The 80 mile Belfast & County Down Railway served the area east & south of Belfast until it was absorbed into the Ulster Transport Authority in 1948, and mostly closed within the next two years. It was a fascinating line, with Beyer Peacock 4-4-2Ts and other attractive engines, a fleet of archaic six wheel carriages, and elderly freight stock. This set of ten 6x4 inch Black & White Prints is one of several sets that make up a superb portrait of this line that vanished so abruptly at the start of the 1950s. The set opens with a portrait of No 5, a class 5 2-4-2T, on a local train outside the wooden train shed at Downpatrick on 10 June 1948. The line closed in January 1950. No 14, was a 1904 Beyer intermediate sized 0-6-0 with a much older tender from an earlier No 14, and is seen at Queen’s Quay in 1932. No 29 was another one-off engine, and was an 0-6-4T built for shunting the Belfast harbour lines. No 29 is seen shunting BCDR van No 261 at Queen’s Quay in 1932. Few drawings have been published of BCDR equipment, so we also include a drawing of No 29 prepared from a BCDR official diagram in this set. The mainstay of BCDR services from the early 1900s to abandonment were the 30 class 4-4-2Ts, and the pioneer engine, No 30 is seen on the turntable at Queen’s Quay in 1932, with open wagon 328 in the background. No 17 was part of an improved design dating from 1909, and is seen at Queen’s Quay in 1932, the two views showing RH and LH sides of these graceful engines. Second class coach No 63, seen at Queen’s Quay on 9 June 1948, is a typical Victorian six wheeler, but is actually a Diagram 23 coach dating from 1915 !  The UTA applied a coat of light grey paint over BCDR stock, adding 6000 to the old numbers, but it was so badly applied, that the BCDR lettering is clearly visible on open wagon No 6438, seen at Adelaide yard on 24 August 1965. Helen’s Bay station was built at the expense of the Marquess of Dufferin & Ava, and the DA monogram appears in the gable in this splendid 1966 study of the buildings on the down platform. So that our photo sets provide a balanced and informative coverage, we also include a map of the BCDR which comes from the 1937 summer timetable, and shows the system at its peak. A copy of these notes accompanies the set. These views are copyright; Reproduction by any means is prohibited without our prior written permission.

Belfast & Co Down Rly BW2 10 6x4 Black+White Prints 

The 80 mile Belfast & County Down Railway served the area east & south of Belfast until it was absorbed into the Ulster Transport Authority in 1948, and mostly closed in 1950. This set of ten 6x4 inch Black & White Prints is one of several sets that make up a superb portrait of this fascinating line, with Beyer Peacock 4-4-2Ts and other attractive engines, a fleet of archaic six wheel carriages, and elderly freight stock. We open with 4-4-2T No 3 beneath the trainshed roof in the short Platform No 1 at Queen’s Quay terminus on 10 June 1948. One of the few BCDR bogie coaches is partially seen on the right. In 1932, one of the footplatemen is oiling round No 1, a standard 4-4-2T by the water tank at Queen’s Quay.  The four Baltic tanks, No’s 22-25 were built in 1920, but were coal devouring monsters with a sluggish performance.  No 25 poses with Queen’s Quay works as a backdrop in 1932.  The legendary and successful Beyer Peacock 2-4-0 express passenger engine No 6 of 1894, is at Queen’s Quay with round-topped firebox in 1932. 2-4-2T No 7 dated from 1896 and is seen outside the loco shed in 1932. In this set, we have included a drawing taken from a BCDR original of the No 5 class 2-4-2Ts, which included 5, 7 and 27. BCDR van No 636, seen at Great Victoria St on 16 August 1966, bears its UTA number 6636, but the BCDR title and old number show through the poorly applied UTA paintwork. Two plank dropside ballast open No 6364, seen at Adelaide on 25 August 1966, still displays its rectangular cast iron BCDR wagon plate on the solebar. We look from the up platform at Helens Bay towards Belfast with the station buildings and signal box in view in August 1966. Under W F “Billy” Minnis, the last general manager of the BCDR, services were promoted by the use of small folding leaflets, which are rare collector’s items nowadays. We illustrate two 1930’s leaflets promoting Donaghadee and Kilkeel to complete this set. A copy of these notes accompanies the set. These views are copyright; Reproduction by any means is prohibited without our prior written permission.

