Sourden | |
---|---|
Location | Rothes, Moray Scotland |
Coordinates | 57°32′31″N3°11′21″W / 57.5419°N 3.1893°W Coordinates: 57°32′31″N3°11′21″W / 57.5419°N 3.1893°W |
Grid reference | NJ289508 |
Platforms | 1 |
Other information | |
Status | Disused |
History | |
Original company | Morayshire Railway |
Pre-grouping | Great North of Scotland Railway |
Key dates | |
23 August 1858 [1] | Opened |
August 1866 | Station closed [1] |
Pre 1903 | Sourden Siding closed to freight |
Sourden railway station or Sourdon railway station later Sourden Siding served the rural area near Aikenway Castle and the Wood of Sourden, Moray, Scotland from 1858 to 1866 on the Morayshire Railway. This was an intermediate station on the Rothes-Orton line of the former Great North of Scotland Railway that had originally been opened by the Morayshire Railway in 1858. The hamlet of Newlands is located nearby on the road to Rothes.
Sourden was opened on 23 August 1858 as a request stop however the station closed on 1 August 1866, but it wasn't until 1907 that the permanent way was lifted, including Orton Junction. [2]
The Rothes - Orton section itself was closed to regular traffic from 31/7/1866 due to the construction of the route from Elgin to Rothes which made this line superfluous. For some years irregular goods traffic ran between Rothes and what became known as Sourden Siding until some date prior to 1903. [3] [4]
The Boat of Aikenway public ferry that ran across the River Spey was located nearby. [5]
The Bridge of Sourden, the Pass of Sourden and the Sourden Pool on the River Spey are located nearby.
The single platformed station stood on the western side of the single track line close to the mile post indicating two miles from Orton. The short platform was accessed via the nearby B9015 road. A group of buildings stood beside the station and a signal post was located near the ferry, however no signal box is shown on the OS maps. A building located in a typical site for the station master's house is shown nearby. No sidings were present and the term 'Sourden Siding' may have referred to the truncated line. The old station's platform may have served as the loading dock for the surviving freight traffic. [5]
By 1903 the buildings at Sourden Siding are no longer shown, the name no longer marked and the 'Orton Section' is recorded as disused. [4]
The course of the trackbed is still evident however no buildings remain on the station's site. The Boat of Aikenway ferry across the River Spey has ceased operation.
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).
Rothes is a town in Moray, Scotland, on the banks of the River Spey, 10 miles (16 km) south of Elgin. The town had a population of 1,252 at the 2011 Census. A settlement has been here since AD 600.
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The Morayshire Railway was the first railway to be built north of Aberdeen, Scotland. It received royal assent in 1846 but construction was delayed until 1851 because of the adverse economic conditions existing in the United Kingdom. The railway was built in two phases with the section from Elgin to Lossiemouth completed in 1852. When the Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway (I&AJR) reached Keith via Elgin, the Morayshire was able to complete the Speyside second phase by connecting the Craigellachie line at Orton. Initially, the Morayshire ran its own locomotives on the I&AJR track between Elgin and Orton but this was short-lived and the Morayshire carriages were then hauled to Orton by the I&AJR. Disagreements with the I&AJR eventually forced the Morayshire into constructing a new section of track between its stations at Elgin and Rothes; this was completed in 1862. The Morayshire accomplished its final enlargement by connecting to the new Great North of Scotland Railway (GNoSR) Craigellachie station in 1863. Crippling debt forced the company into an arrangement with the GNoSR for it to assume operation of the track in 1866. By 1881, the Morayshire had greatly reduced its debt and its long-sought-after amalgamation with the GNoSR finally took place.
The Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway is a historic railway in Scotland.
Strathspey Railway is a historic railway in Scotland that ran from Boat of Garten to Dufftown.
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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.
Birchfield Platform railway station, Birchfield Halt railway station or Birchfield Siding railway station served the rural area near Glen of Rothes House, Moray, Scotland from 1871 to 1956 on the Morayshire Railway. 1884 is another suggested opening date however it contradicts the map evidence. This was an intermediate station on the Craigellachie-Elgin line of the former Great North of Scotland Railway that had originally been opened by the Morayshire Railway on 1 January 1862.
Guay railway station, Dunkeld, Perth and Kinross, Scotland, was located near the hamlet of Guay next to the A9 road and close to the River Tay. The station stood on the old Inverness and Perth Junction Railway main line and lay 21 mi 36 chains (34.5 km) from Perth and was some 95 miles (160 km) south of Inverness.
Greens of Drainie railway station served the local farms of Greens, Wester Greens, Easter Greens, etc. in the parish of Drainie, Lossiemouth area, Moray, Scotland from 1852 to 1859 on the Morayshire Railway.
Linksfield Level Crossing railway station or Linksfield railway station served the local rural area just north of Elgin, Moray, Scotland from 1852 to 1859 on the Morayshire Railway. The line joined the Moray Coast Railway at Lossie Junction and trains ran on to the old Elgin (East) railway station.
Cambus O'May railway station or Cambus O'May Halt, served Aberdeenshire, Scotland from 1876 to 1966 on the Deeside Railway. It was intended to serve the anglers on the River Dee, tourists, the 1874 Cambus O'May House hunting lodge and the local population of this rural district and stood 39 3⁄8 miles (63.4 km) from the Aberdeen (Joint) station. It was the last stop before Ballater.
Torphins railway station served the village of Torphins from 1859 to 1966 on the Deeside Railway that ran from Aberdeen (Joint) to Ballater.
Ravelrig Junction Platform railway station or Ravelrig Halt was originally opened in 1884 as a two platform station on the Shotts line on the edge of the Dalmahoy Estate in an area that now forms part of the city of Edinburgh. It stood just to the west of Ravelrig Junction that served the Balerno Loop Line. After closure in 1920 Ravelrig Platform for Dalmahoy Golf Course was opened at the same site around 1927 as a single platform when the Dalmahoy Estate became a hotel with a golf course, however it is stated to have closed in 1930. The site may have also served a military purpose.
Preceding station | Historical railways | Following station | ||
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Rothes Line and station closed | Morayshire Railway | Orton Line and station closed |