Converted railway station house is right on track

NOT all of their motives were loco — a US couple with Irish roots have brought a piece of Newcastle West history puffing back to life, and are now looking for carriage of sale, with a price tag of €930,000.

The couple saved the 1867-built Station House in the Co Limerick town from a further slow slide into end-of-line dereliction: ironically, the last train to pass through this station was carrying cement, back in 1975.

Cement, along with other building materials, came back in by the truck load after they bought in 1999, when its roof was falling in, the windows were out and the track was up — as was its number, apparently.

They slowly turned it around, into a high-class home with six bedrooms, keeping much of its original Victorian character intact (though the PVC windows do look a bit off-kilter).

It still has 60 foot of original track kept in situ outside as a reminder of days, and trains, gone by. Its original platform is now a sheltered patio, there’s a new garage, off-street parking and landscaped grounds, a limestone facade and enough green space to soften the setting.

Local estate agent Colm O’Donovan of Sherry FitzGerald O’Neill is conducting the sale, and he stresses its individuality, history and accessibility — even though it no longer is served by rail.

The station served as a junction on the Limerick-Tralee rail line and was part of Newcastle West’s heritage for many years. “The worn stone steps tell the tale of the many feet that trod upon them,” says Mr O’Donovan.

Part of the Great Southern and Western Railway, the station in its heyday had eight tracks, two turntables, a goods store, though all that now remains is the Station House.

It has kept an old world character, with modern interventions like necessary appliances housed out of sight, and the centrepiece is the 23’ high atrium space in the kitchen, while nine skylights in the restored slate roof draw light into many of the rooms. Five of the six bedrooms have en-suites, so there’s B&B scope for future owners too.

There’s an open plan kitchen (whose windows once were the ticket office’s), a dining room and step-up living area, and a central fireplace in reclaimed brick, while the main living area has some exposed limestone walls and a steep ladder stair to a loft.

The Station House is still central to life in Newcastle West, and nearby are places like Adare, the Shannon estuary, and good golf courses and challenging links. Now boarding ...