Downpatrick

Downpatrick was the terminus of the Beflast & Country Railway's main line from Beflast, but in the 1870s an extension of the line south to Newcastle, with a branch to Ardglass necessitated a triangular junction here, from where passenger trains had to run in and out of the terminal station before continuing south. The junction was located just south of the present day Downpatrick Station and also allowed through running for goods trains to avoid the terminus. The entire BCDR network in County Down, except the Bangor line, was closed by the Ulster Transport Authority in 1950.

However in 1985, the now Downpatrick & County Down Railway was formed, and have now rebuilt the former BCDR mainline out of a new terminus station in Downpatrick (the original one was unfortunately demolished in the 1970s) to Inch Abbey, as well as the former 'Loop Platform'. A museum and railway workshops have also now been established at the railway and train rides are offered to the public during parts of the year. The DCDR have a unique fleet of steam and diesel locomotives, as well as an impressive range of Victorian rolling stock.
This is the new Downpatrick Station, operated by the preservation Downpatrick & Co.Down Railway (DCDR). The station consists of a single platform and a bay, visible on the right. A view from the single platform at Downpatrick Station in November 2004, showing a mixed rake of ex CIE and Midland Great Western victorian stock. One of the Downpatrick Railways ex CIE E Class locomotives, No.E432, seen in its black & tan livery stored in a siding adjacent to the station. Outside one of the sheds at Downpatrick is a CIE Wickham inspection car, now restored as 'Rosie', and the other E Class loco No.E421, which is painted in CIE's one time black livery.
No.E421 is one of the second batch of Maybach engined locos built by CIE at Dublin's Inchicore Works in 1963. The E Class locos were primarily employed as shunters around Dublin City. Restored ex Great Southern & Western Railway's coach No.836, built at Inchicore Works in 1902, is regularly employed on passengers trains on the Downpatrick railway. Inside the wonderfully restored Victorian Great Southern & Western's No.836 at the Downpatrick & Co.Down Railway. No.836 was orignally withdrawn from regular traffic by CIE in 1963. We don't see much of No.153 of the former Belfast & Co.Down Railway, built as a royal saloon in 1897. This very important carriage is still under restoration at the Downpatrick Railway.
Another view of the Belfast & Co.Down's royal saloon carriage, rescued by the Downpatrick Railway in the 1990s. It is currently stored and under restoration. This is No.306, a carriage which was originally part of one Northern Ireland Railways Multi Purpose Diesel railcars, generally known as MPDs. Originally this was standard carriage built in 1951, but was later converted into an intermediate carriage for an MPD unit in 1959. It was then later used as a 70 Class railcar trailer until withdrawl in 1986. A 19th century ex Midland Great Western Railway's 6-wheel carriage, No.479, built at their Broadstone works in Dublin in 1897. It was withdrawn in 1964 by CIE and acted as a departmental coach until the late 1970s. This is the LMS Northern Counties Committee steam crane at the Downpatrick & Co.Down Railway, built in 1931. In later years it was used by Northern Ireland Railways until the late 1980s, when it was stored out of use, after which it was purchased for preservation by the Downpatrick Railway.
Amongst the array of loose coupled wagons to be seen at the Downplatrick railway is this ex Great Southern & Western Railway ballast brake van, painted in a maroon livery. At the end of the platform at Downpatrick Station are two surviving Belfast & Co.Down Railway semaphore signals, which came from Bangor when the signal cabin there closed in 1988. The examples here are very much like the ones once located at the original BCDR station platform, which closed in 1951. The new Downpatrick Station is located just west of the original Belfast & Co.Down Railway's 1859 station, which was demolished in 1972 and is now the site a supermarket. The new station seen here is in fact converted from a gasworks manager house. The platform canopy comes from the former Maghera goods shed. CIE locomotives No.G613 and A Class loco No.A39 are seen together at Downpatrick during the Irish Traction Group's 'A39 Launch' at the railway.