Belfast & Co Down Rly BW3 10 6x4 Black+White Prints 

This set of ten 6x4 inch Black & White Prints is one of several to explore the 80 mile Belfast & County Down Railway. The railway served the area east & south of Belfast until absorbed into the Ulster Transport Authority in 1948, and mostly closed in 1950.  We open with 2-4-2T No 5 and 4-4-2T No 19 at Downpatrick on 10 June 1948. Apart from the train shed, we see the Railway Hotel which served as an undertakers premises as well ! The four 4-6-4T Baltics of 1920 were coal devouring monsters, but were renumbered by the UTA , and No 222 is inside Queen’s Quay shed shortly after the UTA take over and decimation of the County Down system.  Standard 4-4-2T No 20 was from the second batch of engines dating from 1909, and is at Queen’s Quay in 1932. The diminutive No 2 class engines were built for mixed traffic duties in 1880-1890, but converted to tank engines between 1900 and 1902.  No 9 of 1887, seen outside Queen’s Quay shed in 1932, outlived her sisters by many years, though stored out of use latterly.  She was the last Sharp Stewart loco on the B&CDR. An official drawing of the No 2 class provides a good deal of background data on these pretty little engines. The signal cabin at Bangor was designed by the BCDR chief engineer, G P Culverwell, and dated from 1898. It was closed in 1988 and demolished in 1995.  We provide a signalman’s view of Bangor station in August 1966, with the passenger platforms on the left and the goods yard/carriage sidings on the right.  An impressive four-post lattice bracket signal guarded the approach to Bangor station. To complete the coverage of signalling at Bangor we see a dwarf shunting signal with three miniature arms which controlled setting back movements into the station, and was manufactured by The Railway Signal Co. The BCDR was in a weak financial state in the late 1930s, and after a wartime reprieve due to heavy traffic from people keen to escape the German blitz on Belfast, faced ruin by 1946. Our final illustration, which is from the 1946 BCDR Annual Report, is of the comparative figures from 1937 to 1946, and reveals the deepening crisis that faced this delightful but anachronistic line. We discover that potatoes were the second heaviest item of freight after coal, and that the 1371 tons of manure that were moved in 1946 were officially classed as minerals !  These views are copyright; Reproduction by any means is prohibited without our prior written permission.

Belfast & Co Down Rly BW4 10 6x4 Black+White Prints 

This set of ten 6x4 inch Black & White Prints is a further look at the 80 mile Belfast & County Down Railway which served the area east & south of Belfast until it was absorbed into the Ulster Transport Authority in 1948, and mostly closed within the next two years. It opens with an evocative view as 4-4-2T No 15, departs from No 4 platform at Queen’s Quay on 11 June 1948, with steam blasting from the cylinder drain cocks and safety valves. Large 0-6-0 goods No 10 is in the loco yard at Queen’s Quay, whilst the unique harbour lines shunter, 0-6-4T No 29 is busy at work. A pair of large 4-4-2Ts, No’s 8 and 16 were built by Beyer Peacock in 1924. The front end of No 16 has been jacked up in the fitting shop in this 1932 study.  A rake of classic BCDR six wheelers features in a view of Queen’s Quay station on 9 June 1948. The down side carriage shed is visible in the background. In 1890, the neighbouring Belfast & Northern Counties Railway built a dozen 6-wheel ballast wagons for the BCDR at cost price, including No 6382, which is seen at  Grosvenor St goods yard on 20 August 1965. After the UTA take-over facilities were progressively cut back at Queen’s Quay, and when photographed on 24 August 1966, the loco shed was derelict, but this view shows the original BH&B stone shed and the later BCDR extension to the left. An interior view, with weeds sprouting inside the roofless building provides a poignant memory of the decline of the “Co Down”. The Co Down moved fluctuating livestock traffic, so built many dual-purpose general merchandise and cattle vans, and our next view is taken from an official BCDR drawing of these interesting vehicles. After the retirement of Billy Minnis as General Manager in 1944, the BCDR was run by an executive committee of the four senior officers under the supervision of George Howden, the general manager of the neighbouring and friendly Great Northern Railway Ireland.  A BCDR letter with elegant “Olde English” title and the BCDR arms emblazoned at the head, outlines the new structure to take effect from 1 August 1944. These views are copyright; Reproduction by any means is prohibited without our prior written permission.

