Beattock railway station was a station which served Beattock, in the parish of

Kirkpatrick-Juxta Kirkpatrick-Juxta is a parish in Dumfries and Galloway on the A701, between Biggar, South Lanarkshire, Biggar, Moffat and Lockerbie. The parish straddles the main road A74 (M). It is primarily a rural parish. One source describes its name as meani ...

in the Scottish county of Dumfries and Galloway. It was served by trains on what is now known as the

West Coast Main Line The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important railway corridors in the United Kingdom, connecting the major cities of London and Glasgow with branches to Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Edinburgh. It is one of the busiest ...

. Following closure in 1972, the nearest station is now at Lockerbie.

History

Opened by 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 ...

, it became part of 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 ...

during the Grouping of 1923. It survived the closures in the 1960s, being closed as part of the electrification of the

, the reason being mentioned by O.S Nock in his book as "the very small amount of traffic currently using it would not warrant the necessary rebuilding and safety improvements to allow electric trains to call."Nock (1974), page 64 Between 1881 and 1964, Beattock was the junction for the branch to

Moffat Moffat ( gd, Mofad) is a burgh and parish in Dumfriesshire, now part of the Dumfries and Galloway local authority area in Scotland. It lies on the River Annan, with a population of around 2,500. It was a centre of the wool trade and a spa town. ...

. Just south of Beattock station is the mysterious "Jessie's Tunnel", which intersects the line. There are 3 theories relating to the tunnel and its origin. One theory is that the tunnel was named after Jessie Armstrong, who died after being hit by a train whilst trying to cross the tracks. The more likely origin of the tunnel is that local boys would be labelled "jessies" (Scottish word for effeminate) for using it, rather than crossing the tracks. The third, and most controversial theory, is that the tunnel was named after Jessie, a local inhabitant, who used the tunnel to peddle her wares. This theory however is probably explained by local tavern rumou
Jessie's Tunnel
The station features in the novel '' The Thirty-Nine Steps'', written by John Buchan. Richard Hannay walks to the station from Moffat, before catching a night-train south to England. There is a short story "Beattock for Moffatt" by

Robert Bontine Cunninghame Graham Robert Bontine Cunninghame Graham (24 May 1852 – 20 March 1936) was a Scottish politician, writer, journalist and adventurer. He was a Liberal Party Member of Parliament (MP); the first ever socialist member of the Parliament of the United Ki ...

about a Scotsman with

consumption Consumption may refer to: *Resource consumption *Tuberculosis, an infectious disease, historically * Consumption (ecology), receipt of energy by consuming other organisms * Consumption (economics), the purchasing of newly produced goods for curren ...

hoping to reach Beattock before he dies.

Stationmasters

*William Lloyd ca. 1857 ca. 1862 *James Chesney until 1863 (afterwards station master at Lockerbie) *Thomas Cowan 1863 - 1884 (formerly station master at Gallowhill, afterwards station master at Moffat) *James Dixon 1884 - 1887 *William Napier 1887 - 1888 (formerly station master at Law Junction) *Inspector Robertson from 1888 *George Donaldson 1903 - 1921 (afterwards station master at Ardrossan) *William Russell 1922 - 1924 (formerly station master at Dinwoodie, afterwards station master at Moffat) *David McVey 1924 (died 3 weeks after appointment) *J.R. Howie 1932 - 1939 *David J. Murphy 1940 - 1944 (afterwards station master at Greenock)

Current operations

Trains pass at speed on the electrified West Coast Main Line. The remnants of the station are still visible on the site. Following the trackwork associated with the electrification work, Beattock retained the down loop, and an up loop was created.Nock (1974), page 140

References

Notes

Sources

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External links

RAILSCOT on Caledonian Railway

Jessie's Tunnel
Disused railway stations in Dumfries and Galloway Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1847 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1972 Former Caledonian Railway stations 1847 establishments in Scotland William Tite railway stations 1972 disestablishments in Scotland {{DumfriesGalloway-railstation-stub