Duncraig railway station
Duncraig railway station is a remote railway station by the shore of Loch Carron on the Kyle of Lochalsh Line, originally (privately) serving Duncraig Castle, a mansion near Plockton, in the Highland council area of northern Scotland. The station is 57 miles 9 chains (91.9 km) from Dingwall, between Stromeferry and Plockton.[4] ScotRail, who manage the station, operate all services at the station.
 | |
|---|---|
 The platform alongside Loch Carron, looking northeast | |
| General information | |
| Location | Duncraig Castle, near Plockton, Highland Scotland |
| Coordinates | 57.3369°N 5.6372°W |
| Grid reference | NG812332 |
| Managed by | ScotRail |
| Platforms | 1 |
| Other information | |
| Station code | DCG[2] |
| History | |
| Original company | Highland Railway |
| Pre-grouping | Highland Railway |
| Post-grouping | LMSR |
| Key dates | |
| 1897[3] | Opened as private station Duncraig Platform |
| 23 May 1949[3] | Opened to the public |
| 10 September 1962[3] | Renamed |
| 7 December 1964[3] | Closed |
| 5 January 1976[3] | Reopened |
| Passengers | |
| 2017/18 |  408 |
| 2018/19 | 484 |
| 2019/20 | 500 |
| 2020/21 |  30 |
| 2021/22 | 376 |
| Notes | |
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road | |
History
The station was built as a private station for Duncraig Castle[5] by the Kyle of Lochalsh Extension (Highland Railway), opening on 2 November 1897.[6]
It became a public station in 1949. Duncraig was closed between 7 December 1964 and 5 January 1976;[3] it was reopened after local train drivers refused to acknowledge the station's closure for the intervening 11 years.[7] One of the drivers is quoted as saying:[8]
"We thought that if the English wanted to close a railway station they should pick on Euston or King's Cross"
The station is a Category B listed building.[9]
Facilities
The only facilities at the station are a small waiting room, a bench and a help point. The station, however, has step-free access.[10] As there are no facilities to purchase tickets, passengers must buy one in advance, or from the guard on the train.
Services
.jpg.webp)
Four trains each way call (on request) on weekdays and Saturdays. On Sundays, there is only one train each way, plus a second from May to late September only.[11][12]
| Preceding station | National Rail |
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stromeferry | ScotRail Kyle of Lochalsh Line |
Plockton | ||
| Historical railways | ||||
| Stromeferry Line and station open |
Highland Railway Kyle of Lochalsh Extension |
Plockton Line and station open | ||
References
- Brailsford 2017, Gaelic/English Station Index.
- Deaves, Phil. "Railway Codes". railwaycodes.org.uk. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- Butt 1995, p. 85.
- 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. pp. .page. ISBN 978 1909431 26 3.
- Private and Untimetabled railway stations by G.Croughton page 69
- "Railways in the Western Highlands. Opening of New Kyle Extension". Glasgow Herald. British Newspaper Archive. 3 November 1897. Retrieved 15 August 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- Wills, Dixe (8 April 2014). "Stop the train, I want to get off: The magic of Britain's railway request stations". The Independent. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
- Wills, Dixe (2014). Tiny Stations (Paperback, 1st reprint ed.). Basingstoke: AA Publishing. p. 287. ISBN 978-0-7495-7732-2.
- Historic Environment Scotland. "Duncraig Halt (Category B Listed Building) (LB44180)". Retrieved 27 March 2019.
- "National Rail Enquiries -". www.nationalrail.co.uk. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
- eNRT May 2022 Edition, Table 219
- eNRT December 2021 Edition, Table 219
Bibliography
- Brailsford, Martyn, ed. (December 2017) [1987]. Railway Track Diagrams 1: Scotland & Isle of Man (6th ed.). Frome: Trackmaps. ISBN 978-0-9549866-9-8.
- Vallance, H.A.; Clinker, C.R.; Lambert, Anthony J. (1985). The Highland Railway : The History of the Railways of the Scottish Highlands - Vol 2 (4th ed.). David St John Thomas. ISBN 0946537232.
- 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.
