Overbridge

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Various structures belonging to Castlerock railway station, including a long, mainly single-storey red-brick, station building of 1874 by John Lanyon, now partly converted to a public house, and a metal foot bridge and 'somersault' signal, of perhaps c.1890-1900. There are a further three signals, all similar, along the line into and out of the station. The station, around which the settlement of Castlerock developed, is set to the eastern side of the town, to the immediate west of Sea Road.

Overbridge

This footbridge is a short distance to the east of the station building. It is a structure of cast and wrought iron with a dog-leg stair rising at either side. Guard rails are formed with flat metal strips arrange in lattice fashion. Treads and walkways are in checker plate, possibly modern overlays. Risers are formed of metal plates with geometric piercings. Entrance to the stairs is flanked by metal newels topped with ball finials. Manufacturer’s name plates on the bridge read: “Walter McFarlane & Co., Architectural, Sanitary & Authentic, Ironfounders, Saracen Foundry, Glasgow”.

Signals

One signal is set to the east of the station building, close to the west side of the footbridge. It is of the 'somersault' type of semaphore signal and consists of the signalling apparatus attached to a tapering square timber post topped with a metal finial. A steel access ladder rises to the semaphore arm. Below the semaphore arm is a counterbalance ‘safety feature’ weight; in the event of any system failure the weight activates the stop command.

The mechanism is controlled by a lever and a series of rods that emanate from the signal box; the lever is engaged manually by the signalman.

The remaining signals are all of the same type and construction.

Station

This is a much altered, late nineteenth railway station building. It is a part single-storey, part two-storey linear structure that extends along the line of the platform. The original waiting areas and ticket office are now in use as a public house. To the rear there is a flat roofed extension of c.1970s-80s extends along most of the northern side.

A modern glazed aluminium shelter/waiting area has been erected on the platform.

The south front façade faces the platform. To the right of centre there is a small two-storey section with paired gables. To the left side are two doors that give access to the WCs; to the far left is a further gable with a door that accesses a store. To the right side is the long waiting area, to the far right is a further gable. Window openings all appear to have been altered and are now flat-headed with modern window frames, some uPVC and some timber. The wall to the former waiting area was glazed; glazing rested on low walls, but this part is faced with strip timber. The roof overhangs this section and has a decorative pierced fascia. Door openings are segmental headed and have stopped chamfer reveals, and over each is a projecting brick drip moulding.

The western façade has a pair of segmental headed window openings with drip moulding as before; sills are cut stone. Frames are sash with margin panes.

The northern side is mainly obscured by a modern flat-roofed extension. This has a series of wide flat-headed window openings, modern internally illuminated signs and a ‘heritage’ style timber classical door case.

The eastern façade has a recent porch projection and a number of modern signs, one of which is internally illuminated.

Walls to the south facade of the station building are constructed in red facing brick with string-courses and dressings in straw coloured and engineering bricks. Walls rest on chamfered bases. Roof are pitched and covered with natural slate. Eaves are overhanging and rafter tails are exposed. Verges to the western section are overhanging with decorative barges resting of exposed faux outsized purlins.

Signal Box
The station also contains a signal box. This is a modern replacement, although the original control levers have been re-installed.

Additional information- Tokens, Staffs and Keys

Much of the railway line on the north coast is single track. Access into the single track areas is controlled by unique tokens, staffs or keys issued by the signalman to the driver; by possession of the devise he (and no other) has permission to enter the section in question. The key or token is issued from a locking mechanism; when the token is removed the signal cannot be changed thus preventing unauthorised entry by a second train. The driver carries the device on his passage through the section and when he surrenders this to the next signalman, it is then re-inserted into the locking mechanism thus allowing the signal to be altered. The return driver then repeats the procedure in reverse.

Sections of the north coast are still controlled by a token system. The age is not certain but these appear to be late Victorian.

Sections of the line have been modernised and are now controlled electronically; however the principal of keys, staffs and tokens continues with the issue of a virtual device that travels electronically with the particular train.

For a fuller explanation see the following web site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Token_(railway_signalling)

Historical information

The railway station at Castlerock was opened in July 1853 as part of the Londonderry and Coleraine Railway Company's line, with the subsequent growth of the settlement of Castlerock itself prompted, in part, by incentives to build seafront villas in the area offered by the railway company. The Belfast & Northern Counties Railway purchased the line in 1871 and Castlerock station was rebuilt in 1874 to a design by John Lanyon. The original station, which was located further east on the other side of Sea Road, is shown along with a ‘signal pole’, in the same position as the present, on the OS map of 1848-52 (which was obviously revised post 1853). The present (1874) station, on the west side of Sea Road, is shown on the OS map of 1904-06, with a footbridge and signal post marked on the same positions as today.

