Killough railway station
Killough | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Old railway station at Killough (2007) | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Location | Killough, County Down Northern Ireland | ||||
| Coordinates | type:railwaystation 54°15′32″N 5°38′36″W / 54.258795°N 5.643421°W | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Status | Disused | ||||
| History | |||||
| Original company | Downpatrick, Killough and Ardglass Railway | ||||
| Pre-grouping | Belfast and County Down Railway | ||||
| Post-grouping | Great Northern Railway (Ireland) | ||||
| Key dates | |||||
| 31 May 1892 | Station opens (for fish traffic) | ||||
| 8 Jul 1892 | Opened to passengers[1] | ||||
| 12 Oct 1925 | Bright Halt added | ||||
| 1929 | Coney Island Halt added[2] | ||||
| 16 Jan 1950 | Station closes | ||||
| |||||
Killough railway station was on the Downpatrick, Killough and Ardglass Railway, which ran from Downpatrick to Ardglass in Northern Ireland.
History
[edit]Opened by the Downpatrick, Killough and Ardglass Railway, it became part of the Belfast and County Down Railway (BCDR). The line was begun 1890 with the granting of the Downpatrick, Killough & Ardglass Railway Act, obtained under the Light Railways (Ireland) Act.[3] [4] The line was constructed under the management of the BCDR's chief engineer Sir John Macneill.[5]
It began operations in 1892, with stations established at the Downpatrick racecourse, Ballynoe, Killough, and Ardglass. Later on, Halts were added at Bright on 12 Oct 1925 and 4 years later here at Coney Island in 1929.[6] Initially, the single-track route was divided into two operational segments, managed using the staff and ticket system. This arrangement remained in place until 1926, when the signal box at Ballynoe was decommissioned, consolidating the line into a single operational section. The Killough signal box, which had never functioned as a block post, was also closed during this period. By then, the tramway link to Ardglass Harbour had fallen out of use, leaving the branch line reliant solely on local passenger and goods traffic. The station closed to passengers in 1950, by which time it had been taken over by the Ulster Transport Authority.
The station building and goods shed still exist with the former used for residential purposes.
Routes
[edit]The following diagram shows the heritage railway line operated by the Downpatrick and County Down Railway:
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It used to be cheaper to buy two separate tickets—one from Newtownards to Downpatrick and another from Downpatrick to Killough—than to buy a return ticket straight to Killough. A third-class return ticket from Newtownards to Killough cost 2 shillings and 6 pence. But if you bought a return ticket to Downpatrick for 1 shilling and 6 pence, and then a return ticket from Downpatrick to Killough for 7 pence, it added up to less.[7] A specimen timetable from April 1940 has also been published.[8]
Gallery
[edit]-
Killough station's former goods shed (2019) -
The old railway goods shed at Killough (2013)
References
[edit]- ^ a b The Industrial Archaeology of Northern Ireland, McCutcheon, W. A. Rutherford, N.J.: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 1984. ISBN 0838631258.
- ^ a b "Coneyisland Halt". Industrial Heritage Gazetteer. industrialheritageireland.info. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
- ^ "Belfast & County Down Railway". Downpatrick & County Down Railway. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
- ^ Return of Orders in Council and Agreements under Light Railways (Ireland) Act, 1889, HMSO, in: Parliamentary Papers, Session 1890–91, Vol. LXXV, p. 141. Parliamentary papers vol. barcode: 00363303.
- ^ Macneill, John Benjamin (Sir). Dictionary of Irish Architects 1720–1940. Accessed: 6 May 2025.
- ^ "Coney Island Halt" (PDF). Railbrit. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
- ^ Vice-Regal Commission on Irish Railways, including Light Railways: Appendix to the Third Report; Minutes of Evidence and Documents Relating Thereto, Scotter, Charles (Chairman). HMSO, in: Parliamentary Papers, Session 1908, Vol. XLVIII, p. 5. Parliamentary papers vol. barcode: 00317417.
- ^ Outline of Irish Railway History, Casserley, H. C. Newton Abbot, North Pomfret [Vt.]: David & Charles, 1974. ISBN 0715363778. p. 228.
Further reading
[edit]- Butt, R. V. J. (October 1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199. OL 11956311M.
- Jowett, Alan (March 1989). Jowett's Railway Atlas of Great Britain and Ireland: From Pre-Grouping to the Present Day (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-086-0. OCLC 22311137.
- Jowett, Alan (2000). Jowett's Nationalised Railway Atlas (1st ed.). Penryn, Cornwall: Atlantic Transport Publishers. ISBN 978-0-906899-99-1. OCLC 228266687.