Mossgiel Tunnel Platform railway station (NS480292) was not a station constructed for public use.
It stood close to the northern portal of the 680 yard Mossgiel Tunnel that runs under the Mossgiel Ridge and Skeoch Hill north of
Mauchline
Mauchline (; gd, Maghlinn) is a town and civil parish in East Ayrshire, Scotland. In the 2001 census Mauchline had a recorded population of 4,105. It is home to the National Burns Memorial.
Location
The town lies by the Glasgow and South West ...
,
East Ayrshire
East Ayrshire ( sco, Aest Ayrshire; gd, Siorrachd Àir an Ear) is one of thirty-two council areas of Scotland. It shares borders with Dumfries and Galloway, East Renfrewshire, North Ayrshire, South Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire. The headquar ...
,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
. It may have solely served the transportation requirements of the
Glasgow and South-Western Railway
The Glasgow and South Western Railway (G&SWR) was a railway company in Scotland. It served a triangular area of south-west Scotland between Glasgow, Stranraer and Carlisle. It was formed on 28 October 1850 by the merger of two earlier railways, ...
and its successor in connection with the carriage of workers involved in the ongoing maintenance and/or the major reconstruction of Mossgiel Tunnel that took place between 1925 and 1927.
It was not recorded in the 1896 G&SWR working time table and had closed sometime after July 1926.
Garrochburn Goods Depot
Garrochburn Goods Depot or Garrochburn Siding was a railway freight facility located off the B744 near the hamlet of Crosshands that lies north-west of Mauchline, East Ayrshire, Scotland. It served the industrial and agricultural requirements fo ...
once stood near by on the B744 to the north, 6.82 from
Kilmarnock and 2.72 from
Mauchline
Mauchline (; gd, Maghlinn) is a town and civil parish in East Ayrshire, Scotland. In the 2001 census Mauchline had a recorded population of 4,105. It is home to the National Burns Memorial.
Location
The town lies by the Glasgow and South West ...
. A line to
Mauchline
Mauchline (; gd, Maghlinn) is a town and civil parish in East Ayrshire, Scotland. In the 2001 census Mauchline had a recorded population of 4,105. It is home to the National Burns Memorial.
Location
The town lies by the Glasgow and South West ...
Colliery branched off close to the site of the station that opened in 1925 and closed to all traffic in February 1974 after serving as a coal washery for around 5 years after the colliery closed in 1969.
Infrastructure and working
The
OS maps of 1895 shows only Garrochburn signal box and signals in the area with a reservoir on the western side of the line and a small building opposite it on the eastern side in the immediate vicinity of the station site. By the 1920s only minor infrastructure was present with the double track main line and one siding running off to a loading dock to the west. Several semaphore signal posts and cross over points were present with runaway points located in the up line about 400yds towards
Hurlford
Hurlford (Scottish Gaelic: ''Baile Àtha Cliath'') is a village in East Ayrshire, Scotland. It has a population of 4,968. Hurlford's former names include Whirlford and Hurdleford. The village was named Whirlford as a result of a ford crossing ...
from the signal box.
The siding at Garrochburn was also used as a coal siding for coal traffic to or from the nearby Mauchline Colliery.
The gradient from
Kilmarnock eased at Garrochburn Goods depot before a gentle descent into
Mauchline
Mauchline (; gd, Maghlinn) is a town and civil parish in East Ayrshire, Scotland. In the 2001 census Mauchline had a recorded population of 4,105. It is home to the National Burns Memorial.
Location
The town lies by the Glasgow and South West ...
following the passage through Mossgiel or Skeoch Tunnel.
History
The goods depot at Garrochburn was opened by the
Glasgow and South-Western Railway
The Glasgow and South Western Railway (G&SWR) was a railway company in Scotland. It served a triangular area of south-west Scotland between Glasgow, Stranraer and Carlisle. It was formed on 28 October 1850 by the merger of two earlier railways, ...
in the 1920s and closed on 4 October 1965.
Its construction may have been originally have been related to the reconstruction of Mossgiel Tunnel in the mid-1920s.
Apart from farm traffic and the possible link with the reconstruction and relining of Mossgiel Tunnel the siding at Garrochburn was also used as a coal siding for coal traffic connected with the siding to Mauchline Colliery.
As stated Mossgiel Tunnel Platform stood close by to the south,
and had closed at some point after July 1926
by the
LMS when the reconstruction of Mossgiel Tunnel had been completed. The station had only a single platform as the line itself had been singled during the work on the tunnel. A temporary signal box had been established to control the southern access to the tunnel during the relining, etc.
The site today
The siding to Mauchline Colliery has been lifted and much of the track bed has grassed over. No remnants of the station are visible however the likely site is discernable as a wide area on the verge of the line.
See also
*
Glenfalloch Platform railway station
*
Garrochburn Goods Depot
Garrochburn Goods Depot or Garrochburn Siding was a railway freight facility located off the B744 near the hamlet of Crosshands that lies north-west of Mauchline, East Ayrshire, Scotland. It served the industrial and agricultural requirements fo ...
*
Mennock Lye Goods Depot
Mennock Lye Goods Depot or Mennock Siding was a railway freight facility located off the A76 in the hamlet of Mennock that lies circa two miles (three km) south-east of Sanquhar, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. Situated 68 miles (109 km) ...
References
Notes
Sources
*
* Wham, Alasdair (2013). ''Ayrshire's Forgotten Railways. A Walker's Guide''. Cranborne : Oakwood Press. .
Good's station site on navigable O.S. map
External links
Video footage of the Mossgiel Tunnel & Air Shaft on the G&SWR Line, Mauchline.History of Mauchline
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mossgiel Tunnel Platform railway station
Archaeological sites in East Ayrshire
History of East Ayrshire
Demolished buildings and structures in Scotland
Disused railway stations in East Ayrshire
Former private railway stations