Judging from its design, it is likely that the present footbridge is that shown in 1904-06. Similar footbridges were erected at Coleraine, Antrim, Ballyclare, Whitehead, York Road and Barn Halt (Carrickfergus) stations, all of which, formerly belonged to the BNCR. This bridge, as well as those at Antrim and Carrickfergus has makers name plates which read “Walter MacFarlane & Co., Architectural, Sanitary & Authentic, Ironfounders, Saracen Foundry, Glasgow”. This company, which was founded in 1849-50, is believed supplied many such railway bridges throughout the globe (including other stations in Ireland). This particular design, with variations, also appears to have been promoted by George Smith & Company of the Sun Foundry of Glasgow in the 1890s. This particular footbridge is a slightly less ornate version of the design (some had particularly decorative balusters), so it may be slightly later, perhaps c.1900.

The date of the signal posts is uncertain. Semaphore signalling was introduced into British and Irish railways in the 1850s, but for decades there was no standardisation amongst signals. The earliest semaphore signals were known as 'lower quadrant signals, due to the fact that the arm was lowered from horizontal to an inclined position when cleared. Another variation, 'upper quadrant' worked in a similar fashion but with the arm raised. These eventually became more popular, as gravity could be used to return signals to the danger position. ‘Somersault’ signals such as that at Castlerock were another variation, invented in 1877 by Edward French of the GNR, following an accident of the previous year when weight of ice on the (lower) semaphore signal arm at Abbots Ripon prevented it returning to the ‘danger’ position. The Somersault avoided this as the arm pivoted centrally, and such signals were used extensively on GNR lines in Britain as well as several other British lines, such as the Taff Vale Railway. Railway historian Mark Kennedy says that in Ireland they were only adopted by the BNCR, the company introducing them in the late 1880s; however, they never completely ousted the conventional quadrant semaphore signals, some of which remained in service until replaced by coloured lights. It is possible therefore that the signal at Castlerock is of the later 1880s, however at present it is difficult to be certain of this; it could well be a decade or two later.

The station building itself is no longer in use and has been converted to a public house and a long single-storey extension spans the northern side. The date of this conversion is not certain, but it appears to have taken place before c.1980, probably the mid to later 1970s.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI OS6/5/2/2 OS map, Co. Londonderry sheet 2, 1848-52 (with later revisions showing railway)
2 PRONI OS6/5/2/3 OS map, Co. Londonderry sheet 2, 1904-06
3 PRONI OS6/5/3/4 OS map, Co. Londonderry sheet 2, 1922
4 NIEA IHR ref 01339:016:00 Photos of Castlerock railway station etc., c.1965

Secondary sources
1 Casserley, H.C., ‘An Outline of Irish Railway History’, (London, David & Charles, 1974), pp.195-211 [Background info relating to the BNCR.]
3 McCutcheon, W.A., ‘The Industrial Archaeology of Northern Ireland’, (Belfast, 1980), p.169
4 NIEA HB03.12.039 First survey record- Castlerock railway station, 1992
5 Rowledge, J.W.P., ‘A Regional History of the Railways, vol XVI Ireland’, (Transport Publishers, 1995)
6 Simmons, Jack and Biddle, Gordon, ‘The Oxford Companion to British Railway History…’ (OUP, 1997), pp.446-53
7 Johnson, Stephen, ‘John’s Atlas & Gazetteer of the Railways of Ireland’, (Midland Publishing Ltd., 1997), pp.
8 Kennedy, Mark, ‘The LMS in Ireland’, (Midland Publishing, 2000), p.72
9 http://www.scottishironwork.org [Notes on Walter McFarlane & Co.]
10 http://www.signalbox.org [Notes on the development of signalling.]

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
F. Structural System

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
Z. Rarity

Evaluation

Cast/wrought iron footbridge and stairs, c.1853. This station retains its principal late 19th/early 20th century components, comprising the station building itself, platforms, footbridge and signals. However, the station building has been converted and insufficient historic fabric survives to merit listing, whilst the platforms have been upgraded and any ancillary structures, such as canopies, have been lost. The signals, which may be c.1890-1900, are of the ‘somersault’ type, which, in the Irish context, was only employed by the BNCR The overbridge is one of few surviving of this type and a good example of wrought and cast iron component structures.