Welcome to the Web Site of   

The Belfast & County Down Railway     

Museum Trust

An Associate Member of the Northern Ireland Museums Council

Index       History of the B.& C.D.R.         Locomotives of the B.& C.D.R.      Trust's Plans       Ballynahinch Branch      

An Irish Railway Challenge       Membership      The Railway at War    Trust PublicationsCounty Down Railway Museum     A Journey in Time

All photographs on this web site are copyright, and are not to be copied for re-sale.

 

 

Membership

  Membership of the Trust is open to anyone with an interest in railways, and is available in several different forms :-

  ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP  -                                

 Adult  :  £10:00 (UK and Ireland)                                                                                                    Adult  :  £15:00 (Worldwide)                                                                                                             Retirement or Child (Under 14) : £5:00.                                                                                           Family : £20:00.  

Annual Memberships commence on the 1st January each year.   This type of membership, whether Adult; Child (Under 14); Retirement, or Family, entitles the member to receive regular issues of the Trust's Newsletter "Down Line Telegraph", and one issue of the magazine "Down Line" which is currently published once a year.   It also permits the Member to participate in work-parties for the restoration of the line or rolling stock etc., and in other activities which are arranged from time to time.   Members also receive information about special events, trips to U.K. preserved railways, and discounts on purchases from the Trust's sales list.  

Memberships taken out after the end of June will be valid until the end of the following year.   i.e. Memberships taken out now will be valid until the end of 2009.

 

LIFE MEMBERSHIP  -  £150:00.                                        FAMILY LIFE  -  £175:00.

Life Membership, or Family Life Membership, entitles the Member (and his or her immediate family) to all the normal benefits of Annual Membership, but is not renewable annually - It is literally for life!

 

EX. B.& C.D.R. EMPLOYEES  -  Free.

It is the Trust's policy that all former employees of the Belfast & County Down Railway are given Honorary Life Membership on contacting the Trust.   We are always pleased to hear from former employees of the Company, and would welcome hearing from any, or from the families of former staff, who have not yet contacted us.

 

ASSOCIATE LIFE MEMBERSHIP  -  £250:00.

We invite you to join us as an "ASSOCIATE LIFE MEMBER", in return for which you will receive the following benefits and privileges :-

 

1)       A SPECIAL "ASSOCIATE LIFE MEMBERSHIP" CERTIFICATE!

2)       A SPECIAL PASS PERMITTING FREE TRAVEL ON THE TRUST'S TRAINS FOR LIFE WHEN WE ARE UP AND RUNNING!

3)      A COPY OF OUR NEWSLETTER "DOWN LINE TELEGRAPH EVERY THREE MONTHS (OR AS ISSUED) FOR LIFE!

4)       A COPY OF OUR MAGAZINE "DOWN LINE"  ONCE A YEAR (OR AS ISSUED) FOR LIFE!

5)       YOUR NAME WILL BE LISTED ON A SPECIAL PLAQUE TO BE ERECTED IN OUR MUSEUM BUILDING WHEN IT IS BUILT OR WHEN A HOME FOR THE TRUST IS SECURED!

6)       PERMISSION TO TRAVEL ON THE FOOTPLATE OF THE TRUST'S LOCOMOTIVES AT APPROPRIATE TIMES!

7)       A SPECIAL INVITATION TO THE FIRST DAY OF OPERATIONS ON THE LINE!

8)       A  SPECIAL INVITATION TO THE FIRST DAY OF STEAM OPERATIONS ON THE LINE!

9)       INVITATIONS TO SPECIAL EVENTS!

10)     UP TO 25% DISCOUNT ON PURCHASES FROM THE TRUST'S SHOP OR SALES LIST!

11)     REGULAR MEMBERSHIP FACILITIES!

12)     ANY ADDITIONAL BENEFITS WHICH THE COMMITTEE MAY INTRODUCE FROM TIME TO TIME!

 

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Are ‘YOU One in a Thousand’?

 

As we remember the 60th anniversary of the closing of the 'County Down Railway, and work towards the restoration of part of it, we need to raise at least £100,000 very quickly.   To achieve this objective we are looking for 1000 people to donate £100 each to help put the restoration of the line firmly on the ground.   Each contributor will receive a special numbered certificate, and will be kept up to date with progress reports on the project for the next TWENTY years.   Each contributor will have all the privileges of regular membership, will receive invitations to special events organised by the Trust during that period, and will have privileged access to the Trust’s museum at any convenient time once this has been established.

The funding raised from this promotion will allow us to purchase the remainder of the track bed, and will enable us to get the project firmly on the ground very quickly.

Simply e-mail us at countydownrailway@yahoo.co.uk for more information, or click here for an Application Form 

 

The Next 50 people to take out 'One in a Thousand' membership will, 

as well as receiving their certificate, 

also receive an original Banbridge Extension Railway Company Share Certificate from 1861.

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'Down Line Telegraph'

'Down Line Telegraph' is the Trust's quarterly newsletter which is issued in January, April, July, and October, and is a means of keeping members up to date with developments and progress.   We think the name is quite appropriate as the 'Telegraph' was the means used by the railways to send messages Down the Line.   It also of course reflects the name of the company.

On joining the Trust each member receives a 'Membership Pack' which includes copies of all the years issues to date, plus a copy of the current years issue of 'Down Line', wiich is usualy published about April.

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'Down Line'

'Down Line' is the magazine of the Belfast & County Down Railway Museum Trust, and is issued FREE to all members.

It is published once each year and includes articles relating to the B.& C.D.R., and occasionally has articles relating to other Irish railway companies.   Many of the articles are prepared from the company's minute books which are in the possession of the Trust, and often there are reminiscences by former staff, although these are becoming few and far between.

There are also regular up-dates regarding new acquisitions by the Trust, and the magazine gives us an opportunity to publish some of the Trust's collection of photographs.

                                                                    

Issue 16 of 'Down Line' is now available.

It is issued FREE to Members, but can be purchased by non-members for £3:50 plus postage.

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Footnote

We had hoped to be able to arrange for visitors to our web site to pay membership subscriptions etc., on line, but we have found that any such method of payment is so expensive to introduce that this has not yet been possible.

If you are interested in Trust Membership, please click here to download a Membership Form

or e-mail us at countydownrailway@yahoo.co.uk to request a brochure.  

 

All photographs on this web site are copyright, and are not to be copied for re-sale.