Hollybush railway station

Hollybush railway station was a railway station in East Ayrshire,[2] Scotland that served the nearby Hollybush Hotel and the rural district. The line on which the old station stands was originally part of the Ayr and Dalmellington Railway, worked and later owned by the Glasgow and South Western Railway. The station, opened as Hollybush later became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway and was closed by the British Railways Board (BRB).

Ayr and Dalmellington Railway
Newton-on-Ayr
Newton Junction
Hawkhill Junction
Ayr
Alloway Junction
Ailsa Hospital
Maybole Junction
Maybole (Dalrymple) Junction
Burnton Viaduct
Hollybush
Holehouse Junction
Holehouse Junction
Patna
Waterside
Waste Tip
Dalmellington

Hollybush
LocationEast Ayrshire, Ayrshire
Scotland
Coordinates55.4016°N 4.5451°W / 55.4016; -4.5451
Grid referenceNS3893214912
Platforms1
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companyAyr and Dalmellington Railway
Pre-groupingGlasgow and South Western Railway
Post-groupingLondon, Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
7 August 1856[1]Station opened
6 April 1964[1]Station closed

History

The Ayr and Dalmellington Railway began as the Ayrshire and Galloway (Smithstown & Dalmellington) Railway, receiving Royal Assent on 8 June 1847.[3] The branch line was planned to run between Waterside and Sillyhole near Dalmellington, however the company evolved into the Ayr and Dalmellington Railway, which received Royal Assent on 4 August 1853 and extended the tracks to both Ayr and Dalmellington.[3]

In 1856 the station had a single building and one siding, approached down a lane that ran from the Malcomston Bridge.[4] The 1894 OS shows a larger station building complex, several sidings, a loading dock, goods shed, railway cottages and an access off the side road.[5] In 1908 a weigh machine was present, a signal box close to the overbridge and a crane near the railway cottages.[6] By 1971 the sidings had been lifted and the nearby school off the B7034 was closed.[7]

The majority of the line is still open today (datum 2013) for freight trains serving opencast mining sites in the area.

The station house survives as a private dwelling lying just off the A713 Ayr, however the old platform has been demolished.

Micro-history

The evergreen holly Ilex aquifolium plant has been used a pub sign since Roman times and thus became a popular name for inns such as the one that Hollybush station is named from.[8]

References

Notes
  1. Butt, Page 121
  2. RCAHMS Retrieved : 2013-01-07
  3. Awdry, page 59
  4. 1856 OS Map Retrieved : 2013-01-07
  5. 1894 OS Map Retrieved : 2013-01-07
  6. 1908 OS Map Retrieved : 2013-01-07
  7. Old Maps Archived 2012-04-30 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved : 2013-01-07
  8. Pub Signs Retrieved : 2013-01-11
Sources
  • Awdry, Christopher (1990). Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies. Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-8526-0049-7. OCLC 19514063. CN 8983.
  • 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.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199.
Preceding station Historical railways Following station
Maybole Junction
Line open; station closed
  Glasgow and South Western Railway
Ayr and Dalmellington Railway
  Holehouse Junction
Line open; station closed
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.