Downpatrick railway station

Downpatrick was opened in March 1859 by the Belfast and County Down Railway, as the terminus of their line from Queen's Quay station. In 1869 the Downpatrick, Dundrum & Newcastle Railway opened, connecting Newcastle to the BCDR system at Downpatrick. It was worked by the BCDR for its entire independent existence, being absorbed by the BCDR in 1871. Downpatrick became the terminus of yet another line in 1892 following the opening of the Downpatrick, Killough & Ardglass railway, which was built and operated by the BCDR. Coinciding with this, a direct curve from the Belfast line to the Newcastle line was built, and an interchange station (It had no external access) roughly 700m south of…

After a 37-year-long absence, Downpatrick was served by trains once more in 1987. The current railway station is the headquarters of the heritage Downpatrick and County Down Railway. The station yard, which is on a different site to the original BCDR station (opposite the modern bus station), consists of two locomotive sheds, two signal cabins, a carriage workshop, a carriage museum, the station itself, and various sidings and other structures. In the early hours of Boxing Day 2002, the station building was gutted by arson. It was renovated and reopened on 21 September 2003. The station building was moved from across the street to its present location in the 1990s. Its previous role was…