Enzie railway station

Enzie railway station was a station which served the hamlet of Enzie, in the Scottish county of Moray. It was served by trains on the Buckie and Portessie Branch north of Keith. The latter station is now the nearest to Enzie.

Enzie
The site of Enzie station
Location
PlaceEnzie
AreaMoray
Coordinates57.6355°N 2.9889°W / 57.6355; -2.9889
Grid referenceNJ 410 610
Operations
Original companyHighland Railway
Pre-groupingHighland Railway
Platforms1
History
1 August 1884[1]Station opens as 'Enzie'
9 August 1915[1]Station closes to passengers
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 by the Highland Railway in 1884 and had a short life with services being suspended during World War I on 9 August 1915[1] and the rails south of Buckie removed, although it was hoped to restart services. The line remained closed in 1923,[2] when the Highland Railway was absorbed by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS). After this the track was relaid, but services were not restarted and the track removed again[3] in 1937.[4] The nearby Aultmore became the terminus of a goods spur from Keith and continued in use until 1966.

Work had begun on the Keith to Portessie line of the Highland Railway on 7 November 1882. Wartime economies led to closure of the line on 9 August 1915 and in 1917 the track between Aultmore (towards Keith) and Portessie was requisitioned by the Admiralty.[5] The Great North of Scotland Railway (GNoSR) re-opened the north and south sections of line by 1919, but the Aultmore to Portessie section passing through Enzie, Drybridge and Rathven was never re-opened and the track was again removed in 1937.[5]

Infrastructure

The station had a single platform, a signal box and a goods shed with a stationmaster's house nearby. A set of sidings ran towards Aultmore with a weigh machine located to one side.[6] A second signal box was located nearby on the line towards Drybridge Platform.[7] Murdoch Paterson was the architect responsible for the station buildings.[8]

Buckie and Portessie Branch
(Highland Railway)
LocaleScotland
Dates of operation1 August 1884 – 31 December 1922
Successor lineLondon Midland and Scottish Railway
Track gauge4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Portessie Junction
Moray Coast Railway
Portessie
 Buckie
 Rathven
 Drybridge Platform
 Enzie
 Aultmore
1: Keith West Junction
2: Keith East Junction
1
2
Inverness & Aberdeen
Junction Railway
 Keith Junction
  Keith and Dufftown Railway

The site today

The station site is now occupied by a house. The original signal box can still be seen, albeit relocated to a residential garden as a feature, down in the village of Clochan some 1/2 mile away. At the turn-off to the Enzie Station, a memorial to the Landgirls can be found honouring the effort that was made by the ladies during the wars of last century. This was the first of any kind in Great Britain and was opened by Prince Charles in October 2012. There is a parking area and a bench for reflecting and remembering or enjoying the peaceful location or magnificent views across the Moray Firth.

References

Footnotes
  1. Butt 1995, p. 92.
  2. Vallance & Clinker 1971, p. 39.
  3. Vallance & Clinker 1971, pp. 174–175.
  4. Geograph
  5. Historic Environment Scotland & LB50114.
  6. Elginshire Sheet XIV.NE. Publication date: 1905. Date revised: 1903.
  7. Banffshire Sheet VIII.NW. Publication date: 1905. Date revised: 1902.
  8. Scottish Architects

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.). Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-85260-508-1.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Historic Environment Scotland. "Drybridge, Old Highland Railway Bridge  (Category C) (LB50114)". Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  • Vallance, H.A.; Clinker, C.R. (1971). The Highland Railway. Pan Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-330-02720-5.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Wilkinson, Brian (1988). The Heilan Line. The Portessie Branch of the Highland Railway. Dornoch Press. ISBN 0-9513358-2-0.
  • RAILSCOT on Buckie and Portessie Branch
Preceding station Historical railways Following station
Aultmore   Highland Railway
Buckie and Portessie Branch
   Drybridge Platform
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