Natural landmarks · Northern Ireland
Ballymacarrett rail crash
In or near Belfast.
Ballymacarrett rail crash in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom.
Dean Molyneaux — CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 1 h–2 h
- Nearest railway station
- Titanic Quarter · 0.9 km
- Free entry
- Dog-friendly
About
Ballymacarrett rail crash is a place of interest in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom — drawn from open-data sources for visitor reference. See the linked Wikipedia article for the full description.
Photo gallery
See it from the streetimagery from 2025
Imagery © Mapillary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0
From the Wikipedia article
The Ballymacarrett rail crash occurred on 10 January 1945 at 7:50am in the Ballymacarrett area of Belfast, County Down, Northern Ireland on the Belfast to Bangor Line of the Belfast and County Down Railway, when a train led by a heavy autotrain driving trailer ran into the back of a stopped passenger train consisting of lightweight wooden coaches. 22 died with 27 injured. It was the worst crash in Northern Ireland since 1889. The cause was found to be carelessness of the driver of the autotrain (also called a railmotor) who was running too fast for conditions. Fog, unsafe railway rules, and possible distraction from passengers all may have contributed to the accident. Old lightweight rolling stock contributed to the great number of injuries and deaths. The accident led to the demise of the railway company which was nationalised three years later.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
History
The Belfast and County Down Railway operated the very busy line from Belfast to Bangor. The heyday of the railway was in the late 1800s. By the end of the First World War, the railway was facing competition from buses and private vehicles and was facing economic pressures. In the 1920s some economy measures were put in place such as replacing manned signal boxes with automatic signals. In the 1930s there was an economic depression which put the company under even greater financial pressure. By the end of the Second World War, the pressures were even worse. When this railway implemented the automatic signals on this line, they also introduced a unique "Stop and Proceed" rule. This allowed…
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 54.6033, -5.8927
- District
- Belfast
- Postcode
- BT4 1GR
- Parliamentary constituency
- Belfast East
- Nearest railway station
- Titanic Quarter — 0.9 km
Sources
- wikidata: Q28037042 (CC0)
- wikipedia: Ballymacarrett rail crash (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is Ballymacarrett rail crash?
- Ballymacarrett rail crash is in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom (postcode BT4 1GR).
- What is Ballymacarrett rail crash?
- Ballymacarrett rail crash in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom.
- How do I get to Ballymacarrett rail crash?
- The nearest railway station is Titanic Quarter, about 0.9 km away. Drivers can use postcode BT4 1GR.
- Who owns Ballymacarrett rail crash?
- Ballymacarrett rail crash is owned by | service =.
- Is Ballymacarrett rail crash free to visit?
- Yes, Ballymacarrett rail crash is free to enter.
- How do I get to Ballymacarrett rail crash?
- The nearest railway station is Titanic Quarter, about 0.9 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode BT4 1GR.