Also using Quail, I'm struggling to work out the mileage from Yorkgate to Derry.
I can understand that after 26 chains the milepost changes, however what does it mean when later on it says "Mileage from Belfast (York Road) via Greenisland (reverse)"?
Is it correct to think that the statistic is worked out by following the route: York Road - Whiteabbey - Bleach Green Junction (4m62) - Jordanstown - Greenisland (6m55) (reverse) - Jordanstown - Bleach Green Junction (7m20) (reverse) - onwards to Antrim and Derry?
What does it mean by "Short Mile (-8 chains)" between Botanic and Central? I did have a conversation with some guy on my travels to NI last week who told me about the errors in milepost data, amongst other railway related things, but I didn't quite understand that bit.
Between Great Victoria Street (Platform 4) and City Hospital, I assume the mileage is worked out by the distance to Westlink Junction (27 chains), added to the length of Blythefield Curve (17 chains), and the distance between City Junction and City Hospital (12 chains), giving 56 chains in total. Is this correct?
Cheers.
Yorkgate to Londonderry/Derry platform 1 is 92.99 (decimal) miles
The reason for ""Mileage from Belfast (York Road) via Greenisland (reverse)"?
is that the direct line from Bleach Green Junction northwards only opened in 1934 and prior to that Londonderry trains ran to Greenisland and reveresed. (In fact the original line remained as the third side of a triangle until 1963 and was periodically used by a Londonderry-Larne boat train.) The line from Greenisland joined the present line at Monkstown just after the point where the double track becomes single There is only one reversal in that mileage calculation
GVS4 to City Hospital is calculated as you say but it is 22 chains to Westlink Junction from 4 so 5 chains less than you list
NIR have for years been very sloppy about distances and this is reflected in publications such as IRISH RAILWAYS TRACTION AND TRAVEL They only record something to the nearest quarter mile
Michael Oakley did a lot of research on both Irish systems a few years back and compiled much more accurate information. I have personally verified much of this using GPS and/or Google Maps measuring
Central to Botanic is 0.78 decimal miles or 62 chains. (rechecked with google for this post; and is platform midpoint to platform midpoint.) 72 chains is the distance from the station entrance at Botanic which is at the southern end of the platforms to the station entrance at Central which is the northern end of the platforms
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So let me get this straight, City Hospital (112m27) to Central (113m35) is therefore not 1 mile 8 chains, but exactly 1 mile?
City Hospital to Central is 1.12 miles or 1m10ch