Belfast & Co Down Rly BW5 10 6x4 Black+White Prints 

This set of ten 6x4 inch Black & White Prints is one of several sets that covers the 80 mile Belfast & County Down Railway, which served the area east & south of Belfast until it was taken over by the Ulster Transport Authority in 1948, and mostly closed within the two years. We open with an evocative portrait of 2-4-2T no 28 inside Queen’s Quay shed in 1932. The first four were provided with 1100 gallon tanks, but No 28 and 29 carried slightly larger 1300 tanks. The original series were rebuilt with larger 1600 gallon tanks, as was No 27, but this view shows No 28 with the small tanks and also some details of a BCDR wagon sheet in the foreground. No 21, seen at Queen’s Quay loco yard in 1932, was one of the 1921 standard 4-4-2Ts.  The driver poses on the running plate of Baltic tank No 25 at Queen’s Quay in 1932. No 30, was the pioneer standard 4-4-2T of 1901 and was preserved in 1955, but is seen bunker first on a six coach rake at Bangor on 10 June 1948.  The delightful Small Goods, No 26, features in our next three views, one being a 1932 photograph of this 1892 locomotive, the remaining two illustrations being taken from BCDR official drawings of the locomotive and its archaic tender.  County Down signalling was unusual, as the company provided Sykes automatic banner signals between Holywood and Bangor. At Helens Bay, the signalling at the down end of the station included a Sykes banner and most extraordinary of all, a facing siding diverged off the down main line, movements being controlled by a miniature semaphore arm on a small bracket off the left of the lattice post.  This astonishing signal appears in our next illustration, taken on 24 August 1966, along with the unusual facing siding. We also see the brick signal box provided at Helens Bay by BCDR engineer G P Culverwell. Finally, we look at BCDR goods van No 6210 with its rudimentary brake gear and outside W irons at York Road on 28 August 1964. These views are copyright; Reproduction by any means is prohibited without our prior written permission.

Belfast & Co Down Rly BW6 10 6x4 Black+White Prints 

This set of ten 6x4 inch Black & White Prints is one of several sets that covers the 80 mile Belfast & County Down Railway, which served the area east & south of Belfast until it was taken over by the Ulster Transport Authority in 1948, and mostly closed by 1950. The mainstay of Co Down motive power for half a century were the standard 4-4-2Ts. A somewhat portly driver poses, oil can in hand, by 4-42T No19 by the water tank at Queen’s Quay in 1932. Intermediate 0-6-0 goods No 14 is also seen at Queen’s Quay in 1932, whilst an official portrait of one of the Beyer Peacock 4-6-4Ts in photographic grey shows the valve gear, frames and brake gear to advantage. The sand pipes and even the brake rigging stand out clearly in a view that should be invaluable to the modeller.  Although in many respects archaic, the Co Down introduced a small 2-4-0 diesel loco to the Ballynahinch branch in 1932 and in 1937, Harland & Wolff, the great Belfast shipyard that is well-known as builders of the TITANIC, provided a bogie locomotive which was used on the Ardglass branch. Running as BCDR No 28, it was later used by the LMS NCC, the GNR(I) and the UTA. No 28 is seen at the GN yard in Belfast in a rare and important shot of this pioneer engine. BCDR motive power was adorned with the company heraldic device, which is illustrated in this set. After a brief flirtation with bogie stock, the BCDR reverted to building 6-wheel passenger stock until the 1920s, but in 1938, acquired its only two modern coaches, No’s 120 and 121, which were nine compartment tri-compos. No 121 became No 293 under UTA ownership, and is at York Road on 24 August 1965.  BCDR four plank open No 287 displays its UTA title and numbering in small sans serif lettering, but the large serif BCDR and numeral 287 show through the inferior UTA paintwork.   The BCDR owned a few horse boxes, and we illustrate carriage diagram No 36, which was issued to cover them. In other sets, we illustrated signalling at Bangor and at Helens Bay. In this set, we illustrate Berkeley D Wise’s unusual cabin at Holywood station in August 1966, with its walk through ground floor, as it straddled the  entrance to the subway. The projecting eaves were similar to Wise’s later standard design for the Belfast & Northern Counties Railway. An interior photograph of Holywood box shows the lever frame, block instruments and signal repeaters. These views are copyright; Reproduction by any means is prohibited without our prior written permission.

