Carrbridge railway station

Carrbridge railway station serves the village of Carrbridge, Highland, Scotland. The railway station is managed by ScotRail and is on the Highland Main Line, 90 miles (140 kilometres) from Perth, between Aviemore and Inverness.[3]

Carrbridge

Scottish Gaelic: Drochaid Chàrr[1]
National Rail
Carrbridge railway station, looking towards Inverness
General information
LocationCarrbridge, Highland
Scotland
Coordinates57.2794°N 3.8280°W / 57.2794; -3.8280
Grid referenceNH899224
Managed byScotRail
Platforms2
Other information
Station codeCAG[2]
History
Original companyHighland Railway
Pre-groupingHighland Railway
Post-groupingLondon Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
8 July 1892Opened as Carr Bridge
16 May 1983Renamed as Carrbridge
Passengers
2017/18Increase 6,064
2018/19Decrease 5,584
2019/20Decrease 5,474
2020/21Decrease 1,622
2021/22Increase 3,714
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

History

The station was opened on 8 July 1892 when the Highland Railway opened the line from Aviemore.[4]

Services northbound started on 8 July 1897 when the line to Daviot was opened, the line through to Inverness opened on 1 November 1898.[5]

The station was built with a passing loop on the otherwise single track railway, a signal box (automatic token-exchange apparatus was used) and several sidings on the north side of the line.[6][7]

The station building is thought to be by the architect William Roberts, dating from 1898.[8] A camping coach was positioned here by the Scottish Region from 1954 to 1965.[9]

Accidents and incidents

There have been two accidents at Carrbridge, one in 1914 and another in 2010.

1914 bridge collapse

Photograph of the 1914 accident by J. Barron of Inverness, published in The Sphere, 27 June 1914

On the afternoon of 18 June 1914, a tremendous thunderstorm struck the mountains to the north of the Highland Main Line. The road bridge carrying the road from Carrbridge to Inverness across the Baddengorm Burn was swept away, while further down the valley the burn entered a narrow gorge, crossed by the railway by means of a narrow arch span of only 15 ft (4.6 m). The water was at rail level when the six-carriage 11:50 Perth to Inverness train, 9 minutes late leaving Carrbridge Station at 15:24, crossed the bridge. The first two carriages reached the other side but the bridge then gave way, its foundations having been undermined by a vortex of water. The third carriage was left on the north bank of the burn but the next was plunged into the torrent which soon demolished the carriage, drowning five passengers; remarkably four survived.[10]

The enquiry laid no blame on the designers of the bridge as they could not have foreseen such a volume and force of water, which had never before occurred in the area. The bridge was rebuilt with a longer, concrete, span.

2010 freight train derailment

Derailed Class 66 locomotive 66 048 at Carrbridge, in 2010

On 4 January 2010, a freight train from Inverness to Grangemouth, hauled by a DB Schenker Class 66 for Stobart Rail, derailed on the 1 in 60 (1.67%) gradient down from Slochd Summit at the run out or trap points at the northern end of the station, and ran down an embankment. The driver and technician on the train suffered minor injuries. The line was not reopened until 13 January.[11][12][13]

The RAIB report found the cause was found to be snow and ice that worked its way into the space between the wheels' brake blocks. This may have also interfered with other parts of the brake mechanisms on the freight wagons. It was also found that the way the driver performed running brake tests while on the trip contributed to the outcome. Other possible contributing factors were that ploughed snow may have been allowed to accumulate too close to the tracks, thus the train passing these snowbanks at speed may have pulled snow into the brake mechanisms.[14]

Facilities

The station has a car park, with bike racks, but is not permanently staffed. Flowering shrubs on the platforms are tended by volunteers as part of an 'adopt a station' initiative.[15] Platform 1 has a specific waiting shelter, whilst passengers on platform 2 have to make do with the station buildings. Both platforms also have benches, whilst platform 2 also has a help point. Only platform 2 has step-free access - platform 1 can only be reached via the footbridge.[16] As there are no facilities to purchase tickets, passengers must buy one in advance, or from the guard on the train.

Platform layout

It has a passing loop 30 chains (600 m) long, flanked by two platforms which can each accommodate a thirteen-coach train.[17]

Services

As of May 2022, there are 7 northbound trains per day to Inverness and 6 southbound trains per day to Perth, the latter continuing mostly to Glasgow Queen Street, with one continuing to Edinburgh. 4 trains call each way on Sundays, including the southbound Highland Chieftain to London King's Cross.[18]

Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Aviemore   London North Eastern Railway
Sunday & Southbound Only
  Inverness
Aviemore   ScotRail
Highland Main Line
  Inverness
Aviemore   Caledonian Sleeper

Northbound, weekdays only
  Inverness
  Historical railways  
Aviemore
Line and station open
  Highland Railway
Inverness and Aviemore Direct Railway
  Tomatin
Line open; station closed

References

  1. Brailsford 2017, Gaelic/English Station Index.
  2. Deaves, Phil. "Railway Codes". railwaycodes.org.uk. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  3. Bridge, Mike, ed. (2017). TRACKatlas of Mainland Britain: A Comprehensive Geographic Atlas Showing the Rail Network of Great Britain (3rd ed.). Sheffield: Platform 5 Publishing Ltd. p. 94. ISBN 978-1909431-26-3.
  4. Quick 2022, p. 121.
  5. Thomas & Turnock 1989, p. 317.
  6. "Carr Bridge station on OS Six-inch map Inverness-shire - Mainland Sheet XLV (includes: Duthil and Rothiemurchus)". National Library of Scotland. 1902. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  7. Thomas & Turnock 1989, p. 236.
  8. Gifford 1992.
  9. McRae 1998, p. 13.
  10. Druitt (10 July 1914). "Official report into 1914 crash" (PDF). Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  11. "Rail disruption as train derails". BBC News. BBC. 4 January 2010. Retrieved 5 January 2010.
  12. "Snow derailment problems continue". BBC News. BBC. 5 January 2010. Retrieved 5 January 2010.
  13. Pigott, Nick, ed. (March 2010). "Runaway freight derails in the big freeze". The Railway Magazine. London: IPC Media. 156 (1307): 7. ISSN 0033-8923.
  14. "Derailment of a freight train at Carrbridge, Badenoch and Strathspey 4 January 2010" (PDF). Rail Accident Investigation Branch. February 2011. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
  15. "Carrbridge Station, Scotland". www.carrbridge.org. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  16. "National Rail Enquiries -". www.nationalrail.co.uk. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  17. Brailsford 2017, map 19D.
  18. eNRT May 2022 Edition, Table 213

Bibliography

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