Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway

Introduction

This line ran from Drogheda to Portadown. It became part of the Great Northern Railway [Ireland] and today forms part of the main line between Dublin Connolly and Belfast Great Victoria Street.






Dates

  /  /1845Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway
Incorporated.
  /  /1845Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway
Act for line to extend the Dublin and Drogheda Railway from Drogheda to Navan [DDR].
  /  /1847Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway
Act requires that the replacement Drogheda station and line west to Navan [DDR] be transferred to the Dublin and Drogheda Railway on completion.
15/02/1849Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway
Opened from Newfoundwell (a temporary terminus on the north bank of the Boyne) northwards through Dunleer to Dundalk Junction.
  /  /1850Dublin and Drogheda Railway
Navan extension opened from Drogheda to Navan [DDR]. Contractors Jeffs (Drogheda to Duleek), Mrs Kelly, and the Moore Brothers completed through to Navan. Built with powers from the Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway but transferred to the Dublin and Drogheda Railway on completion.
31/07/1850Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway
Extended north from Dundalk Junction to a temporary terminus at Wellington Inn.
06/01/1852Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway
Isolated portion opened south from Portadown Junction (Ulster Railway) to a temporary terminus, Newry Armagh Road (later Mullaghglass or Mullaglass).
10/06/1852Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway
With the completion of the Craigmore Viaduct the line was extended north from temporary terminus Wellington Inn to meet the isolated portion at Mullaghglass.
  /  /1853Banbridge, Newry, Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway
Incorporated.
  /  /1853Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway
Drogheda [1st] replaced by Drogheda, a through station erected just to the west of the original terminus.
11/05/1853Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway
Temporary Boyne Viaduct opened over the Boyne at Drogheda, linking Drogheda (and the line south to Dublin) to Newfoundwell (a temporary terminus for the north line to Belfast). This completes the line between Dublin and Belfast.
  /  /1854Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway
Doubled from Castlebellingham to Dundalk and Mountpleasant.
  /03/1854Newry and Enniskillen Railway
Line opened from Newry Edward Street to Goraghwood (Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway).
01/04/1854Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway
Newry Armagh Road renamed Mullaghglass.
  /  /1855Cavan Branch (Dundalk and Enniskillen Railway)
Branch from Clones to Cavan authorised. The line was subscribed to by the Ulster Railway, Dublin and Drogheda Railway and Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway.
05/04/1855Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway
Permanent Boyne Viaduct opened over the Boyne at Drogheda.
31/12/1855Railway Clearing House
By this date, Cork and Bandon Railway, Crieff Junction Railway, Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway, Dublin and Drogheda Railway, Forth and Clyde Junction Railway, Furness Railway, Great Southern and Western Railway, Irish South Eastern Railway, Killarney Junction Railway, Leeds, Bradford and Halifax Junction Railway, Leven Railway, London and South Western Railway, London, Tilbury and Southend Railway, Monkland Railways, Monmouthshire Railway and Canal, Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway, Norfolk Railway, North and South Western Junction Railway, Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway, Peebles Railway, Perth and Dunkeld Railway, Shrewsbury and Hereford Railway, St Andrews Railway, Ulster and Dundalk Railway, Waterford and Kilkenny Railway and Waterford and Limerick Railway join.
  /  /1856Banbridge, Newry, Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway
Renamed Banbridge Junction Railway.
01/01/1856Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway
Mullaghglass closed.
01/02/1856Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway
Newry Main Line opened. (Alternative date 1855.)
  /  /1858Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway
Doubled from Dunleer to Castlebellingham and Mountpleasant to Adavoyle.
  /  /1859Banbridge Junction Railway
Line opened from Scarva (Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway) to Banbridge [1st]. Built by William Dargan.
  /  /1860Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway
Doubled from Drogheda Viaduct to Dunleer and Adavoyle to Goraghwood.
  /  /1861Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway
Doubled from Goraghwood to Scarva.
  /  /1862Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway
Doubled from Scarva to Portadown Junction.
  /  /1866Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway
Newry Main Line renamed Bessbrook and Newry Main Line.
  /  /1873Dundalk and Greenore Railway
Line opened from Dundalk Barrack Street to Greenore. Running powers over the Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway had trains start from Dundalk and reverse at Dundalk West Junction then along the Dundalk and Enniskillen Railway to Windmill Road Junction where the D&GR was reached.
  /  /1874Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway
Dundalk South Junction to Dundalk East Junction opened, giving access to Dundalk Barrack Street from the south.
  /  /1875Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway Dublin and Drogheda Railway
Merged to become The Northern Railway.
  /  /1880Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway
Bessbrook and Newry Main Line renamed Bessbrook.
  /  /1882Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway
Dundalk Works opened by the Great Northern Railway [Ireland].
  /  /1894Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway
Dundalk opened, replacing Dundalk Junction.
  /  /1896Ardee Branch (Great Northern Railway [Ireland])
Opened from Dromin Junction (Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway) to Ardee.
  /  /1932Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway
Reconstruction of the Boyne Viaduct over the Boyne at Drogheda completed, begun in 1930.
  /  /1933Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway
Bessbrook becomes Sunday only.
  /  /1938Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway
Drogheda Cement Works, by the north end of the Boyne Viaduct, is rail served.
  /  /1942Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway
Bessbrook closed completely.
  /  /1966Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway
Dundalk Works closed.
  /  /1970Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway
Approximate date of closure of the Drogheda Cement Works branch.
  /  /1984Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway
Bessbrook station re-opened as Newry. Poyntzpass and Scarva re-opened.

