Neill's Hill Railway Station
Below: Photo of Neill's Hill Railway Station in its prime (Photo Credit - John Thomson / Friends of Neill's Hill Railway Station)
Only a short stretch of stone poking out of the undergrowth reveals what was once a railway halt straight out of The Railway Children.
The BCDR main line to Comber opened in 1845 with Neill's Hill Railway Station opening in 1890 as a halt to service the growing East Belfast suburbs. The line remained open until 1950 when drastic cuts were made to all of Northern Ireland's railways. The rails and sleepers were soon lifted and the station building demolished.
Below: Neill's Hill Railway Station photographed on 23/05/1954 - four years after closure and before the tracks where lifted. Note the weeds starting to take over. (Photo Credit - Gavin Bamford / Friends of Neill's Hill Railway Station)
The subway was filled in, in the early 1960s but in 2003, a major Belfast sewage scheme saw a main sewer being built the whole length of the former main line between Comber and Belfast. As Neill's Hill had the only subway on the route, this had to be cut through by the builders. Photographic evidence from them showed the subway to be in good condition.
But fear not, for beneath the grass bounding the Sandown section of the Comber Greenway is the old platform of Neill's Hill Railway Station which once served the old Belfast and County Down Railway (BCDR) which ran from Belfast to Comber.
Yes, sixty-three years after closure - and 123 years after opening - a section of the 'up' platform to Belfast (Queen's Quay Station) at Neill's Hill remains. It may only be a short length hidden in the undergrowth but it is probably one of only a few remaining traces of the Victorian ingenuity that was used in the building of the main line within the Belfast suburbs.
Below: A little piece of history. Part of the remaining 'up' platform at Neill's Hill Railway Station
The halt has been described as follows "...'the railway path' led alongside the line of the old Belfast and County Down Railway to the small station at Neill's Hill, a halt straight out of The Railway Children with level-crossing gates, stationmaster's house with neat beds of nasturtiums, and a malodorous subway in which early sexual encounters took place." In recent years this old BCDR route has been changed into the popular seven-mile walking and cycling route called The Comber Greenway.
The BCDR Remnants #1 - Neill's Hill Railway Station Cache:-
The cache is a regular sized 'up-cycled food container' (the original waterproof tab lock box was muggled). It contains a logbook, pens and a few swaps. It's suitable for travelbugs and geocoins too. Be 'muggle aware' here as cyclists and runners can come upon you with little notice and rehide carefully to ensure it's not discovered by same.
Enjoy this little piece of victorian history.