Knock (Banffshire) railway station

Knock (Banffshire)
Location
Place	Banff, Aberdeenshire
Area	Aberdeenshire
Coordinates	57°34′49″N 2°44′47″W / 57.580412°N 2.746515°WCoordinates: 57°34′49″N 2°44′47″W / 57.580412°N 2.746515°W
Grid reference	NJ 553 545
Operations
Original company	Banff, Portsoy and Strathisla Railway
Pre-grouping	Great North of Scotland Railway
Post-grouping	London and North Eastern Railway
Platforms	1 (2)
History
30 July 1859[1]	Opened
6 May 1968[1]	Closed 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
UK Railways portal

Knock railway station was an intermediate stop situated^[1] on the Great North of Scotland Railway (GNoSR) line from Grange and Cairnie Junction to Tillynaught. Knock served the rural community and later the Knockdhu Distillery in Banffshire. The line northwards ran to Tillynaught where it split to reach Banff by a branch line or Elgin by the Moray Coast line.

Knock was opened in 1859 by the Banff, Portsoy and Strathisla Railway,^[2] and in 1867 was absorbed by the GNoSR who took over the line and then operating it until grouping in 1923. Passing into British Railways ownership in 1948, the line was, like the rest of the ex-GNoSR lines along the Moray coast, considered for closure as part of the Beeching report and closure notices were issued in 1963. ^[3]

Station infrastructure

In 1894 the station had three sidings, a passing loop and two platforms with a signal box on the 'up' platform,^[4] singled by 1968.^[5] The OS map of 1867 shows a basic station with a shelter, a single platform and only one siding on the opposite side of the road over bridge from the 1902 station that served the distillery in addition to the needs of the rural community.^[6] In 1902 the Knockdhu Distillery is shown with sidings, goods shed, signal box and two platforms with a footbridge.^[7]

In 2011 the platform remained near the Knockdhu distillery together with the old Loading docks however the road over bridge had been demolished.^[8]

Banff, Portsoy and Strathisla Railway
Locale Scotland Dates of operation 1859 – 1968 Successor Great North of Scotland Railway Track gauge 4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Length 19 ^1⁄2 miles (31.4 km)
Legend
Banff Golf Club House Bridgefoot Halt Ladysbridge Ordens Portsoy Harbour Portsoy 1st station Goods only after 1884 Portsoy 2nd station and line to Tochieneal opened in 1884, through to Elgin in 1886 Tillynaught Cornhill Glenbarry Knock Millegin To Keith Grange Curve giving access from Aberdeen opened in 1886 Cairnie Junction (after 1897) Rothiemay Huntly to Aberdeen

References

Notes

1. Butt (1995), p. 137.
2. Butt 1995, p. 28.
3. Maxtone (2005), p. 55.
4. Maxtone (2005), p. 57.
5. Maxtone (2005), p. 58.
6. Banffshire, Sheet XV (includes: Fordyce; Grange; Marnoch; Ordiquhill; Rothiemay). Survey date: 1867. Publication date: 1871.
7. Banffshire Sheet XV.NW (includes: Grange). Publication date: 1905. Date revised: 1902.
8. RailScot - Banff Portsoy and Strathisla Railway

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.
• Maxtone, G.R. (2005). The railways of the Banff & Moray coast. Keith & Dufftown Railway Association. ISBN 0-9547346-1-0.
• Quick, Michael (2009) [2001]. Railway passenger stations in Great Britain: a chronology (4th ed.). Oxford: Railway and Canal Historical Society. ISBN 978-0-901461-57-5. OCLC 612226077.

See also

• List of Great North of Scotland Railway stations

External links

• Banff-Knock Model railway layout
• RailScot - Banff Portsoy and Strathisla Railway
• The Banff Branch