This route features the railway lines on both sides of Belfast Lough, running out of Great Victoria Street Station and heading towards Larne and Bangor. This 5'3" gauge route runs for 39.5 miles, and features 28 stations. The route also features the Railway Museum at Whitehead, which owns a large collection of heritage Irish steam locomotives. Many are used on special charter trains between Larne, Belfast, and Bangor. Since 2012, all regular passenger services have been operated by NIR Class 3000 and NIR Class 4000 DMUs, with NIR Class 111 diesel locomotives being used for infrastructure duties. Most of these are based at the NIR Railway Depot at Adelaide, which is about 1.3 miles south, following the line from Great Victoria Street Station. Sandite duties were carried out by a modified NIR Class 80 from 2006 until 2017, when it was replaced with a regauged MPV. Current NIR Rolling Stock NIR Class 3000 NIR Class 4000 NIR Class 111 NIR MPV 1995-2010 NIR Rolling Stock NIR Class 450 - In service between 1985 and 2012, these carried the names of Irish Castles. One example, Antrim Castle, is preserved at the Downpatrick & County Down Railway. NIR Class 80 - Used for passenger services between 1974 and 2011, and for sandite trains between 2006 and 2017. The pair of 2 car trains used for sandite were preserved by the Downpatrick & County Down Railway. Another driving unit was also aquired by the East Lancashire Railway to be stripped for spares for the line's Thumpers. Passenger Sandite (8090 was not repainted into sandite train colours) Railway Preservation Society of Northern Ireland (Whitehead Railway Museum) Steam Locomotives 0-6-0ST "R.H. Smyth" - Originally used at the Londonderry port, this locomotive was preserved in running order by the Railway Preservation Society of Northern Ireland. It is currently in storage, awaiting overhaul. Guiness 0-4-0ST - Originally owned and operated by the Guiness Brewery, this locomotive is now preserved by the Railway Preservation Society of Northern Ireland, and has been in operation since 2016. NCC Class WT - A tank engine based on the LMS Fowler 2-6-2T, one example (No.4) is preserved in running condition by the Railway Preservation Society of Northern Ireland. NCC Class W - A new build project that started in 2019, this locomotive is being built for use on charter trains. This locomotive is to be given the number 105. GNRI Class Q - No.131 is preserved in running condition at the Whitehead Railway Museum. Since 2018, this locomotive has been operating on the mainlines of Northern Ireland, primarily hauling special trains between Whitehead, Belfast, and Antrim. GNRI Class S - No.171 is preserved by the Railway Preservation Society of Northern Ireland, and has been undergoing overhaul since 2019. It is planned to start operation on the railways of Northern Ireland at some point in the near future, to replace No.85 when its boiler certificate expires. GNRI Class V - No.85 has been preserved by the Railway Preservation Society of Northern Ireland in running order, and has been used for charter trains since 1986, most recently undergoing overhaul between 2009 and 2014. GS&WR Class 101 - 2 examples have been preserved by the Railway Preservation Society of Northern Ireland, No. 184 and No. 186. Both have been out of service since 2013, and are awaiting overhaul. DSER No.15/461 - The only surviving DSER locomotive, it hauled several charter trains on the mainlines of both Northern Ireland and EIRE between 1990 and 2018. It is now awaiting overhaul at Whitehead. Railway Preservation Society of Northern Ireland (Whitehead Railway Museum) Diesel Locomotives Ruston 88DS - Used as a shunter at Whitehead, this example has been converted to run on Ireland's 5'3" gauge track. Hibberd 88 hp - Originally operated by Irish Shell at Dublin Docks, this locomotive is now preserved by the Railway Preservation Society of Northern Ireland. It is the only example of its kind to be gauged to 5'3".