This is the ex Northern Ireland Railways railbus, No.RB3, built as an experiment in 1981 by British Railway Engineering Ltd at Derby. The vehicle was not a success on NIR and was subsquently withdrawn from regular service before 1990, and was preserved. This is Inch Abbey Halt and is one of the two branch terminals on the current Downpatrick & Co.Down Railway. It is on the eastern side of the 5km railway, laid on the former Belfast & Co.Down Railway's main line from Belfast which closed in 1951. RB3 stands at the halt having arrived from Downpatrick town. RB3 is seen approaching Downpatrick Station on a special from Inch Abbey. The railbus has always carried this NIR blue livery. RB3 worked on the Portrush branch in Co.Antrim until it was realised the bus did not have sufficent capacity for the passengers, particularly during the summer. RB3 stands in the bay platform at Downpatrick Station, adjacent to the operational water column of Belfast & Co.Down origin. After withdrawal in 1990, RB3 was a museum piece at Cultra north of Belfast, but was moved to the Downpatrick & Co.Down Railway in March 2001.
CIE G Class locomotive No.G617 stands with other the diesel residents at Downpatrick Station. The building seen here is the former goods shed of Maghera Station on the former 1880s built Derry Central line which closed completely in 1950, it is now used as the locomotive shed. Seen following an excellent restoration is the ex Great Southern & Western Railway's composite carriage No.1097, originally built at Inchicore Works in Dublin in 1923. The vehicle is owned by the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland and is loaned to the Downpatrick Railway. Built in 1956, this is an ex CIE Park Royal carriage, No.1381, seen at Downpatrick Station. These Park Royals surivived in service right up until 1994 when they were withdrawn from service by Irish Rail. The Downpatrick Railway currently has three ex CIE G Class locomotives. Originally built by Deutz of Germany, they were deliveried to CIE as a second batch in 1961. Here G611 and G613 are stabled outside the loco shed, with the 'Down Catherdral' on the hill above.
Ex CIE E Class locomotive No.E421 makes up a train at Downpatrick Station formed of the ex Great Southern & Western's carriage No.836, while G Class loco No.G617 prepares to form a service to Inch Abbey. G617 is seen at Inch Abbey Halt having run round a service which it had brought from Downpatrick. The track layout at Inch Abbey includes a run round loop, single platform and a bay which is currently occupied by a carriage seen on the left. Ex CIE G617 stands at Inch Abbey Halt complete with the Irish Traction Group headboard, who in fact own the G Class locomotives based at the Downpatrick & Co.Down Railway. G617 was built in 1961, and was finally withdrawn from service in 1977. G617 is seen again, this time having arrived back at Downpatrick Station. Note the Deutz builders plate mounted on the loco's radiator. The loco is painted in the all over CIE black livery of the 1970s.
The three G Class locos are seen lined up outside the locomotive shed at Downpatrick. Green liveried G611 originally worked as a shunter at the Thurles beet factory in north Co.Tipperary, as with G617. While G613 in the black & tan livery originally operated at the other beet factory at Tuam in Co.Galway. E421 is seen complete with ITG headboard as it prepares to depart with an afternoon special service to Inch Abbey, consisting of a mixed rake of ex Great Southern & Western and CIE stock, while A Class loco No.A39 moves about the yard. With Down Catherdral overlooking the railway, E Class locomotive No.E421 heads away from Downpatrick with a service to Inch Abbey. The ex CIE green liveried carriage is a former suburban composite carriage built at Inchicore in 1954. E421 is seen again this time approaching Downpatrick with its cab first from the Inch Abbey direction. E421 spent most of its life operating in the Dublin City area, shunting at the North Wall yards or on transfer goods trains.
Close up of E421, seen standing at Downpatrick Station while making up a train to Inch Abbey. The loco is painted in its final livery of all over black. The loco was withdrawn by CIE in mid 1983. E421 was the Downpatrick & Co.Down's first operational locomotive at the railway in 1987. A Class loco No.A39 is seen preparing to back onto a train at Downpatrick Station. The loco is seen standing beside the boundary gate of the railway with Downpatrick town in the background. A39 complete with the ITG headboard, excellerates away from Downpatrick with a special for the 'Loop Platform', located to the south of the town. A39 is seen again this time approaching Downpatrick from Inch Abbey. Visible in this view is the line leading to the south towards the 'Loop Platform' and ultimately the former line to Newcastle, closed in 1951.
