Maud Junction railway station

Maud
Maud
	The station in 2007
General information
Location	Maud, Aberdeenshire ; Scotland
Coordinates	57°31′16″N2°07′32″W / 57.5210°N 2.1256°W
Other information
Status	Disused
Key dates
18 July 1861	Opened as New Maud Junction
1866	Rrenamed Maud Junction
1925	Renamed Maud
1965	Closed for passengers
1979	Closed for freight

Last updated December 06, 2023

Maud Junction railway station was a railway station in Maud, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, now housing the Maud Railway Museum. It was a junction where the line north from Aberdeen split into two routes to the coastal town stations of Peterhead and Fraserburgh, both of which are now closed.^[3]

History

The 29 miles (47 km) long railway from Dyce to Mintlaw opened on 18 July 1861, with the extension to Peterhead opening the following year. The final section north to Fraserburgh opened in 1865. Dyce was on the Great North of Scotland Railway north from Aberdeen Waterloo station. The line was built by the Formartine and Buchan Railway Company, which became part of the GNSR in 1866. In 1923, the GNSR was incorporated into the London and North Eastern Railway, which was in turn nationalised on 1 January 1948. Passenger services on the Buchan lines were withdrawn in 1965 as part of the Beeching cuts. Freight trains continued to operate to Peterhead until 1970 and to Fraserburgh until 1979. The track through Maud station was subsequently lifted.

Maud Junction was a major railhead for N. E. Scotland cattle transport. An auction mart in the village was the source of Aberdeenshire beef cattle for transport to all parts of Great Britain. On market days special arrangements were made to accommodate heavy cattle traffic on the single track line to Dyce given the shortage of sidings at Maud.

There was no engine shed at Maud, even though it had a turntable. Each morning a locomotive came down from Fraserburgh to collect the Fraserburgh coaches from the first train from Aberdeen which then proceeded to Peterhead. The last engine at night went back "light engine" to the Fraserburgh shed.

Current status

Today, the station building houses the small Maud Railway Museum and some vacant business units. The museum can be opened by special request to Aberdeenshire Council. Great North of Scotland Railway Association volunteers open the museum on selected weekends most years. The station site is open to be explored and has been mainly preserved but the track is lifted. The remains of the turntable can be seen, along with the cattle loading platforms.

The Formartine and Buchan Way long-distance footpath follows the line of the old track.

Former services

Preceding station	Historical railways			Following station
Auchnagatt		Great North of Scotland Railway Formartine and Buchan Railway Fraserburgh Line		Brucklay
Auchnagatt		Great North of Scotland Railway Formartine and Buchan Railway Peterhead Line		Abbey of Deer Platform

Related Research Articles

Fraserburgh is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland with a population recorded in the 2011 Census at 13,100. It lies at the far northeast corner of Aberdeenshire, about 40 miles (64 km) north of Aberdeen, and 17 miles (27 km) north of Peterhead. It is the biggest shellfish port in Scotland and one of the largest in Europe, landing over 5,450 tonnes in 2016. Fraserburgh is also a major port for white and pelagic fish.

Dyce is a suburb of Aberdeen, Scotland, situated on the River Don about 6 mi (10 km) northwest of the city centre. It is best known as the location of Aberdeen Airport.

Ellon is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, approximately 16 miles north of Aberdeen, lying on the River Ythan, which has one of the few undeveloped river estuaries on the eastern coast of Scotland. It is in the ancient region of Formartine. Its name is believed to derive from the Gaelic term Eilean, an island, on account of the presence of an island in the River Ythan, which offered a convenient fording point. In 1707 it was made a burgh of barony for the Earl of Buchan.

The Great North of Scotland Railway (GNSR) was one of the two smallest of the five major Scottish railway companies prior to the 1923 Grouping, operating in the north-east of the country. Formed in 1845, it carried its first passengers the 39 miles (63 km) from Kittybrewster, in Aberdeen, to Huntly on 20 September 1854. By 1867 it owned 226+1⁄4 route miles (364.1 km) of line and operated over a further 61 miles (98 km).

Aberdeenshire or the County of Aberdeen is a historic county and registration county of Scotland. The area of the county, excluding the Aberdeen City council area itself, is also a lieutenancy area. The county borders Kincardineshire, Angus and Perthshire to the south, Inverness-shire and Banffshire to the west, and the North Sea to the north and east. It has a coast-line of 65 miles (105 km). The county gives its name to the modern Aberdeenshire council area, which covers a larger area than the historic county.

