Beattock
Beattock railway station in 1961
General information
LocationDumfries and Galloway
Scotland
Coordinates55°18′25″N 3°27′18″W / 55.306888°N 3.455065°W / 55.306888; -3.455065
Platforms3
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companyCaledonian Railway
Pre-groupingCaledonian Railway
Post-groupingLondon Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
10 September 1847Opened[1]
3 January 1972Closed[1]
Location

Beattock railway station was a station which served the village of Beattock, in the parish of Kirkpatrick-Juxta[2] in the Scottish county of Dumfries and Galloway. It was served by trains on what was originally the Caledonian Main Line, and is now known as the West Coast Main Line. Between 1881 and 1964, Beattock was also the junction for the short branch line to Moffat.[3] Following closure in 1972, the nearest station is at Lockerbie.

History

The old stationmaster's house

Opened by the Caledonian Railway,[1] it became part of the London Midland and Scottish Railway during the Grouping of 1923. It survived the closures in the 1960s, being closed as part of the electrification of the West Coast Main Line, the reason being mentioned by O.S Nock in his book as "the very small amount of traffic currently using it would not warrant the necessary rebuilding and safety improvements to allow electric trains to call."[4]

In steam days, Beattock was of some importance is railway terms, as it was common practice for northbound trains to stop there in order for a bank engine to be added to the train, and assist them for the 10 mi (16 km) climb to Beattock Summit.[5] Because of the importance of Beattock Summit, the main line route between London and Glasgow became known as ‘via Beattock’ in order to differentiate it from the East Coast Main Line, As late as the mid-1960s there were over 150 staff employed by the railway at Beattock.[6]

The station features in the novel The Thirty-Nine Steps, written by John Buchan. Richard Hannay walks to the station from Moffat, before catching a night-train south to England. There is a short story "Beattock for Moffatt" by Robert Bontine Cunninghame Graham about a Scotsman with consumption hoping to reach Beattock before he dies.


Preceding station Historical railways Following station
Wamphray
Line open; Station closed		   Caledonian Railway
Main Line
   Auchencastle
Line open; Station closed
Terminus   Caledonian Railway
Moffat Railway
   Moffat
Line and Station closed

Current operations

Trains pass at speed on the electrified West Coast Main Line. The remnants of the station are still visible on the site. Following the trackwork associated with the electrification work, Beattock retained the down loop, and an up loop was created.[7]

Reopening campaign

There is an active campaign to reopen Beattock station.[8]

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 Butt (1995), page 30
  2. ↑ "Genuki: Kirkpatrick-Juxta, Dumfriesshire".
  3. ↑ Jowett (1989), page 30
  4. ↑ Nock (1974), page 64
  5. ↑ "The "Royal Scot" A Famous Train of the LMS". Railway Wonders of the World. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  6. ↑ "History". Beattock Station Action Group. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  7. ↑ Nock (1974), page 140
  8. ↑ "Home". Beattock Station Action Group. Retrieved 15 August 2023.

Sources

  • Butt, R. V. J. (October 1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199. OL 11956311M.
  • Jowett, Alan (March 1989). Jowett's Railway Atlas of Great Britain and Ireland: From Pre-Grouping to the Present Day (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-086-0. OCLC 22311137.
  • Jowett, Alan (2000). Jowett's Nationalised Railway Atlas (1st ed.). Penryn, Cornwall: Atlantic Transport Publishers. ISBN 978-0-906899-99-1. OCLC 228266687.
  • Nock, Oswald (1974). Electric Euston to Glasgow (1st ed.). London: Ian Allan Limited. ISBN 0-7110-0530-3. OCLC 2283378.
  • Yonge, John (May 1987). Gerald Jacobs (ed.). British Rail Track Diagrams - Book 1: ScotRail (1st ed.). Exeter: Quail Map Company. ISBN 0-9006-0948-6.
  • Yonge, John (February 1993). Gerald Jacobs (ed.). Railway Track Diagrams - Book 1: Scotland and the Isle of Man (2nd ed.). Exeter: Quail Map Company. ISBN 0-9006-0995-8.
  • Yonge, John (April 1996). Gerald Jacobs (ed.). Railway Track Diagrams - Book 1: Scotland and the Isle of Man (3rd ed.). Exeter: Quail Map Company. ISBN 1-8983-1919-7.
  • Yonge, John (2007). Gerald Jacobs (ed.). Railway Track Diagrams - Book 1: Scotland & Isle of Man (Quail Track Plans) (fifth ed.). Bradford on Avon: Trackmaps (formerly Quail Map Co). ISBN 978-0-9549866-3-6. OCLC 79435248.


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