Editing Northern Counties Committee (section)

====Board of Trade inspections====
Eventually the line was deemed to be ready for inspection by the [[Board of Trade]] on 10 January 1848. Captain [[Robert Michael Laffan]] [[Royal Engineers|RE]] carried out the inspection and issued an unfavourable report dated 3 March. He was much concerned that the [[permanent way (history)|permanent way]] was very roughly laid and unballasted in places; neither were there any signals. Furthermore, he deemed that a bridge had been constructed in a hasty manner with the result that, when tested, it exhibited very great deflection. Other defects included poor drainage in cuttings and a lack of mileposts. Captain Laffan's opinion was that it was therefore unsafe to allow the line to be opened.

Lanyon and Dargan were keen to retrieve their reputations and there was a period of furious activity as they worked to correct deficiencies identified in the [[Board of Trade]] report. The directors carried out their own inspection of the line on 6 April and felt sufficiently confident about what they had seen to ask Captain Laffan to make a second inspection. This he did and his report of 8 April was more encouraging than the previous one. Although there were some strictures, Captain [[Henry Drury Harness]] RE, secretary to the Railway Department of the Board of Trade formally advised the directors of the {{abbr|B&BR|Belfast and Ballymena Railway}} on 14 April that the railway could be opened for public service. However, authorisation had been sent previously by [[telegraph]] and the railway was already at work.