Cruden Bay Hotel Tramway (Great North of Scotland Railway)

Introduction

This electric tramway connected the Great North of Scotland Railway station at Cruden Bay with their high status Cruden Bay Hotel nearby which was built in the same era as Gleneagles Hotel and Turnberry Hotel. However, unlike its contemporaries the Cruden Bay hotel no longer exists. The tramway, a single track of 3ft 6.5in gauge and 930 yards long, opened in 1899 (for horse traction in March and electric in June). There were two single deck tramcars which were built at the then new Kittybrewster Works. In addition to carrying passengers to the front of the hotel the trams also served the hotel's laundry at its rear. The line had overhead catenary. The nearby railway closed to passengers in 1932 and the tramway continued, carrying laundry, until 1940/41. The hotel had been requisitioned by the military in 1939 becoming a hospital in 1941. It was sold for demolition in 1947.




Locations along the line

These locations are along the line.

This was a very fine two platform station with heavily canopied station buildings on each platform, in keeping with it being associated with a fine railway owned hotel, Cruden Bay Hotel. The hotel and its electric tramway (Cruden Bay Hotel Tramway (Great North of Scotland Railway)) opened in 1899.
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See also
Boddam Branch (Great North of Scotland Railway)
This standard, at the former site of Cruden Bay station, once supported the catenary of the Cruden Bay Hotel tramway. It was an unusually attractive ...
David Murray-Smith //1961
A tramway wagon being unearthed at Cruden Bay, circa 1961. ...
David Murray-Smith //1961
The remains of a bridge abutment just to the west of Cruden Bay, at Nethermill.
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Alan Cormack 15/08/2017
The former station masters house at Cruden Bay in November 2006. ...
John Furnevel 06/11/2006
4 of 9 images. more


This grand hotel and resort was established by the Great North of Scotland Railway following the success of their Palace Hotel in Aberdeen. It was built in the Scottish baronial style, using local red sandstone. The frontage overlooked the large sandy Cruden Bay beach from a height.
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GNSR coat of arms at the site of the Cruden Bay Hotel, circa 1961. ...
David Murray-Smith //1961
1 of 1 images.