Ex CIE A Class locomotive No.A39 was built by Metropolitan Vickers at Manchester in 1955. It was re-engined in 1969 with a General Motors power unit and was finally withdrawn by Irish Rail in Autumn 1995. A39 is seen here approaching Downpatrick from the south. G Class loco G613 stands beside Downpatrick Station's signal cabin. The signal cabin is in fact a Northern Counties Commitee structure and stood for many years derelict on the Belfast to Antrim main line, until it was moved to Downpatrick in the early 1990s. The lever frame inside Downpatrick signal cabin. The lever frame seen is of original Belfast & County Down Railway origin, originally housed in the signal cabin at Bangor north west of Belfast. A BCDR token machine within Downpatrick signal cabin. Most of the BCDR signalling equipment at Downpatrick was recovered from Bangor when the machanical signalling was replaced on that line 1988.
The evening sun catches Downpatrick signal cabin as A Class A39 arrives on an ITG special during the 'A39 Launch'. Signalling equipment such as semaphore signalis currently being installed around the station to connect up with the cabin. The Downpatrick Railway's latest acquisition, 141 Class loco No.146, approaches the station hauling the NIR railbus RB3, which had failed on an outward to journey to Magnus's Halt. Having been withdrawn by Irish Rail in 2010, No.146 was purchased for preservation by the Irish Traction Group. The loco, still in its Irish Rail black & orange livery, stands beside the Belfast & Co.Down Railway water tower. The Northern Ireland Railway railbus, No.RB3 complete with the Irish Traction Group's headboard, stands at King Magnus's Halt having arrived on a special from Downpatrick.
The halt at King Magnus's grave consists of a single platform. Here 141 Class 146 prepares to depart back to Downpatrick with the railbus RB3. The nearby grave is an ancient burial mound for Magnus Barefoot, a 11th century Viking king. Two generators of CIE diesel traction meet at Downpatrick Station, with English Metrovick built A Class loco No.A39 dating from 1955, and USA General Motors built 141 Class No.146, dating from 1962. Both these locos had long careers, surviving well into the Irish Rail era. No.146 shares the surroundings at Downpatrick engine shed with ex CIE G and E Class locomotives, all of which originated in the 1960s. To the left of 146 can be seen various signalling material awaiting installation at Downpatrick. A39 in its restored 1960s black livery approaches Downpatrick Station with a vintage rake of ex CIE and Great Southern & Western Railway coaching stock. The chain hanging above A39 is from water the tower, used by the Downpatrick steam locomotives.
On a somewhat dullish day, A39 stands at Inch Abbey Halt having arrived on the ITG special from Downpatrick. The track on the right is the run round loop to which A39 will shortly traverse. A39 runs round the ITG special at Inch Abbey during the '146 Launch' day at the Downpatrick Railway. The buffer stop in the background marks the northern end of the railway from Downpatrick. Seen the same location at Inch Abbey, loco 146 in its freshly painted orange & black livery, runs around an ITG special prior to operating via the loop line with a service towards King Magnus's Halt. Loco 146 complete with the ITG headboard is now seen preparing to back down onto the ITG special to King Magnus's Halt at Inch Abbey. In the distance can be seen a fenced farm track which converges with the railway line, this being the former trackbed of the line to Belfast which closed in January 1950.
Onboard locomotive 146 for the journey from Inch Abbey to King Magnus's Halt. Apart from the 201 Class, all of Irish Rail's locomotive cabs such as those on the 121, 141/181 and 071 Classes are of a standard design, featung the old 1950s CIE 'Flying Snail' logo on the control panels. 146 stands at Inch Abbey at the head of a returning ITG special to Downpatrick Station. To the rear of the train is A Class loco A39, which had brough the train to here on its return journey from King Magnus's Halt. The coach behind loco 146 is the ex Great Southern & Western Railway's No.836, built at Inchicore Works in 1902. 146 is seen again at King Magnus's Halt with a sizeable train for Downpatrick. The line continues beyond the halt through a deep cutting, which marks the end of the former main line towards Newcastle. This is the 'Loop Platform' on the former Belfast to Newcastle line, which still retains its vintage Belfast & Co.Down Railway canopy. No.146 stands on the line heading back into Downpatrick, while on the right is the platform used for trains avoiding Downpatrick heading for either Belfast or Newcastle.