The Belfast and Ballymena Railway became the Belfast and Northern Counties Railway Company in May 1860. It absorbed the BBC&PJR in January 1861 and the L&CR in July 1871. The narrow gauge Ballymena, Cushendall and Red Bay Railway Company was vested in the BNCR in 1884 and it absorbed the Carrickfergus and Larne Railway [1890], the Draperstown Railway [1895] and the Derry Central Railway [1901]. In 1903 track mileage was 335 miles (in 1922 route mileage was 201 miles of standard gauge and 64 of 3ft gauge). The BNCR was purchased by the Midland Railway on 1/7/1903 and its name was changed to "Midland Railway (Northern Counties Committee)".