Ballymena and Larne Railway

The Ballymena and Larne Railway was a narrow gauge railway in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The first part opened in July 1877 and regular passenger services began in August 1878, the first on the Irish gauge railways. Passenger services ended in 1933 and the last part of the railway closed in 1950. From east to west, the railway ran for between Larne and Ballymena via Kilwaughter, Headwood, Ballyboley, Ballynashee, Collin, Moorfields, Kells and Harryville. A branch line operated from Ballyboley to Doagh via Ballynure and Ballyclare. From Larne, the line rose for to a summit of at Ballynashee. The gradient was, in places, as steep as 1 in 36. The line operated both passenger and goods traffic; transport of locally mined iron ore was the main reason for the construction of the line. The line between Larne and Ballyclare opened in 1877. The line between Ballyboley and Ballymena opened in August 1878. The railway originally terminated at Harryville on the outskirts of Ballymena; in 1880 it was extended to Ballymena's main line (Belfast & Northern Counties Railway (B&NCR)) station, where it also made a connection with the Ballymena, Cushendall and Red Bay Railway. The extension from Ballyclare to Doagh opened in 1884. The line's original steam locomotives were built by Beyer, Peacock & Company of Manchester to a design similar to those built for the Isle of Man Railway. By the late 1880s the County Antrim iron ore industry was in decline. The railway experienced financial difficulties and was taken over by the B&NCR in July 1889. The B&NCR was itself taken over by the Midland Railway (of England) in 1903, which in turn became part of the London, Midland & Scottish Railway (LMS) in 1923. The Midland and the LMS operated its lines in Northern Ireland through its Northern Counties Committee (NCC). Following the takeover, the parent companies were able to invest in new locomotives and equipment. Following World War I, the line experienced a further decline in mineral traffic and increasing road competition.