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Gort Station


NoelG
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A few more. Looking at Google maps a lot of this has now gone with new modern platforms where the yard and box was. At least the line has survived with new passenger services.

 

We had a great week travelling around in locos and brake vans. On one route we even had a van to come to pick us up and take us back to Limerick when the return freight service was delayed till many hours later.

 

Regards

 

Ian

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I visited Gort once on an RPSI railtour. I thought I took some photos but I can't identify any. I nearly spent longer there than I intended. The train stopped for about half an hour so we could look around. Then there was a choice of a bus to a lineside photo shoot of a runpast, or stay on the train to Mullingar. The group of us from the model railway club decided on the bus, only to see it pull away as we approached. We turned round to see the train starting too. It was a good job the  J15 at the head didn't accelerate too fast.

What sticks in my memory, though sadly no photo that I can find, is a wagon on the back siding with no axleboxes. I think it was a sugar beet wagon (quite distinctive?).

A very enjoyable trip altogether.

Jonathan

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This is looking good!  

About 20 years ago I had plans for a model of Ennis in 6mm scale (on 32mm gauge track) but it never got beyond a few items of rolling stock.

 

When I was a child in the 1980s we used to go on family holidays to Barefield (north of Ennis near the line towards Gort) every year. 

That was when the line through Ennis and Gort had some freight traffic and there was an occasional passenger excursion.

I have a few photos of Ennis at that time, but I also have several working timetables for the 1970s and 1980s which give details of the various freight services on the line (including the booked traction), and the paths for excursions.

 

Let me know if information from those might be useful to you - I could scan the relevant pages.

Regards,

Mol

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  • 2 weeks later...

The main elements of Gort are now gradually coming together.

 

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Loads more to be done, but looking forward to it

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Pleased with Peco code 75 track

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I keep putting the brakes on against my instinctive tendency to rush to operating trains

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On 09/01/2021 at 12:33, roundhouse said:

A few more. Looking at Google maps a lot of this has now gone with new modern platforms where the yard and box was. At least the line has survived with new passenger services.

 

We had a great week travelling around in locos and brake vans. On one route we even had a van to come to pick us up and take us back to Limerick when the return freight service was delayed till many hours later.

 

Regards

 

Ian

 

 

 

In later years I always found the staff on that line very friendly. 

No problem getting permission to walk across the tracks to the goods yard at Ennis to take photos, for example:

055_Ennis

Once the daily through service to Dublin with a Mk3 set was introduced, it was a one-way trip to Ennis in the evening. No problem going back to Limerick on the ECS, with the last leg in the EGV so that the guard could turn the set lights off and let us out without releasing the doors.

And the Ennis stationmaster gave me a cup of tea and some photos on another occasion I was wandering around with the camera.

 

Nice memories.

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Buildings of Gort montage. Its the first time I've scratch built model buildings for a very long time (ie Kingsbridge loco shed), but its been fun having a go. Now I can go back and focus on electrics for a while.

 

GortBuildings20210129.jpg

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1 hour ago, pat141 said:

Great job, just need a bit of subtle weathering.

 

Thanks, Did a test piece of weathering today on a piece of embossed test card, but it didn't work well, do will test another approach before going near these buildings.

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This photo scene from "Rails Through the West" by Jonathan Beaumont and Barry Carse was the inspiration for this layout. This is what I hope to capture one day when its finished. Dry fitted the buildings today to see how the whole thing fits together.

 

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The Southern end (Ennis direction)

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I'm glad I didn't use stock RTR buildings or kits for the buildings

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Hopefully when this loading dock has a small crane and some cattle pens and some cattle upon it it will come to life.

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This has been one of the most enjoyable projects in many years, challenging at times, but enjoyable too.

 

Edited by NoelG
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A few daylight photos of progress on Gort. I'm really looking forward to operations on the layout once completed. The intent was circa 1972'ish or even 1970.

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B165 picking up some wagons from the loading dock to be coupled up to the passing Limerick Galway working onward via Athenry where two wagons will be dropped off for onward collection by the later claremorris working.

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This is the shot that I envisaged recreating one day when I read "Rails through the West" only a few years ago. Can't wait to get the scenics done once the buildings have been detailed.

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Gort has an interesting track layout with a loop before the goods shed. This would facilitate southbound locos from Athenry to Ennis running around wagons being dropped off by running loco into the goods shed. Much more work to do but looking forward to building the cattle dock, putting up the many telegraph poles and scenics. Will test run locos and all electrics before scenics and ballasting to minimise need to redo anything should I discover any problems.

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My thanks to the many folk who kindly send me old photos of Gort buildings and structures and especially to Jonathan Beaumont and Barry Carse for the inspiration depicted in their book "Rails Through the West". Now down to work. :)

Edited by NoelG
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1 hour ago, StephenB said:

Noel

 

Surely the loop in the goods yard allows access to the goods shed while wagons are at the loading bay immediately next door.

 

Stephen

 

Yes that would make sense. It was explained to me that with a train heading south for Ennis/Limerick, when the loco and a few wagons uncoupled from the train, the loco could run along that loop, uncouple a few wagons beside the loading dock, run forward partially into the goods shed and then reverse back running around the wagons it just dropped off. Trains heading in the athenry direction would not need the loco to run around as it would be at the head of the north going formation. Anyway I'm looking forward to emulating these types of shunting manoeuvres with the kadee couplings on my stock since I converted from TLCs a few years ago. That little loop fascinated me until somebody explained its purpose a few years ago.

 

Wagons could then be rolled by hand into the goods shed one by one as needed and common practice at small rural stations.

Edited by NoelG
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  • 3 weeks later...

Some emerging Gort scenes as buildings test fitted dry after decoration, platforms test fitted and tested for loading gauge fit. Important to check all this sort of stuff out now, before wiring is complete and before ballasting.

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View north toward Athenry

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View south towards Ennis/Limerick

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View through Gort goods shed

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Its been slow but have really enjoyed this process

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Really looking forward to shunting this layout which is only 10ft x 2ft

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. . . more to come (in the fullness of time) :)  

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Some platform walls constructed today. Capping stone done via strip of balsa shaped to half round and scored to represent each capping stone. Will weather these in a day or so when the paint is dry. These small walls are a distinctive feature of Gort. Now to find the right Gaelic font on my mac for the station board name.

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Gort's essence is an overall greyness from all the stone.

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Will weather these walls tomorrow. Pleased with the way the balsa worked into the wall.

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Really enjoying this project.

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