Strabane track layout and goods yard

[Chris_w]

Does anyone have a photo or photos that show the GNR(I) goods yard and its buildings?   I’ve attached a close up of notes showing the goods yard.  Also schematics I’ve been exploring of the large good shed (called a goods station on the Finn Valley Railway Act 1872 plans.

Can anyone please help?  It might not even be a railway photo, but contain the buildings in the background.

The photo is an extract from a much bigger panoramic view taken from the old CDRJC bridge that crossed the GNR(I) line.   It’s on the National Library of Ireland website.   I had to enlarge the image on the site to get that small piece of the picture.   It’s dated 1965.  I think it’s after closure.

I’d really like to get photos of the yard and it’s buildings.   Also, I can’t find any aerial photos of Strabane station and it’s surroundings.   Does anyone know of any?

I have recently obtained really good 1:1056 scale (no I haven’t left a zero off that) 1883 OS town plan of the station.  It has allowed more accurate dimensions to be measured for the good shed.  See updated drawings.

The 3rd image shows the good shed arrangement shown on the 1872 Plan accompanying a Parliamentary Bill.   Clearly, the shed was developed in stages over time.  The photo of the building clearly shows what look like different stages of development.  This seems to be confirmed by the 2 plans.

The extract from the 1864 Griffith’s Valuation map shows what might just be the higher structure seen in the photo.

 

Edited September 9, 2020 by Chris_w
Update

[airfixfan]

As you well know Chris I have been searching for any photos of that goods yard as well. The GNR I goods yard beside Railway Street would appear to have been the site of the first station opened in 1847 by the L&E. Trying to access the Cooper photo collection at PRONI is not helped by their outdated record keeping and the lack of digitalised photo archive.

[Irishswissernie]

For what its worth, I have one poor photo in my collection taken by Mike Shannon which shows some of the goods yard. Somewhere I have seen a photo of a 4-4-0 shunting the yard but I can't remember where!

[jhb171achill]

51 minutes ago, Irishswissernie said:

For what its worth, I have one poor photo in my collection taken by Mike Shannon which shows some of the goods yard. Somewhere I have seen a photo of a 4-4-0 shunting the yard but I can't remember where!

And look at the goods vans....on the right..... CIE, GSR, CIE, GSR, CIE x 2.....

[airfixfan]

Yes JHB on a line they claimed had little freight traffic! Do we have a date for that photo?

[jhb171achill]

14 minutes ago, airfixfan said:

Yes JHB on a line they claimed had little freight traffic! Do we have a date for that photo?

The narrow gauge track seems to be cleared away, so it's 1960-65.  Probably nearer 1960 than '65, as all the wagons have "flying snails"; if later, one might expect at least one to have a "roundel" logo instead.

[Galteemore]

Have just spoken to Mike Shannon’s travelling companion of the era, who took many similar photos. He thinks it’s taken off a Strabane - Derry goods, possibly near 1965

[airfixfan]

Thanks seeing as goods services officially ended about January 5th 1965 could be late 1964 onwards?

[Galteemore]

That figures. The trees in the background also look rather bare which suggests a date late in the year.

[Irishswissernie]

14 February 1965

 Mike passed the negs to Dave Dunn , one of the Armstrong Trust Trustees and I actually scanned them for Dave and interpreted the records.

According to Eric Challoner in his Farewell the Derry Road. THe goods service was officially withdrawn Sunday 4 January 1965 but such was the volume of goods traffic  it proved necessary to work a number of trips post closure. Final special goods train to clear wagons ran Wednesday 17 February 1965. When I have been checking JG Dewings notes a fair number of the cross border goods workings ran Dundalk -Portadown so quite a bit of the loads etc would then run along the Derry line to Strabane for County Donegal locations.

The CDRJC after closure of the railway still ran passenger and goods road services from Strabane and had to adapt the former Letterkenny line railway bridge to carry their vehicles as the adjacent highway bridge needed repairing and couldn't take heavy vehicular traffic. This would account for the vans from Eire in the transhipment siding. Note the amended notice covering the converted rail to road bridge.

Edited September 3, 2020 by Irishswissernie

[Galteemore]

Thks Ernie. This was indeed the last ‘normal’ goods working, my source confirms - he was on it with Mike that day. He then got a Derry-Omagh train - returning to Strabane to catch last train of day to Sixmilecross. Overnight there then last train of all from Derry to Belfast

Edited September 1, 2020 by Galteemore

[airfixfan]

Yes thanks guys working on Strabane and your details tally with other photos from that time. We have some good photos of CDR buses and lorries still using the CDR side if the station until the UTA closure of the Derry Road. That date makes sense as it was the last weekend of the Derry Road before complete closure. Most of the track in CDR side of station gone by end of 1961 apart from stock purchased by Dr Cox.

Edited September 2, 2020 by airfixfan

[Irishswissernie]

A JG Dewing view 20 May 1960 after closure of the CDRJC with some of their road services lorries at the transhipment shed. Road services continued until 1971 when I think CIE took over road working but I would imagine that most freight would be diverted to run through Eire via Ballyshannon

 

 

Edited September 2, 2020 by Irishswissernie

[airfixfan]

All CDR road passenger and freight services ceased from July 12 1971. However after Bernard Curran left the CDR in 1965 it came steadily under more CIE influence.

 

Edited September 2, 2020 by airfixfan

[Chris_w]

Strabane 1947 (CRA 2020)

viewable on Flickr.