Spa

Spa, Co.Kerry, is a small populated area west of Tralee, which was served by a Great Southern & Western Railway branch line to Fenit which diverged from their 'North Kerry' line to Limerick north of Tralee. The Fenit branch was opened in July 1887, but lost its regular passenger services in December 1934, but remained in use for Sunday passenger excursions and general goods and sugar traffic until 1977. Ten years later in 1988, the Great Southern Railway Preservation Society refurbished the Fenit branch, which still remained in situ, in the hope of operating it as a heritage railway line. Sadly, their plans never came about and since the late 1980s the Fenit branch has fallen into a desperate state of dereliction, with some sections of the line lifted or covered over. The single platform station at Spa remains, now as a private residence. It also retains a siding, once used for loading sugar beet traffic.
The Great Southern & Western Railway station building at Spa, on the Fenit branch, now a private residence. Beet traffic was loaded here up until the late 1970s. A rail overbridge located just west of Spa on the disused Fenit branch. The line has not been maintained since the late 1980s. Ballymacegogue level crossing, west of Spa. Part of the Fenit branch appears to be lifted here. On the right is the gate keepers house. This view is looking towards Fenit. The rails remain on the east side of Ballymacegogue crossing near Spa, now quite overgrown. The last movements over the Fenit branch were in 1988.