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Ballymacarrett rail crash

1945 disasters in Ireland1945 disasters in the United Kingdom1945 in Northern Ireland20th century in Belfast20th century in County Down
Accidents and incidents involving Belfast and County Down RailwayJanuary 1945 events in the United KingdomRailway accidents in 1945Railway accidents involving fogTrain collisions in Northern IrelandTransport in BelfastTransport in County DownUse Hiberno-English from July 2016

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 company which was nationalised three years later.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Ballymacarrett rail crash (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors).

Ballymacarrett rail crash
Sydenham Bypass, Belfast Short Strand

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N 54.6033395 ° E -5.892709 °
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Sydenham Bypass

Sydenham Bypass
BT4 1SS Belfast, Short Strand
Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
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