Ballymena and Larne Railway

|year= 1999 |isbn= 0-7110-2680-7 ] Passenger services ended in 1933 and the last part of the railway closed in 1950.

Routes

From east to west, the railway ran for 32 miles from Larne through Kilwaughter, Headwood, Ballyboley, Ballynashee, Collin, Moorfields, Kells and Harryville to Ballymena. A branch line operated from Ballyboley to Doagh via Ballynure and Ballyclare. The track gauge was 3 feet gauge. From Larne, the line rose for 12 miles to a summit of 660 ft at Ballynashee. The gradient was, in places, as steep as 1 in 36. The line operated both passenger and goods traffic; transport of locally-mined iron ore was the main reason for the construction of the line.cite book |last= Ferris |first= T |title= The Irish Narrow Gauge (Volume 2, The Ulster Lines)|publisher= Midland Publishing|year= 1993 |isbn= 1-85780-017-6 ]

Early years

The line from Larne to Ballyclare opened in 1877. The Ballyboley to Ballymena line opened in August 1878. The railway originally terminated at Harryville on the outskirts of Ballymena; in 1880 the line was extended to Ballymena's main line (Belfast and Northern Counties Railway (B&NCR)) station, where it also made a connection with the Ballymena, Cushendall and Red Bay Railway. The extension from Ballyclare to Doagh opened in 1884. The line's original steam locomotives were built by Beyer Peacock of Manchester to a design similar to those built for the Isle of Man Railway. By the late 1880s the County Antrim iron ore industry was already in decline. The railway experienced financial difficulties and was taken over by the B&NCR in July 1889.

Later years

The B&NCR was itself taken over by the Midland Railway (of England) in 1906, which in turn became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) in 1923. The Midland and the LMS operated its lines in Northern Ireland through its Northern Counties Committee (NCC). Following the takeover, the parent companies were able to invest in new locomotives and equipment. Following World War I, the line experienced a further decline in mineral traffic and increasing road competition. Nevertheless, the LMS invested in new carriages for the line in 1928. These carriages were arguably the most comfortable and modern ever built for an Irish narrow gauge line, including steam heating, electric lighting, lavatories and corridor connections between the coaches.

In early 1933 the railway system in Northern Ireland was severely disrupted by a train strike. The management announced that passenger services would not resume. The strike also saw the closure of the Castlederg and Victoria Bridge Tramway. Passenger services between Ballyclare and Doagh had already ended in October 1930. Goods trains between Ballymena and Ballyboley Junction ended in 1940. The 12 mile long Larne to Ballyclare railway remained open until 3 July 1950, when the Ulster Transport Authority (which took over the LMS/NCC in 1949) closed the remaining part of the line. This followed the closure of a paper mill at Ballyclare, which had supplied much of the line's remaining freight traffic. The UTA also closed the Ballycastle Railway on the same day.

ee also

*List of narrow gauge railways in Ireland
*Ballycastle Railway
*Ballymena, Cushendall and Red Bay Railway
*Castlederg and Victoria Bridge Tramway
*Cavan and Leitrim Railway
*Clogher Valley Railway
*County Donegal Railways Joint Committee
*List of heritage railways in Northern Ireland
*Londonderry and Lough Swilly Railway

References