Peterhead is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is Aberdeenshire's biggest settlement, with a population of 18,537 at the 2011 Census. It is the biggest fishing port in the United Kingdom for total landings by UK vessels, according to a 2019 survey.

Dyce railway station is a railway station serving the suburb of Dyce, Aberdeen, Scotland. The station is managed by ScotRail and is on the Aberdeen to Inverness Line, with some trains operating on the Edinburgh to Aberdeen Line and Glasgow to Aberdeen Line also extended to call at Dyce and Inverurie. It is sited 6.25 miles from Aberdeen, being the first stop north of the station.

Maud is a village in the Buchan area of the Scottish county of Aberdeenshire, with a population of 780. Located 13 miles (21 km) west of Peterhead on the South Ugie Water, Maud rose to prosperity after 1863 as a railway junction of the Formartine and Buchan Railway that ran through Maud to Fraserburgh and Peterhead, but has always been the meeting place of six roads. It has had a variety of names:

The Formartine and Buchan Way is a long-distance trail in Scotland, extending from Dyce north to Peterhead and Fraserburgh in the Buchan and Formartine districts of Aberdeenshire in Scotland. It follows the track of a former railway line, the Formartine and Buchan Railway, and is open to walkers, cyclists and horse riders. The railway closed in 1979 (Fraserburgh) and 1970 (Maud-Peterhead). The walkway opened in the early 1990s, and is managed by Aberdeenshire Council. It is listed as one of Scotland's Great Trails by NatureScot. Places of interest along the way include Drinnes Wood Observatory, Strichen Stone Circle, Aden Country Park, Deer Abbey and The White Horse at Strichen.

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Fraserburgh railway station is a former railway station that once served the town of Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire.

Ellon railway station was a railway station in Ellon, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

Auchnagatt railway station was a railway station in Auchnagatt, Aberdeenshire. Before its closure, services ran to Fraserburgh, Peterhead and Aberdeen.

The Formartine and Buchan Railway was a railway company operating in the north-east of Scotland. It was built to link the important fishing ports of Fraserburgh and Peterhead with Aberdeen. It had a junction with the main line of the Great North of Scotland Railway (GNoS) at Dyce. Due to shortage of finance, the line was opened in stages as money became available. The section from Dyce to Mintlaw opened in 1861, and from there to Peterhead in 1862. The Fraserburgh line opened in 1865. The Company was never profitable, and it was heavily supported financially by the GNoSR; it was formally absorbed by that company in 1866.

Cortes is a rural settlement in the Banff and Buchan area of Aberdeenshire, Scotland, situated in the parish of Rathen, 7.8 kilometres (4.8 mi) south of Fraserburgh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kittybrewster railway station</span> Former railway station in Scotland

There have been three Kittybrewster railway stations at Kittybrewster, Aberdeen. The first opened in 1854 as a terminus of the Great North of Scotland Railway's (GNoSR) first line to Huntly. This was replaced two years later by a station on a new line to a city terminus at Waterloo. It was replaced again when the Denburn Valley Line to Aberdeen Joint opened in 1867.

The Boddam Branch Line was a 15-mile branch railway line constructed by the Great North of Scotland Railway (GNoSR) from Ellon railway station to Boddam in Aberdeenshire. It opened in 1897. As well as serving the small fishing port of Boddam and nearby stone quarries, it connected to the Cruden Bay Hotel, a luxurious resort hotel established and operated by the GNoSR. As a United Kingdom railway-owned resort hotel, the hotel was an unusual development.

The Fraserburgh and St Combs Light Railway was a short railway branch line built in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, to serve fishing harbours. It was built by the Great North of Scotland Railway (GNoSR), and it connected with the GNoSR at Fraserburgh.

Campaign for North East Rail (CNER) is an organisation campaigning for the reinstatement of railways in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

References

↑ https://www.s-r-s.org.uk/railref/ref-go.html ^{[ dead link ]}
↑ https://www.s-r-s.org.uk/railref/ref-go.html ^{[ dead link ]}
↑ 'British Railways Atlas, 1947. p.38

External links

Maud Railway Station - official museum site at Aberdeenshire Council.
Friends of Maud Museum - the volunteers who open the museum.

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[1] ttps://www.s-r-s.org.uk/railref/ref-go.html ^{[ dead link ]}

[2] ttps://www.s-r-s.org.uk/railref/ref-go.html ^{[ dead link ]}

[3] 'British Railways Atlas, 1947. p.38

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