Girvan

[Jamie]

Managed to get a couple of snaps I'd been wanting for a while now: views of the semaphores controlling the southbound approach to Girvan station:

 

Bracket signal: main post for the eastern platform, offset for the western platform. Not sure what the ground disc controls.

 

 

Shunt signal (I believe). This controls a long siding/headshunt. Not sure of details, I think I read some discussion on the signalbox.org website about this signal at one time - will follow up. Also of interest is the remains of the line to Girvan (old) or (goods) behind the signal.

Girvan station is round the bend there, just across the river and A77.

 

Anyway, something different to my usual postings.

[beast66606]

The ground disk will control entry into the sidings you mention in the second picture, as does the bottom arm in that picture.

 

Things of note include

Motor worked points

Part of one of the point blades and the crossing has been removed from the "yard" connection.

Trap points.

 

Nice pics.

[Jamie]

Interesting, a recent NR-sourced signal diagram (of sorts) of that part of the line indicates no presence of the disc or the lower arm GV11. Clearly I can't post it but I'll try and do a sketch.

I already see from the diagram that a return visit might be worthwhile if only for my own records - they won't last forever, and it'd make a nice station to model sometime in the distant future.

[beast66606]

Interesting, a recent NR-sourced signal diagram (of sorts) of that part of the line indicates no presence of the disc or the lower arm GV11. Clearly I can't post it but I'll try and do a sketch.

I already see from the diagram that a return visit might be worthwhile if only for my own records - they won't last forever, and it'd make a nice station to model sometime in the distant future.

 

The lower of the two shunts seems to have a blanked out red - maybe it's out of use but has been left in situ because otherwise it would be a change to signal profiles and that has all sorts of implications on todays railways

[The Stationmaster]

The lower of the two shunts seems to have a blanked out red - maybe it's out of use but has been left in situ because otherwise it would be a change to signal profiles and that has all sorts of implications on todays railways

 

This sort of thing seems typical of the way things are done in Scotland

. I had a good look at Plean Jcn some years back and something similar was happening there with an apparently fully signalled 'siding to nowhere'.

 

The reason it usually happens is beacuse the allegedly sponsoring business isn't prepared to pick-up the costs for the recovery work and associated alterations (and I don't blame 'em, the costs of the paperwork alone will be in thousands).

[Jamie]

I'd not like to think how long that connection to the goods station must have been out of use - I'll try and find out, and catch the semaphore calling on signal at the other end of the station sometime, if it's visible from public land anyway.

 

It'd make for a lovely layout, a mix of 1950s vaguely art-deco style and original GSW railway buildings.

[Horsetan]

View from above

[Ian Smeeton]

This must be the branch to the docks, looking at the overhead. I was quite surprised looking at the satellite view that it wasn't the old goods yard which is quite evident from the views on Google Earth. Looks like quite an interesting track plan all round. sadly all of my old B&W negs were lent out many yaers ago and not returned, as I did have a few taken on the line form Ayr to Stranraer. I do still have the slides talen on one trip, however no way of scanning them in.

 

Perhaps I wll have to lean on someone to do the scanning for me

 

 

Reagards

 

Ian

[Jamie]

This must be the branch to the docks, looking at the overhead. I was quite surprised looking at the satellite view that it wasn't the old goods yard which is quite evident from the views on Google Earth. Looks like quite an interesting track plan all round. sadly all of my old B&W negs were lent out many yaers ago and not returned, as I did have a few taken on the line form Ayr to Stranraer. I do still have the slides talen on one trip, however no way of scanning them in.

 

Perhaps I wll have to lean on someone to do the scanning for me

 

 

Reagards

 

Ian

 

As far as I've ever understood it, from the likes of the plan in "Little Railways..." and local knowledge, the points shown removed in my shots, and still remaining in Google's 5-10yr old images led to the original Girvan station, which was a terminus. The vaguely triangular patch of waste ground between the bus station and caravan park on the visible trackbed to the harbour indicates the site.

 

A station was built on the present site on opening of the line on to Stranraer via Barrhill, the old station continuing for some time prior to serving goods only. A line through did continue to the harbour.

 

I'm not at present sure what facilities existed to the south of the station beyond the signal box, where a single siding remains.

[96701]

The 1956 Handbook of Stations shows Girvan as having full passenger & goods facilities, Bridge Mill Siding (public) as having Coal Class, Mineral & S to S Traffic in Truck Loads and Ministry of Supply, Grangeston Sidings.

[Jamie]

Thanks Phil, Bridgemill is where the A77 crosses over the line west of the station, and along the road north to Dailly.

[96701]

Looking at an old map at http://www.old-maps.co.uk/IndexMapPage2.aspx , it would appear that Bridge Mill Siding was north of the Junction on the 'inland' side of the railway (I don't know which is Up or Down here).

