Editing Northern Counties Committee (section)

==Belfast and Northern Counties Railway==
[[File:Belfast and Northern Counties Railway.jpg|thumb|right|B & N C Railway Co. name, at Derry]]
On 15 May 1860 the Belfast and Ballymena Railway became known as the Belfast and Northern Counties Railway (BNCR), a title it would retain until amalgamation with the [[Midland Railway]] in 1903.

{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = {{visible anchor|Belfast and Northern Counties Railways Act 1890}}
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of the United Kingdom
| long_title            = An Act for conferring further Powers on the Belfast and Northern Counties Railway Company and for amalgamating with their Undertaking the Undertaking of the Carrickfergus and Larne Railway Company; and for other purposes.
| year                  = 1890
| citation              = [[53 & 54 Vict.]] c. xxiii
| introduced_commons    = 
| introduced_lords      = 
| territorial_extent    = 
| royal_assent          = 22 May 1890
| commencement          = 
| expiry_date           = 
| repeal_date           = 
| amends                = 
| replaces              = 
| amendments            = 
| repealing_legislation = 
| related_legislation   = 
| status                = 
| legislation_history   = 
| theyworkforyou        = 
| millbankhansard       = 
| original_text         = 
| revised_text          = 
| use_new_UK-LEG        = 
| UK-LEG_title          = 
| collapsed             = yes
}}
The following independent railways became part of the {{abbr|BNCR|Belfast and Northern Counties Railway}} after its incorporation (opening date(s)/amalgamation date):
* [[Ballymena, Ballymoney, Coleraine and Portrush Junction Railway]] (November 1855/January 1861)
* [[Londonderry and Coleraine Railway]] (December 1852 and July 1853/July 1871)
* [[Ballymena, Cushendall and Red Bay 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]] ({{convert|29|mi|km}}) (February 1880/September 1901)
* [[Portstewart Tramway]] (June 1882/June 1897)

[[Edward John Cotton]] had succeeded Thomas H. Higgin as manager of the {{abbr|B&BR|Belfast and Ballymena Railway}} in 1857 and continued in this position with the {{abbr|BNCR|Belfast and Northern Counties Railway}}. He would be instrumental in making it the most prosperous railway in Ireland. [[Berkeley Deane Wise]] was the Chief Civil Engineer of the {{abbr|BNCR|Belfast and Northern Counties Railway}} from 1888 to 1906. During those 18 years Wise made an immense contribution to the {{abbr|BNCR|Belfast and Northern Counties Railway}}, designing many of its grand stations and tourist attractions.

===Steamer services===
The shortest distance between Great Britain and Ireland is the {{convert|22|mi|km}} across the [[North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland)|North Channel]] between [[Portpatrick]] in Wigtownshire, Scotland and [[Donaghadee]] in [[County Down]]. A privately run mail service had started in 1662 which. taken over by the [[General Post Office|Post Office]] and then the [[British Admiralty|Admiralty]], continued for nearly 200 years. In 1849, problems at both Portpatrick and Donaghadee during severe weather and the difficulty in accommodating larger steamers at Portpatrick caused the termini of the Short Sea Route to be transferred to [[Stranraer]] and Larne.

Even before the Carrickfergus & Larne railway (C&LR) had been completed, the {{abbr|BNCR|Belfast and Northern Counties Railway}} was playing a leading role in discussions with other railway companies about operating a steamer service between Larne and Stranraer. The {{abbr|BNCR|Belfast and Northern Counties Railway}}, [[Glasgow and South Western Railway|Glasgow and South Western]], [[Portpatrick Railway|Portpatrick]], [[North British Railway|North British]] and [[Newcastle and Carlisle Railway|Newcastle and Carlisle]] railways formed a joint committee to operate a steamer. It purchased the iron-hulled paddle steamer {{ship|PS|Briton||2}} which made her first sailing in normal service on 2 October 1862. The service was not a success and continuing poor financial results led to its being suspended on 31 December 1863.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.portoflarne.co.uk/about-us/history/| title=History| publisher=Port of Larne| access-date=24 January 2011| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190310020107/http://www.portoflarne.co.uk/about-us/history| archive-date=10 March 2019| url-status=dead}}</ref>

Meanwhile, the {{abbr|BNCR|Belfast and Northern Counties Railway}} continued to promote the possibility of a steamer service but with a better ship. Although lacking capital it was able to encourage private investors to set up a new company in 1871. Known as the Larne and Stranraer Steam Boat Company it began operating the PS ''Princess Louise'' on a daily service from 1 July 1872.

