Saturday 14 February 2009

1D PETERHEAD LINE


The Formartine & Buchan Railway was authorised to build the Peterhead line from Dyce in 1858 and an alternative route via Ellon was authorised the following year. The line opened between Dyce and Mintlaw in 1861 and extended to Peterhead in 1862. It merged with the GNoSR in 1866.

The Maud to Peterhead section closed to passengers in May 1965 and the Dyce to Maud section five months later. Goods were withdrawn from the Peterhead branch in 1970, although goods trains continued to run through Maud to Fraserburgh until 1979, when the line closed completely.

FORMARTINE & BUCHAN RAILWAY

Authorised: 23/7/1858
Altered route via Ellon authorised: 19/4/1859
Merged with the GNoSR: 1/8/1866

Opened:
Dyce - Old Deer (Mintlaw) 18/7/1861
Old Deer (Mintlaw) - Peterhead 3/7/1862

Closed:
Maud - Peterhead
3/5/65 (passengers)
7/9/70 (goods/completely)
Dyce - Maud
4/10/65 (passengers)
6/10/79 (goods/completely)

Stations
57 PARKHILL (P 3/4/50 G/CC 7/8/61)*
58 NEWMACHAR (G 23/3/64 P/CC 4/10/65)**
59 UDNY (P 4/10/65 G/CC 28/3/66)
60 NEWBURGH ROAD (G 7/11/60 P/CC 4/10/65)
(RN LOGIERIEVE 10/1862. Unstaffed from 7/11/60)
61 ESSLEMONT (P/G/CC 15/9/52)
62 ELLON (P 4/10/65 G/CC 11/9/67)
63 ARNAGE
(G 23/3/64 P/CC 4/10/65)
64 AUCHNAGATT (P 4/10/65 G/CC 28/3/66)
65 BRUCKLAY (P 4/10/65 G/CC 6/10/79)
(RN NEW MAUD JUNCTION 24/4/1865, MAUD JUNCTION 5/1866, MAUD 21/9/25)
66 OLD DEER (P 3/5/65 G/CC 19/6/67)
(RN MINTLAW 1/9/1867. Originally known as Old Deer and Mintlaw)
67 LONGSIDE (G 23/3/64 P/CC 3/5/65)***
68 NEWSEAT (
P/CC 3/5/65) no goods****
69 INVERUGIE (G 7/11/60 P/CC 3/5/65)
70 PETERHEAD (P 3/5/65 G/CC 7/9/70)*****

* The section between Parkhill and Elrick signalbox was doubled on 31/5/20 and singled again in September 1924.
** Originally New Machar.
*** A 2.5-mile long branch line was constructed to serve the Royal Naval Air Service airship base at Lenabo, which was in use from 1916. The branch, which left the Maud - Peterhead line east of Longside station, is thought to have been in use between 1918 and 1923, although the base was declared redundant in 1919 and was demolished in 1920-1. The tracks were removed on 7/9/23.
**** New Seat until 5/1884. RN Newseat Halt and unstaffed 22/9/30.
***** Peterhead Harbour extension, authorised 23/7/1858, opened 9/8/1865. Mostly fell into disuse by 1938. Remainder fell out of use during World War II.

Station openings
All stations between Dyce and Old Deer opened in 1861, with all those from Longside to Peterhead opening the following year.

Closures
Parkhill closed to passengers in 1950 and Esslemont closed completely in 1952.
Goods services were withdrawn from Logierieve and Inverugie in 1960.
Parkhill lost its goods service and closed completely in 1961, while Newmachar, Arnage, and Longside lost their goods services in 1964.
When the branch from Maud to Peterhead closed to passengers in 1965, the stations at Longside, Newseat and Inverugie closed completely.
The remaining stations between Dyce and Maud closed to passengers in November 1965, when Newmachar, Logierieve and Arnage closed completely.
Goods services were withdrawn from Udny and Auchnagatt in 1966 and from Ellon and Mintlaw in 1967. Goods were withdrawn from Peterhead in 1970, when the line closed completely.
Maud finally closed to goods in 1979 and the line closed completely with the end of goods services north to Fraserburgh (see 1F).

PICTURE: Class 25 locomotive 25035 during a photostop at Maud on the SRPS railtour to Fraserburgh on May 12 1979 (Andrew Parrott)

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