Belfast Central Railway
| Industry | Railway |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1876 |
| Defunct | 1885 |
| Fate | Acquired |
| Successor | Great Northern Railway (Ireland) |
| Headquarters | , |
Area served | Belfast |
| Belfast Central Railway Act 1872 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
 | |
| Citation | 35 & 36 Vict. c. clxxi |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 6 August 1872 |
 | 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 the Belfast Central Railway Act 1872 (35 & 36 Vict. c. clxxi) and acquired by the Great Northern Railway (Ireland) in 1885.
History
[edit]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 On 30 November of that year passenger services were withdrawn and Ormeau station was closed.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]
Locomotives
[edit]| 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. |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Disused Stations: Belfast Queens Bridge station".
- ^ Robert, Phipps (2023). The Adventures of 'A Fighting Railway': The Belfast Central Railway Company 1864–1885. Belfast: Ormiston Publishing. pp. 257–260. ISBN 9781399946377.
- ^ Rowledge, J. W. P. (1993). Irish Steam Locomotive Register. Stockport: Irish Traction Group. p. 27. ISBN 0947773339.