Marking 75 years since the final trains pulled into railway stations

Marking 75 years since the final trains pulled into railway stations

22 January 2025

IT’S 75 years since the closure of the Belfast and County Down Railway's lines south of Comber to Downpatrick and to Ardglass, Newcastle and Ballynahinch.

Local rail travel was unceremoniously shunted into the sidings and the final chapter on a vital transport link was slammed shut.

Following a massive accident at Ballymacarrett just beside the Oval football stadium, the old railway was left near bankrupt and by 1949 asked the Stormont government for help, other the entire network would shut.

At the time, Westminster was already bringing "The Big Four" railways in Great Britain into state ownership eventually becoming British Railways — which included the Northern Counties line from Belfast to Larne and Londonderry and branches — and Stormont followed suit in line with previous recommendations for the future of transport.

However, the feeling on the ground was not good. The boom of the war years was over and the car and lorry were the up and coming thing.  

Railways were seen by Stormont "as obsolete as the stagecoach” with the BCDR absorbed into a new Ulster Transport Authority in 1949, along with the Northern Ireland Road Transport Board which operated the buses, and Stormont bought the NCC lines off British Railways.  

However, the cross-border Dublin lines of the GNR would be exempt for a further decade.

Soon the UTA announced that it would close all the BCDR, bar the heavily used commuter line to Bangor. 

In today’s world, such a controversial decision would most likely be met with protests, but thee quarters of a century ago, it was more or less accepted on the ground as “inevitable and justified”.

And local heritage/railway officials say the despite the loss of a rail link through some of the most densely populated areas of Northern Ireland, there is evidence that the lack of protest took even the UTA by surprise.

The Comber/Donaghadee line was to be spared for another four months until April 22 1950 and, when the decision was taken to immediately “dieselise” the services on the Bangor line, too many railcars were order but oddly enough to operate the Bangor and Comber lines.  

Even by 1953 when the lifting trains where starting their work there were calls to reinstate or trial services on the Comber line.  

The theory was that Comber/Newtownards was supposed to be the olive branch to protests, but when it didn't happen, the decision had already been made and couldn't be reversed.

Last week, the former railway station in Newcastle — which opened in 1869 and is currently home to supermarket giant Lidl — went on the market and is available for just under £2m.

Downpatrick and Co Down Railway officials hope that whoever the new owners are, they cherish the history of the iconic building, and restore it to its former glory, especially the wing that was turned into a pub and restore the facade to its original appearance.

Officials say it would be amazing to see the Newcastle station restored as a community hub.

News of the former station’s sale comes as heritage railway officials reflect on the closure of the Belfast to Newcastle line.

The end of the line was greeted with much sadness and represented a lack of foresight on those who took the decision.

On January 15 1950, railway stations south of Comber fell quiet and an eerie silence descended upon mile after mile of what had once been a key transport corridor.

No longer would the rumble of trains and passenger-filled carriages pass through on their way to Castlewellan or Newcastle, stopping at Ballygowan, Saintfield, Ballynahinch junction, Crossgar, or Dundrum on the way, or perhaps branching off after Downpatrick for Ardglass.

In April 1950, services from Belfast to Comber, with stops at Bloomfield, Neill's Hill, Knock, Dundonald and on to Donaghadee also ceased.

Local heritage railway officials say while it’s now around three generations since the fateful closure decision, many relics of the old Belfast and Co Down Railway (BCDR) still lurk hidden in attics and shelves. 

Robert Gardiner, chairman of the Downpatrick and Co Down Railway, the relics could include old railway uniforms or photos of family trips to the seaside in Newcastle, Donaghadee, Bangor or Ardglass.

He said that over the years, officials had heard all sorts of horror stories about these gems being junked and while some have been recovered, some have not.

Mr Gardiner said it was always a joy when something new that officials have never seen before is brought to them. 

This New Year, maybe it's time for a ‘railway rummage’ to check in the attic whilst putting the Christmas decorations away to see if there are any connection to the old BCDR.

Mr Gardiner said as an accredited museum, the Downpatrick and Co Down Railway strives to conserve and record as much about the old BCDR as they can.

And as he reflected on the BCDR closure, Mr Gardiner summed it up by saying it was a “sad time and what a loss”, asking “imagine how well it would serve the community today if fully operational?”

Anyone who can help heritage railway officials track down memorabilia or old photos is asked to send a private message via Facebook or email info@downrail.co.uk.