In 1885, the [[London and North Western Railway|London and North Western]], [[Midland Railway|Midland]], [[Caledonian Railway|Caledonian]] and Glasgow and South Western railways had formed the [[Portpatrick and Wigtownshire Joint Railway]] to operate the Portpatrick Railway and to, improve the profitability of the route, bought out the steamship company. A new, faster and larger ship, the ''Princess Victoria'' entered service in May 1890 and reduced the sea crossing to only 2{{frac|1|4}} hours. The new service was an immediate success and was well patronised by businessmen. Furthermore, the [[United Kingdom Postmaster General|Postmaster General]] recognised the crossing as a supplementary mail route in addition to [[Holyhead]]-[[Dún Laoghaire|Kingstown]]. Traffic increased by 40% between 1875 and 1885 and in July 1891 an additional ship was put on the service during the summer. The BNCR had subscribed a large sum in 1890 and in July 1893 it was able to join the four railways operating the Portpatrick Joint Railway in the newly created Larne & Stranraer Steamship Joint Committee. [[Edward John Cotton]] of the {{abbr|BNCR|Belfast and Northern Counties Railway}} managed the service which continued to be a success.

Once the {{abbr|BNCR|Belfast and Northern Counties Railway}} had absorbed the Ballymena and Larne Railway in 1889 and the Carrickfergus and Larne Railway in 1890, it possessed both of the Irish routes leading to the Larne-Stranraer steamer.

===Tourism===
Whilst tourism in Ireland was not a new development, it was in the last quarter of the nineteenth century that a great increase occurred with large numbers of tourists making the sea crossing from Great Britain to see the delights of Ireland's scenery. The railways saw that it would be to their advantage to encourage tourist development since this would bring them increased traffic. On the {{abbr|BNCR|Belfast and Northern Counties Railway}}, its manager, [[Edward John Cotton]], especially recognised the potential value of tourism and was influential in its development throughout the North of Ireland.

The {{abbr|BNCR|Belfast and Northern Counties Railway}} was able to exploit the advantages of the Larne-Stranraer short sea route with its benefit of a daylight crossing in the summer months and the ease with which passengers could transfer to trains alongside the steamer berth at Larne Harbour.

====Excursions and special attractions====
The {{abbr|BNCR|Belfast and Northern Counties Railway}} continued the {{abbr|B&BR|Belfast and Ballymena Railway}}'s practice of running cheap excursions. Besides excursions organised by the company itself, there were extensive summer programmes of special trains operated on behalf of outside organisations especially [[Sunday school]]s and other church organisations. A large number of special trains were chartered by [[Ulster loyalism|Loyalist]] organisations around the [[The Twelfth|"Twelfth of July"]] and the [[Siege of Derry|"Twelfth of August"]].

G. L. Baillie, the golfing pioneer, organised golfing excursions that included first class train fare and hotel accommodation to Portrush and [[Newcastle, County Down|Newcastle]] as well as to the [[County Donegal]] links at Rosapenna, Portsalon and Lisfannon.

The Giant's Causeway became an even greater tourist attraction with the opening of the [[Giant's Causeway Tramway|Giant's Causeway, Portrush and Bush Valley Electric Tramway]] all the way to the Causeway in 1887. Thousands of tourists found the journey from outside Portrush railway station much quicker and easier than before and, being the world's first [[hydro-electric]] tramway, it was an attraction in itself.

Another of Ulster's celebrated tourist attractions is the [[A2 road (Northern Ireland)|Antrim Coast Road]] that stretches north from Larne to Ballycastle and Portrush and from which may be seen the Nine [[Glens of Antrim]]. The largest and arguably the most beautiful of these is [[Glenariff]] which stretches from [[Parkmore]] down to the sea. The opening of the Cushendall line to passengers created whole new possibilities for tourism. The {{abbr|BNCR|Belfast and Northern Counties Railway}} leased Glenariff from the landlords and laid out a series of paths and bridges to make it easily accessible to tourists. Rustic shelters were provided near the water falls to protect visitors from the spray and, in 1891, a "tea house" was built which, as well as providing refreshments, included a dark room for the use of photographers.

Coastal scenery of a different kind may be seen in the [[Islandmagee]] area near Whitehead. While there was already some provision for tourists, the {{abbr|BNCR|Belfast and Northern Counties Railway}}'s civil engineer [[Berkeley Deane Wise]] constructed a new promenade and imported sand from Portrush to make a beach. In 1892 he also engineered a cliff path was engineered that stretched 1{{frac|1|4}} miles from Whitehead to the Blackhead promontory. The lower sections bordered the shore but blasting and cantilevering from the cliffs was necessary higher up.

