Drummuir Curlers' Platform railway station
Drummuir Curlers' Platform railway station[1] was a private station opened on the Keith and Dufftown Railway for the use of the curlers belonging to the Drummuir Curling Club who played on the nearby Loch Park in the parish of Botriphnie. The GNoSR line ran from Keith to Dufftown.
Drummuir Curlers' Platform | |
|---|---|
 Loch Park from the east | |
| General information | |
| Location | Dufftown, Moray Scotland |
| Coordinates | 57.4748°N 3.0701°W |
| Grid reference | NJ359432 |
| Platforms | 1 |
| Other information | |
| Status | Disused |
| History | |
| Original company | Great North of Scotland Railway |
| Pre-grouping | Great North of Scotland Railway |
| Post-grouping | LNER |
| Key dates | |
| 1862 | Line opened |
| 1968 | line closed to passengers |
| 1991 | Line closed to all traffic |
| 2001 | Line reopened |
History
The station had been opened by 1902[2] on the old Keith and Dufftown Railway line that had become part of the GNoSR and at grouping merged with the London and North Eastern Railway. It was not shown on later maps. It was located near the Sawmill Cottage on the northern side of the line at the eastern end of the loch.[2] The line itself has been re-opened by a preservation railway.
The Aboyne Curling Club also had a private station, Aboyne Curling Pond railway station that stood beside the Loch of Aboyne on the Deeside Railway.
Drummuir Curling Club
The loch is artificial, created by the Drummuir Castle estate. The Drummuir Curling Club was formed in 1884 and joined the Royal Caledonian Curling Club in 1886 however it had left by 1922[3] and probably folded shortly after, otherwise the last record of the club was in 1911.[4]
Infrastructure
The 1899 OS map shows the single short station platform that was located on a straight section of the northern or loch side of this single track section of the branch not far from Sawmill Cottage. A road overbridge stood nearby and the lane gave direct access to the loch.[5]
Services
Apart from advertised events such as bonspiels the stations use would not have been listed and it did not appear on the public timetables, the station being private and the sport had a very seasonal and unpredictable requirement for train services.
The site today
The station site has a lineside hut located on it. A new station to serve the water sports centre is being considered by the Keith and Dufftown Railway preservation society.
References
- Butt 1995, p. 83.
- "Explore georeferenced maps - Banffshire, 019.15, Surveyed: 1902, Published: 1904". National Library of Scotland. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
- "Province History of RCCC, Moray Province". moraycurling.co.uk. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
- "Curling History: The trains to the loch". curlinghistory.blogspot.com. 9 May 2018. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
- "View: Aberdeenshire LXXXII.14 (Aboyne and Glen Tanar; Birse) - Publication date: 1900 Revised: 1899 – Ordnance Survey 25 inch 2nd and later editions, Scotland, 1892-1949". maps.nls.uk. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
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.
External links
| Preceding station | Historical railways | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drummuir Line and station closed |
Great North of Scotland Railway | Dufftown Line and station closed | ||
