Layout for Tramore Railway station?

[GSWR]

I'm looking into putting together a layout depicting Tramore Railway Station some time in the 1930s, but I can only find pictures of the exterior of the station and the platform. I remember seeing a diorama of the station years ago, and the only thing I can remember is that there was a turntable, although I'm not sure about the accuracy of this. If anyone knows anything, or has a layout map that could help me it would be fantastic. Thanks in advance!

[Irishswissernie]

I have an Album on the Waterford & Tramore on Flickr. A fair number of photos of Tramore including the Turntable.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishswissernie/albums/72157711590538817/

 

[jhb171achill]

It ended up as a dead end track - the line just ended! No points, no nothing; probably the easiest fodder for a mini-layout ever!

[GSR 800]

Quite a good illustration of how short the wheelbase of the J26s were!

 

[GSWR]

@Irishswissernie Bloody hell that's a small turntable  Thanks a million for the link, those photos are a great help!

[seagoebox]

From an article by D G Coakham.

[seagoebox]

The turntable at Tramore was 18 feet in diameter, the table at Waterford Manor was much larger at 22 feet 3 inches !

[jhb171achill]

A pretty unique terminus with virtually no facilities for goods. Some old photos show the likes of a single goods van shunted onto one of the two very short lines to the right of the turntable.

[David Holman]

Not many points either!

[jhb171achill]

2 hours ago, David Holman said:

Not many points either!

At the very end, the only points were at the waterford end, and there were (I think) just two! Tramore was a dead end. Waterford had the platform road and two sidings, one into the shed. Not even a run-round loop. the entire rolling stock was just three AEC railcars and two coaches, one fitted as a driving trailer.

Had it survived, it's a reasonable assumption that today it would have but one set of points (at Waterford) and a pair of 2-car 26 class railcars!

[226 Abhann na Suire]

1 hour ago, jhb171achill said:

At the very end, the only points were at the waterford end, and there were (I think) just two! Tramore was a dead end. Waterford had the platform road and two sidings, one into the shed. Not even a run-round loop. the entire rolling stock was just three AEC railcars and two coaches, one fitted as a driving trailer.

Had it survived, it's a reasonable assumption that today it would have but one set of points (at Waterford) and a pair of 2-car 26 class railcars!

I could be wrong but I thought Manor Street had a run around loop outside of the trainshed (if you’d even call it that…) Not sure though… definitely were a few sidings though with one at the southern end of the station dropping down to the road on Bath Street for road access for removing the locos for maintenance. The AECs were delivered here too. 
 

Such a shame that it closed. I’m a Waterford native and the bus route that replaced it is jam packed at all hours of the day, especially in summer so the train would have done a roaring trade if supported by a local Tramore route that brought people into the station. I’ve already wondered would it have been connected to the network somehow if still around…? Probably not given that a large tunnel seems to be the only option of doing so… Still the line would have been an excellent test-bed for the new battery DARTS and in ideal candidate for electrification too! Very sad that it’s gone it was such a unique piece of railway infrastructure

 

15 hours ago, GSWR said:

I'm looking into putting together a layout depicting Tramore Railway Station some time in the 1930s, but I can only find pictures of the exterior of the station and the platform. I remember seeing a diorama of the station years ago, and the only thing I can remember is that there was a turntable, although I'm not sure about the accuracy of this. If anyone knows anything, or has a layout map that could help me it would be fantastic. Thanks in advance!

And hats off to you @GSWR for such a project! I’m jealous you got around to it before I did but please keep us all posted!! A couple of Studio Scale Models J26s and a Silverfox AEC will look gorgeous on it!!

Edited May 30 by 226 Abhann na Suire

[jhb171achill]

11 minutes ago, 226 Abhann na Suire said:

And hats off to you @GSWR for such a project! I’m jealous you got around to it before I did but please keep us all posted!! A couple of Studio Scale Models J26s and a Silverfox AEC will look gorgeous on it!!

So easy to model!

[David Holman]

Would have made an ideal preservation project. City to seaside, holidays and weekends, while if the single wheeler had survived, what a draw that would have been!

[226 Abhann na Suire]

1 hour ago, David Holman said:

Would have made an ideal preservation project. City to seaside, holidays and weekends, while if the single wheeler had survived, what a draw that would have been!

It was thought about!! The company that restored the Waterford and Suit Valley Railway, when formed in the late 1990s/early 2000s, had 3 options in mind, the line to New Ross, the line towards Dungarvan (which they went with) but were also highly considering the Tramore line! Would’ve been amazing but I think with the track gone and little to no remains of any sort of right of way, it was deemed to difficult to do. Still, would be very cool if anyone on this forum has a few million euros lying around…? 

[RobertRoche]

11 hours ago, 226 Abhann na Suire said:

I could be wrong but I thought Manor Street had a run around loop outside of the trainshed (if you’d even call it that…) Not sure though… definitely were a few sidings though with one at the southern end of the station dropping down to the road on Bath Street for road access for removing the locos for maintenance.

That appears to be correct looking at this old map

[Irishswissernie]

On my Album https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishswissernie/albums/72157711590538817/

there is also a JW Armstrong negative  at Tramore and you can just make out the end of a van off the turntable siding which was at the platform side end.

There were 6 lines off the turntable, 3 serving loops for the platform, carriage shed and run round and 3 dead ends , one of which has space for 2 wagons on it.

 

Edited May 30 by Irishswissernie

[Mayner]

7 hours ago, Irishswissernie said:

On my Album https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishswissernie/albums/72157711590538817/

there is also a JW Armstrong negative  at Tramore and you can just make out the end of a van off the turntable siding which was at the platform side end.

There were 6 lines off the turntable, 3 serving loops for the platform, carriage shed and run round and 3 dead ends , one of which has space for 2 wagons on it.

\    

 

Interesting the 'railway wall" at the end of the line reinstated in concrete blocks after one of the locos ran through the wall during the late? 1940s

[seagoebox]

From the Edgar Allen news V37, no 433 July 1958....

"560 had an unfortunate mishap at midnight on 4th August 1947 when, on entering Tramore station, which was crowded with trippers, she failed to stop, and crashed through the end wall of the station, dropping eight feet on to Strand Road. Fortunately she landed in an upright position, ploughing up the roadway, the leading coach being suspended over the broken wall. No one was seriously hurt, there being a few passengers on the train, and these were given first aid treatment; but two Civic Guards (policemen) on duty had narrow escapes, and a parked motor car was damaged."

From W&T by Fayle & Newham

[seagoebox]

[jhb171achill]

On 31/5/2024 at 6:05 PM, seagoebox said:

At the very end, Waterford had the middle layout and Tramore was just a dead end….