Further north from Whitehead on the eastern coast of Islandmagee is a region of high [[basalt]] cliffs known as [[the Gobbins]]. Here too, Wise set to work building a path. Steps were cut to connect the various levels, bridges were thrown across ravines including two tubular bridges that connected the "Man o'War Stack" to the main path. The first section of the path opened in August 1902 but it was to prove too expensive to continue to Heddle's Port as originally planned.

====Hotels====
Hotel accommodation in nineteenth century Ireland was not of a generally high standard. While this should have been of concern to the railway companies, few took a direct interest in the matter. The {{abbr|BNCR|Belfast and Northern Counties Railway}} and the [[Great Southern & Western Railway]] were exceptions.

The {{abbr|BNCR|Belfast and Northern Counties Railway}} purchased a share in the lease of the long-standing and well thought of Antrim Arms hotel at [[Portrush]] and in 1883 formed a separate company to manage what was renamed the Northern Counties Hotel. Situated on an elevated site, the hotel overlooked the Atlantic Ocean at front and back. With more than one hundred rooms, it was intended to accommodate high-class tourists visiting the [[Giant's Causeway]]. The hotel was enlarged and improved in 1884 and 1892 and in 1902 the {{abbr|BNCR|Belfast and Northern Counties Railway}} purchased the freehold outright from the [[William McDonnell, 6th Earl of Antrim|Earl of Antrim]].

A new hotel was built in Belfast as part of the York Road station reconstruction with the intention of capturing trade from long-distance travellers as it was convenient to the cross-channel steamer berths. Designed by Berkeley Dean Wise and directly connected to the station, the unimaginatively named Station Hotel opened in 1898.

In addition to the railway-operated hotels, arrangements were made during the 1890s with the independent Olderfleet hotel in Larne and the Antrim Arms and Marine hotels in [[Ballycastle, County Antrim|Ballycastle]] for the issue of combined railway and hotel tickets.

====The Holden train====
The Holden train was a new concept in Irish tourism. In 1902, A. W. Holden, a Larne hotelier who had hired trains from the {{abbr|BNCR|Belfast and Northern Counties Railway}} for his summer tours, approached the railway to provide him with a special train. York Road works built the all first class four-car train. Three of the coaches were saloons and the fourth was a restaurant car, all being furnished to a high standard. They were bogie vehicles with corridor connections; the lower body panels were finished in match boarding and the end doors were recessed in the manner of [[Pullman train (UK)|Pullman cars]]. Two six-wheel vans were fitted with [[corridor connection]]s to work with the train.

The train entered service in 1903 shortly before the end of the {{abbr|BNCR|Belfast and Northern Counties Railway}}'s independent career. Based at the Laharna Hotel, Larne, Holden's tour visited most of the popular tourist attractions in north-eastern Ireland over a six-day period. During this time, it covered some {{convert|400|mi|km}} of railway travel and a further {{convert|40|mi|km}} by road. The tours ran until the outbreak of World War I.

===Accidents===
The early years of the company were relatively free from serious incidents but as traffic increased and the system became busier, weaknesses in less than adequate operating procedures were exposed and a number of accidents occurred. Board of Trade inspectors investigated these and reported on the causes and recommended appropriate corrective actions.

The injury rates were low but sadly there were some fatalities which are mentioned in the list below.

