Gatehead railway station

Gatehead railway station was a railway station serving the village of Gatehead, East Ayrshire, Scotland.

Gatehead
The remains of the station platform in early 2007
Location
Place	Gatehead
Area	Ayrshire
Coordinates	55.5943°N 4.5547°W / 55.5943; -4.5547
Grid reference	NS390363
Operations
Original company	Kilmarnock and Troon Railway
Pre-grouping	Glasgow and South Western Railway
Post-grouping	London, Midland and Scottish Railway
Platforms	2
History
6 July 1812	Opened[1]
3 March 1969	Closed[1]
Disused railway stations in the United Kingdom
Closed railway stations in Britain A B C D–F G H–J K–L M–O P–R S T–V W–Z

History

The station was opened on 6 July 1812 by the Kilmarnock and Troon Railway.[1] The Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway took over management of the station (and its line) on 16 July 1846,[2] while its successor, the Glasgow and South Western Railway, took over full ownership in 1899.[3] The station closed on 3 March 1969.[1]

A coal train from the 'Troon' end of the line

Today Gatehead station has a single platform intact (although overgrown). The line is still open as part of the Glasgow South Western Line and the station's level crossing is still in use, allowing road traffic on the A759 to cross the line.

Laigh Milton Viaduct, Scotland's oldest railway viaduct, is nearby, but not in use as the railway was realigned in 1846.

Preceding station	Historical railways			Following station
Drybridge Line open; station closed		Glasgow and South Western Railway Kilmarnock and Troon Railway		Kilmarnock (1) 1812 - 1843
		Glasgow and South Western Railway Kilmarnock and Troon Railway		Kilmarnock (2) 1843 - 1846
		Glasgow and South Western Railway Kilmarnock and Troon Railway		Kilmarnock (3) 1846 - 1969
Connection with K&TR		Glasgow and South Western Railway Gatehead and Hurlford Branch		Riccarton Line and station closed

Views of the railway at Gatehead

• 
  A coal train heading up to Kilmarnock
• 
  Looking towards the River Irvine and Old Rome
• 
  Looking towards the Cochrane Inn and Crosshouse

References

Notes

1. Butt (1995), page 101
2. Awdry, p. 84
3. Stansfield, p. 8 8

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.
• Stansfield, G. (1999). Ayrshire & Renfrewshire's Lost Railways. Ochiltree: Stenlake Publishing. ISBN 1-8403-3077-5.