Riccarton and Craigie was an unopened

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 village of

Riccarton Riccarton may refer to: New Zealand * Riccarton, New Zealand, a suburb of Christchurch ** Riccarton (New Zealand electorate), the electorate named after it ** The location of Riccarton Race Course * a locality on the Taieri Plains in Otago Scotlan ...

and the distant hamlet of Craigie, both in

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 headquart ...

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 ...

. Built in 1902 and originally just called Riccarton, it was renamed in 1905.Robin, G. H. (1962), ''The Nith Valley Route.'' The Railway Magazine, January P. 23.

History

The village of Riccarton near Kilmarnock had a railway station by this name on the

Gatehead The village or hamlet of Gatehead is located in East Ayrshire, Parish of Kilmaurs, Scotland. It is one and a quarter miles from Crosshouse and one and a half miles from Kilmarnock. In the 18th and 19th centuries the locality was a busy coal mining ...

and

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 ...

branch 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 railway ...

. Part of the line remained open to supply a Hurst Fuels Depot in Kilmarnock that has now closed (datum June 2021), the track in the old station area was however lifted in the 1970s when Kilmarnock's Power Station closed. The remains of the station with its island platform and bricked up entrance from the street were extant until the building of the new Kilmarnock bypass removed all traces in the 1980s. The station was built on the embankment just to the west of Campbell Street, but never opened for regular services;Blane, page 7 the double track line from Gatehead to Hurlford was officially open on 14 July 1902. and officially closed on 5 July 1965. The line never had a publicly advertised passenger service and a goods yard stood where the Hurst Fuels Depot was built in the 1970s. The signalbox at Riccarton & Craigie closed on 30 June 1938 when the line ceased to be a through route, possibly replaced by a ground frame. The route was used by excursion and relief trains, including services between Kilmarnock and Ayr until closure as a through route on 27 June 1938. In 1932 the main Glasgow - Ayr line was cut by a subsidence at the Irvine Viaduct and as a result trains between Glasgow and Ayr not calling at Paisley were for a time diverted via Barrhead, Kilmarnock and Riccarton and Craigie. It is listed in 1929 as 'Riccarton and Craigie' by 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 ...

, one of the stations which the company conveyed goods to.LMS (1929), ''List of principal towns & places to and from which the LMS convey goods from and to Sheffield and Rotherham.'' Euston Station, London. The G&SWR operated a goods station at Riccarton and Craigie (Goods)Gibson, Fergus (2005–2006).''The freight business of the G&SWR at the start of the 20th century''. Sou' West Journal. No. 37. P. 6. which in 1910 had a substantial goods shed and associated crane and weighing machine. It is recorded as being closed officially on 5 July 1965. Kay Park Junction was opened in 1904 as a spur to the Hurlford - Gatehead line. The signal box was still in use in 1962 for the trains running to the sidings surviving several industrial companies works. The 1902 1 inch to a mile OS map (sheet 22) and the 1920s OS map, show the station as being open to passengers.

Services

The Working Timetable for October 1909 shows a 'Saturday's Only' passenger train that was due into Kilmarnock at 5.42pm, running from Ayr at 5pm via Riccarton. The 12.50pm Goods from Ayr to Kilmarnock called at Riccarton to detach traffic and also a Tuesdays only goods from Hurlford to Gatehead via Riccarton and return to Darvel.Burgess, Page 5

Appearance

The 1938 Ordnance Survey map shows an island platform with a semaphore signal positioned close to the bridge over the road to the east. Stairs ran up to the platform from the ground level pavement beneath the railway overbridge.

References

Sources

* * * Blane, Robert (2014). ''The Riccarton Branch - an Industrial railway in Kilmarnock.'' Sou' West. Autumn 2014. * Burgess, Max (2014). ''Letters to the Editor - The Riccarton Branch''. Sou' West. Winter 2014/2015. * Thomas, John (1971). ''A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain. V.6, Scotland''. David & Charles : Newton Abbot. .

Previous and next stations

{{coord, 55.5965, -4.4995, type:railwaystation_region:GB, display=title Disused railway stations in East Ayrshire Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1965 1965 disestablishments in Scotland Unbuilt railway stations in the United Kingdom