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Ballymacarrett Rail Crash
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 which was nationalised three years later. Background The Belfast and County Down Railway operated the very busy line from Belfast to Bangor. The heyday of the railway was in the late ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ballymacarrett
Ballymacarrett or Ballymacarret () is the name of both a townland and electoral ward in Belfast. The townland is in County Down and the electoral ward is part of the Titanic district electoral area of Belfast City Council. The ward was created in 1973 with most of the population coming from the former Pottinger ward. The ward was slightly enlarged in 1985, taking in part of the Island ward. The ward consists of two distinct districts : Ballymacarrett itself, which is almost entirely Protestant, and the Short Strand which is almost entirely Catholic, with the two separated by a peaceline. Consequently, in the 2001 census, the Roman Catholic community background figure was 51%. Set in the shadows of the Harland and Wolff cranes Samson & Goliath, large numbers of local men worked in the shipyard during its heyday. The area is also well known for 'Ulster's Freedom Corner', a series of loyalist murals. History The Troubles In some ways the ward has been a microcosm of the North ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tank Locomotive
A tank locomotive or tank engine is a steam locomotive that carries its water in one or more on-board water tanks, instead of a more traditional tender. Most tank engines also have bunkers (or fuel tanks) to hold fuel; in a tender-tank locomotive a tender holds some or all of the fuel, and may hold some water also. There are several different types of tank locomotive, distinguished by the position and style of the water tanks and fuel bunkers. The most common type has tanks mounted either side of the boiler. This type originated about 1840 and quickly became popular for industrial tasks, and later for shunting and shorter-distance main line duties. Tank locomotives have advantages and disadvantages compared to traditional locomotives that required a separate tender to carry needed water and fuel. History Origins The first tank locomotive was the ''Novelty'' that ran at the Rainhill Trials in 1829. It was an example of a ''Well Tank''. However, the more common fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Her Majesty's Railway Inspectorate
Established in 1840, His Majesty's Railway Inspectorate (HMRI) is the organisation responsible for overseeing safety on Britain's railways and tramways. It was previously a separate non-departmental public body, but from 1990 to April 2006 it was part of the Health and Safety Executive. It was then transferred to the Office of Rail and Road and ceased to exist by that name in May 2009 when it was renamed the Safety Directorate. However, in summer 2015 its name was re-established as the safety arm of ORR. Modern HMRI inspectorate The modern HMRI within the Office of Road and Rail (ORR) identifies as "The Railway Inspectorate". HMRI works in tandem with the rest of the ORR, and as such may be consulted on matters effecting industry efficiency. Internally, most of HMRI's inspectors are part of the Railway Safety Directorate (RSD) of the ORR, although some Railway Performance and Planning (RPP) engineers have some more limited powers as warranted HMRI individuals. HMRI's role a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Harland And Wolff
Harland & Wolff is a British shipbuilding company based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It specialises in ship repair, shipbuilding and offshore construction. Harland & Wolff is famous for having built the majority of the ocean liners for the White Star Line, including ''Olympic''-class trio – , and HMHS ''Britannic''. Outside of White Star Line, other ships that have been built include the Royal Navy's ; Royal Mail Line's ''Andes''; Shaw, Savill & Albion's ; Union-Castle's ; and P&O's . Harland and Wolff's official history, ''Shipbuilders to the World'', was published in 1986. As of 2011, the expanding offshore wind power industry had been the prime focus, and 75% of the company's work was based on offshore renewable energy. Early history Harland & Wolff was formed in 1861 by Edward James Harland (1831–95) and Hamburg-born Gustav Wilhelm Wolff (1834–1913; he came to the UK at age 14). In 1858 Harland, then general manager, bought the small shipyard on ''Quee ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Railway Signalling
Railway signalling (), also called railroad signaling (), is a system used to control the movement of railway traffic. Trains move on fixed rails, making them uniquely susceptible to collision. This susceptibility is exacerbated by the enormous weight and inertia of a train, which makes it difficult to quickly stop when encountering an obstacle. In the UK, the Regulation of Railways Act 1889 introduced a series of requirements on matters such as the implementation of interlocked block signalling and other safety measures as a direct result of the Armagh rail disaster in that year. Most forms of train control involve movement authority being passed from those responsible for each section of a rail network (e.g. a signalman or stationmaster) to the train crew. The set of rules and the physical equipment used to accomplish this determine what is known as the ''method of working'' (UK), ''method of operation'' (US) or ''safeworking'' (Aus.). Not all these methods require the use ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Victoria Park Railway Station (Belfast)
Victoria Park railway station served the area around Victoria Park in east Belfast. History The station was opened by the Belfast and County Down Railway on 1 May 1905. It saw little use during its lifetime, and by the time it was closed by Northern Ireland Railways in 1988, few trains were stopping. Victoria Park itself is still accessible by rail from the nearby Sydenham station. Service See also *List of parks and gardens in Belfast Belfast, Northern Ireland has over forty public parks. ''The Forest of Belfast'' is a partnership between government and local groups, set up in 1992 to manage and conserve the city's parks and open spaces. They have also commissioned more than 3 ... References Disused railway stations in County Down Disused railway stations in Belfast Railway stations opened in 1905 Railway stations closed in 1988 1905 establishments in Ireland 1988 disestablishments in Northern Ireland Railway stations in Northern Ireland opened in the 1900s [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Automatic Block Signaling
