Former railway engine shed in council yard near Carrickfergus Railway Station, [?]Prospect Street, Carrickfergus, Co Antrim

Former Railway Engine Shed, Carrickfergus

This is a large single-storey timber-clad former railway engine shed with a Belfast Truss roof, dating from approximately 1900. It is situated on the north side of a council yard to the west of Carrickfergus Railway Station, off Prospect Street, and now serves as a store for the council depot.

The building measures roughly 33.5 metres by 9.6 metres. The north, south and east elevations are clad in timber, while the west gabled elevation is of recent corrugated metal construction. The long south-facing front elevation features a very large vehicle doorway with substantial timber sliding doors positioned at the far right. Immediately to the left of this doorway stands a relatively large but low lean-to projection in render. Further to the left is evidence—in the form of large square panels with different cladding—of several large openings that once existed. A large raised platform is also located to the left of the lean-to. The west elevation has a pedestrian doorway to its right. The east elevation is partly obscured by a neighbouring building, though a large square panel similar to that on the south elevation is visible. The north elevation could not be inspected, but internal evidence suggests it is timber-clad with no openings. The curved roof is covered in felt.

The Belfast Truss was developed in the mid-nineteenth century to meet demand for efficient, lightweight, long-span roofs created by industrial expansion. The first known reference to a curved wooden felted roof structure supported by bowstring girders appears in a Dublin Builder advertisement from 1866 by the Belfast firm McTear & Co., who continued manufacturing such trusses until ceasing business in 1908. A second Belfast supplier, Anderson & Co., began producing trusses to a different design in 1886, launching their Mark II version in 1896, which was promoted for maximising long spans whilst maintaining light weight. This model was subsequently adopted by other companies and became widely referred to as the Belfast truss, a term now applied generally to timber bowstring trusses where internal bracing members meet on the top curved member rather than at the bottom, as was conventional.

The building has been substantially altered since its original construction. It is of industrial archaeological interest.