IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Ardmore Court, BELFAST, BT10 0JW

GVIR pillar box, with drop box attached, opposite Ardmore Park South, Finaghy Road North.

Looking west, the road rises as it passes over the railway line and Finaghy halt seen in Image]

C3K set 3002, forming the 10.27 Bangor – Portadown, had just departed Finaghy and was heading towards Dunmurry, through the cutting before the M1 bridge near Black’s Road Image The long lens exaggerates the curve.

See Image In the early part of the 20th century, before the coming of the motor lorry, when the railway companies had what amounted to a monopoly of land transport, the GNR(I) made provision for adding additional capacity on the line beyond Belfast. It had built the third line Image (now removed) to the new workshops at Adelaide in 1911. Around the same time it provided two new arches at Finaghy station, under Finaghy Road North Image, and one on the Ballinderry Road, Lisburn Image where a new bridge replaced a level crossing. The scheme was abandoned with the advent of the WW1. The park and ride car park Image (right) was originally sidings (though not in my time).

An Irish Rail 201 class locomotive brings the 07.40 Dublin - Belfast passenger train towards Finaghy station. For an earlier view, see Image

At this point, only three miles from the end (Broadway) and edging into urban Belfast, the M1 gains an extra lane. The exit signposted in the distance is Junction 2 (A55 Stockman's Lane).

The arch, on the bridge under Finaghy Road North Image, on the Lisburn/Dublin side of Finaghy station. There are another two on the right. Their origin is explained in Image

See Image Finaghy station was not always in such condition. When this was taken it still retained a standard GNR(I) shelter and wooden platforms. The permanent way included flat-bottomed rail on wooden sleepers on the down line and bullhead rail on the up line (left). The view is towards Lisburn as a CIE locomotive runs light to Belfast Grosvenor Road goods yard. Image shows a similar view in 2010.

Finaghy station looking towards Lisburn. Taken to be as close as possible to Image from more than 39 years earlier. The line opened in 1839. Finaghy station came much later – in 1907. The bridge (Finaghy Road North) was built in 1911 with a third arch intended (the story goes) in case it ever became necessary to extend the Third Line Image to Lisburn. It was substantially altered in 2008 by “replacing existing walls and fences . . . . with high standard safety barriers”.

See Image The bridge, at Finaghy Road North (looking towards Ladybrook), showing the safety barrier erected in 2008. The station is to the right.