Powfoot Halt railway station

Powfoot Halt railway station was a railway station in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, south of Cummertrees serving the workers at the MOD Powfoot Nitro-cellulose factory within the Parish of Cummertrees.[2]

Powfoot
Site of Powfoot Halt
Location
Place	Dumfries
Area	Dumfries and Galloway
Grid reference	NY163663
Operations
Original company	LMS
Platforms	2
History
After 1926[1]	Opened
Before 1966	Closed
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 view towards the site of Powfoot Halt.

The Powfoot Nitro-cellulose factory was established by the War Office in 1940 and was supplied with materials by train from Bishopton. The factory was re-opened during the Korean and the Falklands wars. The site was run by Nobel's Explosives on behalf of the Ministry of Defence and Royal Ordnance. The processing facility closed in 1992.[3][2] The halt was not open to the general public and only served workers at the munitions factory.

The halt is recorded on the OS map published in 1954 on the line next to the Longfords Cottage to Broom lane.[4]

Newbie Junction Halt railway station was another workers only halt that existed between 1898 and 1904 close to Annan where it served the factory workers of Cochran's & Co. boilers and the Newbie Brick and Tile works.

Infrastructure

The relatively short platforms were built on the double track line from wood and were reached by a set of wooden steps leading up from the Longfords to Broom lane. In 1966 the halt was still present.[5]

The site today

A line ran into the factory that has now been removed and nothing remains of the halt. The old factory site is partly camouflaged by tree plantations.[6]

Preceding station	Historical railways			Following station
Cummertrees Line open; station closed		Glasgow and South Western Railway Glasgow, Dumfries and Carlisle Railway		Annan Line open; station open

References

1. Butt 1995, p. 191.
2. Wham, Alasdair (2017). Exploring Dumfries & Galloway's Lost Railway Heritage. Catrine:The Oakwood Press. ISBN 9780853610830. p. 36.
3. Powfoot, Royal Ordnance Factory, Nitrocellulose Factory
4. NY16, Surveyed: 1938 - 1952, Published: 1954
5. Wham, Alasdair (2017). Exploring Dumfries & Galloway's Lost Railway Heritage. Catrine:The Oakwood Press. ISBN 9780853610830. p. 24.
6. Wham, Alasdair (2017). Exploring Dumfries & Galloway's Lost Railway Heritage. Catrine:The Oakwood Press. ISBN 9780853610830. p.146.

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. OCLC 60251199.