Ian Allan ABC of Irish Locomotives

[StevieB]

I picked up a copy of the 1960 reprint of the 1949 edition of the Ian Allan ABC of Irish Locomotives the other day in Cheltenham Model Centre, for a mere £2.50. What a little gem, packed full of goodies. One thing I learnt was that the GNRI effectively ran the BCDR, being in charge of both traffic and engineering matters.

 

Stephen

[jhb171achill]

Only in its very last few years, and not as closely as it looks. It had just as much cooperation from the NCC in relation to some matters.

 

It was more of a consultative aspect, as the BCDR was of course fully independent in all respects.

 

The SLNCR used the services of some GNR people from time to time, with regard to permanent way and diesel rail uses.

 

The DNGR, on the other hand, ended up being operated by the GNR, often using their locos and stock.

[Mayner]

The operational & signalling side of the County Down was placed under GNR "supervision" following the Ballymacarrett Collision in 1945 when a Hollywood-Belfast push pull train ran into the back of a stationary Bangor-Belfast train as a result of which 22 people died and 27 were injured

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballymacarrett_rail_crash. Steam push pull workings were abolished and GNR double ended Atkinson Walker railcars operated the shuttles following the accident.

 

The collision may have been one of the main catalysts for setting up the UTA as the collision had effectively bankcupted the County Down

Edited September 25, 2017 by Mayner

[jhb171achill]

jhb Senior was involved with this. The "supervision" was a looser term than on the DNGR, and in reality many BCDR loco matters were equally "supervised" by the NCC's famous Harold Houston, a good frien of my father's.

One might wonder how Bangor ended up with so many GNR signals. look no further than Senior; he was GSR-trained, but latterly GNR through-and-through! He left the UTA in 1964 as it became a run-down, politically motivated bus company.

He also took direct charge of PW matters on the BCDR, but only after the UTA had taken it over and turned it into nothing but the Bangor line.