[Guest stuartp]

Based on a quick glance at the Google link in Horsetan's post, another at Railscot, and possibly dodgy recollection of things I've read earlier:

 

There appear to have been two sets of public goods facilities at Girvan. The connection in Jamie's photos is indeed the original main line to Girvan (Old), which became a goods station. Railscot states that the connection was disused from the 1980s due to the condition of a bridge; there was a (rather nice) timber trestle viaduct on this branch so I'm guessing that was the one.

 

The 'goods yard' north of the station matches the location of Bridge Mill Sidings described in Railscot. Interestingly, in amongst all the fridges and other stuff visible on Google there is what appears to be a Mammoth Major aircraft refueller (like wot is in my avatar !) although I could have the things on the brain and it could just be be my fevered imagination.

 

Grangestone MoS Sidings - in the junction of the Ayr and former Turnberry lines there's a complex attributed by Google to Grants Distillers, part of which looks vaguely military in its layout and style of architecture. Could that be it ?

 

The sidings south of the station were carriage sidings according to Mr Cross.

[Jamie]

Grangestone MoS Sidings - in the junction of the Ayr and former Turnberry lines there's a complex attributed by Google to Grants Distillers, part of which looks vaguely military in its layout and style of architecture. Could that be it ?

 

I don't know how much of the existing industrial estate was involved - whether Grants' or part of the remainder, but Grangestone was the site of a munitions factory (ref RCAHMS), which would tally.

[Guest stuartp]

a Grangestone was the site of a munitions factory (ref RCAHMS), which would tally.

 

Aha ! From www.whiskiesofscotland.com:

 

William Grant & Sons purchased an unused WWII munitions factory in 1963 and in it they built the Girvan distillery.

 

Looks like that's the place then.

[IC126]

Here is the starter at the south end of the station in 1986 (with one of the Class 105s drafted in to cover the Class 107s during the Indian Summer of the DMU in Scotland).

 

[Jamie]

Lovely shot thanks Andrew.

[Jamie]

Some further shots around the web.

 

 

 

Acgthoms on Flickr does a nice past-present on the signal box:

now:

then(95):

I can't say the stairway alteration has done much for the look of the box.

 

Finally, this shot:

here from the little known treasure that is

http://myrailwaystation.com/

shows the North end of the station in early BR days, and I suspect it's a sign that the current signalling was a result of simplification of the track layout and closure of No.2 box. Don't ask me when.

Signalbox numbering is complicated at Girvan, No.1 being at the junction of the Maidens and Dunure line and the mainline to Maybole, No.2 being the one seen in this shot, and No.3 being the remaining one, as per the Flickr links above. There was another box but it (IIRC) was short lived. Box numbering changed with the gradual retraction of lines No.1 being lost with closure of the Maidens line. Info drawn from "Little Railways of South-West Scotland", D.L. Smith

 

Anyway, hope this is interesting to more than just me, even if I've pushed the bounderies of what's meant to be in this sub-forum.

[Russ (mines a pint)]

Some fantastic shots of 1970's 1980's Girvan on the web I suspect they may have been already linked to above!

 

-would make a cracking small layout in N and a decent roomsize or exhibition one in 4mm - RTR wise at least in the 'post class 126 DMU' era its all there? though for a proper 107 you need Derby ends on the class 110 body, not the ltd. edition 108 ho hum

[IC126]

I have added a number of detail views of Girvan station (taken over the last couple of years) to my Scottish Region Gallery.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jamie]

I have added a number of detail views of Girvan station (taken over the last couple of years) to my Scottish Region Gallery.

Thanks those are excellent. B)

[Irishswissernie]

Our man Ernie has the best selection in this fotopic gallery:

http://rniescottishailwayrchive.fotopic.net/c652566.html

 

Dave F just brought my attention to this thread so I have dug out a couple more views of Girvan and added them to my above gallery.

One shows the waiting room and subway covered entrance on the down side, not a good negative but I think it was demolished just afterwards.(early 1980's)

The other is of the harbour and shows the foundations (I think) for the coal shipping point.

 

Ernie

[Jamie]

 

Dave F just brought my attention to this thread so I have dug out a couple more views of Girvan and added them to my above gallery.

One shows the waiting room and subway covered entrance on the down side, not a good negative but I think it was demolished just afterwards.(early 1980's)

The other is of the harbour and shows the foundations (I think) for the coal shipping point.

 

Ernie

 

Thanks Ernie - two more shots of things I don't recall seeing before.

Can't even recall if those concrete remains still exist, whether (as I suspect) it's landscaped, or whether they'd be under the lifeboat station. But I have to admit that my memory is shockingly poor at times!

[Legend]

I had a holiday in Girvan once, around 1973 I think. Stayed in the caravan park the other side of golf course from the railway to the coal yard (was the harbour branch).

 

Used to get woken up by the chirping of a Class 20 delivering coal on what must be the pick up goods. ~Used to watch her run up and down the line on a spot of shunting prior to heading out again. Don't think it was daily , maybe a few times a week.

 

These pics have brought it all back!

[Jamie]

More on Girvan:

 

 

Road set into the platform for a northbound train. Photos elsewhere on the net suggest the subsidiary is OOU at this end of the station too.