Enzie railway station

Enzie
Enzie
	The site of Enzie station
General information
Location	Enzie, Moray ; Scotland
Coordinates	57°38′08″N2°59′20″W / 57.6355°N 2.9889°W
Grid reference	NJ 410 610
Platforms	1
Other information
Status	Disused
History
Original company	Highland Railway
Pre-grouping	Highland Railway
Key dates
1 August 1884	Station opens as 'Enzie'
9 August 1915	Station closes to passengers

Last updated May 18, 2024

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.

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)

Legend

Moray Coast Railway

Portessie Junction

Portessie

Buckie

(GNoSR)│(HR)

Moray Coast Railway

Rathven

Drybridge Platform

Enzie

Aultmore

Inverness & Aberdeen

Junction Railway

Keith West Junction

Keith and Dufftown Railway

Keith Junction

Keith East Junction

Inverness & Aberdeen

Junction Railway

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.

Related Research Articles

The Highland Railway (HR) was one of the smaller British railways before the Railways Act 1921, operating north of Perth railway station in Scotland and serving the farthest north of Britain. Based in Inverness, the company was formed by merger in 1865, absorbing over 249 miles (401 km) of line. It continued to expand, reaching Wick and Thurso in the north and Kyle of Lochalsh in the west, eventually serving the counties of Caithness, Sutherland, Ross & Cromarty, Inverness, Perth, Nairn, Moray and Banff. Southward it connected with the Caledonian Railway at Stanley Junction, north of Perth, and eastward with the Great North of Scotland Railway at Boat of Garten, Elgin, Keith and Portessie.

Buckie is a burgh town on the Moray Firth coast of Scotland. Historically in Banffshire, Buckie was the largest town in the county until the administrative area was abolished in 1975. The town is the third largest in the Moray council area after Elgin and Forres and within the definitions of statistics published by the General Register Office for Scotland was ranked at number 75 in the list of population estimates for settlements in Scotland mid-year 2006. Buckie is virtually equidistant to Banff to the east and Elgin to the west, with both approximately 17 miles distant whilst Keith lies 12 mi (19 km) to the south by road.

The Buckie and Portessie Branch was a railway branch line in Scotland, built by the Highland Railway to serve an important fishing harbour at Buckie, in Banffshire. It connected with the rival Great North of Scotland Railway at Portessie.

Aultmore railway station was a station which served the village of Aultmore, 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 Aultmore. Until 1 January 1899 the station was known as Forgie.

Portessie railway station was a joint Highland Railway (HR) and Great North of Scotland Railway (GNoSR) station at the junction between the Moray Coast Railway and the Buckie and Portessie Branch which also served the small fishing village of Portessie, in the parish of Rathven, Scottish county of Moray.

Buckie railway station was a railway station in Buckie, in current day Moray. The station was opened by the Great North of Scotland Railway (GNoSR) on its Moray Firth coast line in 1886, served by Aberdeen to Elgin trains.

Buckpool railway station was a railway station in Buckpool near Buckie in Moray. The railway station was opened by the Great North of Scotland Railway (GNoSR) on its Moray Firth coast line in 1886, served by Aberdeen to Elgin trains. The village and station were originally named Nether Buckie station and the station was renamed 'Buckpool' on 1 January 1887, closing to regular passenger traffic on 7 March 1960, several years before the closure of the line itself in 1968.

Portgordon railway station was a railway station in Portgordon in Moray, Scotland. The railway station was opened by the Great North of Scotland Railway (GNoSR) on its Moray Firth coast line in 1886, served by Aberdeen to Elgin trains. In 1923 the GNoSR became part of the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) and at nationalisation in 1948 became part of British Railways. The station was named Port Gordon railway station until 1938 when it was renamed 'Portgordon' by the LNER.

Spey Bay railway station was a railway station in Spey Bay, Moray. The railway station was opened by the Great North of Scotland Railway (GNoSR) on its Moray Firth coast line in 1886, served by Aberdeen to Elgin trains. The station was originally named Fochabers-on-Spey railway station on 1 May 1886. In November 1893 it became Fochabers railway station, Fochabers and Spey Bay railway station on 1 January 1916 before finally becoming on 1 January 1918 Spey Bay railway station. It closed to regular passenger traffic on 6 May 1968 on the same date as the line itself.

Garmouth railway station was a railway station in Garmouth, parish of Urquhart, Moray. The railway station was opened by the Great North of Scotland Railway (GNoSR) on its Moray Firth coast line in 1884, served by Aberdeen to Elgin trains. It served the villages of Kingston-on-Spey and Garmouth and closed to regular passenger traffic on 6 May 1968 on the same date as the line itself.

