Cultra

Cultra is one of the suburban stations on the only remaining section of Beflast & County Down Railway network, that from Belfast to Bangor. which opened in May 1865. Cultra Station was however closed in 1957 and the BCDR buildings on the up platform were demolished, but the main building, one of the last BCDR stations to remain intact, survives. The station was reopened in 1978 by Northern Ireland Railways and now serves the adjacent Ulster Folk & Transport Museum, once rail connected to the Bangor line. The replacement platform coping stones used for the reopened station actually came from the former Goraghwood Station on the Great Northern Railways Belfast to Dublin main line. The UFTM houses the largest collection of historic Irish railway rolling stock and artifacts, and is well worth a visit.
his is the suburban station at Cultra. NIR's 450 Class railcar No.8788 is seen preparing to leave Cultra with a stopping service to Bangor. Creating a characteristic thumping sound, 450 Class No.8455 is seen heading away from Cultra with a service from Belfast to Bangor. No.8785 is seen on the rear of this service to Bangor. Just in front of the railcar can be seen a line converging from the left from the railway museum at Cultra. The points have since been disconnected. The Belfast & County Down Railway station building at Cultra, built of brick and dating from the late 19th century.
The standard NIR waiting shelter on the up platform at Cultra Station. When the station reopened in the 1980s the capping stone on the refurbished platforms were obtained from the disused station at Goraghwood on the Great Northern's Dublin to Belfast line. The NIR style name board on the up platform at Cultra, with a sign clearing indicating that this is the stop for the Railway museum. A view within the museum at Cultra. The locomotive seen here is ex LMS Northern Counties Commitee's U2 Class 4-4-0 No.74. County Donegal railcar No.10 was the first successful diesel railcar on the CDR, and many other similar CDR railcar designs soon followed. No.10 is seen here preserved in the museum at Cultra.
Also seen at Cultra is the famous Fintona horse tram, which ceased operation in 1957 when the Great Northern's Irish North West line was closed. The name plate of Ireland's largest steam locomotive, 'Maeve', built in 1939 at Inchicore Works, Dublin. This is one of the Belfast & Co Down's electronic skye banner signals, installed on the Bangor line in 1926. This is a distant banner, preserved here at Cultra. Also at Cultra is this minature railway, located south of the main museum complex.