Ardrossan North railway station was a
railway station
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
serving the town of
Ardrossan
Ardrossan (; ) is a town on the North Ayrshire coast in southwestern Scotland. The town has a population of 10,670 and forms part of a conurbation with Saltcoats and Stevenston known as the 'Three Towns'. Ardrossan is located on the east shore ...
,
North Ayrshire
North Ayrshire ( gd, Siorrachd Àir a Tuath, ) is one of 32 council areas in Scotland. The council area borders Inverclyde to the north, Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire to the northeast, and East Ayrshire and South Ayrshire to the east and so ...
,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
as part of the
Lanarkshire and Ayrshire Railway
The Lanarkshire and Ayrshire Railway (L&AR) was an independent railway company built to provide the Caledonian Railway with a shorter route for mineral traffic from the coalfields of Lanarkshire to Ardrossan Harbour, in Scotland.
It opened in st ...
(L&AR). The station was the original Ardrossan
terminus
Terminus may refer to:
* Bus terminus, a bus station serving as an end destination
* Terminal train station or terminus, a railway station serving as an end destination
Geography
*Terminus, the unofficial original name of Atlanta, Georgia, United ...
for this line until the nearby
pier station opened two years later.
History
The station opened on 3 September 1888 and was simply known as Ardrossan.
[Butt, page 18] The opening ceremony for the L&AR was held here, with the first passenger train service also departing here for
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
. On 1 October 1906 the station became known as Ardrossan Town,
and was later closed between 1 January 1917 and 1 February 1919 due to
wartime economy
A war economy or wartime economy is the set of contingencies undertaken by a modern state to mobilize its economy for war production. Philippe Le Billon describes a war economy as a "system of producing, mobilizing and allocating resources to ...
.
![Ardrossan North station site](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/Ardrossan_North_station_site.JPG)
Joining the
Caledonian Railway
The Caledonian Railway (CR) was a major Scottish railway company. It was formed in the early 19th century with the objective of forming a link between English railways and Glasgow. It progressively extended its network and reached Edinburgh an ...
, the L&AR was absorbed into the
London, Midland and Scottish Railway
The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMSIt has been argued that the initials LMSR should be used to be consistent with LNER, GWR and SR. The London, Midland and Scottish Railway's corporate image used LMS, and this is what is generally u ...
during the
Grouping
Grouping may refer to:
* Muenchian grouping
* Principles of grouping
* Railways Act 1921, also known as Grouping Act, a reorganisation of the British railway system
* Grouping (firearms), the pattern of multiple shots from a sidearm
See also ...
of 1923. The station was renamed Ardrossan North on 2 June 1924.
Other alternative names for the station were Ardrossan Montgomerie Street and Ardrossan Caledonian. The station closed to regular passenger services on 4 July 1932,
however it was used for special passenger services until 1939. The line was taken into the
Scottish Region of British Railways
The Scottish Region (ScR) was one of the six regions created on British Railways (BR) and consisted of ex-London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) and ex-London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) lines in Scotland. It existed from the creation o ...
on
nationalisation
Nationalization (nationalisation in British English) is the process of transforming privately-owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to pri ...
in 1948, seeing use for trains going to
Montgomerie Pier and the nearby
Shell Mex plant until 1968. All of the track north of the station was removed in 1970, however the spur line from the former
Ardrossan Railway
The Ardrossan Railway was a railway company in Scotland, whose line was built in the mid-19th century. It primarily ran services between Kilwinning and Ardrossan, as well as freight services to and from collieries between Kilwinning and Perceton. ...
to the south remained intact serving the nearby
bitumen
Asphalt, also known as bitumen (, ), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be found in natural deposits or may be a refined product, and is classed as a pitch. Before the 20th century, the term a ...
plant until the 1980s.
Today parts of the station platforms are still in existence, though heavily overgrown. The site of the station building is now occupied by the depot for
Clyde Coast Coaches Clyde may refer to:
People
* Clyde (given name)
* Clyde (surname)
Places
For townships see also Clyde Township
Australia
* Clyde, New South Wales
* Clyde, Victoria
* Clyde River, New South Wales
Canada
* Clyde, Alberta
* Clyde, Ontario, a t ...
.
[McSherry, page 36] The bridge that passed over the station was demolished in March 2008 and platforms underneath partially removed. The platforms remained until 2017, when they made way for a new housing development.
References
Notes
Sources
*
*
*
*
Stations on navigable O.S. map.Intermediate station on branch north of harbour entrance.
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Disused railway stations in North Ayrshire
Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1888
Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1917
Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1919
Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1932
1888 establishments in Scotland
1932 disestablishments in Scotland
Former Caledonian Railway stations
Ardrossan−Saltcoats−Stevenston