Automatic block signaling (ABS), spelled automatic block signalling or called track circuit block (TCB ) in the UK, is a railroad communications system that consists of a series of signals that divide a railway line into a series of sections, called ''blocks''. The system controls the movement of trains between the blocks using automatic signals. ABS operation is designed to allow trains operating in the same direction to follow each other in a safe manner without risk of rear-end collision. The introduction of ABS reduced railways' costs and increased their capacity. Older manual block systems required human operators. The automatic operation comes from the system's ability to detect whether blocks are occupied or otherwise obstructed, and to convey that information to approaching trains. The system operates without any outside intervention, unlike more modern traffic control systems that require external control to establish a flow of traffic. History The earliest way of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sydenham Railway Station (Northern Ireland)
Sydenham railway station is located in the townland of Ballymisert in east Belfast, and is within walking distance of Belfast City Airport and Victoria Park Victoria Park may refer to: Places Australia * Victoria Park Nature Reserve, a protected area in Northern Rivers region, New South Wales * Victoria Park, Adelaide, a park and racecourse * Victoria Park, Brisbane, a public park and former golf .... The station is unstaffed, and was opened on 1 November 1851. Service Mondays to Saturdays there is a half-hourly westbound service towards , , or in one direction, and a half-hourly eastbound service towards and Bangor in the other, with extra services at peak times. In the evenings, the service reduces to hourly operation. Certain peak time trains will also terminate at or , and some peak-time express trains will pass through this station without stopping. On Sundays there is an hourly service in each direction. References External links * Railway sta ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Oval (Belfast)
The Oval (currently known as The BetMcLean Oval for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland, which has been home to Glentoran F.C. since 1892. In 1941 the stadium was severely damaged by aerial bombing during the Belfast blitz of World War II, and was unusable until 1949. A new main stand was constructed in 1953. The stadium was refurbished with a new stand built in 2000, but requires consistent maintenance to fulfill health and safety requirements and its total capacity is currently restricted to 6,050. The Oval has occasionally hosted the final of the Irish Cup as well as hosting the final of the County Antrim Shield and the Setanta Cup. As of August 2021, the Oval has been sponsored by bookmakers A. McLeans, in a five-year, £250,000 deal, with the name of the Oval becoming the BetMcLean Oval. History From 1882 to 1886, Glentoran used Ormeau Park as their home ground. They moved to Westbourne in Ballymacarrett for six years until 1892. Th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ballymacarrett Junction
Ballymacarrett Junction was a railway switching point on the Belfast and County Down Railway in the Ballymacarrett area of Eastern Belfast, in modern-day Northern Ireland. It was located near the present-day Titanic Quarter railway station. History The first track, built around 1848, ran from Belfast Queen's Quay to Holywood. On 6 May 1850, the area became a junction, curving Southeast to Dundonald to become part of the main line of the BCDR. In 1871, another spur came in from the South to the West end of the junction, constituting the Belfast Central Railway connection. The junction continued with this basic configuration for nearly 80 years. On 13 May, while the junction was under construction, an accident occurred, killing two passengers. On 10 January 1945, an accident took place on the Bangor line, about East of the junction resulting in 22 fatalities and 27 injuries. The accident is blamed on a combination of excess speed and poor visibility. On 22 April 1950, the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Interlocking
In railway signalling, an interlocking is an arrangement of signal apparatus that prevents conflicting movements through an arrangement of tracks such as junction (rail), junctions or crossings. The signalling appliances and Track (rail transport), tracks are sometimes collectively referred to as an ''interlocking plant''. An interlocking is designed so that it is impossible to display a signal to proceed unless the route to be used is proven safe. Interlocking is a safety measure designed to prevent signals and Railroad switch, points/switches from being changed in an improper sequence. For example interlocking would prevent a signal from being changed to indicate a diverging route, unless the corresponding points/switches had been changed first. In North America, the official railroad definition of interlocking is: "''An arrangement of signals and signal appliances so interconnected that their movements must succeed each other in proper sequence''". Configuration and use A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Railway Semaphore Signal
Railway semaphore signal is one of the earliest forms of fixed railway signals. This semaphore system involves signals that display their different indications to train drivers by changing the angle of inclination of a pivoted 'arm'. Semaphore signals were patented in the early 1840s by Joseph James Stevens, and soon became the most widely used form of mechanical signal. Designs have altered over the intervening years, and colour light signals have replaced semaphore signals in most countries, but in a few they remain in use. Origins The first railway semaphore signal was erected by Charles Hutton Gregory on the London and Croydon Railway (later the London Brighton and South Coast Railway) at New Cross, southeast London, about 1842 on the newly enlarged layout also accommodating the South Eastern Railway. John Urpeth Rastrick claimed to have suggested the idea to Hutton Gregory. The semaphore was afterwards rapidly adopted as fixed manual signals throughout Britain and the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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