Enzie railway station

Last updated

Enzie
Enzie station site geograph-3458893-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg
The site of Enzie station
General information
LocationEnzie, Moray
Scotland
Coordinates 57°38′08″N2°59′20″W / 57.6355°N 2.9889°W / 57.6355; -2.9889
Grid reference NJ 410 610
Platforms1
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original company Highland Railway
Pre-groupingHighland Railway
Key dates
1 August 1884 [1] Station opens as 'Enzie'
9 August 1915 [1] Station closes to passengers
Location
Enzie railway station

Enzie railway station was a station which served the hamlet of Enzie, in the Scottish county of Moray. It was served by trains on the Buckie and Portessie Branch north of Keith. The latter station is now the nearest to Enzie.

Contents

History

The station was opened by the Highland Railway in 1884 and had a short life with services being suspended during World War I on 9 August 1915 [1] and the rails south of Buckie removed, although it was hoped to restart services. The line remained closed in 1923, [2] when the Highland Railway was absorbed by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS). After this the track was relaid, but services were not restarted and the track removed again [3] in 1937. [4] The nearby Aultmore became the terminus of a goods spur from Keith and continued in use until 1966.

Work had begun on the Keith to Portessie line of the Highland Railway on 7 November 1882. Wartime economies led to closure of the line on 9 August 1915 and in 1917 the track between Aultmore (towards Keith) and Portessie was requisitioned by the Admiralty. [5] The Great North of Scotland Railway (GNoSR) re-opened the north and south sections of line by 1919, but the Aultmore to Portessie section passing through Enzie, Drybridge and Rathven was never re-opened and the track was again removed in 1937. [5]

Infrastructure

The station had a single platform, a signal box and a goods shed with a stationmaster's house nearby. A set of sidings ran towards Aultmore with a weigh machine located to one side. [6] A second signal box was located nearby on the line towards Drybridge Platform. [7] Murdoch Paterson was the architect responsible for the station buildings. [8]

Buckie and
Portessie Branch
(Highland Railway)
BSicon exCONTg.svg
BSicon exvSHI2gl-.svg
Portessie Junction
BSicon exvHST.svg
Portessie
BSicon exdHST.svg
BSicon exdHST.svg
Buckie
(GNoSR)(HR)
BSicon exdCONTgq.svg
BSicon exSTR~L.svg
BSicon exSTRr.svg
BSicon exdSTR~R.svg
BSicon exHST.svg
Rathven
BSicon exHST.svg
Drybridge Platform
BSicon exHST.svg
Enzie
BSicon exHST.svg
Aultmore
BSicon CONT2.svg
BSicon xSTR+c3.svg
BSicon STRc1.svg
BSicon xABZg+4.svg
Keith West Junction
BSicon dCONTgq.svg
BSicon STR~L.svg
BSicon STR+r.svg
BSicon dSTR~R.svg
BSicon vHST.svg
Keith Junction
BSicon v-SHI2g+r.svg
Keith East Junction
BSicon CONTf.svg

The site today

The station site is now occupied by a house. The original signal box can still be seen, albeit relocated to a residential garden as a feature, down in the village of Clochan some 1/2 mile away.

At the turn-off to the Enzie Station, a memorial to the Landgirls can be found honouring the effort that was made by the women during the wars of the 20th century. This was the first of any kind in Great Britain and was opened by Prince Charles in October 2012. There is a parking area and a bench for reflecting and remembering or enjoying the peaceful location or magnificent views across the Moray Firth.

References

Footnotes

Sources

Preceding stationHistorical railwaysFollowing station
Aultmore   Highland Railway
Buckie and Portessie Branch
  Drybridge Platform