| Industry | Railway |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1876 |
| Defunct | 1885 |
| Fate | Acquired |
| Successor | Great Northern Railway (Ireland) |
| Headquarters | , |
Area served | Belfast |
 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source .(April 2024) |
The Belfast Central Railway (BCR) was a railway company operating in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The company was incorporated by act of Parliament[ which? ] in 1872 and acquired by the Great Northern Railway (Ireland) in 1885.
The Belfast Central Railway was built in 1875 to connect the three railway lines in Belfast (the Ulster Railway, the Belfast and County Down Railway (BCDR) and the Belfast and Northern Counties Railway (BNCR)). It branched off from the Ulster Railway (later the Great Northern Railway (Ireland) (GNRI) at Ulster Junction, and ran for 11⁄2 miles to Queen's Bridge, with a branch from East Bridge Street Junction to the BCDR at Ballymacarrett Junction. A link to the BNCR was built later, via a tunnel under Queen's Bridge to the dock board railway at Donegall Quay Junction which, in turn, connected to the BNCR. This was used for goods only. [1]
By 1885 the Belfast Central Railway had become unviable as a company due to increasing competition from the city's trams, and so it was acquired by the GNRI. On 30 November of that year passenger services were withdrawn and Ormeau station was closed. Queen's Bridge station was demolished in 1960 and the lines from East Bridge Street Junction to Donegall Quay Junction and Ballymacarrett Junction were closed in 1963 and 1965 respectively by the Ulster Transport Authority (UTA). [1]
In the 1970s however, the Belfast Central line from Belfast Central Junction (formerly Ulster Junction) to Ballymacarrett Junction was relaid, and reopened along with a new Belfast Central railway station on 12 April 1976. [1]
| Number [2] | Type | Builder | Built | Scrapped | Notes [3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0-6-0ST | Black, Hawthorn & Co | 1868 | 1894 | Inherited by GNR(I) in 1885. Renumbered to no. 93. |
| 2 | 0-6-0ST | Black, Hawthorn & Co | 1874 | 1895 | Inherited by GNR(I) in 1885. Renumbered to no. 94. |
| 3 | 2-4-0T | Beyer, Peacock & Co | 1878 | 1898 | Inherited by GNR(I) in 1885. Renumbered to no. 95. |
| 4 | 4-4-0T | Beyer, Peacock & Co | 1880 | 1950 | Inherited by GNR(I) in 1885. Renumbered to no. 96, then no. 96A in 1906 and no. 195 in 1913. |
| 5 | 0-4-2 | Sharp, Stewart & Co | 1878 | 1905 | Initially owned by Newry and Armagh Railway. Sold in 1880 to J. B. Cooper (manager of BCR). Bought by BCR in 1883. Sold in 1886 to BNCR. Renumbered at purchase to no. 50, then in 1887 to no. 9 and no. 9A in 1904. |
The Ulster Transport Authority (UTA) ran rail and bus transport in Northern Ireland from 1948 until 1966.
The Belfast and County Down Railway (BCDR) was an Irish gauge railway in Ireland linking Belfast with County Down. It was built in the 19th century and absorbed into the Ulster Transport Authority in 1948. All but the line between Belfast and Bangor was closed in the 1950s, although some of it has been restored near Downpatrick by a heritage line, the Downpatrick and County Down Railway.
The Northern Counties Committee (NCC) was a railway that served the north-east of Ireland. It was built to Irish gauge but later acquired a number of 914 mm narrow gauge lines. It had its origins in the Belfast and Ballymena Railway which opened to traffic on 11 April 1848.
The Downpatrick and County Down Railway (DCDR) is a 5 foot, 3 inch gauge heritage railway in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is operated by volunteers and runs passenger trains using steam and diesel locomotives, diesel railcars, and vintage carriages. The railway has approximately three miles (4.8 km) of track in a triangular-shaped layout, which connects the town of Downpatrick with the historical sites of Inch Abbey to the north and King Magnus’ Grave to the south. It also houses a museum of railway artefacts and rolling stock originating from both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, dating from the 1860s to the 1980s.
York Road railway station served the north of Belfast in Northern Ireland. It was formerly one of the three terminus railway stations in Belfast. The others were Great Victoria Street, and Queen's Quay.
Belfast City Centre is the central business district of Belfast, Northern Ireland.
The Great Northern Railway (Ireland) (GNR(I) or GNRI) was an Irish gauge (1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in)) railway company in Ireland. It was formed in 1876 by a merger of the Irish North Western Railway (INW), Northern Railway of Ireland, and Ulster Railway. The governments of Ireland and Northern Ireland jointly nationalised the company in 1953, and the company was liquidated in 1958: assets were split on national lines between the Ulster Transport Authority and Córas Iompair Éireann.
The Belfast–Newry line operates from Lanyon Place station in County Antrim to Newry in County Down, Northern Ireland. The manager for this line is based at Portadown railway station, although the line extends to the border to include the Scarva and Poyntzpass halts and Newry. Newry is on the fringe of the network, being the last stop before the border with the Republic of Ireland. The line follows the route of the northern half of the main Dublin–Belfast line, with the exception of calling at Belfast Great Victoria Street.
Downpatrick railway station was on the Belfast and County Down Railway, which ran its longest route from Belfast to Downpatrick in Northern Ireland. Today it is the headquarters of the Downpatrick and County Down Railway.
Berkeley Deane Wise was an Irish civil engineer who made a significant impact on the development of railways and tourism, particularly in Northern Ireland.
Neill's Hill railway station is a disused railway station / halt on the main line of the Belfast and County Down Railway. It ran from Queen's Quay, Belfast south to Newcastle, County Down in Northern Ireland.
Downpatrick Loop Platform railway station is a junction station owned and operated by the Downpatrick and County Down Railway, heritage railway in Northern Ireland.
Great Victoria Street in Belfast, Northern Ireland, is a major thoroughfare located in the city centre and is one of the important streets used by pedestrians alighting from Belfast Great Victoria Street railway station and walking into shopping streets such as Royal Avenue.
Queen's Quay railway station served the east of Belfast in Northern Ireland. It was formerly one of the three terminus railway stations in Belfast. The others were Great Victoria Street, and York Road.
Ballymacarrett Junction was a railway switching point on the Belfast and County Down Railway in the Ballymacarrett area of Eastern Belfast, in modern-day Northern Ireland. It was located near the present-day Titanic Quarter railway station.
Windsor railway station was on the Belfast Central Railway which ran from Ulster Junction on the Ulster Railway to Ballymacarrett Junction on the Belfast and County Down Railway, through central Belfast, Ireland.
Ormeau railway station was on the Belfast Central Railway which ran from the Ulster Junction on the Ulster Railway to Ballymacarrett Junction on the Belfast and County Down Railway, through central Belfast, Ireland.
Queen's Bridge railway station was the terminus of the Belfast Central Railway which ran from the Ulster Junction on the Ulster Railway to Ballymacarrett Junction on the Belfast and County Down Railway, through central Belfast, Ireland.
The Londonderry & Coleraine Railway is a railway line between the cities of Derry and Coleraine in County Londonderry, built by the Londonderry & Coleraine Railway Company (L&CR). The company operated the line independently for seven years before being absorbed into the Belfast & Northern Counties Railway. The line is still in use today by NI Railways and forms part of the Belfast to Derry-Londonderry rail line.
The Newry, Warrenpoint and Rostrevor Railway (NW&RR) was a former railway line linking Newry and the port of Warrenpoint on the Carlingford Lough inlet in Ireland, and the company operating it. The railway was absorbed into the Great Northern Railway of Ireland in 1886 and the line closed in 1965.