Midland Railway (Northern Counties Committee)
The amalgamation of the BNCR with the Midland Railway took place on 1 July 1903. The railway retained a great deal of autonomy and was run by a management committee based in Belfast - the Northern Counties Committee (NCC). Locomotive and rolling stock liveries remained very much as they had been under the BNCR except for the adoption of the Midland Railway coat of arms and NCC monogram.
The following railways became part of the MR(NCC) (opening date(s)/amalgamation date):
- Londonderry and Strabane section, formerly part of the narrow gauge Donegal Railway (14.25 miles; 22.93 km) was vested in the MR(NCC) in May 1906.
- Limavady and Dungiven Railway (10.75 miles; 17.30 km) (July 1883/February 1907).
Total mileage in 1911 was 263.25 miles (423.66 km)
Two steam railmotors were obtained from Derby and entered service in 1905. Originally proposed for Belfast suburban services, the traffic department put them to work on Belfast-Ballymena stopping services. Hauling vans and horseboxes, they soon became worn out and were withdrawn in 1913.
Meanwhile valuable iron ore traffic was obtained in 1907. Iron ore had been transported by road from the mines near Parkmore to Waterfoot for shipment but the poor condition of the roads was making this impossible. The traffic was put on rail via Ballymena to Larne Harbour, 100 new wagons and two new locomotives were built to handle the 35 000tons of ore that was to be transported annually.
The NCC purchased two Thornycroft motor char-a-bancs in 1905 and hired a third for at least one season. One was used to take guests at the Northern Counties Hotel on trips to the Giant's Causeway and other tourist attractions while the second provided a service between Parkmore, Glenariff Glen and Cushendall. The hired vehicle was used on tours of the Antrim Coast Road.
Read more about this topic: Northern Counties Committee
Famous quotes containing the word railway:
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—Angela Carter (1940–1992)