Brackenhills railway station was a railway station approximately one mile south-west of the town of

Beith Beith is a small town in the Garnock Valley, North Ayrshire, Scotland approximately south-west of Glasgow. The town is situated on the crest of a hill and was known originally as the "''Hill o' Beith''" (hill of the birches) after its ''Court ...

, close to

Barkip Barkip, also known as The Den, is a hamlet in North Ayrshire, Scotland about southwest of Beith on the A737 road to Dalry. The earliest recorded name is 'Blairkip'.

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, 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 ...

History

The station opened on 1 September 1906 on the branch to

Kilbirnie Kilbirnie ( Gaelic: ''Cill Bhraonaigh'') is a small town of 7,280 (as of 2001) inhabitants situated in the Garnock Valley area of North Ayrshire, on the west coast of Scotland. It is around southwest of Glasgow and approximately from Paisle ...

.Butt, page 41 The station closed on 1 December 1930. Today the station platform still exists though it is overgrown and in very poor condition. The stationmaster's house is now a private residence. The 1858 Ordnance Survey (OS) shows a 'weighing machine' at what was eventually to become Brackenhills railway station, related to the Hillhead Railway to Broadstone limestone quarry, the exchange and offloading bay for which were nearby. Many other ironstone and limestone also quarries existed in the immediate area. The 1897 OS map shows a 'Brackenhills Siding' at the site and the station is shown on the 1920s map. File:Powgree railway bridge.JPG, The nearby railway bridge over the Powgree Burn in the Kersland Glen. File:Kersland Railway cutting.JPG, The old railway cutting running from Brackenhills into the Kersland Glen. File:Brackenhills loading dock remains.JPG, An exposed portion of the old loading dock in the goods yard area.

Services

A shuttle service ran via this station on the way to

Giffen Giffen is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Brad Giffen, Canadian television reporter, anchor and radio personality * George Giffen (1859–1927), Australian cricketer *James Giffen, American businessman * Keith Giffen (born 195 ...

from

and back, with around nine return journeys per day during the week and an extra two on Saturdays.Stansfield, p. 28 In 1912 the local paper reported that 16 trains per day ran to Ardrossan and Glasgow Central station from Brackenhills.Reid, Donald L. & Monahan, Isobel F. (1999). ''Yesterday's Beith. A Pictorial Guide''. Beith : Duke of Edinburgh Award. . P. 84

Freight

The LMS appendix recordsLMS Appendix that

Brackenhills Station siding. - This siding may be worked by trains proceeding from Giffen towards Kilbirnie (South), and during shunting operations the points must be set for the siding and remain in that position until the work is completed.
This siding may also be worked by trains not exceeding 12 wagons and brake van coming from Glengarnock (High) and proceeding towards Giffen. In such cases the train must be taken inside the sidings, and no vehicle is to be left on the main branch line. The station master at Brackenhills must inform the signalman at Glengarnock (High) by telegraph when there is traffic to lift and the train must be signalled in accordance with Train Tablet Regulation 8.

References

;Notes ;Sources * * * LMS Appendix *
Brackenhills station on navigable OS map
Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1906 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1930 Disused railway stations in North Ayrshire Former Caledonian Railway stations Garnock Valley {{NorthAyrshire-geo-stub