Grangeston Halt railway station

The Grangeston Halt railway station was a private station that was not listed in the public timetables, located in a rural part of South Ayrshire, Scotland and served the WWII Grangeston ICI munitions plant bringing workers to the site.[2] Grant's Distillery now occupies much of the site.

Grangeston Halt
Grangeston Halt looking towards Ayr
General information
LocationBetween Killochan and Girvan
Scotland
Coordinates55.25871°N 4.82785°W / 55.25871; -4.82785
Grid referenceNX203997
Platforms2
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companyLondon, Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
15 December 1941Opened
1965Closed[1]

History

Where Grant's Distillery is now at Grangeston in WWII [3] was an ICI munitions factory producing flashless cordite that was served by sidings from the Maidens and Dunure line which joined at a north facing junction. The Grangeston depot was also served by a passenger facility named Grangeston Halt that was located on the Maybole and Girvan Railway line and closed in 1965.[4] [5]

"At the onset of the Second World War (1939-1945), the British Government decided to massively expand its capability to produce explosives for filling shells and as propellant for gun and rifle cartridges. Instead of creating another giant factory like the First World War (1914-1918) munitions works at Gretna and Eastriggs, production was spread around a large number of government-run sites like ROF Bishopton near Glasgow and agency industrial works like the ICI explosive works at Ardeer in Ayrshire. ICI saw a need to increase production by establishing six new factories in South West Scotland. These were Ministry of Supply factories run and staffed by ICI as 'Agency Factories'."[6]

Station infrastructure

The station was located on a double track section of the line and had a brick built platform with concrete edging.[7] One overgrown platform still exists and the line has been singled.

Workings

A Southern Railway 0-4-2T locomotive, Stroudley class D1 no. 2284 was allocated to Girvan railway station and Smith records that "It proved useful ... as a substitute for the diesel shunter at Grangeston munitions factory, which shunter that had a habit of breaking down. A two-platform halt was erected at Grangeston and two workers' trains ran to it from Ayr each morning. These trains went on to Girvan station, reversing there and going to Turnberry ... Two similar trains worked back in the evening."[8]

Micro-history

The Grangeston ICI munitions factory was linked to the Maidens and Dunure Light Railway and the tracks were lifted in 1961.[9] An internal narrow gauge railway system existed.[10]

It has been proposed that a freight facility should be built here to serve the industrial estate, to be known as Girvan Grangeston.[11]

Maybole and Girvan Railway
Up arrow Ayr and Maybole Junction Railway
Maybole Junction
 Maybole (old)
 Maybole (new)
 Kilkerran
 Dailly
Bargany Coal Mine
 Killochan
 Grangeston Halt
(private station)
UpperLeft arrow Maidens and Dunure Light Railway
Girvan Junction
Girvan (old)
 Girvan (new)
Down arrow Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway
Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Maybole   ScotRail
Glasgow South Western Line
   Girvan
  Historical railways  
Killochan
Line open; station closed		   Glasgow and South Western Railway
Maybole and Girvan Railway
   Girvan
Line open; station open

References

Notes
  1. Butt (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present. p. 108.
  2. Butt (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present. p. 132.
  3. Wham (2013). Ayrshire's Forgotten Railways - A Walker's Guide. p. 51.
  4. Wham (2013). Ayrshire's Forgotten Railways - A Walker's Guide. p. 69.
  5. "Ministry of Supply". Dalbeattie ICI Web Site. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  6. "Ministry of Supply". Dalbeattie ICI Web Site. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  7. Wham (2013). Ayrshire's Forgotten Railways - A Walker's Guide. p. 51.
  8. Smith. Legends. p. 119.
  9. "Signalling Record Society". Dalbeattie ICI Web Site. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  10. Wham (2013). Ayrshire's Forgotten Railways - A Walker's Guide. p. 51.
  11. Coia (2012). AyrLine. Driver's eye view Stranraer to Glasgow.

Sources
  • 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.
  • Coia, Paul (2012). AyrLine. Driver's eye view. Stranraer to Glasgow. Video125. DVD.
  • 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.
  • Smith, David L. (1980). Legends of the Glasgow and South Western Railway in the L.M.S. Days. Newton Abbot : David & Charles. ISBN 9780715379813.
  • Wham, Alasdair (2013). Ayrshire's Forgotten Railways. A Walker's Guide. Usk : Oakwood Press. ISBN 978-0-85361-729-7.
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