| NCC Class X | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Elevation of NCC Class X diesel-hydraulic locomotive No.17 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Northern Counties Committee (NCC) Class X was a solitary diesel-hydraulic shunting (switcher) locomotive built by Harland and Wolff (H&W) for service in the NCC's yards and at Belfast docks. It was one of several pioneering designs of diesel locomotive produced by H&W under their Harlandic trademark during the 1930s and 1940s.
There was only one member of Class X, No.17. It was built by Harland and Wolff in Belfast and delivered to the NCC in 1936 under a lease arrangement; it was not actually taken into stock until 1941 when the NCC purchased it. No.17 had an 0-6-0 wheel arrangement and was powered by an eight-cylinder diesel engine developing 330 bhp (250 kW) at 1200 rpm.
Transmission was via a torque converter and a jackshaft final drive mounted ahead of the leading coupled wheels. In addition, there was a two-speed gearbox with ratios of 5.76:1 and 19.52:1 giving top speeds of 50 mph (80 km/h) and 15 mph (24 km/h) respectively in both forward and reverse. As delivered, it had its maker's trade name Harlandic on a plate just below the front headlight.
No.17 spent its career working out of the limelight on the Belfast Harbour Commissioners’ lines at Belfast and within the NCC's own yards. It survived Ulster Transport Authority (UTA) ownership and entered Northern Ireland Railways stock in 1967 but saw little or no work before it was scrapped in mid-1970.
Under NCC ownership, No.17 was painted black with red bufferbeams. It had brass number plates with red backgrounds which bore a highly stylised "17" in the same manner as the NCC steam engines. The initials "NCC" were applied to the side panels in shaded gold serif capitals.
When the UTA took over, No.17 was repainted black with vermilion and yellow lining. The UTA roundel replaced the "NCC" on the side panels.
The Ulster Transport Authority (UTA) ran rail and bus transport in Northern Ireland from 1948 until 1966.
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 that 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.
A wide variety of steam locomotives have been used on Ireland's railways. This page lists most if not all those that have been used in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Irish railways generally followed British practice in locomotive design.
The Great Northern Railway V class steam locomotives were 4-4-0 three-cylinder compound locomotives built in 1932 by Beyer, Peacock & Company for the Great Northern Railway (Ireland).
The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) introduced a number of railcars to service between 1933 and 1939. Most were single units but one was a three-car articulated set.
This is a bibliography for the history of rail transport in Ireland.
The Great Southern Railways Class 800 steam locomotives were built principally for express passenger work on the Dublin to Cork main line of that company. These locomotives were designed under the supervision of E. C. Bredin with his Chief Draughtsman, H. J. A. Beaumont, preparing the drawings. They were the largest and most powerful engines ever to run in Ireland by quite a large margin, and the only three express passenger locomotives to be built in an independent 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 Railway Preservation Society of Ireland (RPSI) is a railway preservation group founded in 1964 and operating throughout Ireland. Mainline steam train railtours are operated from Dublin, while short train rides are operated up and down the platform at Whitehead, County Antrim, and as of 2023, the group sometimes operates mainline trains in Northern Ireland using hired-in NIR diesel trains from Belfast. The RPSI has bases in Dublin and Whitehead, with the latter having a museum. The society owns heritage wagons, carriages, steam engines, diesel locomotives and metal-bodied carriages suitable for mainline use.
The NCC Class WT is a class of 2-6-4T steam locomotives built by the Northern Counties Committee's parent company, the London, Midland and Scottish Railway for service in Northern Ireland.
The LMS Northern Counties Committee (NCC) Class Y was a class of 0-6-0T steam locomotives formed when two LMS Fowler Class 3F engines were regauged from 4 ft 8+1⁄2 instandard gauge to the 5 ft 3 in Irish broad gauge in 1944 becoming NCC Nos.18 and 19.
The Ulster Transport Authority Multi-Purpose Diesel was a diesel powered railcar, used in Northern Ireland. It was developed by the Ulster Transport Authority (UTA) as a progression of the earlier Multi-engined Diesel (MED). The MED concept, while suitable for short commuter links, was not considered so for the Northern Counties Committee section, with its main line from Belfast to Derry where speeds of up to 110 km/h (70 mph) were required. A new railcar development was needed, and the MED was superseded by the MPD.
The Great Northern Railway of Ireland (GNRI) AEC Class were Associated Equipment Company (AEC)–engined diesel multiple units that operated InterCity and suburban services on the GNRI and later Ulster Transport Authority (UTA) systems between 1950 and 1975. They were finally withdrawn in 1972. They were the inspiration for the CIÉ 2600 Class.
The Northern Counties Committee (NCC) Class U2 4-4-0 passenger steam locomotives consisted of 18 locomotives built for service in north-east Ireland. Ten of the engines were new builds supplied by the North British Locomotive Company (NBL) or constructed at the NCC's York Road works. The remainder were rebuilds of existing locomotives.
The Belfast and Northern Counties Railway (BNCR) Class S was a class of 2-4-2T two-cylinder compound steam locomotives that was introduced for service on the 3 ft narrow gauge railways of County Antrim in north-east Ireland.
The LMS (Northern Counties Committee)Class A1 4-4-0 passenger steam locomotives were rebuilds of Belfast and Northern Counties Railway Class A two-cylinder compound locomotives. They operated services throughout the NCC’s 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) broad gauge system in the north-east of Ireland.
The Belfast and Northern Counties Railway (BNCR) Class N was a class of 0-4-0ST dock engines that worked on the Belfast Harbour Commissioners' lines in north-east Ireland. No.42 was the first of the class and was built by Sharp, Stewart and Company in 1874. A second, similar engine, No.16, was built by the MR (NCC) in 1914.
LMS diesel shunter 7057, later to become NCC Class 22, was built by Harland & Wolff. Testing started in July 1934 and the locomotive was taken into LMS stock in February 1935. It was loaned to the War Department between 1941-1943, which numbered it 233. It was withdrawn from LMS stock in January 1944 and sold back to Harland & Wolff, which rebuilt it with a new 225 hp (168 kW) engine and converted it to the 5 ft 3 in gauge. It was then sold to the Northern Counties Committee, which numbered it 22. It was finally withdrawn in April 1965 and scrapped at the close of that year.
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.