansion of rail infrastructure, particularly in economically underdeveloped regions. While most of these lines were constructed in western Ireland, the Ardglass branch was the only one established in what is now Northern Ireland. Its primary aim was to bolster the local herring trade, which was believed to be constrained by the lack of direct railway access to Ardglass Harbour.

Opened by the Downpatrick, Killough and Ardglass Railway, it became part of the Belfast and County Down Railway (BCDR). The line was begun 1890 with the granting of the Downpatrick, Killough & Ardglass Railway Act, obtained under the Light Railways (Ireland) Act. [8] [9] The line was constructed under the management of the BCDR's chief engineer Sir John Macneill. [10]

It began operations in 1892, with stations established at the Downpatrick racecourse, Ballynoe, Killough, and Ardglass [1] . Later on, halts were added at Bright on 12 Oct 1925 and 4 years later at Coney Island in 1929 [2] .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". [11]

From an engineering perspective, the line was notably steep by the standards of County Down. It included a sustained incline of 1 in 50 approaching Ballynoe, followed by a comparable descent. The railway company undertook the construction of the line independently, without engaging an external contractor. To minimize the need for extensive excavation and embankment work, the alignment was carefully designed to adhere more closely to the natural contours of the terrain—far more so than other segments of the railway network. [1] Initially, the single-track route was divided into two operational segments, managed using the staff and ticket system. This arrangement remained in place until 1926, when the signal box at Ballynoe was decommissioned, consolidating the line into a single operational section. [12] The station closed to passengers in 1950, by which time it had been taken over by the Great Northern Railway (Ireland) (GNRI) which dissolved in 1958 and its assets were split between:

Routes

It used to be cheaper to buy two separate tickets—one from Newtownards to Downpatrick and another from Downpatrick to Killough—than to buy a return ticket straight to Killough. A third-class return ticket from Newtownards to Killough cost 2 shillings and 6 pence. But if you bought a return ticket to Downpatrick for 1 shilling and 6 pence, and then a return ticket from Downpatrick to Killough for 7 pence, it added up to less. [14] A specimen timetable from April 1940 has also been published. [15]

The following diagram shows the heritage railway line operated by the Downpatrick and County Down Railway:

Map of Belfast & County Down Railway 1926 Map of Belfast & County Down Railway 1926.jpg
Map of Belfast & County Down Railway 1926
Downpatrick, Killough and
Ardglass Railway
BSicon exCONTg.svg
BSicon kABZg2.svg
BSicon kSTRc1.svg
BSicon kSTRc2.svg
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon kABZl+34.svg
BSicon dKHSTxeq.svg
BSicon exdKHSTeq.svg
Downpatrick [1]
BSicon l-HST.svg
BSicon kABZg+1.svg
Downpatrick Loop Platform
BSicon .svg
BSicon exKRWgl.svg
BSicon exKRW+r.svg
BSicon exSTR.svg
BSicon exHST.svg
Ballynoe
BSicon exSTR.svg
BSicon exHST.svg
Bright Halt
BSicon exSTR.svg
BSicon exHST.svg
Killough
BSicon exSTR.svg
BSicon exHST.svg
Coney Island Halt [2]
BSicon exSTR.svg
BSicon exKHSTe.svg
Ardglass
BSicon exSTR.svg
BSicon exCONTf.svg

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. [16] 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 [17] since the mid 80s and even then would have been something of a time capsule with a range, [18] a Belfast sink and perhaps best of all an old milk bottle [19] all still in situ.

Station building

Dating from 1892 the station building [20] is very like that of Ardglass two stations away designed by the BCDR's chief engineer George Culverwell [21] [22] 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 [5] [23] 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. [4]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 The Industrial Archaeology of Northern Ireland, McCutcheon, W. A. Rutherford, N.J.: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 1984. ISBN 0838631258.
  2. 1 2 3 "Coneyisland Halt". Industrial Heritage Gazetteer. industrialheritageireland.info. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  3. Graham H. (6 February 2022). "Rail Shed and Station Maters house". Flickr. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  4. 1 2 Graham H. (25 November 2021). "Rail Shed and Waiting room at Ballynoe". Flickr. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  5. 1 2 Graham H. (25 November 2021). "Signal Box". Flickr. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  6. Jan Saudek (6 February 2022). "Signal Box". Flickr. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  7. Light Railways (Ireland) Act 1889, UK Public General Acts 1889 c. 66 (Regnal. 52 & 53 Vict), legislation.gov.uk, UK Government. Accessed 7 May 2025.
  8. "Belfast & County Down Railway". Downpatrick & County Down Railway. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  9. Return of Orders in Council and Agreements under Light Railways (Ireland) Act, 1889, HMSO, in: Parliamentary Papers, Session 1890–91, Vol. LXXV, p. 141. Parliamentary papers vol. barcode: 00363303.
  10. Macneill, John Benjamin (Sir). Dictionary of Irish Architects 1720–1940. Accessed: 6 May 2025.
  11. "Last journey of summer for history local railway". Down Recorder. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  12. Railways in Ireland, Bairstow, Martin. Farsley, Leeds: Martin Bairstow, 2007. ISBN 9781871944334.
  13. "The Transport Act (Abandonment of Railway Lines, County Down) Order, 1953" (PDF). Legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  14. Vice-Regal Commission on Irish Railways, including Light Railways: Appendix to the Third Report; Minutes of Evidence and Documents Relating Thereto, Scotter, Charles (Chairman). HMSO, in: Parliamentary Papers, Session 1908, Vol. XLVIII, p. 5. Parliamentary papers vol. barcode: 00317417.
  15. https://archive.org/details/outlineofirishra0000cass Outline of Irish Railway History], Casserley, H. C. Newton Abbot, North Pomfret [Vt.]: David & Charles, 1974. ISBN 0715363778. p. 228.
  16. "Historic map - Down - Sheet 37 by Ordnance Survey of Ireland, published in 1904, part of the Ordnance Survey Six-inch Ireland, 1829-1969 maps". National Library of Scotland. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  17. Graham H. (25 November 2021). "Signal Man's House". Flickr. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  18. Graham H. (25 November 2021). "Doric Stove in the Signal man's House". Flickr. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  19. Graham H. (25 November 2021). "Old 1940 style milk bottle in the Signal man's House". Flickr. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  20. Graham H. (25 November 2021). "Station Masters house and waiting room attached". Flickr. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  21. "Downpatrick, Killough and Ardglass Railway". Grace's Guide. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  22. "George Parnall Culverwell". Grace's Guide. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  23. Robert J.E. Simpson (13 April 2017). "Signal Box". Flickr. Retrieved 2 April 2025.

Further reading