Downpatrick Loop Platform railway station | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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General information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Location | Downpatrick, County Down Northern Ireland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Owned by | Downpatrick and County Down Railway | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Operated by | Downpatrick and County Down Railway | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Line(s) | South Line Loop Line | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Platforms | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
History | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Original company | Belfast and County Down Railway | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pre-grouping | Belfast and County Down Railway | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Post-grouping | Ulster Transport Authority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Key dates | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
8 July 1892 | Opened | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
16 January 1950 | Closed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
5 December 1987 | Reopened by DCDR | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Downpatrick Loop Platform railway station (often shorted to The Loop Platform or simply The Loop) is a junction station owned and operated by the Downpatrick and County Down Railway, heritage railway in Northern Ireland.
The station is on the only operational railway triangle on a preserved railway. [1] It can only be accessed by train – similar to Manulla Junction in County Mayo or Smallbrook Junction on the Isle of Wight.
The original Downpatrick railway station was constructed as part of the Belfast and County Down Railway (BCDR) mainline from Queens Quay, Belfast to Downpatrick. However, with growing railway expansion in the Victorian era and the connecting Downpatrick, Dundrum and Newcastle Railway being subsequently built with a junction north of Downpatrick for through trains between Queens Quay, Belfast and Newcastle railway station (County Down). The awkward permanent way with Downpatrick railway station being on a branch necessitated the construction of the triangle and Loop platform. Therefore, trains could call at Downpatrick or use the avoiding line with connections for passengers and goods at the Loop Platform, thereby making the railway operationally from a signalling point of view, more efficient using a railway triangle.
Downpatrick Loop Platform was opened on 24 July 1892 and closed on 16 January 1950. [2]
Because the Loop Platform had no road access, it was spared demolition unlike most of the BCDR mainline from Belfast Queen's Quay to Newcastle. It remained derelict from its closure in 1950 until the Autumn of 1987, when the Downpatrick & Ardglass Railway (since renamed the Downpatrick and County Down Railway) reached the Loop Platform with rebuilt track from Downpatrick town. The first train to call at the Loop Platform since its closure was a works train hauled by a former CIÉ E Class diesel on 10 October 1987. Passenger services began on 5 December 1987. In January 1993, the canopy was restored with funding from the International Fund for Ireland.
In Spring 2014, the Loop Line (The former mainline which avoided Downpatrick) was re-laid and the platform refurbished. During 2015, relaying commenced on the South Line (The direct line to Downpatrick). Due to its isolated nature and simplistic features, it is a popular filming location and was used as Polegate Junction in Agatha and the Truth of Murder, as well as Derry Girls Season 3 episode Strangers on a Train.
Preceding station | Historical railways | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Downpatrick | Belfast and County Down Railway Belfast-Newcastle | Tullymurry | ||
King's Bridge Halt | ||||
Downpatrick | Downpatrick, Dundrum and Newcastle Railway Downpatrick-Newcastle | Tullymurry | ||
Downpatrick | Downpatrick, Killough and Ardglass Railway Downpatrick-Ardglass | Downpatrick Racecourse | ||
Heritage railways | ||||
Downpatrick | Downpatrick and County Down Railway South Line | Magnus Grave | ||
Inch Abbey | Downpatrick and County Down Railway Loop Line | Magnus Grave |
In railroad structures and rail terminology, a wye or triangular junction is a triangular joining arrangement of three rail lines with a railroad switch at each corner connecting to the incoming lines. A turning wye is a specific case.
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 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.
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.
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.
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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.
The Downpatrick, Killough and Ardglass Railway (DKALR) was an Irish gauge railway in Ireland linking Downpatrick with Ardglass. It was built from 1890 to 1892 and absorbed into the Ulster Transport Authority in 1948. It was closed on 16 January 1950.
Castlewellan railway station was on the Great Northern Railway (Ireland). It was located in the village of Castlewellan.
Comber railway station was on the Belfast and County Down Railway which ran from Belfast to Newcastle, County Down in Northern Ireland.
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.
Inch Abbey railway station is a station on the Downpatrick and County Down Railway, a heritage railway in Northern Ireland. It is the terminus of the railway's North Line and serves Inch Abbey, a ruined monastery and local tourist attraction of Downpatrick notable for its use as a filming location in the HBO show Game of Thrones.
King Magnus' Halt, more commonly known as Magnus' Grave, is a heritage railway station on the Downpatrick and County Down Railway's South Line, located on the outskirts of the town of Downpatrick in County Down, Northern Ireland. It takes its name from the nearby grave of Viking King Magnus Barefoot, a local tourist attraction that was not easily accessible prior to the arrival of the railway.
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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 Belfast Central Railway (BCR) was a railway company operating in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The company was incorporated by act of Parliament in 1872 and acquired by the Great Northern Railway (Ireland) in 1885.
The Quoile Bridge is a railway bridge across the River Quoile in Downpatrick, County Down, Northern Ireland. It is 43 metres (141 ft) long and carries a single-track line.