Belfast & Co Down Rly BW7 10 6x4 Black+White Prints 

This set of ten 6x4 inch Black & White Prints is a further portrait of the 80 mile Belfast & County Down Railway, which served the area east & south of Belfast. The Co Down was taken over by the Ulster Transport Authority in 1948, and mostly closed within the two years. This mayhem left most BCDR motive power with nothing to do, but thankfully the idea of a transport museum had been floated, and the first of the BCDR standard 4-4-2Ts, No 30 was set aside for the Witham Street museum in 1955, where it is seen a few years later. The collection was later moved out to Cultra. A Co Down engineman oils round a sister engine, No 19, at Queen’s Quay in 1932. Large Goods No 4 is seen in Queen’s Quay loco yard, as is a No 7, which is a 2-4-2T, built to class 5 in 1896, and withdrawn by the UTA in 1949.  A page from the Beyer Peacock catalogue provides a splendid works view of one of the Baltic tanks (No’s 22-25), and dimensions in three languages.  Two plank drop side ballast wagon No 6183, former BCDR 183, at Grosvenor Street yard on 23 August 1866, still displays her Co Down number almost twenty years after the demise of the company.  Standard cattle and general merchandise van No 381 is illustrated with the canvas centre section of the roof rolled back in a view that also includes an elderly six wheeled match boarded brake vehicle. BCDR wagon diagram No 5 covered four single bolster timber wagons, and our drawing is prepared from a BCDR drawing produced in 1944 to replace records lost during the blitz.  A 1966 view of the lever frame at Holywood extends the coverage in another of our BCDR sets, whilst an early round-topped cast iron BCDR trespass notice recalls the old order, although it was photographed at Helens Bay many years after the demise of the Co Down. These views are copyright; Reproduction by any means is prohibited without our prior written permission.

Belfast & Co Down Rly BW-8 10 6x4 Black+White Prints 

This set of ten 6x4 inch Black & White Prints provides a further study of the Belfast & County Down Railway, which served the area east & south of Belfast. We open with the legendary Beyer Peacock 2-4-0 express passenger engine No 6 of 1894, which had fallen on hard times in the 1930s, but was rebuilt during World War II, emerging from Queens Quay works in 1943 with a new Belpaire boiler. She is seen at Ballynahinch Junction on 10 June 1948. Ballynahinch was the junction for the short branch to Ballynahinch, and we include one of the single line Train Tickets that were issued to drivers as part of the staff and ticket system.

The standard Co Down engine was the medium 4-4-2T, No 12 being depicted at Queens Quay in 1932. The four Baltic tanks, No’s 22-25 were built in 1920, but were coal devouring monsters with a sluggish performance. No 25 is caught at Queens Quay on 11 June 1948. A pair of large 4-4-2Ts, No’s 8 and 16 were built by Beyer Peacock in 1924. A study of No 8 in the fitting shop at Queens Quay in 1932 provides a rare three quarters rear view of this attractive design.  Three plank fixed side opens 100 and 117 recall the archaic Co Down wagon fleet, whilst a 1944 BCDR wagon drawing of a 7/12 ton standard goods brake is also included, and should be of interest to the modeller. Passenger stock is represented by a BCDR official drawing of special third class saloon no 1 (dia 17). This fascinating vehicle ended its days as a grounded body near the Craigavon bridge in Londonderry.  A BCDR 4-hole chair with only two bolts in use provides a look at CO Down p.w. materials, whilst our final view recalls nine Co Down section passenger tickets to destinations such as Downpatrick, Newcastle, Crossgar, Helen’s Bay and Bangor. A copy of these notes accompanies the set. These views are copyright; Reproduction by any means is prohibited without our prior written permission.