Lethenty railway station

Lethenty railway station was a railway station in Lethenty, Aberdeenshire on the short rural branch line from Inverurie to Old Meldrum serving the rural community of the area.[1]

Lethenty
LocationLethenty, Aberdeenshire
Scotland
Coordinates57.311°N 2.383°W / 57.311; -2.383
Grid referenceNJ 769 245
Platforms1
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companyInverury and Old Meldrum Junction Railway
Pre-groupingGreat North of Scotland Railway
Key dates
26 June 1856opened to passengers
6 July 1856Opened for goods
2 November 1931closed for passengers
6 February 1961station closed for freight
1966line closed completely

History

The railway station opened on 26 June 1856 and closed to passengers on 2 November 1931.[2] The date for opening is also given as 1 October 1856.[3]

The station continued to be used for freight traffic until official closure on 6 February 1961.[4][5][6]

The station lay 2.25 miles from Inverurie[3] In the early 20th century the station and the platform were rebuilt using stone for the latter and wood for the former. It had a single siding that lay beyond the level crossing that served the Lethenty meal mill via a waggon turntable.[3]

The station lay at 195 feet above sea level on a section of the single track line, that for down trains presented a climb that was not too challenging, but it was continuous with Fingask at 244 feet and Oldmeldrum at 264 feet. No signals or passing loop were present.[3]

Lethenty had facilities for parcels, freight, horseboxes, livestock.[7] It had no crane and did not serve private carriages or furniture vans.[8] The staff originally consisted of a stationmaster and porter.[8] In 1915 milk churns, parcels and freight traffic were quite regular.[9]

The platform survives however the station building has been demolished. A railway cottage still stands nearby.

Previous services

All trains stopped at Lethenty, unlike the service at Fingask.[10] The line had no Sunday service. Tickets were issued from Lethenty in 1937 and 1938 despite the 1931 closure, however these may represent tickets for onward travel from Inverurie issued as the station was still staffed however it could relate to passengers travelling in the freight train goods van that was permitted at the time.[11] The last railtour to visit the line was in June 1965 with a two car DMU.[12]

Preceding station Historical railways Following station
Inverurie
Line closed; Station open		   Great North of Scotland Railway
Inverury and Old Meldrum Junction Railway		   Fingask
Line and Station closed

References

Notes
  1. British Railways Atlas.1947. p.38
  2. "Lethenty Station". canmore.org.uk. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
  3. McLeish, p.10
  4. McLeish, p.79
  5. "Inverury and Old Meldrum Junction Railway". www.railscot.co.uk. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
  6. McLeish,p.65
  7. McLeish, p.12
  8. McLeish, p.16
  9. McLeish, p.17
  10. McLeish, p.15
  11. McLeish, p.59
  12. McLeish, p.66

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.
  • 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.
  • McLeish, Duncan (2014). Rails to Banff, Macduff and Oldmeldrum. Pub. GNoSRA. ISBN 978-0902343-26-9.
  • RAILSCOT on Inverury and Old Meldrum Junction Railway


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