* 9 February 1863. The coupling between two carriages of a Ballymena to Belfast train broke and a first class coach fell on it side but fortunately did not drag other vehicles with it. Two passengers were injured.
* 3 April 1863. A [[pointsman]] at Coleraine turned a down train into the up loop where it collided with engine of an up train
* 2 October 1876. A stopping train from Belfast to Ballymena derailed on a crossover at Cookstown Junction. [[Charles Scrope Hutchinson|Major General C.S. Hutchinson RE]] investigated the accident and blamed the system of wire [[interlocking]] in use at the junction.
* 26 December 1876. The 08.35 Coleraine to Belfast passenger train and 08.15 down goods collided head-on at Moylena near Antrim. One passenger was killed and eight others were injured. Colonel [[Frederick Rich]] RE investigated and, finding fault with the company's method of working the single line by the fixed timetable system, recommended adopting the train staff system until the line was doubled.
* 23 December 1878. Wagons ran away while a mixed train was shunting at Duncrue siding near Carrickfergus.
* 28 September 1887. An up train derailed just on the Londonderry side of the [[Bann Bridge]] at Coleraine. During his investigation, Colonel Rich found that the track was old and the ballast to be of poor quality. He commented on the lack of timber baulks on the bridge itself that would prevent a derailed train from falling in the river and also criticised the signalling arrangements at the bridge which the company revised shortly afterwards.
* 27 February 1892. A ballast train from Limavady ran into the back of the 07.00 Londonderry to Belfast passenger train at [[Castlerock]]. There were no injuries. [[Charles Scrope Hutchinson|Major General Hutchinson]] found fault with personnel at [[Downhill, County Londonderry|Downhill]] and Castlerock for signalling irregularities. The passenger train had been running late due to poor steaming because the brick arch in its [[Firebox (steam engine)|firebox]] had collapsed some days previously and General Hutchinson censured the driver for not reporting the collapse.
* 25 August 1894. A stopping train from Larne Harbour to Belfast derailed on a section of track that was being relaid shortly after leaving [[Whitehead, County Antrim|Whitehead]]. A {{convert|10|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} speed restriction should have been imposed but the permanent way gang carrying out the work had failed to post warning signs and had left the track in a dangerous condition. Fortunately the derailed vehicles remained upright as they passed through Whitehead tunnel otherwise the consequences could have been much more serious.
* 7 August 1897. The firebox collapsed on 2-4-0 locomotive No.58, killing both locomotive men on the approach to Antrim station. [[Francis Marindin|Major F.A. Marindin RE]] found that the procedure for inspecting locomotive boilers was inadequate and a more rigorous regime was put in place.
* 13 July 1898. The 09.55 Belfast to Larne passenger train overran signals at Larne Town station and collided with a train of empty coaches causing extensive damage to both trains. Lieutenant Colonel [[George William Addison|George Addison]] RE found that lapses routinely occurred in working the block system and signals. Shortly afterwards, Larne Town station was completely resignalled and the Larne Town-Larne Harbour section was equipped with tablet instruments.
* 10 October 1900. The 16.00 train from [[Kilrea]] to Coleraine was completely derailed a little over a mile to the south of Coleraine station but fortunately there were no injuries. Major [[J.W. Pringle]] RE determined that the cause was excessive speed over old iron rails aggravated by the rigidity of the double-framed locomotive, No.22. The completion of the track relaying programme was put in hand immediately.
* 25 September 1902. A special troop train from [[Ballincollig]], [[County Cork]] to Larne Harbour became divided. The detached rear portion subsequently collided with that in front between Greenisland and [[Trooperslane railway station|Trooperslane]]. Four vehicles were destroyed and many others damaged; three cavalry horses were killed but there were no other injuries. Major Pringle felt that the locomotive crew had not been sufficiently vigilant in keeping a proper lookout. Furthermore, he censured the [[Great Southern and Western Railway]], the [[Great Northern Railway (Ireland)|GNR(I]]) and the {{abbr|BNCR|Belfast and Northern Counties Railway}}, over whose metals the train had run, for treating it as goods or cattle and marshalling the passenger vehicles behind the non-braked cattle wagons with the result that the vacuum brake was not in operation throughout the train.

===Amalgamation===
The Midland Railway had invested heavily in new harbour facilities at [[Heysham]] and was anxious that its influence in Ulster would not end at [[Donegall Quay]] in Belfast. To extend its activity in Ireland it decided to purchase an interest in a large Irish railway. The {{abbr|BNCR|Belfast and Northern Counties Railway}} was an efficient, prosperous company and well suited the Midland's purposes; it connected the two largest cities in the north of Ireland and had direct links to County Donegal. The Midland made a very tempting offer which the {{abbr|BNCR|Belfast and Northern Counties Railway}}'s directors advised the shareholders to accept. This was also agreed by the Midland's shareholders.

{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = Midland Railway (Belfast and Northern Counties Railway Purchase) Act 1903
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of the United Kingdom
| long_title            = 
| year                  = 1903
| citation              = [[3 Edw. 7]]. c. cxxvii
| introduced_commons    = 
| introduced_lords      = 
| territorial_extent    = 
| royal_assent          = 21 July 1903
| commencement          = 
| expiry_date           = 
| repeal_date           = 
| amends                = 
| replaces              = 
| amendments            = 
| repealing_legislation = 
| related_legislation   = 
| status                = 
| legislation_history   = 
| theyworkforyou        = 
| millbankhansard       = 
| original_text         = https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/Edw7/3/127/pdfs/ukla_19030127_en.pdf
| revised_text          = 
| use_new_UK-LEG        = 
| UK-LEG_title          = 
| collapsed             = yes
}}
The date of vesting was set for 1 July 1903 and on 21 July 1903, the act of Parliament necessary for amalgamation passed into law as the '''{{visible anchor|Midland Railway (Belfast and Northern Counties Railway Purchase) Act 1903}}''' ([[3 Edw. 7]]. c. cxxvii). Thus ended the separate existence of the railway that was affectionately nicknamed "Big Nancy Coming Running". Henceforth, the {{abbr|BNCR|Belfast and Northern Counties Railway}} would be known as the Midland Railway (Northern Counties Committee).