Calcots railway station was a railway station in the parish of St Andrews-Lhanbryd, Moray. The railway station was opened by the Great North of Scotland Railway (GNoSR) on its Moray Firth coast line in 1884, served by Aberdeen to Elgin trains. It served a rural area rather than a discrete settlement and closed to regular passenger traffic on 6 May 1968 on the same date as the line itself.

Drybridge Platform railway station or Drybridge railway station was a station which served the hamlet of that name in the parish of Rathven and in addition provided transport for the inhabitants of the Parish of Deskford, Scottish county of Moray. It was served by trains on the Buckie and Portessie Branch north of Keith.

Rathven railway station was a station which served the hamlet of that name, about a mile away in the parish of Rathven, Scottish county of Moray. It was served by trains on the Buckie and Portessie Branch north of Keith.

Buckie railway station was one of two stations which once served the town of Buckie, in the parish of Rathven, Scottish county of Moray. This Highland Railway station was served by trains on the Buckie and Portessie Branch north of Keith until 1915 and remained open for freight until April 1944.

Findochty railway station was a railway station in the small fishing village of Findochty, Moray about 3 miles to the east of Buckie. The railway station was opened by the Great North of Scotland Railway (GNoSR) on its Moray Firth coast line in 1886, served by Aberdeen to Elgin trains.

Portknockie railway station was a railway station that served the small fishing village of Portknockie, close to Cullen in Moray. The railway station was opened by the Great North of Scotland Railway (GNoSR) on its Moray Firth coast line in 1886, served by Aberdeen to Elgin trains.

Tochieneal railway station was a railway station that served the small industrial village of Tochieneal, close to Cullen in Moray. The railway station was opened by the Great North of Scotland Railway (GNoSR) on its Moray Firth coast line in 1884. The station closed to regular passenger traffic on 1 October 1951, more than a decade before the total closure of the line itself in 1968.

Glassaugh railway station was a railway station that served the rural area of Glassaugh and the nearby Glenglassaugh distillery close to Portsoy in Moray. The railway station was opened by the Great North of Scotland Railway (GNoSR) on its Moray Firth coast line in 1884, served by Aberdeen to Elgin trains. The station closed to regular passenger traffic on 21 September 1953, more than a decade before the total closure of the line itself in 1968.

Tillynaught railway station or Tillynaught Junction was a junction railway station in what is now Aberdeenshire, Parish of Fordyce, 6 miles south-west of Banff. Tillynaught was opened in 1859 by the Banff, Portsoy and Strathisla Railway, and in 1867 was absorbed by the Great North of Scotland Railway(GNSR). This junction station was served by Aberdeen to Elgin trains as well as trains running to the branch terminus at Banff.

References

Footnotes

1 2 3 Butt 1995, p. 92.
↑ Vallance & Clinker 1971, p. 39.
↑ Vallance & Clinker 1971, pp. 174–175.
↑ Geograph
1 2 Historic Environment Scotland & LB50114.
↑ Elginshire Sheet XIV.NE. Publication date: 1905. Date revised: 1903.
↑ Banffshire Sheet VIII.NW. Publication date: 1905. Date revised: 1902.
↑ Scottish Architects

Sources

Butt, R. V. J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-85260-508-1.
Historic Environment Scotland. "Drybridge, Old Highland Railway Bridge (Category C Listed Building) (LB50114)" . Retrieved 28 March 2019.
Vallance, H.A.; Clinker, C.R. (1971). The Highland Railway. Pan Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-330-02720-5.
Wilkinson, Brian (1988). The Heilan Line. The Portessie Branch of the Highland Railway. Dornoch Press. ISBN 0-9513358-2-0.

Preceding station	Historical railways			Following station
Aultmore		Highland Railway Buckie and Portessie Branch		Drybridge Platform

External links

RAILSCOT on Buckie and Portessie Branch

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[FOOTNOTEButt199592-1] 1 2 3 Butt 1995, p. 92.

[FOOTNOTEVallanceClinker197139-2] Vallance & Clinker 1971, p. 39.

[FOOTNOTEVallanceClinker1971174–175-3] Vallance & Clinker 1971, pp. 174–175.

[4] Geograph

[FOOTNOTEHistoric_Environment_ScotlandLB50114-5] 1 2 Historic Environment Scotland & LB50114.

[os-6] Elginshire Sheet XIV.NE. Publication date: 1905. Date revised: 1903.

[7] Banffshire Sheet VIII.NW. Publication date: 1905. Date revised: 1902.

[mp-8] Scottish Architects

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