Portions of line and locations

This line is divided into a number of portions.

Drogheda to Portadown

Scene at a rain soaked Drogheda station, County Louth, in 1993. ...
Bill Roberton //1993
112 at Drogheda in 1993. ...
Bill Roberton //1993
CIE 124 at the rainsoaked platform at Drogheda in 1993. ...
Bill Roberton //1993
CIE 055 pulls up with a freight on the middle road at Drogheda in 1993, while on the right locomotive 124 prepares to leave with a train for Dublin ...
Bill Roberton //1993

This was built, beginning in 1851, as a masonry and wrought iron viaduct and opened in 1855.
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This was a three platform junction station, with two platforms on the main line between Dublin and Belfast and a single platform on the west side serving a loop for the branch to Ardee. The junction between the lines was to the south of the station.
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Wet day at Dundalk in 1993, looking past Dundalk Central box to the site of Dundalk Junction, platforms still surviving at this date. The Dublin route ...
Bill Roberton //1993
CIE 155 standing under the canopy at Dundalk in 1993. ...
Bill Roberton //1993
Station approach at Dundalk on a wet day in 1993. ...
Bill Roberton //1993
NIR 111 stands ready to leave Dundalk for the north in 1993. ...
Bill Roberton //1993
112 with a train at Dundalk in 1993. ...
Bill Roberton //1993

This is a two platform station opened in 1984 on the site of an older station. The station has canopied platforms and a car park on its east side.
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This is a double track 18 arch masonry viaduct north of Newry. Spans are 60ft long and the highest is 140ft high. An alternative name for the viaduct is Bessbrook Viaduct). The engineer was Sir John O’Neill and contractors Killean and Moor (Moore?). The viaduct crossed over the Bessbrook...

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This was the temporary terminus, originally Newry Armagh Road, of the northern portion Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway, running south from Portadown, before the opening of the middle section over the incomplete Craigmore Viaduct. It was in an isolated location, Mullaghglass, north of...

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This junction as to the south west of the present Portadown station, on the main line from Belfast to Dublin. It was the junction, in 1852, between the Ulster Railway's Belfast to Armagh line and the Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway. From 1858 it was also the junction for the...

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