A History

The first portion of the Belfast & County Down Railway to be opened was that along the shore of Belfast Lough, from Belfast to Holywood, which was opened on 2nd August 1848. At that time, the main line, which was to run through the suburbs of Ballymacarrett, Bloomfield, Neill's Hill, and Knock, had been constructed as far as Dundonald. This line was continued to Comber, where it swung northwards towards Newtownards, and this entire section was opened for traffic on 6th May 1850.

The main line beyond Comber was much more difficult to construct because of the numerous rock cuttings required, and it was not until 10th September 1858 that the line from Comber to Ballygowan, Saintfield, and Ballynahinch was opened. Meanwhile, construction had commenced at Downpatrick, and the connection with the operational part of the system was made at Ballynahinch Junction in the early part of 1859, the line being opened for traffic on 23rd March 1859.

The Newtownards line was extended to Donaghadee, with the first trains running into Donaghadee on 3rd June 1861. The line from Holywood to Bangor was opened in May 1865 by the Belfast, Holywood & Bangor Railway Company, who in the meantime had purchased the Belast - Holywood line from the B.& C.D.R. The entire Belfast - Bangor line reverted to B.& C.D.R. ownership in 1884.

Construction of the main line from Downpatrick to Newcastle was undertaken by the Downpatrick, Dundrum & Newcastle Railway, and was opened on 25th March 1889. The D.D.& N.R. was associated with the B.& C.D.R. through directors common to both boards, and from the beginning was worked by the parent company, being eventually purchased outright in 1891.

The Downpatrick, Killough & ardglass Railway was incorporated in 1890 by the B.& C.D.R., who were also to work and maintain it. Construction of the line was aided by government grants, and it was opened for fish traffic on 31st May 1892, the first passengers being carried on 8th July. Simultaneously a loop line was built across the Quoil marshes outside Downpatrick, enabling trains to run through between Belfast and Newcastle, without the necessity of having to run round their trains at Downpatrick.

The last section of the B.& C.D.R. to be built was an extension from Newcastle to Castlewellan, which was opened on 24th March 1906. This line was of no use what-so-ever to the B.& C.D.R., but was built in self-defence in a vain attempt to prevent the Great Northern Railway from gaining access to Newcastle. In the end the G.N.R.(I) were given running powers over the 'County Down into Newcastle, whilst the B.& C.D.R. were given running powers, which they never exercised, to Ballyroney.

In the early 1900's the B.& C.D.R. was one of the most prosperous railways in the whole of Ireland, when for a period of over 20 years, the dividend on ordinary shares stood at 6.5%. Like all other railways in Ireland however, the 'County Down was to suffer from the development of road transport. In the years between the two World Wars the situation became desperate, and the intervention of the government was sought by all railway companies in an attempt to beat off the challenge of the road transport operators. The government's answer was Nationlisation!

As a result of the government's intervention, the Ulster Transport Authority came into being on 1st April 1948. The new Authority was to absorb the Northern Ireland Road Transport Board; the L.M.S.-N.C.C.; and the B.& C.D.R. As a result, the independent existance of the B.& C.D.R. came to an end at midnight on 30th September 1948, and within a few months the U.T.A. had announced its intention to close most of the system.

On 15th January 1950, the main line from Comber to Newcastle, along with the branches to Ballynahinch and Ardglass, was closed to traffic. On 22nd April 1950, the main line between Ballymacarrett Junction and Comber, along with the branch from Comber to Donaghadee, was also closed.