Tillynaught railway station or Tillynaught Junction was a junction

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 prep ...

in what is now Aberdeenshire, Parish of Fordyce, 6 miles south-west of Banff. Tillynaught was opened in 1859 by the

Banff, Portsoy and Strathisla Railway The Banff, Portsoy and Strathisla Railway was a Scottish railway company that connected the Aberdeenshire ports of Banff and Portsoy with the main line of the Great North of Scotland Railway (GNoSR) main line at Grange, a place some distance ...

, and in 1867 was absorbed by the

Great North of Scotland Railway The Great North of Scotland Railway (GNSR) was one of the two smallest of the five major Scottish railway companies prior to the 1923 Grouping, operating in the north-east of the country. Formed in 1845, it carried its first passengers the fro ...

(GNSR). This junction station was served by Aberdeen to Elgin trains as well as trains running to the branch terminus at Banff. In 1923 the

was absorbed by the London and North Eastern Railway and in 1948 became part of British Railways. Recommended for closure by

Dr Beeching Richard Beeching, Baron Beeching (21 April 1913 – 23 March 1985), commonly known as Dr Beeching, was a physicist and engineer who for a short but very notable time was chairman of British Railways. He became a household name in Britain in the ...

's report "The Reshaping of British Railways" the station closed completely on 6 May 1968.

History

Banff, Portsoy and Strathisla

The

opened on 30 July 1859, with a line from Banff to Grange, on the

(GNSR) main line, with a branch from Tillynaught to Portsoy. On 1 February 1863 the GNSR took over services and the railway renamed the Banffshire Railway.

Moray Coast Line

A new station was built at Portsoy for the through line, which opened, together with a extension to Tochieneal, on 1 April 1884. The Countess of Seafield had not allowed a direct route to be built through Cullen House policies and to avoid the estate lands several bridges were and an impressive viaduct at Cullen had to be built. The Moray Coast Line opened on 1 May 1886, through Aberdeen to Elgin services called at Tillynaught. In 1923 the

was absorbed by the London and North Eastern Railway and railway nationalisation followed in 1948, services then being delivered by British Railways. The station and the line via

Buckie Buckie ( gd, Bucaidh) is a burgh town (defined as such in 1888) on the Moray Firth coast of Scotland. Historically in Banffshire, Buckie was the largest town in the county until the administrative area was abolished in 1975. The town is the t ...

was recommended for closure by

's in ''The Reshaping of British Railways'', closed on 6 May 1968.

The station infrastructure

In 1866-7 the station apparently had no sidings, possessing an island platform and only two buildings indicated. By 1902 the junction had two signal boxes, a pedestrian footbridge, a weighing machine and a complex arrangement of sidings and points. The Tillnaught Junction signalling diagram for 1934 shows a single wooden signal box, two sidings on the Banff side and the sign stated ''Change for Ladysbridge and Banff''. The island platform once had an impressive overall canopy that had been removed by 1960. After closure the station buildings were demolished and the platforms infilled. The nearby station master's house and ancillary houses have been converted into a private dwelling.

Services

Tillynaught had six trains a day to

Portsoy Portsoy ( gd, Port Saoidh) is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Historically, Portsoy was in Banffshire. The original name may come from ''Port Saoithe'', meaning "saithe harbour". Portsoy is located on the Moray Firth coast of northeast Scotlan ...

after being taken over by the GNSR, three of these reversed and continued to Banff. Tochieneal had services from when the line reached there in 1886. The Moray Coast Line was served by four through trains a day between Aberdeen to Elgin and these trains called at Tillynaught.

was served by four Aberdeen to Inverness trains in the summer of 1948, with a mid-day Keith Town to Inverness service and an evening service from Aberdeen that terminated at Elgin. There were three through services from Inverness to Aberdeen, a service from Lossiemouth and Elgin to Aberdeen and a Saturday service from Inverness to

Keith Keith may refer to: People and fictional characters * Keith (given name), includes a list of people and fictional characters * Keith (surname) * Keith (singer), American singer James Keefer (born 1949) * Baron Keith, a line of Scottish barons ...

that after 19 June was accelerated and extended to Aberdeen. There were no Sunday services.

Micro-history

The station was located in a very rural area and was named after a local farm and water mill.Banffshire, Sheet IX (includes: Deskford; Fordyce; Grange; Ordiquhill) Survey date: 1866. Publication date: 1871.
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References

Footnotes

Sources

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External links

Archive Images - TillynaughtPhotograph of Tillynaught railway stationYouTube video of Tillynaught Junction model railwayDetails of the railway cottagesScottish Screen Archive - Last Train to Banff - 1964
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tillnaught railway station Former Great North of Scotland Railway stations Disused railway stations in Aberdeenshire Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1859 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1968 Beeching closures in Scotland 1859 establishments in Scotland 1968 disestablishments in Scotland