The Northern Counties Committee (NCC) came about, on 1 July 1903, as the result of an amalgamation between the Belfast and Northern Counties Railway and the Midland Railway . At the 1923 Grouping the Committee became part of the London Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS); the line was sold to the Ulster Transport Authority (UTA) in 1949.

1 Statistics
2 Midland Railway (Northern Counties Committee)
3 London, Midland and Scottish Railway (Northern Counties Committee)
4 Nationalisation and sale
5 External links

Contents

1 Belfast and Northern Counties Railway

Belfast and Northern Counties Railway

The Belfast and Northern Counties Railway was itself the amalgamation of various Irish railways. It was originally known as the Belfast and Ballymena Railway , which had been incorporated on 21 July 1845: the first portion was opened 11 April 1848. On 15 May 1860 the Railway became known as the Belfast and Northern Counties Railway (B&NCR), a title it retained until the amalgamation of 1903. The following independent railways became part of the B&NCR after its incorporation (opening date(s)/amalgamation date):

• Ballymena, Ballymoney, Coleraine and Portrush Railway (November 1855/January 1861)
• Londonderry and Coleraine Railway (December 1852 and July 1853/July 1871)
• Ballymena, Cushandall and Redbay Railway 1875 & 1876/October 1884)
• Ballymena and Larne Railway (August 1877, June & August 1878/July 1889)
• Carrickfergus and Larne Railway (October 1862/July 1890)
• Draperstown Railway (July 1883/July 1895)
• Derry Central Railway (29 miles; 46km) (February 1880/September 1901)
• Limavady and Dungiven Railway (10.75 miles; 17km) (July 1883/February 1907)
• Londonderry and Strabane section, part of Donegal Railway (narrow gauge) (14.25 miles; 23km) vested in B&NCR May 1906 c64 miles (102km) of track
• Portstewart Tramway (June 1882/June 1897)

Total mileage (1911): 263.25 miles (421km)

Statistics

• In 1910 the Committee owned 79 locomotives; 364 passenger train vehicles; two rail motor cars; and 2328 goods vehicles
• Locomotives were painted “invisible” green (i.e. black) picked out with yellow, blue and vermilion; passenger rolling stock, lake, picked out with gold and vermilion
• The Portstewart Tramway owned 3 locomotives and four other vehicles
• The Committee owned three hotels: Midland Station Hotel, Belfast; Northern Counties Hotel, Portrush; and Laharna Hotel, Larne

All details in this section are from Railway Year Book 1912 (Railway Publishing Company)

Midland Railway (Northern Counties Committee)

The amalgamation of the BNCR with the Midland Railway took place from 1 July 1903 1903.

London, Midland and Scottish Railway (Northern Counties Committee)

The Midland was grouped by the Railways Act, 1921 into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) in 1923. On grouping, it was recorded as having 201 miles (322km) of Irish broad gauge and 64 miles (102km) of 3ft narrow gauge track. The LMS started painting locomotives and carriages into crimson lake (also known as Midland red).

Nationalisation and sale

The Stormont Government purchased the NCC in 1949 for £2,668,000, and the NCC became part of the Ulster Transport Authority from 1 April 1949.

External links

• Irish Railwayana - Belfast and Northern Counties Railway
  • Midland NCC
  • LMS NCC
• Irish Railway Record Society